Author Archives: Alexandra Jones

Monument Project honors Black abolitionist William Howard Day, 125 years after his death

December 3, 2025 | by Alexandra Jones

Commonwealth Monument Project director Lenwood Sloan speaks at the ceremony as Harrisburg historian Calobe Jackson, Jr. listens.

Celebrating a historic Harrisburg leader, the Commonwealth Monument Project unveiled a bust of 19th century abolitionist and educator William Howard Day Wednesday to be displayed in the Pennsylvania Capitol Complex.

The bust was presented to the Capitol in the building’s East Wing on the 125th anniversary of Day’s death. It was gifted, alongside a bronze map of the Old Eighth Ward, which Lenwood Sloan, director of the monument project, hopes will hang in close proximity.

Among his many accomplishments, Day (1825-1900) was elected as Harrisburg’s first Black school board president in 1891. Educated at Oberlin College, where he earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Day was the only Black graduate in his 1847 class. He went on to be a journalist, teacher and avid civil rights advocate for African Americans.

Lenwood Sloan, director of the monument project, said Wednesday that it was important to continue to honor Day in “remembrance of who we are, what we are, where we have been” and “how far we have to go.”

He brought together speakers of multiple generations to celebrate.

“We are the past, present and future of our cause,” Sloan said.

Jamar Thrasher, president of Kennedy Blue Communications, noted he admired Day for being an avid pursuer of freedom and education, although both were difficult for Day as a 19th century Black man.

“To this day, that persistence and that love for education still lives — what he did on the school board, what he did throughout Harrisburg, and ultimately, what he did throughout the entire world,” Thrasher said.

William Howard Day’s commemorative bust.

Sloan said the idea to honor Day came from local historians and community leaders Calobe Jackson, Jr. and Sharonn Williams — both long involved in African American historical projects throughout the region. PA Sen. Patty Kim presented Jackson and Williams with proclamations at the ceremony to honor them. Jackson’s congratulated the historian on turning 95 years old earlier this year.

The Commonwealth Monument Project also presented a wreath for Day’s grave to Elizabeth Jefferies, with the Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds project. The grounds project works to preserve African American cemeteries.

Day is buried at Lincoln Cemetery, Harrisburg’s oldest surviving Black cemetery.

To learn more about the Commonwealth Monument Project, visit this site.

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Harrisburg school board hires acting principal for John Harris, reviews amended budget

December 3, 2025 | by Alexandra Jones

The Harrisburg School District gathered Tuesday, Dec. 2 for a reorganization and general meeting.

At its last meeting of the calendar year on Tuesday, the Harrisburg School District Board hired an acting principal for Harrisburg High School-John Harris Campus.

Beginning Wednesday, longtime school district employee Roma Benjamin will temporarily fill the post, which has seen significant turnover in recent years.

Former John Harris principal Christopher Sattele, who began in October 2024, is leaving the district for another position. Superintendent Benjamin Henry said the district will conduct a national search this February for a permanent principal.

“We want to have a little bit more time to go through the process of finding a more permanent person for this role, versus moving someone in immediately,” Henry said of the appointment.

The district approved Benjamin’s employment contract, including a $138,000 salary, with an 8-1 vote. School board member Danielle Robinson voted no. She did not note her reason.

Prior to this role, Benjamin had been working as a support supervisor within the district. She served as principal at Rowland Academy last year, but was placed on administrative leave in February after being accused of harassment for allegedly shoving a 13-year-old student. The case has since been closed.

Board member Jaime Johnsen noted that at a community meeting with board members and the John Harris community, community members reacted to the idea of Benjamin filling the acting role “very” positively.

Board member Brian Carter confirmed with the superintendent that the board would get quarterly updates from Benjamin on the state of John Harris and expressed concerns about whether the high school needs to implement additional student safety measures, as its last principal indicated.

“We will have to have some tough conversations around safety at the high school,” Henry acknowledged.

Board vice president Autumn Anderson echoed this.

“I do think that it’s time for us to revisit that and start building out a plan of what the safety and security looks like. And the sooner we can do that, the better,” she said.

The board also used its last meeting of the year to review its general budget for 2025-2026 with updated state funding numbers. The district had previously estimated what state subsidies it expected to receive due to Pennsylvania’s lengthy budget impasse, explained Chief Financial Officer Marcia Stokes in a presentation during the meeting.

“This is really as a result of the state’s delay,” she said of the budget amendment.

