A Founder’s Collection: SAM exhibit threads the relationship between artist, patron, community

January 30, 2024 | by Barbara Trainin Blank

Art by Joan Danziger. Image courtesy of Susquehanna Art Museum.

By design, the Susquehanna Art Museum is a non-collecting institution, meaning that its galleries feature rotating exhibitions throughout the year.

Yet one of the current exhibits, “From Mantel to Museum: The Eclectic Legacy of Patricia L. Murray,” is an exception to that rule. It features the rare collection of art that is actually held by SAM.

Importantly, the exhibit also emphasizes the connection between art collectors, the museums they donate to and the communities they serve.

During her lifetime, Murray was one of the founders of SAM, a donor to the institution, an educator and a private art collector. In 2023, parts of her collection were donated to the museum posthumously, highlighting her dedication to the museum before, during and after its creation.

Those works are now on display through early April.

As the exhibit title indicates, Murray was an “eclectic” collector, said Alice Anne Schwab, SAM’s executive director. Her collection represents a varied mix of artistic styles, forms and thematic content among numerous local and regional artists, including F. L. Wall, Joan Danziger, Leon Berkowitz, Douglas Zucco, Theo Tobiasse and Ellen Siddons.

Prior to her involvement with the museum, Murray was a gallery owner in Wellsville, Pa. Under the tutelage of art expert Clyde McGeary, she began making trips to Philadelphia and New York City, where she visited various galleries. Through these encounters, Murray not only formed a bond with the owners but learned how the galleries operated.

Importantly, Schwab emphasized that the exhibit demonstrates the cross-beneficial relationship between collectors, museums, artists and the communities they serve.

In addition to helping found SAM, Murray made considerable financial contributions to the museum from 1988 to her death in 2005. When a lack of steady funds hampered SAM’s growth, Murray was one of the museum’s most consistent and generous donors, according to exhibit curator Alex Gabriel. And, in keeping with her family’s wishes, a Patricia L. Murray gallery has been added to the museum.

Murray also helped launch the VanGo! Museum on Wheels, a renovated RV that, to this day, brings the museum experience to students and other community members, especially in rural areas. Over the years, it has reached thousands of people with its onboard museum gallery, hands-on activities and other educational pursuits.

“The exhibit invites viewers to recognize Murray as an overtly positive force in the history of SAM and the greater Harrisburg art world,” Gabriel said.

“From Mantel to Museum: The Eclectic Legacy of Patricia L. Murray” runs through April 7 at the Susquehanna Art Museum, 1401 N. 3rd Street, Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.susquehannaartmusum.org.

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A Century of Connections: This year, Schaedler Yesco turns 100, but it’s still on a growth path

January 30, 2024 | by Phyllis Zimmerman

Show room, circa 1924.

Greg Schaedler has been part of his family’s electric supply business for as long as he can remember.

“I started working full-time for the business 25 years ago, but really, I’ve been here since birth,” he noted with a laugh.

CEO Schaedler is the fourth generation of his family to run Schaedler Yesco Distribution, a Harrisburg-based provider of “complete connected solutions for the electrical industry” now in its 100th year of continuous operation.

Central distribution Center, 1970s.

Officially, the business was founded in Steelton in 1924 by the Schaedler Brothers, but the family is said to have been rooted in the electrical business since the late 1800s. In fact, brothers Andrew and William served as electrical contractors for construction of the state Capitol building, completed in 1906.

Today, the company boasts 29 locations throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York, offering services and solutions for lighting, datacomm, automation and industrial needs. The company has seen its greatest growth since merging with Yesco—York Electrical Supply Company—in 1999, but the expansion isn’t over yet.

Last year, Schaedler Yesco acquired five new locations, including those of Clarion Electric Supply, a 53-year-old business based in northwest Pennsylvania, and it opened a new regional distribution center in Pittsburgh. As a result, it ranked 22nd of the “Top Growing Companies in PA” for 2023, according to Kim Downs, the company’s director of marketing.

Likewise, the company’s products and services have expanded with each new acquisition, according to Schaedler Yesco President Farrah Mittel.

“We’re looking at geographical expansion, new markets and new verticals all the time,” she said.

Schaedler added that the company is “always looking for expansion through acquisition and (our) existing territory,” but the firm has “no set goal” for the number of locations.

“We’re just looking for a healthy, big growth,” he said.

So, what has allowed Schaedler Yesco to operate so successfully for a century?

