City Wild: In Harrisburg, nature meets human

July 28, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda

Illustration by rich Hauck

As I kid, I lived right across the street from the fetid Passaic River, a meandering waterway outside New York turned into an industrial dumping ground.

From my house’s picture window, I could see the brown, murky water, complete with the remains of a barge that had caught fire decades before and was still slowly decomposing into the sticky mud. And, when the wind was blowing right, I sure could smell it.

A few old-timers told me how, when they were my age, they swam and caught fish in the river, but, by the late 1970s, those days were long gone. So too were the pheasants and hawks and waterfowl that they claimed had been abundant.

On my block, we had brown squirrels, brown sparrows and brown trees, and that was about it for wildlife.

Perhaps that’s why, in part, I appreciate this area so much. In this space, I’ve often written about the businesses, restaurants and people here, but, in my book, the wildlife also ranks highly—the stately great egret, the playful mallards, and the fluttery goldfinches, to name a few.

This year, we had a special treat on my block as a pair of yellow-crowned night herons moved into the neighborhood, a delight to everyone except, perhaps, those who unwisely parked beneath their nest.

To me, Harrisburg boasts a unique combination of urban density and natural wonder, giving the city a singular character for the humans who choose to settle here.

Recently, I came upon a book entitled, “Urban Jungle: The History and Future of Nature in the City.” In it, author Ben Wilson discusses how some animals have adapted to urban life, often quite successfully. These include foxes, falcons and raccoons, in addition to hardened city dwellers like pigeons, squirrels and crows.

All of these can be found here, but what makes Harrisburg unique is the presence of the mile-wide Susquehanna River. The river, its wetlands and nearby parks and natural areas add an abundance of diverse wildlife unrivaled by any city or suburb I’ve lived in before. Also, the river is highly accessible to walkers, runners, bikers, anyone—unlike in many cities where residents are cut off from their waterfronts by highways, railroads, industry and blight.

But, sure, the situation in Harrisburg is hardly perfect, and in his book, Wilson details how cities can further enrich urban life by better integrating the natural world, with the added benefit of helping to fight climate change.

In that spirit, I’m going to steal a few of his ideas and add one or two of my own as options for Harrisburg.

Increase tree canopy. According to the city forester, trees are vital for stormwater mitigation, air pollution removal and energy cost savings. But they also make cities more beautiful and livable, while providing stopovers, refuges and homes for many different types of wildlife. Unfortunately, if you take a walk around Harrisburg, you’ll readily see places where street trees should be, but aren’t—empty squares of dirt and weeds along a sidewalk. If one is in front of your house, please consider planting a tree. On its website, the city has a long list of acceptable street trees, and, if you can’t afford one, you may be able to get it for free.

Add wild grasses and flowers. Lawns are dead zones for most critters. However, native grasses and flowers are more likely to attract wildlife, both in abundance and diversity. They can also be less work overall, while allowing a gardener’s creativity to shine. As an old, densely built city, Harrisburg has many tiny backyards that offer terrific potential for small clusters of low-maintenance, complementary grasses, flowers and plants. I intend to heed my own advice. Decades ago, a previous homeowner slapped a big wooden deck over the entirety of my backyard, replacing, according to my neighbor, a lovely English-style garden. I plan to remove the now-rotting deck, place pavers under an overhang and add several planting areas.

Rethink roads. I’ve been accused of being obsessed with infrastructure, and, to that, I plead guilty. Harrisburg simply has too much asphalt for its needs, especially on state-owned roads. Forster Street, from the bridge to the Capitol Complex, could easily lose two lanes, with bump-outs, green spaces and rain gardens built in their stead. This would beautify the harsh streetscape while improving pedestrian safety. It also would help reduce vehicle speed and noise, a benefit to residents—both human and animal. Likewise, Front Street needs to have its speeds and noise reduced, and I’d also advocate cutting the rest of Front and 2nd streets down to two lanes, making them softer, safer and greener. And since I’m dreaming—let’s reimagine our downtown alleys as more than forlorn, empty asphalt strips. Many cities have transformed well-located, underused spaces into linear greenways, pocket parks and pleasant gathering areas.

When I was kid, I simply accepted my surroundings as they were: brown, ugly and smelly. In Harrisburg, I discovered something better—with hopes that it can be better, and greener, still.

Lawrance Binda is publisher/editor of TheBurg.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

A Visionary Retires: Under Danette Blank, Vision Resources of Central PA expanded its services, reach

July 28, 2023 | by Phyllis Zimmerman

Danette Blank

For Danette Blank, “it was time.”