Stokes further explained that the state budget, which passed Nov. 12, had added an additional $3.2 million to the district’s general fund budget, bringing its total to $216.3 million.

For the 2025-26 school year, the state gave Harrisburg $88.1 million for basic education, $8.7 million for special education, and $18 million in grant funding.

“This presentation actually makes me a little happy,” said Robinson.

One negative Stokes noted, however, was that because the budget did not pass in June, the district lost out on more than $400,000 in interest on the state money.

“That is definitely money we will never be able to recoup,” Stokes said.

She added that the Pennsylvania Department of Education has yet to release tuition rates for cyber and charter schools, which will ultimately impact the budget as well.

Prior to the board’s general meeting, the board moved unanimously to retain Roslyn Copeland as board president and Anderson as vice president at its annual reorganization meeting. They will serve in these roles through 2026.

Magisterial District Judge Hanif Johnson also swore in Carter, Copeland, Johnsen and Robinson for additional four-year terms. Board member Annie Hughes was sworn in for an additional two-year term. All were reelected to the board in the November general election.

School board member Brian Carter was sworn in for another four-year term.

As the school district exited state receivership in June, this school year marks the first time since 2019 that board members have full voting power.

For more information about the Harrisburg School District Board of Directors, visit their website.

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Opening this week, photography show captures Harrisburg with local eyes

December 2, 2025 | by Alexandra Jones

Michael Yatsko took this featured photo from Wormleysburg.

Get ready to see the city through a different lens – or, should we say, four different lenses?

The Art Association of Harrisburg’s hyper-local, four-man photography show “All Access Harrisburg” is opening Friday, Dec. 5. It features 80 shots, roughly 20 a piece, by photographers William Hicks, Dr. Eliseo Rosario, Ron Steficek and Michael Yatsko.

“It’s centered around Harrisburg and her inhabitants,” said Nathan Foster, the association’s director of exhibitions.

Many photos spotlight well-known city landmarks.

Multiple shots of the Broad Street Market’s stone building offer the viewer a friendly, familiar sight. Photographer Hicks also captured the brick building’s post-fire devastation with two large aerial shots of the dilapidated structure, taken by drone.

Hicks said his photos in the exhibit mark a reexamination of the place he grew up after returning from Bangkok, Thailand, where he lived from 2019 to 2024.

“It was a difficult transition coming back,” he said, particularly because a lot had changed during the pandemic.

When he came home, he noticed small businesses struggling and the city’s noticeable absence of state workers, now working remotely.

“It just seemed like Harrisburg had lost some of its charm that it used to have,” he said. “That’s what I was searching for in these photos. Reminding myself it is still a beautiful place, even though it feels different.”

Yatsko said many of the shots he submitted are a tribute to his love for the city.

He’s particularly proud of a shot that took years of planning to line up: one of the sun shining through the Star of David atop Beth El Temple. He used sky-tracking apps to find out when the sun would be directly behind the Jewish synagogue’s Star, narrowing it down to a two-day time span.

“When you do all the planning, sometimes the weather just doesn’t work out, or I’m not available, but this one actually worked out perfectly,” he said.

Another well-planned photo features a large crescent moon glowing behind the State Capitol’s dome. For this shot, Yatsko tracked the moon’s stage and location and shot it between 2 and 3 a.m. along S. Front Street in Wormleysburg.

“In order to make the moon appear super big like that, you have to get as far away from the subject as possible,” he explained.

In intimate, black-and-white shots, many of Steficek’s images feature the people of Harrisburg themselves, often in well-known locations. One captures a train passenger waiting on the wooden benches at Harrisburg’s train station; another, a spectator on a bench at Riverfront Park.

“He’s really good at this subtle portraiture,” explained Foster, who curated the exhibit.

Rounding out the show, photographer Rosario, a retired pediatrician, brings environmental shots, including two bald eagles flying along the river and a foggy island in the Susquehanna River.

“He’s excellent at capturing nature photography,” Foster said, also complementing Rosario’s use of color saturation.

Ultimately, Foster hopes that viewers will take a sense of community away from the exhibition.

“Harrisburg is beautiful, even with all our problems and differences,” he said. “We can all recognize certain landmarks and feel pride in being here or being from here.”

For Yatsko, a shot of the Subway Cafe exemplifies such pride.