“Our culture is what makes us different,” Downs said. “We think of our company as a part of the community. We only succeed when our customers succeed, and we take employee satisfaction as seriously as we take our customer satisfaction.”

As a result, Schaedler Yesco, for 16 years, has been named one of the “Best Places to Work in PA.” The annual award program, run by the Best Companies Group, identifies, recognizes and honors the state’s best places of employment benefitting Pennsylvania’s workforce and businesses.

Schaedler Yesco is also active in the local community, supporting a variety of organizations ranging from local theater and cultural programs to health-based groups, scouts, sports, outreach programs, first responders and others.

In addition, it supports diversity as a member of iBelongHere, an organization providing diversity and inclusion resources for the electrical industry.

During its 100 years of operation, Schaedler Yesco has seen many changes, with technology serving as the greatest catalyst, Schaedler said.

“When we first started, we were using paper for everything,” he said.

Mittel cited the most significant change as “automation of our practices, advances in our products and services, such as going from incandescent lighting to LED, and in our processes.”

As a matter of course, Schaedler Yesco has faced its share of challenges over the years, including, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic and “the aftermath of supply chain issues,” Mittel pointed out.

“We’re still dealing with labor challenges and finding people,” Schaedler said.

Nonetheless, Schaedler stated that he and the business that his family founded have stood resolute in the face of a century of trials and plan to continue with the firm’s long-time growth strategy.

“I like that every day here is unique and presents a new challenge,” he said.

For more information about Schaedler Yesco Distribution, visit www.sydist.com or call 1-800-998-1621.

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Resting Easier: Pennsylvania Furniture Mission offers critical help for people transitioning to permanent housing

January 30, 2024 | by Susan Ryder

A furnished home for a Harrisburg family through Church World Services

Furniture helps make a house a home—and providing furniture to those without is the goal of Pennsylvania Furniture Mission.

Based in Columbia, the organization was founded just last year.

“We create warm and welcoming homes for residents of south-central Pennsylvania who are experiencing economic hardship or transitioning out of homelessness or poverty, by providing them with an entire household worth of furniture,” explained the executive director, Amanda Reilly-Sokoli.

Recently, Reilly-Sokoli and her Albanian-born husband Pashk Sokoli, co-founder and director of operations, made a decision to move back to this area. They brought with them Reilly-Sokoli’s experience as the director of operations of the Chicago Furniture Bank, the largest in the country.

“If we were going to return to Pennsylvania, to be close to family, which was important to us, it has to be for a reason,” Reilly-Sokoli said. “If we have this passion and we have this experience, we have to do something more. I kind of live by the idea that to whom much has been given, much is expected.”

The furniture bank serves six counties, the widest area of any furniture bank in the country, according to Reilly-Sokoli. The couple chose this area because of the need, but also because of the local populace.

“There are a lot of people that want to support this kind of mission and have the ability to donate time, talent and treasure,” Reilly-Sokoli said. “And that really enables the furniture bank to succeed.”

They accomplish their mission through over 45 local partner agencies. One of these is CWS Harrisburg, a refugee resettlement organization. Last year, the agency resettled over 125 families, all of them needing furniture.

Kim Hiles and Tara Lucido worked as housing specialists, responsible for finding housing for all of these families before moving into their current positions as employment specialists. They described Pennsylvania Furniture Mission as a game changer.

“I will sing their praises from the rooftops,” Lucido said.

Before Pennsylvania Furniture Mission, CWS Harrisburg received their furniture from a generous furniture bank in New Cumberland. But there was a big problem, namely, “having enough bodies to help carry,” Hiles said.

Thankfully, Pennsylvania Furniture Mission has pickup and delivery options. For a fee, they will deliver the furniture to the home. Without trucks, and with volunteer help, delivering furniture was a huge challenge.

“We had volunteers renting U-Hauls on their own,” Lucido said.

Need Everything

New Hope Ministries recently partnered with Pennsylvania Furniture Mission, and they have eight households ready to receive furniture.

With two new hires focused solely on getting folks into permanent housing, New Hope finds the furniture mission a welcome and needed addition to the community.

“When you’re putting a homeless family into permanent housing, they, whether they were living in their car, or living in a hotel, living with others, need everything—everything from a shower curtain to pots and pans,” said Sue Fornicola, program director at New Hope Ministries. “Furniture is one of the most expensive items that we need to help them with and being able to do this, [get furniture from the mission] will be a blessing to our guests.”

Families who receive furniture get to choose, which can be a very important step.