Blank, 65, of Linglestown, retired June 30 after serving 23 years as executive director of Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania, a Harrisburg-based advocacy organization for the blind and visually impaired.

“I felt it was time for myself to retire and time for the agency to have new blood and ideas,” she said recently.

Blank started with the agency in 2000 while it was still known as Tri-County Association for the Blind and before the organization transferred to its current moniker eight years ago. Previous to that, she worked 17 years as a general manager for Manpower staffing in Dallas, Texas, and then in Harrisburg. She initially worked in social welfare for three years after earning a degree in that field at Kutztown University.

After elimination of her Manpower job, Blank said that she “wanted to go back to social services work and to find something where I could incorporate my business experience with social service.”

By all appearances, Vision Resources was her perfect occupational match.

“Danette took (Vision Resources) through hard financial times,” said Paul Zavinsky, the agency’s director of development and public relations. “She had a capital campaign and helped envision our current location. She built up the organization’s businesses and has been a champion for employing individuals with disabilities.”

Blank cited that, under her leadership, Vision Resources expanded its services to include a no-cost eye clinic offering free glasses, occupational therapy services and low-vision rehab. She also spearheaded a capital campaign that raised $2 million, permitting the agency to double its working space by moving operations from Kelker and 2nd streets in 2008 to a 36,000-square-foot location in South Harrisburg.

She also oversaw expansion of the agency’s business-to-business operation, which now boasts 100 employees. Of those, 70 live with disabilities that range beyond blindness or vision impairment.

Initially founded as a mail service offering PennDOT photo IDs, business services have grown to include custodial care, laser printing and full-service flooring. A production unit offers such services as warehousing and distribution, Braille transcription and audio recording services. The program also runs a children’s summer camp, but Blank said, “The largest number of people it helps are senior citizens.”

“Danette built up the organization’s businesses and has been a champion for employing individuals with disabilities,” Zavinsky said. “She led the agency into the digital age, including social media and amazing new technologies available to the blind and visually impaired.”

Vision Resources also runs a prevention program that provides eye screenings for youngsters in area daycares.

“We want to get them before they go to school and might have behavioral or learning problems from undiagnosed vision problems,” Blank said. “Sometimes, they were born that way and didn’t know that everything in the world wasn’t blurry.”

Zavinsky said that Blank cares about everyone who Vision Resources serves.

“Her goal is to help every action that each person in the sphere of Vision Resources is engaged in to be achievable, especially the organization’s mission of creating greater independence and empowerment for those that are blind and visually impaired,” he said.

It hasn’t all been easy, though. Blank said the most challenging part of her job involved securing agency funding and personnel issues sprouting from its business service employees.

“My job was to keep everyone happy,” she noted.

As a standalone, nonprofit agency, 3% of Vision Resources’ budget comprises state funding. About 85% of the agency’s revenue is self-generated through its business service operations, while remaining funds are generated through grants and donors.

Still, Blank loved her job.

“Every day was different,” she said. “I liked coming up with a new idea and developing it.”

In retirement, Blank said that she looks forward to seeking part-time work, working in the community, and spending more time with her husband of 30 years, as well as visiting her daughter, son-in-law and grandson in Florida.

“I will miss Danette’s passion for the agency that she helped develop and sustain,” Zavinsky said. “Next to her family, it has always been evident how meaningful and fulfilling her work with Vision Resources has been to her.”

Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania is located at 1130 S. 19th St., Harrisburg. For information, visit www.vrocp.org or call 717-238-2531.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

August News Digest

July 28, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

Officials Commit to Rebuilding Market

Local and state officials last month vowed that the Broad Street Market would be rebuilt following a destructive fire.
At a press conference after the fire, Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, along with other local officials, pledged to support the market’s many vendors and restore the historic building.

“Overnight, the heart of our community was taken from us,” Williams said. “Today is not the end of the Broad Street Market. We will rebuild it.”

Subsequently, the city also announced that a temporary, enclosed market for displaced vendors would be set up on an empty lot directly across Verbeke Street until reconstruction of the building is finished.

At about 1 a.m. on July 10, the Harrisburg Fire Bureau responded to reports of smoke coming from the market’s brick building. Flames engulfed the building, causing severe damage to the roof and, specifically, the side of the building closest to N. 6th Street. The fire took several hours to contain, fire officials said.

According to Fire Bureau Chief Brian Enterline, the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction of a large ceiling fan, installed in 2017. The building did not have a sprinkler system.