The local pizza joint wasn’t a subject he would have gravitated toward, he explained. But someone had asked if he had a nice photo of the building — which was, to them, a sentimental spot.

“A girl reached out. Her best friend’s grandfather, he had just passed,” Yatsko said, explaining the pair used to go to dinner there together weekly.

He set out to get a shot that would reflect this significance after a rainstorm. The resulting work shows the restaurant’s reflection through the puddles in the street.

“She was so happy,” he said, noting the photo proved surprisingly popular with others, too. “It’s not normally something I would go out and photograph, but people really responded to that.”

The “All Access Harrisburg” flyer features William Hicks’ drone shot of Fulton Bank.

“All Access Harrisburg” is available to view Dec. 5 to Jan. 8. The Art Association will host an opening reception for “All Access Harrisburg” on Friday, Dec. 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information about the Art Association, visit its website.

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

November 28, 2025 | by TheBurg Staff

Muralist Katie Trainer works on a window at Bacco Pizzeria and Wine Bar.

Happy Thanksgiving! As always, we’re thankful to our readers, our Community Publishers and each and every Friend of TheBurg for supporting our local news operation. Catch up on our weekly coverage below.

Amma Jo, a boutique store, will reopen in Strawberry Square downtown on Dec. 4, our online story reported.

Bella Sicilia Bakery & Deli is a new Italian restaurant scene offering authentic tastes of Sicily and Italy, right in Camp Hill, according to our magazine story.

Capital Region Water announced Harrisburg residents will pay about 6% more for water and sewer next year, our online story reported.

December issue of TheBurg dropped last week, and our publisher welcomes readers to our annual issue focused on holiday fun. He even hints that a gift of Burg merch might be the perfect stocking stuffer.

Downtown Harrisburg is covered in festive, holiday window paintings thanks to artist Katie Trainer, our online story reported. Harrisburg and the DID collaborated to provide the paintings to business owners at no cost.

“Emmett Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas,” new from Open Stage, is a family-friendly show worth seeing this holiday season, says our reviewer. The show runs Nov. 22-Dec. 23.

Governor Dick Park and Tower allows a person to time travel in Mount Gretna, according to our arts writer Bob in his magazine story.

Harrisburg City Council this week pitched a $127.4 million budget for its operations next year, our online story reported. The budget included a proposed $20,000 raise for the mayor, a post which has not seen a raise in 20 years.

Harrisburg parks are in the midst of major renovations and upgrades, thanks to a $13 million grant that the city must use before year-end, our online story reported. The upgrades span four parks.

Harrisburg School District will start outsourcing its payroll operations to a third party, our online story reported. The board also cast votes concerning Hill Farm’s management and John Harris’s spring musical.

Peacock Alley Boutique and Collective is a new consignment shop in New Cumberland that grew from a close friendship, our magazine story reported.

Sara Bozich has a full list of things to do this holiday weekend, including holiday markets and Christmas light shows. Find her compiled list here.

Strawberry Square will host various musical groups during lunchtime this holiday season, our online story reported. The musical performances are free to attend and will take place on the UPMC stage.

Susquehanna Art Museum is celebrating a decade in its permanent home on N. 3rd Street in Midtown with a celebratory exhibit, our online story reported. The exhibition is open Dec. 3 — Feb 15.

Uber rides are offered free through Nov. 29 through a renewed Sober Ride Home program, our online story reported.

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Harrisburg School District to hire outside firm for payroll; approves extension for group’s use of Hill Farm

November 26, 2025 | by Alexandra Jones

The Harrisburg School District board on Tuesday

At a meeting Tuesday night, Harrisburg School Board members moved to eliminate the district’s payroll coordinator position and begin running payroll services through an outside firm.

After much discussion, board members voted 7-2 to immediately begin using EDM Financial for employee payroll. The company estimated the cost would be $80,000 to $89,000 per year for its services, which will be billed hourly and extend through Dec. 31, 2026.

Chief Financial Officer Marcia Stokes explained that the move would save the district an estimated $45,000 and help streamline the payroll process.

However, Chief Recovery Officer Lori Suski, the district’s former state-appointed receiver, cautioned the board Tuesday about the estimate.

The district, which exited receivership in June, is still on a tight leash financially as it is monitored by the state.

“I just want to make sure that it doesn’t exceed $89,000 because, obviously, there would be a lot more costs incurred, considering the fact that we are not reducing personnel to offset this cost,” commented Suski, who continues to advise the board.

