Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

February News Digest

Crime Rate Falls

Harrisburg isn’t commonly known as a low-crime city, but it may be trending that way as overall crime dropped for a third straight year.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse last month announced that total crime dropped 17.7 percent last year compared to 2015. Violent crime fell 3.9 percent while nonviolent crime decreased 31.4 percent versus 2015.

Papenfuse attributed these statistics to Chief Thomas Carter’s leadership, the implementation of a community policing strategy and recruiting talented new hires.

“I think he has set the tone for our Police Department and, as a result, his strategies are effectively trickling down to everyone, and the department is working more effectively than ever before,” Papenfuse said.

In 2016, an 18.47 percent drop in robbery led the decrease in crime compared to 2015. The city’s murder rate also fell. In 2016, Harrisburg recorded 16 murders, compared to 19 in 2015.

For 2016, auto theft was one of the few types of crime to experience an increase. Olivera said the 27.43 percent increase in auto theft reflected the past year’s cold winter when thieves take advantage of motorists warming up cars unsupervised.

Over the past three years, violent crime has dropped 27.5 percent, while nonviolent crime has fallen 29.6 percent, according to the city.

Leading the violent crime category’s three-year drop is a 50.82 percent decrease in robberies and a 36.59 percent decline in burglaries.

Free Parking Zones

There’s some good news for downtown Harrisburg motorists—more free and reduced parking options.

Last month, Park Harrisburg expanded a program that allows 15 minutes of free parking in downtown Harrisburg.

Last year, under pressure from the city administration and business owners, Harrisburg’s parking operator agreed to permit a quarter-hour of free parking in four loading zones along busy N. 2nd Street.  That program has now been expanded to 26 zones throughout the central business district.

The zones are marked by new signage and curbs painted white.

In addition, the city last month announced a new mobile parking app through Atlanta-based Parkmobile LLC. Through the downloadable app, parkers pay just $1 an hour to park under a pilot program during “happy hour” times, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The new app also allows merchants to pre-purchase parking validation codes in bulk at a discounted rate for customer use. Moreover, the “LUVHBG” code, which allows four free hours of parking on Saturday, will remain in effect with the new app.

The parking news, however, wasn’t all good.

Last month, Park Harrisburg stopped allowing those using a credit card to buy only a half-hour of parking. Credit card users now must purchase at least one full hour of parking, which costs $3 downtown and $1.50 in Midtown and south of downtown. Afterwards, they can extend their parking sessions in half-hour increments.

When using coins, motorists can continue to buy parking in smaller amounts. For a quarter, parkers get five minutes of time downtown and 10 minutes elsewhere.

Zembo for Sale

One of Harrisburg’s most unique historic buildings is up for sale, as the Zembo Shriners have placed their iconic temple on the market.

In January, the Lemoyne-based Bill Gladstone Group listed the 62,621-square-foot building for sale for $950,000.

The building, at N. 3rd and Division streets, long has served as meeting space for the fraternal society, in addition to hosting the annual Zembo Shrine circus and other large-scale events.

“It’s been a kick in the gut,” said Michael T. Govora Jr., a past potentate. “But we simply can’t afford to do it anymore. It’s a matter of manpower and money.”

Govora said that declining membership and increasing costs are forcing the sale. Moreover, the Shriners want to make certain that they’re able to continue with their principal mission—raising money for 22 children’s hospitals.

“We’re looking at this as a positive,” Govora said. “We’re looking for our fraternity to be fruitful for years to come and not run out of money keeping something we can’t afford.”

The local organization has about 2,200 members, he said, down from about 10,000 four decades ago.

Built in 1928-29, Zembo was designed in the Moorish Revival style, by noted local architect Charles Howard Lloyd.

Both Govora and Gladstone said that it may take awhile to sell the cavernous stone-and-masonry building, given its unique design and features, which include rooms full of dazzling, imported tiles, a large auditorium, a 120-foot minaret and 300 parking spaces.

“So much history is attached to it, so many events have been held there,” Gladstone said. “To their credit, they realized that the time had come to sell.”

Reed Gets Probation

What began as a man’s ambitious vision to develop a network of museums in a city of 50,000 people has ended with two years of probation for former Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed.

Judge Kevin Hess sentenced the former “mayor for life” to probation for 20 counts of receiving stolen property. Reed must also pay a $2,000 fee plus the cost of the prosecution.

Hess gave Reed’s stage-four cancer, guilty plea and clean criminal record as reasons for the probation sentencing, as opposed to jail time. He also cited improvements made to the city during Reed’s tenure as mayor.

Hess received numerous letters about the case, including a victim’s impact statement filed by the city.  In it, the city requested a two-to-five-year jail sentence.