“When a lot of people are going through a hardship, a lot of that decision-making power is taken away in their lives,” Reilly-Sokoli said. “A lot of time, you have to go with whatever you can get, whatever job you can find, whatever apartment you can get.”

That community support comes in the form of furniture and financial donations. The mission will pick up furniture that folks want to donate, for a suggested donation fee. Why donate to have furniture picked up, when a person is already donating the furniture?

Storing furniture takes a ton of space, and that space must be lit, heated and maintained. Also, the mission employs three people. Providing jobs is another goal of the mission.

“To create jobs and job training opportunities for people with barriers to employment,” Reilly-Sokoli said.

People don’t have to opt for the pickup. They can drop off items directly to the mission, which will happily receive it.

They also receive furniture donations from businesses. The mission has a huge donation arriving from a hotel this month and, as a result, is looking for additional warehouse space.

As a fledgling operation, financial donations are crucial, as well. Reilly-Sokoli explained that grant options for new nonprofits are small until they can prove their viability. Grantors want to see “at least a year’s worth of bookkeeping,” she said.

Service organizations are pleased to have Pennsylvania Furniture Mission working with them to better the lives of those living here.

“I just feel that it’s an honor to have them here in Pennsylvania and that they are so willing to go above and beyond the needs of our guests,” Fornicola said. “Their heart, you can tell that their heart is for serving others.”

Pennsylvania Furniture Mission is located at 341 Chestnut St., Columbia. For more information and to donate, visit www.pennsylvaniafurnituremission.org.

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February Publisher’s Note

January 30, 2024 | by Lawrance Binda

Save the Broad Street Market.

I never thought I’d have to write those words.

After the July fire, I was cautiously optimistic that the market, the community, the city would rebound quickly from the devastation, maybe even come back stronger than before. How wrong I was.

Since then, the news has gone from bad to worse: project delays, contractor problems, vendor departures and, now, financial woes.

In this column, I typically introduce the month’s issue, maybe share some observations, some highlights. But, this month, I want to use this space to make a plea to the community to support the vendors in the Broad Street Market’s stone building, which was untouched by the fire.

These vendors face a double whammy. Since the fire, business is way down, and now, to add insult to injury, the market’s future is uncertain.

How can you help? It’s simple—eat!

Several vendors have told me that they blame business loss, at least in part, on a misperception that the entire market is shut down. But that’s certainly not the case. The stone building, home mostly to prepared food vendors, is as open and great as ever.

Cheesesteaks? They got ‘em. Asian cuisine? Yep, several kinds. Pizza, tacos, seafood, burgers, Caribbean fare. It’s all there, some of the best food this side of the Susquehanna. And you can wash it all down with a locally brewed craft beer.

I don’t know what the future holds for the market. I hope that, at some point in the not-too-distant future, we can report an upswing, that things have taken a big turn for the better.

But don’t wait on that—you can do your part today. Yes, you can be part of saving the Broad Street Market.

Just go over to the stone building, assess your delicious options and chow down. After all, this is central PA—home of scrapple, whoopie pies and chubby, corn-fed children. I know you got this!

Lawrance Binda
Publisher/Editor

Click here to read the digital version of the February issue.

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Not Just Surviving, but Thriving: A community approach to supporting families

January 29, 2024 | by Lindsay Knepp, MSW, LSW, HSV

A rendering of the future Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning in Harrisburg

Those of us who are privileged to have spent our careers working with children and families or toward enhancing communities know that it can be a beguiling idea that somewhere, there is one solution that will enable everyone to thrive.

Later this year, Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning, a subsidiary of Milton Hershey School, will be opening an Early Childhood Education Center in Harrisburg, serving children from six weeks to age 5. With a high-quality early learning program and a family success approach (or two-generational approach), CHS will partner with families to support the growth of both children and their families, with all costs covered for those who qualify.

As the Family Partnership Manager at CHS, and with almost 20 years in the social work field, I am passionate about coming alongside families to identify long-term goals for both the family and child and partnering together to work toward them, connecting families to resources and programs that promote overall family health and enable long-term success.

It is clear that when you are serving children and families, having the right structures in place can support families in gaining the confidence and skills to support their child, and, ultimately, the entire family can thrive. Child development and learning occur in multiple contexts, including family, culture, language, community and the early learning setting — and early learning environments are just one part of that complex puzzle.

Children are more likely to flourish in a welcoming, safe and enriching environment at school and home. This often includes taking an approach that recognizes the need to support the whole child. But what does that look like? It comes down, simply, to identifying needs and determining a plan of action.