Up until this point, a single school district employee had overseen all payroll operations. In line with bringing on EDM, the board moved 8-1 to eliminate the employee’s payroll coordinator position. It then voted unanimously to create a new staffing accountant position for the same employee.

According to Human Resources Director Marlena Lang, the employee’s salary as payroll coordinator fell between $71,000 and $96,000 and will remain the same in her new role.

Board members Ellis Roy and Brian Carter questioned the payroll’s outsourcing.

“My biggest thing is: Is this cost effective for the district?” asked Roy.

Carter, the lone ‘no’ vote for eliminating the payroll position, questioned why district employees couldn’t continue to do payroll themselves.

“Shouldn’t we be cross training our employees to do these jobs, so we don’t have to outsource anything?” Carter said.

Stokes added that having payroll people “who service other districts” could help Harrisburg improve its process, which is currently “a pretty heavy lift.”

“This is just a payroll accountant, who is hired through EDM,” she said.

Stokes clarified that the district can get out of the contract with EDM “with very little notice,” if payroll services end up costing more than expected.

In another decision, the board approved extending a license agreement with Harrisburg-based Wildheart Ministries in a 5-3 vote. The organization will continue operating the Hill Farm, located on district-owned property at 18th Street and Eugene Alley, through November 2028, using the land to grow food and provide educational opportunities for students.

Board members Danielle Robinson, Carter and Roy voted ‘no,’ while board member Annie Hughes abstained from the vote, as a member of Hill Farm’s advisory board.

The district also unanimously greenlit several other contracts at the meeting.

One contract continued a dual enrollment agreement with Temple University that gives qualifying 11th- and 12th-grade students, with a GPA of at least 3.0, the chance to take college courses for both high school and college credit. Per the contract, Temple will offer a range of classes, including those on interpersonal communication, mental illness, special education, and child and teen development. Additional classes will examine hip hop and young adult books through lenses of race and identity and the importance of college.

Additional contracts approved a total of $2.1 million for roof restorations for four school buildings: Foose Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Camp Curtin and SciTech. The work will be done by Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance.

The board also approved $3,879 for John Harris High School’s spring musical. The amount will cover licensing and materials to run three performances of the one-act musical “Once on This Island” between March 27-29, 2026.

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Free live music coming to lunchtime in downtown Harrisburg this December

November 24, 2025 | by Alexandra Jones

Strawberry Square is a mixed-use complex in downtown Harrisburg.

Downtown for lunch this holiday season? If you go to Strawberry Square, you may be able to enjoy free live music while you eat.

Harristown Enterprises announced Monday that it will host a variety of hour-long shows during the week at UPMC Stage. Regional performers and school groups will perform around noon, Dec. 1 through Dec. 19. Groups include the Hershey High School Jazz Combo, the Lower Dauphin Chamber Orchestra, the York/Adams Mennonite Singers, and the St. Joseph School Choir Chimes and Handbells.

“We’re excited to have so many talented people in our region and we welcome them to downtown Harrisburg,” said Brad Jones, president of Harristown, which owns Strawberry Square. “We hope this will bring a wider audience into the city to see the talent that the downtown is offering on our stage.”

Patrons of the Square’s second-floor food court will be able to easily enjoy the music while dining.

Food vendors in the Square include Denim Coffee, Chef Chen’s, Fresca Burger and Chicken Shack, Santa Fe Taco Factory, Sakura Tokyo, Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Taco Bell.

The holiday performances will cap off Dec. 19 with an evening holiday variety show from 6 to 9 p.m., organized by Sara Bozich. The final show will feature DJ EMD. Open Stage, Harrisburg Improv Theatre’s Hyena Skits, the Rhythm Lounge, River the Bubble Musician, Theatre Harrisburg, the Gamut Theatre Group, Paul Hood, and the musical group Oversoon will also take the stage.

For more information on Strawberry Square, visit its website.

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

November 21, 2025 | by TheBurg Staff

The holiday tree outside Harrisburg city hall

Looking for where to find the city’s parade and tree lighting ceremony this weekend? How about how to get a free ride home from the bars this Thanksgiving? Whatever it is, we’ve got you covered for news in Harrisburg ahead of the holidays. Find all that and more below:

All about serving the community, Harrisburg’s small businesses are gearing up for the holiday season, our magazine story reported

At a school board meeting Tuesday, Harrisburg board members discussed months-delayed state funds and weighed new contracts for security and roof repairs, our online story reported.