“We felt that would have been an appropriate sentence given the magnitude of the crime and a continued pattern by the mayor for not accepting the responsibility of his actions,” said current Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

Papenfuse did see some positives. Reed’s guilty plea on the 20 counts leaves the door open for civil suits and possible charges against others from the Reed administration, he said. The city also is seeking the return of the artifacts and “tractor-trailer loads” of public documents from Reed’s 28 years as mayor, he said.

Reed said he will now focus on his stage-four prostate cancer.

“It is a relief for the whole thing to be over,” he said.

More Market Parking

Harrisburg City Council last month added more free parking for patrons of the Broad Street Market.

Council voted unanimously to make James Street, William Street and N. 4th Street two-hour market parking from Verbeke to Sayford streets, starting March 10.

Previously, those streets were residential permit parking for the Marketplace neighborhood, though most of the effected blocks are lightly developed.

New Police Substations

Harrisburg soon will have more police closer to the action, as a new precinct is planned for Allison Hill while a substation opened downtown.

Harrisburg City Council last month took a step toward opening a precinct in Allison Hill, a key aspect of the mayor’s goal to implement a community policing strategy.

Council unanimously approved a resolution to work with SGS Architects Engineers of Carlisle for design and construction management. After a three-month design phase, the construction to complete the renovations will go out to bid, said Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

The Allison Hill precinct on 15th Street is the second of three “full-time, fully staffed” precincts that the mayor aims to create. The Uptown neighborhood will receive its own precinct next, he said.

A Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will fund the construction. 

Also last month, Harristown Enterprises and the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District (HDID) opened a security and safety sub-station on 17 S. 3rd St. near Strawberry Square.

The new “S-5” sub-station serves as a hub for unarmed security officers contracted by HDID to cover the district. Pairs of officers man the sub-station five days per week to supplement the daytime presence of the Capitol police, said Brad Jones, CEO of Harristown.

“We will have patrol units continue to canvas the DID to look for situations that are unsafe and, when appropriate, call in the emergency,” he said.

State Hospital Report

The state should move quickly to sell the former Harrisburg State Hospital grounds, potentially transforming the lightly developed area into a mix of commercial and residential uses, while preserving some of its historic structures and open spaces, according to a report sent last month to the General Assembly.

The 161-page report by Lancaster-based RGS Associates recommends selling the entire 295-acre property as a single package at first. If a buyer can’t be found after a 180-day bidding period, the state should consider breaking up the land into four separate, saleable parcels, the report states.

“The Department of General Services fully supports the top recommendation to sell all four parcels together in order to put forth the most appealing opportunity for potential developers and enable them to develop the property in a way that will be most beneficial to the community,” said state General Services Secretary Curt Topper.

Nearly all of the land lies in Susquehanna Township. Only five acres is in Harrisburg proper. The RGS report recommends putting the property on the market in the first quarter of 2018.

The vast site, which extends in a meandering, broken path from N. Cameron Street to I-81, is best suited for a mix of commercial and residential uses, said the report. However, RGS recommends putting in place a covenant to preserve three of the most historic structures on the property: the dedication stone for the original 1851 main building, the 1854 Dixmont Cottage and the 1854 Dix Library.

Parkland Donated

Dauphin County this year will open a new public park, 411 acres of green space in Middle Paxton Township.

The county commissioners last month announced the formation of Detweiler Park, named for the family that is deeding the land to the county. It will be the largest of Dauphin County’s eight parks.

The Detweilers donated $897,500 of the land’s $2.4 million purchase price to the county. The remaining money came from an $887,500 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and $607,500 in county gaming grant money from Hollywood Casino. 

The property includes a farmhouse, nine miles of walking trails and a fish hatchery maintained on Clark’s Creek. This summer, temporary parking and an entrance to the trails will be available at the Dauphin County Conservation District’s headquarters, 1415 Peters Mountain Rd. 

Public meetings will be held later this year to get input for a master plan on what features should be developed, including a permanent parking area, fields for sporting events and potentially converting the farmhouse to a nature center.

Home Prices Up

Home sale prices climbed higher in January in the Harrisburg metro, though the number of units sold ticked down.

Throughout the area, house sales totaled 503 units compared to 557 units in January 2016, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors. The median sales price rose $1,000 to $153,000.

In Dauphin County, sales decreased 10.8 percent to 165 units versus the year-ago period, but the median price increased 4 percent to $139,900. Trends were similar in Cumberland County, as sales declined 19 percent to 163 units, and the median price rose 15 percent to $200,198. In both counties, the average days on market for houses sold fell significantly.

In Perry County, 21 houses sold versus 27 in the year-ago period, while the median price was $124,000 versus $147,000 in January 2016.

