Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke during a press conference at Harrisburg’s Fire Station 1 on Tuesday.
Pennsylvania’s governor has weighed in on the reconstruction of the Broad Street Market.
During a press conference in Uptown Harrisburg on Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Josh Shapiro said that local officials needed to “get their act together” and rebuild the market.
Shapiro’s statements were in response to a reporter’s question about the progress at the market, during a press conference highlighting increased state funding for the fire bureau.
“The local folks need to get their act together and rebuild this thing already,” he said. “We’re committed to putting real resources in from a capital perspective. I frankly have been frustrated by how long it’s taken. We’ve let local leaders know that.”
Construction on the brick building, severely damaged in a July 2023 fire, began this fall. On Monday, the city confirmed that a section of the building’s wall, near the Millworks, had collapsed. City officials said that they were meeting to evaluate the damage and make a plan for moving forward.
Shapiro said he had heard about the collapse.
“This is a critically important place for the community, symbolically and also just where people go to get their fresh groceries and gather as a community,” he said. “I want to see them rebuild it and we’re committed to pulling real capital dollars in. They’ve got to get moving here already.”
The state awarded the Broad Street Market $500,000 in May for improvements to the stone market building, a second market house that mostly includes prepared food vendors and was not damaged in the blaze. The fire-ravaged brick building housed mostly fresh food vendors, some of whom have moved temporarily to a tent across the street.
Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams was in attendance at Monday’s press conference, but had left before Shapiro’s comments on the market.
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