According to Enterline, the building’s shell is salvageable and the historic architecture of the building can be maintained. Much of the interior portion of the building near the market courtyard is salvageable, as well, largely suffering smoke and water damage, fire officials stated.

The Broad Street Market is covered under Harrisburg’s insurance, city Business Administrator Dan Hartman told TheBurg. Vendors in the market are required to have their own insurance, as well.

Shapiro also vowed to assist the city in rebuilding the market, offering possible state grant or loan opportunities. The commonwealth is coordinating with the PA Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Department of Agriculture to find ways to assist vendors displaced by the fire, he said.

“This market matters; it’s mattered for more than a century,” he said. “You’re going to see government at all levels now work together. We are all now going to come together and do what’s necessary to support the rebuild.”

While local officials are hopeful about the future of the Broad Street Market, they recognize that rebuilding won’t be a quick process.

“Make no mistake, this will take time and, of course, tears, but the end result will be worth it,” Williams said. “The Broad Street Market will be back and better than ever before.”

Harrisburg Approves Grant Deployment

After months of meetings and public hearings, Harrisburg has decided how to deploy millions of its federal COVID-relief dollars.

City Council voted last month to use $31.4 million of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for projects like renovating a city pool and supporting affordable housing development.

The vote caps a long decision-making process by Harrisburg to determine how to use its total $47 million allocation from the federal government as pandemic relief.

Council already voted in June 2022 to allocate $15.6 million to reimburse the city for lost revenue during the pandemic, for one-time bonuses to uniformed personnel in the Harrisburg Fire Bureau and Bureau of Police and to replace the HVAC system in the city’s Public Safety Building.

Last month, council voted to allocate the city’s remaining funds, $31.4 million, to replace revenue lost during the pandemic. The money will go into Harrisburg’s general fund. However, the money will be used by the city for specific programs and projects approved by council.

According to City Solicitor Neil Grover, using the money for revenue replacement eliminates some ARPA reporting requirements that would otherwise be mandated when awarding funds to sub-recipients, such as local nonprofits or businesses.

The biggest allocations within the spending plan for ARPA funds will support funding affordable housing projects and the renovation of Hall Manor pool, which is currently closed, each receiving an $8 million allocation.

City officials explained at previous meetings that the money for affordable housing can be disbursed to developers as matching funds. Developers would apply for the money and be approved by a board using a scoring rubric.

Other allocations within the ARPA plan include $5 million for home repairs for low-income and elderly residents, $1.5 million for creating an ADA-accessible playground and $1.5 million for blighted building demolition. Another $1 million will assist people with delinquent trash bills, $1 million will create a workforce development/internship program for youth, and $1 million will provide funds for residents’ emergency and transitional housing needs.

Additional, smaller allocations will support tree removal services for elderly residents, the purchase of radios for the Fire Bureau, and support for nonprofits that assist senior citizens.

Council also amended the plan to include $1 million to create a “Community Matters” grant program to support underserved communities, minority- and women-owned businesses and nonprofits that assist underserved communities. Another $500,000 will create “community connection hubs” at locations in the city to assist with workforce development. An additional $1.2 million will pay for the city’s administration of the funds.

School Budget Approved; William Penn to Be Razed

At its last meeting of the academic year, the Harrisburg School District took action on two significant agenda items—the district’s budget and the future of one of its most storied buildings.

During the late June meeting, District Receiver Dr. Lori Suski approved the demolition of the long vacant and blighted William Penn School building, citing the financial burden that it has caused the district.

“We have gone through extensive dialogue about this property,” Suski said. “The building was improperly shuttered years ago, and I agree with the residents that it’s a travesty. But we need to look at how best to use our resources.”

Suski approved a $6.8 million proposal from the Gordian Group to demolish the building, built in 1926.

According to district officials at a previous board meeting, William Penn has increasingly suffered structural damage, fires and break-ins. Over the years, the school district weighed options such as selling the building and renovating it for use as a magnet middle school. However, Suski explained that the district wasn’t interested in any sales offers it got and received quotes estimating renovations could be as high as $90 million.

Several William Penn graduates and community members attended the meeting to express frustration with the plan to demolish the building.

“I’m upset that they allowed the building to deteriorate,” said Elle Richard, of the William Penn class of 1966. “It shouldn’t have gone this far. It’s sad because it seemed so much like home.”

Some school board members expressed support for the decision to demolish the building, agreeing with district officials that maintaining the building had become too costly.