GHAR covers all of Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties and parts of York, Lebanon and Juniata counties.

Falcons Return

For the 17th straight year, peregrine falcons have returned to nest at the Rachel Carson state office building in downtown Harrisburg.

The pair arrived at the nesting site last month on the 15th-floor ledge of the building, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Following a courtship period, eggs typically are laid in mid-March.

You can watch the falcons in real-time by visiting the DEP’s FalconCam.

So Noted

Dauphin County Bar Association last month named Matthew M. Haar, a partner at Saul Ewing LLP, as the organization’s president for 2017. The association recently also honored James P. DeAngelo as Pro Bono Attorney of the Year and Clarissa L. Freeman with the Hon. Clarence C. Morrison Diversity Award.

Harrisburg Christian School announced last month that it acquired the West Shore Christian Academy, unifying under the Christian School Association of Greater Harrisburg. The two schools will continue to operate at their current campuses in Linglestown and Shiremanstown, respectively.

Melissa Nicholson, co-founder of Gamut Theatre Group, has been named president of Shakespeare Theatre Association, an international association for theaters dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare. Nicholson had served as vice president of the group for the past two years.

Rep. Patty Kim (D-103) opened a new district office last month in Kline Village in Harrisburg. The office is open weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

S&T Bank has promoted Zach Dixon of Harrisburg to assistant vice president, business banker. Dixon formerly was a credit analyst at Integrity Bank, a division of S&T.

The State Library of Pennsylvania now offers time in its “Makerspace” in the Forum building, downtown Harrisburg, for maker projects or to test out technology. Hours are weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., by appointment. For more information visit www.statelibrary.pa.gov.

In Memoriam

Mike Bowers died last month from a fall after a balcony railing gave way at an apartment house on N. 2nd Street in Harrisburg. Bowers was widely known in Harrisburg as both a flooring contractor and as a children’s magician for his company, The Magic Workshop.

Changing Hands

Barkley Lane, 2522: A. & A. Mekonnen to W. Workie, $30,000

Boas St., 407: T. Buda to L. Savageau, $156,000

Boas St., 1915: Dobson Family Limited to J. Koons, $30,000

Briarcliff Rd., 211: C. & M. Purdy to Donald L. Pong Trust, $143,000

Briggs St., 219: B. Heivly to D. Skerpon, $175,000

Calder St., 208: J. Martin to K. Landers, $99,900

Chestnut St., 1722: J. Palmer to J. Alverez, $39,000

Conoy St., 102: J. Hagan to P. Taylor & St. Gaus, $130,900

Cumberland St., 251: B. Ausubel to Keystone Properties Group LLC, $104,000

Emerald St., 234: J. Baker & C. Landry to D. Pena, $53,000

Forster St., 1837: K. Bethea Jr. to D. Hall, $34,000

Green St., 1416: J. Karns to G. & K. Fava, $145,000

Green St., 1417: T. Hayman to B. Williams, $40,000

Kensington St., 2235: Federal National Mortgage Assoc. to K. Dinh, $33,100

Locust St., 126: 126 Locust Street LP to JKC Properties LLC, $170,000

Muench St., 236: WCI Partners LP to J. O’Hara, $184,000

2nd St., 2343: G. & E. Zubrod to S. & T. Dunford, $163,500

2nd St., 2525: Sirva Relocation Credit LLC to P. & A. Ramos, $169,900

3rd St., 1619: Bank of New York Mellon Trustee to T. Fridirici, $72,539

3rd St., 2333: Well Fargo Bank NA Trustee to R. Oberton Sr., $51,333

6th St., 3131: J. & C. Kuntz to T. McDougal, $40,000

15th St., 1301: PA Deals LLC to Donegal Properties LLC, $500,000

Cameron St., 1400: 1400 N. Cameron Inc. & Consolidated Scrap Resources to Sunset Key Investors LLC, $1,400,000

Rudy Rd., 1903: K. Stratton to R. Williams Jr., $40,000

Front St., 563: R. Hostetter Jr. to K. Bernhard & K. Schwab, $109,000

State St., 219: K. & B. Sidella and J. & N. Jones to Public Sector Solutions LLC, $245,000

Susquehanna St., 1809: S. Boshnakov to S. Sehar, $45,000

Swatara St., 1436: H. & S. Yi to D&F Realty Holdings LP, $100,000

Tuscarora St., 96: C. Schemeck & J. Lilly to S. Meara & W. Satterwhite, $116,000

Waldo St., 2618: PA Deals LLC to MidAtlantic IRA LLC & Cynthia Hampton IRA, $55,000

Harrisburg property sales for January 2017, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

Author: Lawrance Binda

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