Receiver Provides Update
Harrisburg is inching closer to resolving its financial crisis, even as the city’s red ink continues to flow, says receiver William Lynch.
In his court-mandated quarterly update, Lynch states that:
- “Active negotiations” continue “towards a closing” of the sale of the city’s troubled incinerator to the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority and the long-term lease of the city’s parking facilities to Harrisburg First, an entity of financial services giant Guggenheim Partners.
- The receiver has changed course on the proposal to hire professional managers for the city’s water and sewer system. The plan now is to create a regional operating authority for Harrisburg and surrounding jurisdictions. Part of this proposal “involves a resolution with the suburban municipalities on the overcharges for sewer system operation.”
- Contract negotiations continue with the city’s three unions with the hope that agreements will be reached “as early in 2013 as possible.” In the meantime, Lynch has directed the city not to implement salary increases that were part of contract extensions.
- The hiring last year of Chief Operating Officer Ricardo Mendez-Saldivia has “greatly strengthened the city’s administrative capacity” and helped it complete its 2010 audit. The 2011 audit should be finalized in mid-May.
- The city’s financial picture remains troubled. Harrisburg ended 2012 with a two-year cumulative deficit of $13 million, most from two missed general obligation bond payments. In March, Lynch ordered the city to skip another $5.2 million general obligation payment. In all, Harrisburg expects revenue this year of $51.4 million and expenses of $58.4 million.
Lynch’s next quarterly update is slated for June 30.
Private Trash Collection on Tap
Come next year, Harrisburg residents may have their trash picked up by a private hauler.
The city has issued a request for proposals to privatize its trash and recyclable collections, which long has been the duty of the city’s Public Works Department.
Turning over trash collection to the private sector is part of the receiver’s financial recovery plan to cut the cost and improve the service of trash removal in the city.
Interested haulers have until June 14 to submit their proposals to the city, which would award the contract on July 12. Under the plan, private collection would begin Jan. 1.
Harrisburg collects trash and recyclables from about 15,330 residences and about 1,400 commercial sites.
The full request for proposal is available at the city’s website, www.harrisburgpa.gov.
New Uptown Garden for GUI
Green Urban Initiative last month took the first steps towards creating a new community garden in Uptown Harrisburg.
Volunteers cleared debris, constructed gardening beds and tilled soil to prepare the ground for planting at 2257 Atlas St. Previously, the property was overgrown and blighted, filled with litter and debris.
GUI plans 15 gardening beds, providing participating residents with the opportunity to grow healthy, local food.
Last year, GUI planted an Uptown garden nearby at N. 6th and Curtin streets. However, that garden was bulldozed by the city at the direction of City Council President Wanda Williams, who said she had received complaints that the garden had attracted illicit activities.
Millworks to Host Restaurant, Art Space
Chalk up another renovation for Harrisburg, as the dilapidated Stokes Millworks building is set to become a farm-to-plate restaurant and artist studios.
City businessman Joshua Kesler announced last month that he purchased the historic, Art Deco-style building on the 300 block of Verbeke Street across from the Broad Street Market.
Part of the 15,720-square-foot building will house a full-service restaurant featuring locally sourced goods, including items bought directly from vendors at the Broad Street Market, said Kesler. The restaurant’s interior will be faithful to the building’s original form and function with brick-and-timber construction. It will be open Tuesday to Sunday.
The studio space will give local artists a “low-cost production center,” said Kesler, a former partial owner of Savannah’s on Hanna.
The conversion of Stokes Millworks, which has sat empty for years, will require an extensive renovation, which should be complete in late 2014, said Kesler. The project’s architect is David McIlnay.
“Other development projects in the area, happening in spite of a sluggish economy, have inspired me to take on the project and are convincing me that the Midtown resurgence is underway,” Kesler said in a press release. “The Susquehanna Art Museum’s new project will be the centerpiece and could be, in my opinion, the most important cultural development in the city in a generation.”
Stokes Millworks was constructed in 1938 and once housed a plant that manufactured a variety of wood products. Owner Robert Stokes sold it in 1995, after which it passed through several different owners.
Homegrown Market Coming to Harrisburg
The MakeSpace, the burgeoning artist community in Olde Uptown, is making more space for a venture called Homegrown Market.
Run out of the first floor of 1423 N. 3rd St. (which also houses the Papenfuse for Mayor campaign headquarters on the second floor), the market will take place every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the end of November. Its opening will coincide with the Friends of Midtown Community Yard Sale on May 11.
Liz Laribee, director of The MakeSpace, said the market will feature local vendors and artisans, with a capacity for 15 sellers. The cost of a booth is $20 per week.
To create a sustaining presence throughout the week, Laribee hopes to highlight start-up ventures and their products in a display window—what she calls a rotational storefront. This is to create positive awareness about entrepreneurs in Harrisburg and provide small businesses with the opportunity to sell from physical space.