“It does hurt that this decision had to be made,” said school board director Danielle Robinson. “We’ve done everything to try to figure out how to save this building but, realistically, it just can’t be done.”

The school district will likely begin demolition in August or September, which would take around a year to complete, said John Reedy, chief of operations for the district.

According to Superintendent Eric Turman, the district plans to host community meetings in the fall to hear input from residents on how they’d like to see the property used after William Penn is demolished.

At the meeting, Suski also approved the final 2023-24 budget of $218.5 million, which does not include a property tax increase. Taxes will remain at a millage rate of 30.78.

In an earlier form of the preliminary budget, the district proposed raising taxes by 3.25%. However, officials removed the tax hike from the proposal at a previous meeting.

FNB Field Set for Upgrades

FNB Field, home to the Harrisburg Senators, will undergo upgrades as Harrisburg has agreed to fund a number of improvements.

City Council last month voted to affirm Harrisburg’s commitment to fund Major League Baseball-required upgrades to the city-owned field on City Island.

Harrisburg will support improved stadium lighting, better practice and training facilities and improved clubhouse areas for both home and visiting teams. Renovations will also include expanding locker room areas due to the growing number of female coaches and umpires in professional baseball.

“With Major and Minor League Baseball recognizing the need to update facility standards to improve conditions for minor league players as part of their new collective bargaining agreement, the city of Harrisburg, as the owner of FNB Field, is proud to partner with the Harrisburg Senators to keep the Eastern League’s second oldest franchise in the city of Harrisburg,” said Dan Hartman, city business administrator.

In November 2022, the city was awarded a $6 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant from the commonwealth, which will help fund the over $11 million project. The Senators will pay for the remainder of the project’s cost, according to the city.

City and Senators officials expect construction to be completed in time for the start of the 2025 season.

“We are thrilled that the city of Harrisburg has formally decided to fund the improvements necessary to bring FNB Field in-line with the new Major League Baseball facility requirements,” said Harrisburg Senators President Kevin Kulp.

Tight Rental Market in Harrisburg Area

The Harrisburg area is the tightest market nationwide for residential rentals, says a new study.

RentCafé, a national apartment search website, stated last month that 96.2% of apartments in the seven-county, south-central PA region are occupied.

“Apartment seekers in Harrisburg face significant challenges in finding vacant places, as only about 4% of rentals are available,” according to the report.

By “Harrisburg,” the company means the entire region that comprises Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York counties.

The tight market makes “apartment hunting feel like looking for a needle in a haystack,” according to RentCafé.

The report states that a prospective renter needs to compete with 13 other hopefuls to secure a lease in the Harrisburg area—four times more than the national average.

For its analysis, RentCafé compiled data from 137 rental markets in the United States of multi-family properties of at least 50 units.

The Harrisburg area had a “competitive score” of 123, which actually was higher than all markets—large and small—in the nation. The Miami-Dade, Fla., market, which ranked first among large national markets, had a “competitive score” of 120.

In its report, RentCafé also states that the Harrisburg region’s rental market is twice as tight as that in Philadelphia.

For small markets, the Harrisburg area was followed by Fayetteville, Ark., and Providence, R.I., in RentCafé’s analysis.

According to the company, not only is demand strong, but there’s been a lack of new construction, exacerbating the situation. According to RentCafé’s statistics, the area has added “zero” net new apartment units recently.

“Besides the cost of living and the convenience of renting here (just about everything you need is within 20 minutes by car), people calling Harrisburg home are also close to major metros like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New York City and Washington, D.C.,” the report states.

Bridge Toll Plan Dropped

The proposal was all but dead, but now word is official—the South Bridge will not be tolled.

In a project update released last month, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation affirmed that it has dropped a widely criticized plan to toll the bridge to help pay for its replacement.

“The bridge will not be tolled and is no longer included in the Major Bridge Public-Private Partnership (MBP3),” according to a PennDOT statement. “The project will be moving forward with non-tolling funding sources and to expedite this critical project, the department continues to seek federal discretionary funding so the project can be delivered earlier.”

PennDOT said that the 62-year-old bridge, which carries I-83 traffic over the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, is near the end of its lifespan. Its replacement is estimated to cost $850 million to $1 billion.

The agency hopes to begin the project in 2025.

In the meantime, PennDOT said that it is resuming environmental studies for the project to address the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). An environmental analysis is a detailed study of how a project would affect the surrounding community’s quality of life, including health, safety, cultural resources, natural resources, etc.