Identifying Barriers

Of course, the complex web of barriers families face is anything but simple. However, identifying them is the first step to building a plan.

Lack of family resources can encompass a range of factors, from financial constraints to limited access to transportation, childcare, or social support.

Personal development also plays a role: families may need support in planning, organization, and time management skills. This could involve offering workshops, mentoring or guidance to help them effectively translate their goals into actionable steps.

And let’s not forget emotional support. Living in crisis or chronic stress prevents the family from building the resilience needed to thrive in challenging situations. Interventions that address immediate needs and provide strategies for coping with stress can lay the groundwork for a brighter future.

We want to balance that with helping families build a stable foundation of basic needs (Maslow’s hierarchy), which acknowledges that these are prerequisites for effective learning and growth. It can be easy to judge families from the outside and be critical that they are not focusing on cognitive skills and educational achievement (what we call the Bloom model.)

Building Structures

Ultimately, understanding and responding to the diverse challenges families may face enable us to connect families to the people or services they need.

Empowering families, whether through mentoring or coaching, will enable families to support their children and advocate for them throughout their educational journey and beyond.

One way we can understand our families is through conducting home visits. This approach recognizes the importance of the home environment and allows for more personalized guidance tailored to the family’s specific needs.

Consistency is an essential element for child learning and behavior. Building skills both in the classroom and at home is an effective way to help families cope better with stress.

Some families face additional challenges: single fathers, teen parents and those with English as a second language need specific support that recognizes diverse family structures and backgrounds.

But one thing remains the same. Developing a warm and welcoming approach to families in early childhood programs or other family-serving programs is foundational to relationship building. This approach sets the stage for children’s growth and the establishment of community connections and collaboration.

Yes, there are many barriers, but if there is one solution, it lies in community partnerships. Community partnerships mean that together, we can help build the scaffolds to support healthy families and healthy families grow, learn and change trajectories for everyone.

Lindsay Knepp is the Family Partnership Manager at Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning, President of the Pennsylvania School Social Work Personnel (PASSWP) Board, and the 2019 PASSWP School Social Worker/Home School Visitor of the Year.

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

January 26, 2024 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

The William Penn Social Association presented the Broad Street Market with a large donation this week.

It has been another full news week in Harrisburg, and we’ve got the scoop for you. If you missed any of our coverage, find it all below.

Broad Street Market Executive Director Tanis Monroy said that he would resign at the end of February, our online story reported. Monroy shared that he has been experiencing severe health challenges over the past several months.

The Harrisburg Asian American Pacific Islander (HAAPI) group will host its inaugural Lunar New Year celebration next month, our magazine story reported. Attendees will get a glimpse into east and south Asian culture through performances.

Harrisburg objected to the proposed sale of Governor’s Square to a New Jersey-based real estate company, our reporting found. The city questioned the company’s ability to operate affordable housing under federal standards.

Harrisburg School District officials heard recommendations from a task force formed to propose a plan for the future of the William Penn building, our online story reported. The group’s recommendation included using the building for a career and technical education program.

Historic Harrisburg Association announced its 2024 preservation priorities, our online story reported. Click here to find out which endangered historic structures made the list.

Kenny Young was sworn in as the new deputy chief of the Harrisburg Police Bureau, our online story reported. Additionally, officer Tom McGarrity was promoted to captain of the Technical Services Division.

Medical spas are popping up in the Harrisburg area as the industry has continued to grow. In our magazine story, read about the services that local providers offer.

PennDOT has proposed safety improvements to the Lemoyne bottleneck, a section of the road just off the Market Street Bridge, our online story reported. Community members can comment on the plan and ask questions at an upcoming open house.

Sara Bozich has a list full of events for your weekend in Harrisburg. Find her recommendations, here.

Triple P Fitness recently opened in Harrisburg offering personal, individualized training, our magazine story reported. Owner Noah Parsons opened the business in hopes of sharing his fitness knowledge to help others with their health goals.

Uptown Partners, the owner of the Residences at Governor’s Square, has identified a potential buyer for its affordable housing development, our online story reported. According to court documents, the owner identified the New Jersey-based real estate company ANCDI as the proposed buyer.

The William Penn Social Association awarded the Broad Street Market a $30,000 donation, our online story reported. The funds will help support day-to-day operations at the market and make up for a budget deficit.