You can find out more information by visiting homegrown-market.com or e-mailing homegrownmkt@gmail.com.
Who’s Riding the Bus?
The typical Harrisburg-area commuter bus rider is a Caucasian female, college educated, 45 to 54 years old, with Internet access and an income of $50,000 or more, according to a survey released last month by Capital Area Transit (CAT).
“There’s a popular misconception that many bus riders are at or below poverty income levels,” said Robert Philbin, CAT marketing and communications officer. “But this survey found that 37.5 percent of CAT commuter riders earn $23,000 to $50,000 annually and 25 percent earn from $50 to 75,000; while a surprising 29.3 percent of CAT commuters earn more than $75,000 per year.”
About 8.2 percent of respondents reported income levels below $23,000 per year, stated CAT’s first in-house Commuter Demographic Survey.
The survey further found that more than 46 percent had college degrees, 14.3 percent reported post-graduate degrees and 23 percent had some college education. Only 2.2 percent said they had less than a high school diploma or GED.
“Another surprise, at least for me, is that almost 50 percent of commuter riders use Ride and Park locations around the region to access a CAT bus versus 46.6 percent who walk from home to their bus stop,” said Philbin.
Of respondents, 65.1 percent were female, versus 35 percent male. About 97 percent reported speaking fluent English. A similar number said they have Internet access, not a surprise since the survey was conducted electronically.
Separately, CAT also announced it had purchased 10 new ADA-complaint paratransit buses to serve elderly and disabled riders.
Harrisburg Restaurant Roundup
A large 1,700-square-foot Subway sandwich shop opened last month on the ground floor of the new Market View Place apartments at S. 3rd and Market streets, Harrisburg. In addition to the restaurant, developer Brickbox Enterprises has renovated the former Kunkel Building into a residence hall for Harrisburg University students. The building most recently housed the Susquehanna Art Museum, which will relocate to a new facility in Midtown.
BullBQ’s Burger Café debuted last month at the back of the stone building in the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg. Owner Greg Troup offers Angus beef burgers, pork barbecue, gourmet fries and sodas made the old-fashioned way, with real cane sugar. The eatery is open during regular Market hours.
Ciervo’s reopened last month after a complete renovation of the interior. The Midtown pizza, pasta and sandwich shop is located at N. 2nd and Reily streets in Harrisburg.
Café di Luna shut its Midtown location last month after relocating to downtown New Cumberland. The coffee house began in downtown Harrisburg before moving to 1004 N. 3rd St. more than three years ago.
Changing Hands
March Property Sales
Berryhill St., 2406: J. Lukas & L. Nuraini to R. Alonso, $80,000
Boyd St., 640: J. Taylor to U.S. GSA, $99,000
Cumberland St., 257: J. Pearl Solutions LLC to 717 Properties LLC, $105,000
Cumberland St., 259: J. Pearl Solutions LLC to 717 Properties LLC, $105,000
Duke St., 2432: D. Smith to L. Peiffer, $65,000
Dunkle St., 637: PA Deals LLC to J. Vergis, $59,000
Forster St., 1840: J. & C. Cook to M. Escalante, $60,000
Forster St., 2025: PA Deals LLC to Laurel Associates LLC, $64,900
Green St., 706: J. Fritts to J. Choi & J. Crumbly, $140,000
Green St., 2003: J. Lisko to S. Biray, $210,000
Hale Ave., 431: D. Duong & K. Le to I. Yolov, $53,000
Herr St., 260: K. White to D. Leaman, $47,000
Herr St., 1724: W. Morrison to A. Horne Sr., $55,000
Market St., 1216: B. Lewis to D. Lewis, $60,000
North St., 1852: C. Fields to B&W Corner Store Inc., $120,000
N. 2nd St., 107: CNR Property Management LLC to Shree Bhavani Infra Space, $411,000
N. 2nd St., 1317: A. Petsinis & D. Parson Jr. to 717 Properties LLC, $99,000
N. 5th St., 1736: J. & N. Chambers to A. & K. Abraham, $142,000
N. 6th St., 1501, 1505, 1507, 1509, 1511: Bethesda Mission of Harrisburg to U.S. GSA, $325,000
N. 13th St., 114: C. Castegneto to W. Pina, $35,000
S. 25th St., 450: B. & D. Yingst to J. & M. Grant, $107,000
N. Front St., 1525, Unit 312: J. Rados to P. Lafferty, $164,000
Pennwood Rd., 3220: K. Fansler to K. Udit, $60,000
Rudy Rd., 1930: T. Pham to N. Pham, $48,000
S. Cameron St., 819: V. & L. Worona & American Quick Print to Boas Street LLC, $240,000