In February 2021, PennDOT released a plan to toll the bridge, but that proposal was met with widespread opposition from many Harrisburg and area officials. Last year, the state lost a lawsuit filed by several western PA towns opposing the PA Major Bridge P3 Program, further denting PennDOT’s tolling plan.

Last month, PennDOT said that it made the decision not to toll the bridge due to possible traffic impacts on surrounding communities, as some drivers would seek alternative routes to avoid paying the toll.

“Since the bridge will not be tolled, toll-driven diversion of traffic onto local roads will not occur,” PennDOT stated in its release. “Therefore, proposed improvements identified along the diversion routes will no longer be included in the project.”

Court Approves Property Sale

A local developer is one step closer to purchasing a Harrisburg lot on which to construct a proposed affordable housing project.

Last month, Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas Judge John Cherry approved the Harrisburg School District’s sale of its vacant lot at 1001 N. 18th St. to Harrisburg-based Fernandez Realty Group.

In February, district Receiver Dr. Lori Suski approved the sale of the lot that previously housed Woodward Elementary School to the developer, who has proposed building a four-story affordable apartment building.

However, the district was required to get court approval for the $240,000 sale. According to state law, when a public school’s property is sold privately, instead of through public auction, it must receive court approval.

With court approval, the district and Fernandez Realty Group may move forward with the sale.

“Woodward Lofts” still must go through the city’s land development process. If the project is approved, Fernandez plans to construct a 48-unit apartment building for senior citizens. The building would also house a community room, daycare, food and clothing banks, and possibly a pharmacy or clinic. The plan includes 37 off-street parking spots.

So Noted

Appalachian Brewing Co. announced last month an expansion into Carlisle, partnering with the Carlisle Barracks to open Appalachian Brewing Company at 1757 Grille. The brewpub will operate just outside the barracks gates on Jim Thorpe Road, with a view of the golf course.

Camp Curtin YMCA has cut the ribbon on four new affordable townhomes at Woodbine and Jefferson streets, near its facility in Uptown Harrisburg. Each 2,000-square-foot home cost homeowners $150,000 and includes four bedrooms, three baths and off-street parking.

Capital Area School for the Arts has had its charter renewed for another five-year period by the Harrisburg School District. CASA, an arts-intensive public high school located downtown in Strawberry Square, received its first charter approval in 2013, which was renewed in 2018.

Catherine Hershey School for Early Learning last month “topped off” its new building in Harrisburg by placing the last steel beam on the nearly 47,000-square-foot structure at N. 6th and Muench streets. CHS Harrisburg is slated to open next year, serving children under 5 years old from under-resourced backgrounds at no cost to families.

David J. Fitzpatrick last month was named the new artistic director of the Wheatland Chorale, a Lancaster-based choral ensemble. In addition, he is the artistic director of the Montgomery County Chorale and Orchestra in Fort Washington, according to the Wheatland Chorale.

John Anthony has been named the Downtown Mechanicsburg Partnership’s “2023 Person of the Year.” The award is given annually to a borough resident or businessperson in recognition of an overall record of service to the community and its civic and volunteer organizations.

Open Studios debuted last month as affordable studio space for creators, with rents starting at $350 per month. Twelve studios and two private offices are available at 1070 S. Cameron St., Harrisburg, above the Urban Churn facility. For more information, visit www.openstudioshbg.com.

Sarah Oatney-Weiler last month was named the new Head of Early Childhood and Lower School at Harrisburg Academy. She previously served as the Head of School of a bilingual school in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and has worked across three continents over a 20-plus year career in education.

Stretch30 is a new addition to Lemoyne’s Burn30 that offers assisted stretching services. Stretch coach Elijah Fregm helps clients improve flexibility, range of motion and overall fitness in 15- and 30-minute sessions. For more information, visit www.burn30.net/stetch30.

Stuart Malina last month agreed to a three-year contract extension as music director and conductor with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. His new contract will take him through the 2025-26 season, which will be his 26th year as the orchestra’s artistic leader.

The Content Creator’s Collective has opened in downtown Mechanicsburg at 1 E. Main St. Owner Shannon Claire created the collective as a space for digital content creation, as well as for workshops, small events and pop-up shops. For more information, visit www.theShannonClaire.com/studio.

