Harrisburg City Council meeting on Tuesday
A project to rebuild the Broad Street Market’s fire-damaged brick building can now take a step forward, following a contentious council meeting.
Harrisburg City Council on Tuesday reversed its previous rejection of the city’s selected construction manager for the rebuild, allowing the project to move forward.
Council voted 4-3 in favor of hiring Harrisburg-based Alexander Building Construction Co. as the construction manager to oversee the market rebuild, with council members Lamont Jones, Jocelyn Rawls and Danielle Bowers voting “no.”
At a meeting two weeks ago, council voted down the contract, 5-2, several members claiming that the selection process was inequitable and that the selection committee was not diverse. Previously, council members Crystal Davis and Ralph Rodriguez voted against the contract, but changed their votes during the reconsideration on Tuesday. All other council members voted the same as they did previously.
Following council’s original rejection of the resolution, the city administration objected to council’s claim, saying that the selection was fair. Officials also noted that they would need to restart the selection process, which could take anywhere from four to six months. Following the decision, Mayor Wanda Williams, the market’s board of directors and local state representatives, among others, spoke out against council’s “no” vote.
Williams maintained her position when she spoke to council at Tuesday night’s meeting.
“The process was not flawed,” she said. “I put who I felt is competent [on the scoring team]. I am the mayor, let me do my job.”
With a construction manager now hired for the rebuild, the city can now move forward with hiring a general contractor, architect and other contractors for the market. Officials have shared that the brick building restoration will likely take around two to three years.
“I’m excited and appreciative that City Council reconsidered their prior vote, and we’re looking forward to construction on the brick building getting underway,” said Eric Hagarty, chair of the market’s board. “Now the two-year clock on when doors can open begins, and we get to start planning for a future that includes having the brick building reopened.”
Rodriguez said that he changed his vote on Tuesday to a “yes,” after meeting with city officials and community members to discuss the resolution.
“The optics of the selection process seemed and appeared flawed,” he said. “Yes, the process should be transparent […] yes, the portion too should be fair and equitable, although, in my very own opinion, it’s not the step where we can really hold accountability up. That occurs in the next step with the actual selection of those who will do the work.”
Rawls maintained her opposition to the resolution on Tuesday, stating that, while she does not oppose Alexander as the manager, she still felt the selection process was unfair. She also voiced concern that Karl Singleton, the city’s chief equity and compliance officer, wasn’t involved in the process.
Singleton spoke during public comment in support of council’s equity concerns.
“There is no one up here who wants this to be rebuilt more than me,” Rawls said. “But I will not allow you all to go down in mud […] because a process wasn’t full of integrity and honor and respect. The process was flawed and we need to change that process today.”
During their previous council meeting, Rawls also took issue with inconsistencies found on her copies of the city’s scoring rubric that was used to score potential contractors. According to Williams, Rawls was accidentally given a draft copy of the rubric, which contained a typo that was later corrected.
Williams also pointed out during the meeting that council unanimously passed at least eight prior city contract agreements this year that used the same scoring procedure. She also said that she will continue to use the same city employees on the scoring team.
Prior to council’s re-vote, some community members urged council to reconsider and approve the construction manager, while others spoke in favor of council’s concern about fairness in the selection process.
“You need to keep more of the money here,” said Earl Harris, a local pastor and Harrisburg resident. “If you’re going to build a community where 73% are Black and brown, where do we fit in this process? We need to be included.”
Another Harrisburg resident, John “Joesmooth” Palmer, said that he just wanted to see the market restored as soon as possible.
“All I want to know is what’s taking so long,” he said. “Let’s get this thing done, let’s not make any excuses. Ten months is too long.”
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