Dozens of new trees were planted around Midtown and South Harrisburg last week, our online story reported.

Food columnist Rosemary has a recipe for gnudi for you this month, as seen in our November magazine.

Harrisburg announced its annual tree lighting ceremony, which will take place tonight at the MLK Government Center, our online story reported. The city also announced Harrisburg’s annual holiday parade will take place downtown tomorrow.

Latino Connection Foundation broke ground on an affordable housing project for seniors this week, our online story reported. It’s gained support from once-skeptical neighbors.

Lil Gottlieb’s son reflected on his mother’s time running Lil’s Dress Shop in our magazine story. Lil would have turned 100 this year.

Open Stage debuted its new family-friendly show “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas” that will run through the holidays, our magazine story reported

Our Adventure Together columnist has a few ideas for you for winter fun. Indian Echo Caverns is a good educational trip for the family, our magazine story reported

Sara Bozich has suggestions for what to do this weekend, including a Friendsgiving brunch, a downtown Aortic valve concert, and more.

Susquehanna Art Museum has spent the last decade on N. 3rd Street and is celebrating the milestone moment with an exhibit to show how far it’s come, our online story reported. The exhibit will open in December.

Theatre Harrisburg’s “Guys and Dolls” has been wowing attendees, our entertainment reviewer reported. The musical romantic comedy runs through Nov. 23.

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission announced the re-launch of its Sober Ride Home program ahead of Thanksgiving, our online story reported.

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Muralist paints Harrisburg storefront windows ahead of the holidays

November 21, 2025 | by Alexandra Jones

Muralist Katie Trainer works on a window at Bacco Pizzeria and Wine Bar.

Downtown is getting some fresh window paint ahead of the holidays.

Lebanon-based artist Katie Trainer has been painting businesses’ storefront windows all week along the 2nd Street corridor. Sometimes, she’s running between several at a time, touching up one while others take time to dry in the cold air.

“I call it marathon painting,” she said on Friday. “Let’s get them up as fast as we can, and get them cute and clean and pretty. It’s rapid fire.”

The City of Harrisburg and Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District collaborated to bring Trainer downtown ahead of the holiday season to paint windows in bulk, free of charge for the businesses, for the second year in a row.

Cafe Fresco’s window shows Harrisburg’s Capitol inside a snow globe.

The muralist hopes to do close to 20 storefronts this year and has been knocking on businesses’ doors as she moves along, painting a keyboard piano on Carley’s Ristorante & Piano Bar, a Capitol-themed snow globe on Cafe Fresco, and the words “Merry Christmas” nested in ball ornaments on the side of BurgerYum.

Sydney Musser, social media and marketing specialist at the Downtown Improvement District, applauded Trainer for her creativity.

“It definitely adds a lot of holiday cheer downtown,” Musser said.

As she works, the artist takes input from business employees, customers, and sometimes passersby about what to put on the windows. For example, she said, the Christmas elves and snowflakes on the side of Bacco Pizzeria & Wine Bar were a request from the restaurant’s employees.

Xavier Cruz, general manager at Bacco, was impressed with how the images turned out and how quickly Trainer worked.

“As soon as I told her the idea, she ran out and started,” he said.

Likewise, Trainer painted Anna Rose Bakery & Coffee Shop per employee input with cats and cupcakes. According to owner Zach Madar, the window paintings have already been a big hit.

“That black cat on the top there was just a guy walking by, and he was like, ‘Hey, are you doing more cats? Could you add my cat?’” Madar explained.

He said Trainer also took input from a neighbor.

“The little cupcake houses were the kid next door’s idea,” Madar added. “She asked him what he’d want to see on the windows.”

Cats and cupcake window paintings on Anna Rose Bakery and Coffee Shop.

Trainer said she loves taking inspiration from people around the city like this and that talking to people passing by about the art has been very rewarding for her.

“I had an incredibly inspirational moment two days ago with a woman who told me that she had given up hope in life, and that the paintings brought her back to her childhood, and gave her hope again to try to do better,” Trainer said. “I was so touched by it.”

To learn more about Katie Trainer, visit her website.

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Susquehanna Art Museum will highlight a decade of growth with new exhibit

November 19, 2025 | by Alexandra Jones

In the Susquehanna Art Museum’s education wing, Director of Education Rachel Abell holds an illustration of VanGo! by Armando Veve that will be featured in the exhibit.

