Question

Hi can you help me make a summary about this short article and also how it affects me economically as a citizen of Allentown ?

Petition: Save Allentown State Hospital

PETITION

City resident has 1,400 signatures so far. State lawmakers say facility can not be restored.

The Allentown State Hospital was closed in 2010 and has cost taxpayers $ 2.2 million annually in maintenance. (MORNING CALL FILE PHOTO)

By Kayla Dwyer

Of The Morning Call

More than 1,400 people have signed a petition asking Pennsylvania lawmakers to preserve the Allentown State Hospital, which the state plans to demolish this year.

The century-old hospital closed in 2010 and has cost taxpayers $ 2.2 million annually in maintenance on the 28 buildings and nearly 200 acres of land. But preservationists cite its historic value, architectural beauty and potential for repurposing in an effort to save the property from to $ 15 million demolition.

"It is important to save the history that we have, rather than to demolish and build on it when it could be saved and repurposed," the petition states. "These beautiful and historic buildings are still in the community which is originally built for, but now in a different way."

Allentown resident Brooke Kemler, a volunteer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Valley Against Sex Trafficking, started the petition over the weekend with the goal of 1,500 signatures. At the current rate, she said, she hopes to collect 10,000 signatures and mail the petition to lawmakers on Saturday.

"I thought, 'I'm nobody - I'm 25, nobody cares what I think, nobody cares about the hospital,'" said Kemler, who is working on a book of photography and history of asylums in the United States. "But if it gets demolished and I do nothing about it, I'll never forgive myself."

Republican state Sen. Pat Browne of Allentown, Democratic State Sen. Lisa Boscola of Bethlehem, and Democratic state Reps. Peter Schweyer, Mike Schlossberg and Jeanne McNeill are addressed as recipients of the petition.

The Pennsylvania Department of General Services announced the demolition plans in November , saying the state had started the bidding process with the goal of selling the property to TCA Properties of Doylestown.

The Allentown Preservation League toured the hospital buildings Friday in search of artifacts to mark for preservation in the state archives. The state had mentioned a plan to document and save historic items prior to demolition when it was announced last year.

However, the process does not include the saving of architectural features, the APL wrote on its Facebook page after posting photos from the tour.

Lawmakers say the buildings need to come down. Schlossberg mentioned asbestos and dioxins in the ground, and Browne has said the hospital site can not be reused without the buildings being torn down.

Schlossberg said he applauds the petition effort because it shows people are trying to positively impact their community.

"But it does not change two fundamental realities: The site is contaminated and it's not financially viable to repair it," he said.

If an experienced, reputable developer stepped forward with a plan to rehab and save the buildings, I would support that concept, Schlossberg added. But that is not going to happen because of the environmental and construction rehabilitation costs, he said.

"The fact remains the property has been vacant for nine years and we have had absolutely zero interest in anyone saving the property," Schlossberg said.

Kemler counters with examples of other successful hospital rehabilitations: Pennhurst State School and Hospital in Chester County, originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic, is now a haunted attraction . The Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane was converted to a hotel and conference center .

Hollywood recently saw value in the Allentown site. Director M. Night Shyamalan used for parts of "Glass," sequel to 2000's "Unbreakable" and 2016's "Split," starring Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis and James McAvoy.

The land's fair market value is appraised at $ 2.57 million and it has been mentioned as a possible location for a new Allentown School District middle school.

If the problem is community interest in the property, Kemler said she is hoping to address that.

"My hope is that this petition reaches the proper people who are willing to listen to the community wants," she said Monday. "Time is closing in, and it's now or never."

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Twitter @ kayla_dwyer17

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Answer 1

Thr article summarizes protagonists which look to preserve Allentown hospital which has been posting losses and devaluation. However its been argued that these historic and legendary structures should be preserve d and repurposed in better way by monetization and optimisation of resources effectively.

However this has drawn criticism remain that its uneconomical and unviable to repair because of contamination and against architectural norms. Secondly construction and environmental rehabilitation costs are huge and thirdly its been vacant since 9 uears with no parties interested to buy. Hence its herculean task to get required petition and get this building repurposed.