WITF and Steinman Communications last month completed a transaction that gifts LNP/Lancaster Online to WITF, central PA’s public media organization. As a result, LNP has been converted to a Pennsylvania Benefit Corporation and is now a WITF subsidiary, according to the organizations. With seed funding from the Steinman Foundation, WITF also established the Steinman Institute for Civic Engagement to support local journalism, education and community engagement.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2429: D. Boyle to E. Alvarado, $50,000

Apricot St., 1709: M. Baltozer to R. Hand, $40,000

Benton St., 711: A. Curillo to M. Lugo, $55,000

Berryhill St., 1212: Parcview 135 Corp. to DC Blessings Company, $63,500

Berryhill St., 2154: J. & M. Ranck to Builders Property Management & Marketing Group LLC, $90,000

Berryhill St., 2160: J. & M. Ranck to Builders Property Management & Marketing Group LLC, $53,000

Berryhill St., 2244: Ranck Investments LLC to Builders Property Management & Marketing Group LLC, $90,000

Bigelow Dr., 39: J. Mayweather to S. & S. Delp, $112,000

Boas St., 1842: J. VanHook to Penn Properties Associates LLC, $53,500

Briggs St., 268: G. Kehler & L. Mills to Alex Manning Enterprises LLC, $342,000

Briggs St., 1610: L. Collado to L. Ledesma, $40,000

Briggs St., 1813: K. Kassmel to Penn Properties Associates LLC, $62,000

Briggs St., 1909: SPG Capital LLC to Coopers Hawk LLC, $60,000

Briggs St., 1927: B. Hernandez to Y. Martinus, $65,000

Calder St., 212: S. Lindsey to N. Reigner, $186,100

Calder St., 1419: R&T Clark LLC to Penn Properties Associates LLC, $50,000

Camp St., 649: B. Debeljak to J. Rivera, $75,000

Chestnut St., 2031: N. & C. Hamani to S. Castro, $120,000

Curtin St., 523: SR Homes LLC to T. Bedon, $62,000

Derry St., 1230: C. Ramirez & A. Johnson to M. Rodriguez, $79,000

Derry St., 1515: Program for Female Offenders to 2020 Real Estate Ventures LLC, $175,000

Derry St., 2145: Stone Hedge Holdings LLC to R&K Realty Group LP, $64,500

Derry St., 2459: B. Ortega to B. Olaleye, $120,000

Edward St., 201: M. Spizzirri to A. Carrick & A. Labella, $165,000

Green St., 1409: Aljo Properties LLC to Y. Kwon, $173,000

Green St., 1413: Pine Asset Management LLC to Aljo Properties LLC, $125,000

Green St., 2951, 2955: E. Payne to D. Mouzon, $375,000

Hamilton St., 430: T. & L. Sneidman to S. Malhotra, $170,000

Herr St., 1621: SPG Capital LLC to AJ Real Estate Properties LLC, $82,000

Holly St., 1841: Tassia Corp. to D. Boyle, $75,000

Hudson St., 1135: EBM Real Estate Holdings LLC to G. & C. Ulrich, $182,000

Jefferson St., 2615: C. Geary to A. Palenfo, $80,000

Kensington St., 2357: J. & M. Ranck to Builders Property Management & Marketing Group LLC, $90,000

Kensington St., 2436: C. Zapata to Y. Vargas, $132,000

Lexington St., 2626: E. Easton to A. Tinoco & D. Walters, $90,000

Liberty St., 1349, 1351 & 2464 Reel St.: C&T Button Properties LLC to Williams & Williams Properties LLC, $260,000

Liberty St., 1428: Dima Properties LLC to E. Milanes, $80,000

Logan St., 2231: C&T Button Properties LLC to D. Boyle, $55,000

Maclay St., 425: D. Perez to A&W Homes LLC, $114,990

Market St., 1220: Colston Neighborhood Development LLC to Upscale Properties LLC, $75,000

Market St., 1226: Colston Neighborhood Development LLC to Upscale Properties LLC, $75,000

Market St., 1228: Colston Neighborhood Development LLC to Upscale Properties LLC, $75,000

Market St., 1853: S. Miranda to AZ Penn Group LLC, $120,000

Market St., 2006: Willow Mill Realty Holdings LLC to G. Diaz, $203,000

Melrose St., 725, 736, 740, 742, 1029 1031 1037, 1039, 1041, 1047 and 1044 S. 23rd St.: W. Hocker to HL Bowman Building II LLC, $787,779