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Burg Review: Theatre Harrisburg’s “Next to Normal” packs a punch you won’t soon forget

January 26, 2024 | by Gina Napoli

If your family has mental illness sprayed all over your genetic code as if a fire hose let loose with boiling hot super glue, I’ll see you at the support group meetings. If not, watching Theatre Harrisburg’s rock opera “Next to Normal” will provide you a wonderfully compassionate empathy tool.

Directed by Dave Olmsted, with Music Director Mitchell Sensenig-Wilshire, (music by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey), the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning “Next to Normal” presents mental illness as a heartbreaking family disease with tentacles that reach out and choke you well beyond the family boundaries. Like second-hand smoke in your house, mental illness affects all when it affects one.

In this tense drama, we meet the Goodman family, whose dynamics revolve on a tenuous axis around mother Diana’s (Christine Beutel) debilitating bipolar disorder, like running on a hamster wheel made of razor wire. Her highs fly higher than mountains, but her lows sink lower than the largest boulders in those same mountains’ valleys.

Simple, mundane tasks elude her: making sandwiches, driving a car or writing her daughter Natalie’s (Melody Carsey) piano recital on the family calendar. Husband/father Dan (Brian Fosnacht) cleans every literal and figurative mess to try to cobble his family back together, like the scratchy twine that chafes and unravels a little every time you try to tie a package. And then there’s Gabe (Ryan Smetzer), the older brother whose shadow Natalie lives underneath. Just outside the family is Natalie’s boyfriend, Henry, (Moses Handy), and psychiatrists Doctors Fine and Madden (Brian Silva), where the tentacles unfortunately reach.

The family drama unfolds through an exciting rock score with the entire cast showcased as strong lyricists who deliver performances raw and revealing, powerful and dark. A surprising five out of six cast members are making their Theatre Harrisburg debut, and that fact missed me until I read the program after the curtain fell. Their dynamics with each other contain that guarded, distant quality that develops so prevalently in dysfunctional families.

If you have a neuro-typical brain and you’re a little Type A (my, ahem, “friend” has this problem), and you’re trying to use the program to follow along with the music, take a beat. The songs are all there, just not in the right order. Taking a deep breath will help. Better yet, use those empathy muscles to step inside the scattered mind of a mentally ill person. How difficult it must be for them to follow along when their brains play tricks on them, when they’re confused, when they can’t seem to tune their inner radios to the same channel or frequency everyone else is listening to.

The above paragraph is my disclaimer, because… in my own program, which I notated in the dark, I mislabeled most of the standout songs that really sang to me. And I didn’t figure it out until the middle of Act 2. My brain-muddled confusion should not subtract from the satisfying quality of the play’s music. The entire score is relentlessly driven with angry, anthem rock songs that teenaged Gina would have cranked the volume to 10 on her fabric speakers, just after slamming her door shut and calling her mother an expletive. As the more refined (more, ahem, mature?) Gina, I now just tap my foot politely, with perhaps a minor chair dance wiggle if I forget myself. The uber-talented musicians produce such robust orchestration for a six-piece band, that I would have guessed they had 12, at least. They jammed with such high energy from opener to finale. So even if you aren’t clear where you are in the program, the arena rock musical style will rock you.

Although the mood of the play contains a notably weighted essence—the sort of gut-wrenching vignettes one doesn’t bounce back from easily, if ever—Theatre Harrisburg’s treatment of the subject matter includes partnerships with the Dauphin County chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), as well as Cornerstone Coffeehouse. Ticket-holders can visit the NAMI table to gather reading materials and speak to one of their representatives. Cornerstone Coffeehouse is drawing awareness to mental health by offering a drink related to the show, with a donation going to NAMI for every cup purchased.

Alexandra Johnson, Theatre Harrisburg’s marketing and box office manager, said Theatre Harrisburg’s goal was “to handle such stigmatized and heavy subject matter in a caring and uplifting way.”

If you and your support group (over age 16, please) do attend a production, remember your tissues. Bring the big box. And as my personal PSA, if you are concerned about your own mental health or that of someone in your circle, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 988.

“Next to Normal” runs Jan. 26 to Feb. 11 at the Krevsky Center, 513 Hurlock St., Harrisburg. For more information on show times and tickets, visit www.theatreharrisburg.com/shows/next-to-normal.

Broad Street Market secures plumbing proposals for temporary structure

January 26, 2024 | by Maddie Gittens

Broad Street Market temporary structure

Harrisburg is moving a little closer to completing a temporary structure for Broad Street Market vendors.

The city shared on Friday that it received two proposals for plumbing work on the structure, following months of project delays due to a lack of contracting bids.