The Susquehanna Art Museum is celebrating a decade in its permanent home on N. 3rd Street.

To mark the milestone, SAM’s director of education Rachel Abell is curating a special show that will open in December in the museum’s education gallery: “SAM Celebrates 10 Years: An Anniversary Exhibition.”

Abell is assembling a collection of photos to tell the story of how the museum made its home in Midtown’s old Keystone Trust Bank building. It was a huge move for the institution, born in 1989 as a roving “pop-up” museum that displayed art in community storefronts and other areas.

“We’ve grown so that we can bring more impactful exhibitions to the area, more household-name artists. But we’ve never lost that community connection,” said Abell, who has been with the museum since 2023.

When SAM moved to the old bank building in 2015, it added a wing onto the building. This created the Marty and Tom Phillips Family Art Center, which houses SAM’s education classroom, and the Beverlee and Bill Lehr Gallery, a climate-controlled zone for traveling art exhibits.

Abell plans to highlight some of SAM’s biggest exhibitions, which the Lehr Gallery has made possible.

“We’ve had exhibitions of Pablo Picasso. We’ve had exhibitions of Edvard Munch,” Abell said. “It’s a really big deal to have such recognizable names.”

SAM also hosted Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock print “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” in 2022. “To have that here in the capital city was so exciting,” Abell said.

An illustration of VanGo! by artist Armando Veve in 2018, done with graphite on paper.

She praised SAM for hosting a wide array of contemporary artists.

“Some are recognized in the canon of art history and others are local,” she said. “That’s what I think makes us really special.”

Before moving to the 1923 bank building, SAM occupied spaces briefly in Strawberry Square and the Kunkel Building in downtown Harrisburg. The art museum held its first exhibitions in Midtown at 1401 N. 3rd St in January 2015.

“SAM Celebrates 10 Years: An Anniversary Exhibition” runs Dec. 3 through Feb. 15. To learn more about the Susquehanna Art Museum, visit its website.

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Harrisburg School District to receive months-delayed state funds; board weighs contracts

November 19, 2025 | by Alexandra Jones

The Harrisburg School District’s administration building.

At a meeting Tuesday night, following four months waiting for state funds tied up in a lengthy budget impasse, Harrisburg school board members reviewed the district’s financial state.

A treasurer’s report presented at the meeting showed the school district had more than $60 million in its coffers at the end of the federal fiscal year in September, about $10 million less than the same time last year, according to Chief Financial Officer Marcia Stokes. Stokes attributed the lower 2025 total to Pennsylvania’s delay in passing the state budget.

The district heavily relies on state funding and was forced in June to pass its 2025-26 general fund budget without the state having passed its own budget, which decides how much money the district receives. For the 2025-26 school year, the state will send Harrisburg $88.1 million for basic education and $8.7 million for special education. The district will also receive $18 million in grant funding.

Stokes added that, due to the delayed state funds, the district opted not to pay its charter schools for the time being.

“It would have been a significantly greater discrepancy had we paid our bills,” she said.

Now that the significantly delayed state budget has passed, officials said they were relieved.

“I’m just glad to see that the budget has been passed to continue our support for our children and our services here in the district,” board President Roslyn Copeland said.

The board also voted 5-4 Tuesday night to hire an armed guard from St. Moritz Security Services for the district’s administration building at 1010 N. 7th St. at $35.60 per hour.

Superintendent Benjamin Henry said it was an appropriate safety measure.

“We don’t have anyone to really control who comes in and out of our office in this building,” he said.

The security guard will work Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..

Additionally, the board discussed $2.1 million in contracts for roof restorations for four school buildings: Foose Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Camp Curtin and SciTech. The work would be done by Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance.

Members also weighed extending a license agreement with Harrisburg-based Wildheart Ministries to continue operating the Hill Farm, located on district-owned property at 18^th Street and Eugene Alley, through November 2028. Wildheart uses the land to grow food and provide educational opportunities for students.

Board member Danielle Robinson questioned the length of the contract, as previous contracts between the district and Wildheart had been one year.

Board member Annie Hughes spoke in favor of the longer term.

“Farms have to plant a year ahead, so a yearly agreement is very difficult for a farm to manage,” she said.

Chief Operations Administrator John Reedy noted the board can end the contract prematurely, if needed.

The board is slated to vote on the roofing and Hill Farm contracts at next week’s board meeting.

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