Muench St., 273: S. Eicher to K. & G. Shay, $205,000

Naudain St., 1512: Golden Brick Road LLC to A. Diaz, $175,000

N. 2nd St., 1509: R. & T. Joseph to Bridgeforth & McGuire Investments LLC, $260,000

N. 2nd St., 2425: A. Waltz to TD Dwellings LLC, $232,000

N. 3rd St., 1808: T. Findon to R. Caretti, $200,000

N. 3rd St., 2112 & 2109 Susquehanna St.: Heinly Homes LLC to El Gamwo LLC, $110,000

N. 4th St., 2434: L. & C. Lautsbaugh to H. Qin, $95,000

N. 4th St., 3005: A. Cruz to Z&E Holdings LLC, $223,000

N. 5th St., 2536: D. Boyle to R. Duarte & M. Rivera, $67,000

N. 6th St., 1725: R. White to R. Stoughton, $176,000

N. 6th St., 2200: D&F Realty Holdings LP to Kian & Lian Houses & Apartments LLC, $150,000

N. 6th St., 2334: First Choice Home Buyers LLC to Dreams2Reality Services LLC, $58,000

N. 6th St., 3221: T. Blount to F. Ashenafi, $95,000

N. 12th St., 60: Arich Star LLC to A. Bouhach, $54,000

N. 15th St., 519: Great Row LLC to NA Property Holdings LLC, $64,000

N. 15th St., 1307: B. Shepard & N. Cook to L. Smith, $101,500

N. 15th St., 1435: N. & V. Gutkovskiy to M. Brown, $115,000

N. 16th St., 28: J. Goodman to Rivas Property Investments LLC, $55,000

N. 16th St., 802: Greenlove Realty LLC to BA Fresh Start LLC, $50,500

N. 16th St., 1122: L. Sampson to A. Moore, $123,000

N. 18th St., 21: S. Ledesma to J. Garcia & E. Peralta, $40,000

N. Front St., 1323: DMI55 Enterprises LLC to LGBT Community Center Coalition of Central PA, $255,000

N. Front St., 2843: Accession Holdings LLC to Kachin International LLC, $340,000

Peffer St., 228: B. Matuszny to J. Tedorski, $249,900

Peffer St., 427: L. Blanton to G. McCoy, $225,000

Penn St., 2117: Sound Community Solutions to Equitable Rentals LLC, $70,000

Penn St., 2121: Akadi Trucking LLC to KDM Capital LLC, $101,000

Penn St., 2128: J. Espaillat to B. Carr, $120,000

Penn St., 2133: Lancaster Real Estate Fund LLC to Tal Flan Real Estate LLC, $76,001

Pennwood Rd., 3128: F. Mills & J. Glover to S. McDonald, $145,000

Race St., 548: Panda Real Estate LLC to Ladaff Enterprises LLC, $177,000

Regina St., 1706: Integrity First Home Buyers LLC to 1706 Regina St Harrisburg LLC, $40,000

Regina St., 1708: S. Flores to AZ Penn Group LLC, $100,000

Regina St., 1721: D. Airhart to E. Ashenafi, $107,000

Schuylkill St., 544: Ideal Associates LLC to Y. Rahman, $45,000

South St., 107: K. Arnold to C. Meyer, $165,000

S. 12th St., 1319: G. Ruiz to M. Garcia, $45,000

S. 13th St., 320: W. Paredes & I. Gelvez to A. Alfonso, $40,000

S. 14th St., 114: A. Lopez & S. Garcia to Penn Properties Associates LLC, $55,000

S. 15th St., 216: M. Nichols to AJ Real Estate Properties LLC, $75,000

S. 18th St., 1235: M. Quinn to Glanzair Properties LLC, $106,500

S. 19th St., 227: J. Pierre to Penn Properties Associates LLC, $56,900

S. 25th St., 614: T. Tran to M. Kenz, $45,000

S. 27th St., 653: T Wy Enterprise LLC to M. Arias & B. De Abreu, $112,500

S. Cameron St., 1605: G. Martin to I. Claytor, $60,000

S. Front St., 803: T. Edwards to Laurenn Reiss LLC, $196,100

State St., 1925: AJ Real Estate Properties LLC to S. Jobarteh & K. Suso, $240,000

Swatara St., 1224: O. Kagiri to Falcao Group Consulting & Service Corp. Inc., $65,000

Thompson St., 1621: Keystone Properties Solutions to Balaci Properties LLC, $92,000

Verbeke St., 124: Kyzer Rentals LLC to M. Dagostino, $138,000

Vernon St., 1343: J. & C. Glick to SU Hogar LLC, $79,200

Vernon St., 1555: R. Scott to J. Everett, $45,000

Walnut St., 1614: J. Berrios to J. West, $80,000

William St., 1423: Stoute Housing Inc. to B. Lewis, $175,000

Wiconisco St., 420: R. Andrews to Sky Resort Investments LLC, $165,000

Woodbine St., 320: J. & J. Mangan to J. Pronio, $166,500

Harrisburg property sales, June 2023, greater than $40,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Blooming Business: The Meadow opens in Harrisburg with a bouquet of local vendors on display

July 28, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Around six years ago, Kenzie Brinkman set up as a vendor at one of her first artist markets, the HBG Flea.