This morning, the city learned that two proposals had come in through PennBid. City officials will now review their offers and their qualifications.

According to the city, they also received interest from additional companies that did not put together a formal bid yet, but are interested in supplying a quote for consideration.

Last month, Harrisburg issued a request for bids on PennBid, to complete both electrical and plumbing work on the tent-like temporary building, which will house vendors displaced by the July fire in the market’s brick building.

Earlier this month, the city received a bid for electrical work from Manheim-based KCS Electric submitted a bid of $84,491.

Visit the city’s Broad Street Market page for building updates.

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Harrisburg swears in new deputy police chief, promotes officer

January 25, 2024 | by Maddie Gittens

Kenny Young was sworn in as deputy chief of the Harrisburg Police Bureau (photo: city of Harrisburg).

The Harrisburg Police Bureau has a new second in command.

Mayor Wanda Williams on Thursday officially swore in Kenny Young as the new deputy chief for the bureau, with over 20 years of service in the city under his belt.

Young replaces Dennis Sorensen, who retired earlier this month after 32 years with the bureau.

“[Deputy Chief Young’s] demeanor, the way he cares about people, and his commitment to the city of Harrisburg are reasons he was selected as deputy chief,” said Commissioner Thomas Carter, at the swearing-in ceremony. “He told me everything he owns in his life he owes to the city of Harrisburg, and that stuck with me.”

Young started with the bureau in 2001. He started in a position in the traffic safety unit before moving up the ranks and becoming bureau training coordinator of the Technical Services Division, and in 2022, he was promoted to captain of the Technical Services Unit.

“This job means a lot to me, because you are in essence a role model for everybody,” Young said in a statement. “I do not take that lightly. Being someone who has open doors that someone can come talk to, that is my vision of what a deputy chief should be.”

Additionally, longtime officer Tom McGarrity was promoted from lieutenant to captain on Thursday. He will take over Young’s former role in overseeing the Technical Services Division.

McGarrity joined the bureau in 2005 and has helped lead active shooter training sessions and been a member of the Dauphin County Crisis Response Team.

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Broad Street Market receives large donation, seeks additional ways to make up deficit

January 25, 2024 | by Maddie Gittens

Broad Street Market and Harrisburg officials accepted a check from the William Penn Social Association.

The Broad Street Market received a financial boost on Thursday from a local organization.

At a press conference, the William Penn Social Association awarded the market with a $30,000 donation that will support day-to-day operations and help fill a budget deficit.

“We’re neighbors, and all of our members love coming here,” said Brittany Brock, the association’s treasurer. “We are happy that we are able to make this contribution.”

Brock said that, every year, the association donates a portion of its proceeds from small games of chance and, this year, they decided to give all the money to the market.

According to Broad Street Market Alliance board chair Bryan Davis, the money will help fill the market’s current operational deficit, which has been an issue since the July fire in the brick market building.

Earlier this month, market management shared that revenue has been down by 70% since the fire, which closed the brick building, and that they are currently losing around $10,000 each month.

“This helps us get some stability, but doesn’t eliminate the need,” Davis said.

To close the revenue gap, the board approved raising stone building vendors’ rents by almost double, but shortly after decided to put a pause on that plan after vendors and the community pushed back.

Davis said that the board will likely revisit and discuss that plan again at their upcoming meeting on Jan. 31.

Additionally, the board is exploring alternative ways to save money and raise funding, Davis said.

Recently, they decided to temporarily cut funding for things like marketing and special events, Davis said. The city has also deferred the market’s trash and snow removal bills for the time being, and Davis hopes that utility providers will also do the same.

Additional grants and possible fundraisers would help, as well, and the board is looking into those opportunities, he said. Just last weekend, the market held a pie bake-off event and raised $1,500. Now with Thursday’s donation, Davis is hopeful.

“That money will go a long way in getting us through a really difficult time until the tent opens, then we start generating more revenue,” Davis said.

Harrisburg is constructing a temporary tent-like structure to house displaced brick-building vendors adjacent to the market. However, its opening has been continually delayed as the city struggles to find eligible contractors. Early this month, Harrisburg announced that it received a bid for electrical work. Bids for plumbing work are due Jan. 25.

Also on Thursday, the market’s Executive Director Tanis Monroy told TheBurg that he would resign from his position at the end of February. Monroy said that he is suffering from several serious medical conditions and needs to focus on his health.

Davis said that the market will soon begin the search for a new director and that he is confident that the market will continue normal operations in the meantime.

For updates on the Broad Street Market, visit the city’s website.

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