Author: paulinemasson

By Pauline Masson – Pacific staff and aldermen deserve their self promoted accolades for approving a new – third version – of a city emergency operations plan, but they got a bit too self-congratulatory in the March city newsletter claiming that it was the “first ever.” The first ever claim is a slight to two former mayors, who both developed, disaster response, or emergency operations plans. In 2001, during former Alderman Rick Layton’s Safety Awareness Day on the parking lot … Continue reading “City Announced Third Emergency Operations Plan as “First Ever”“

By Pauline Masson – This post is in response to reader Ron Suerig’s request that I write a blog on closed meetings. Here is my take on closed meetings. I am not a lawyer and am not giving legal advice. I am a old reporter who has reported on municipal government in 30 cities over 50 years. And I knowa thing or two about how elected official try to hide their actions from the citizens. I want to start with … Continue reading “Why Closed Meeting / Response to Reader”

By Pauline Masson – Tuesday evening’s board of aldermen meeting illustrated that what happens in the City Hall back room still goes in Pacific. A behind closed doors deal to swap a piece of city-owned land adjacent to Liberty Field Park – located one block east of First Street South of East Congress – for a privately owned tract of land, passed with nary a word of disclosure to the public. Ownership of the former city owned property at 129 … Continue reading “Liberty Field Land Swap Still Clothed in Secrecy”

By Pauline Masson –  In Pacific, Eleanor Hirth was probably best known as the picture show lady, wife of Henry K. “Kenny” Hirth, second generation owner/operator of the Royal Theater. Newspapers unfailingly identified her as “Mrs. Henry Hirth.” No first names for ladies in those days, no matter how accomplished or well connected. The Pacific Transcript posted frequent snippets of “Mrs. Henry Hirth” sitting on a swing on her St. Louis Street front porch with her son Billy. But in … Continue reading “Picture Show Lady / Unsung Star in Pacific History / Flowers, Books, Parks, City Planning and Lifelong Champion of the Handicapped”

By Pauline Masson – Aldermen will consider whether to approve an outdoor storage lot at the entrance to Liberty Field park at the Tuesday board meeting. Although local social media posts indicated that citizens don’t favor a storage lot at the park entrance, no opponents appeared at the P&Z meeting to voice concerns. Two measures now come before aldermen to approve the use of the lot adjacent to the park – final approval of the sale of city owned lots … Continue reading “Going Against City Hall Isn’t for Everyone / P&Z Meeting on Unpopular Storage Lot Next to Liberty Field Drew Only One Speaker, The Applicant”

By Pauline Masson –  Billy Murphy was best known for his 30-year crusade to preserve the Old Rock Church in Catawissa, but it was the way he did it that was a testament to his Irishness.  A raconteur of the first water, Billy was known as much for his storytelling as for his belief that his circle of acquaintances would bear any burdon, meet any hardship, to assure the survival of a historic church, opened in 1867 and closed as … Continue reading “Luck O’ the Irish / Billy Murphy Symbol of Irish Heritage / Guardian of the Old Rock Church”

By Pauline Masson –  The City’s iffy recommendations on a request to develop a parcel of ground at the entrance to Liberty Field park for an outdoor storage lot worries some residents, both for the lack of prior disclosure on the sale of city property to allow the development and the impact the storage lot would have on the city park. The public got its first glimpse of the possible storage lot at the park entrance when a bill approving … Continue reading “Public Questions Sale of City Property Without Public Notice / Outdoor Storage Lot at Park Entrance / P&Z to Consider Permit Tuesday”

By Pauline Masson – By the skin of their teeth, aldermen James Cleeve and Scott Lesh prevailed Tuesday evening in defeating the proposed law that would have made it illegal to camp on city property.  The bill, titled ‘unfit structures,’ which was clearly aimed at ridding the city of homeless campers, dominated aldermanic meetings over the past three months and divided residents and officials on how to address the issue of homeless persons in the city. Tuesday’s actual vote on … Continue reading “By the Skin of Their Teeth Cleeve and Lesh Prevail Homeless Bill Falls Short of Required 4 Votes”

By Pauline Masson – After rejecting two versions of a proposed law to make it illegal to sleep in a tent, camper or RV in Pacific – with a penalty of a fine or imprisonment – aldermen will take up the the third version of the bill next Tuesday.  Former Mayor Herb Adams says he would like to see aldermen say No a third time and set their sights on creating a policy for government to respond when people find … Continue reading “Eyeing Homeless Issue, Former Mayor Says City Needs a Policy – Not a Law“

Even though the restoration has lagged into the sixth year, no discussion of Black History in Pacific would be complete without the story of Historic First Baptist Church, 421 South First Street. This small frame strucure, built in the path of recurring floods, has been the home church of a series of Black leaders who inspired and championed a close-knit community of Black citizens for six generations. At least five times, the building was damaged beyond what some thought was … Continue reading “Historic First Baptist Church / Root of Black History in Pacific / After a Five-Year Rebuild, a New Life”