She stayed up until 3 a.m. the night before, prepping her pressed flower pieces and making a display to hang her art on. Brinkman, a Harrisburg resident, was excited, but also nervous. She had faced tough times and rejection on her journey to this day.

But the flea couldn’t have gone any better. The community showed up and bought almost all of her pieces—colorful flowers pressed in frames and hung from pieces of driftwood.

“It just skyrocketed my business,” she said. “The community support and reception was insane.”

A while before the flea, Brinkman left her job at Starbucks to start her business, The Wildest Flowers, originally selling pressed flower phone cases on Etsy. Since then, with a few bumps along the way, her business has only grown as she expanded to creating home décor pieces and preserving and pressing wedding bouquets.

In July, that growth accelerated further as Brinkman, with her partner Cody Imes, opened a storefront, The Meadow, in Midtown Harrisburg.

“We really just want to give back to Harrisburg because we love it so much,” Brinkman said.

Local Love

The Meadow opened just down the street from the Broad Street Market on N. 3rd Street in the location of a former laundromat. The shop brings to the neighborhood something that Brinkman views as sorely needed in the city—retail.

Inside, you’ll find pieces from The Wildest Flowers, but also art, clothing, home items, candles, funky fanny packs, embroidered hats and handmade jewelry, among many other unique items. About 20 local vendors sell their wares at The Meadow, making it a one-stop-shop for one-of-a-kind finds.

“You need that opportunity to find success,” Brinkman said. “And if we can give that to people and give them that space to have that opportunity, or give them the confidence to expand, that’s a dream come true.”

The Meadow only sells quality handmade or handpicked items at fair and affordable prices—something that’s important to Brinkman. She loves the idea of people coming to the store and discovering a new artist or small business to support in the future.

“I wanted it to be a space where people could find anything and everything,” she said. “And I want to make it easier for the community to support local.”

And Brinkman and Imes may not be the only ones to greet you when you come to the store. Their puppy, and now shop dog, Hermione, will likely welcome you with a wagging tail.

Pressed Success

A rose isn’t without its thorns, and the journey leading up to opening The Meadow wasn’t easy for Brinkman.

She recalled the early days of making pressed flower phone cases when a woman made a nasty comment online about her art. The negative remark caused her to take down her Etsy shop and begin working again in the food service industry. But she again regained her confidence and, shortly after, participated in that first HBG Flea.

The pandemic was another trying time for the business, as Brinkman not only lost sales, but, while driving, was hit by a drunken driver, breaking her dominant arm and temporarily costing her the ability to make art.

However, through all of the challenges, Brinkman maintained her passion for pressing flowers, an art she’s practiced since she learned as a kid from her mom.

“To think that all of that led here, if you had told me that back then, I would’ve been like, ‘OK, crazy,’” she said.

Imes has been by her side through the years and, several months ago, left his job to work with Brinkman. Trading his desk job for an artsy one, he has been able to reignite his creative side as he cuts glass, presses flowers and helps run the business. With the career switch, he feels like he can “breathe” again.

The couple has found that they make pretty good business partners, as well.

“We’ve been through a lot of hard times together,” Imes said. “I’ve always tried to reinforce her beliefs and keep her going. I wanted to see her get to this point.”

While The Meadow has only been open for weeks, Brinkman already has hopes to expand, adding more business vendors to the shop and finding additional ways to promote her community.

“We just want to showcase as many people as possible and just fill this space with beauty,” she said.

The Meadow is located at 1126 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, find the business on Instagram @the.meadow.hbg or visit www.thewildestflowers.com.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

August Publisher’s Note

July 28, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda

The calls and texts began arriving before 3 a.m.

Who could that be, I wondered, as my phone lit up in the middle of the night.

An early-morning call is almost never good news, and this one certainly wasn’t—the Broad Street Market was on fire.

A friend who lives near the market began texting me pictures, and, well, I’m sure you remember how the scene looked: sheer devastation. I believe that our cover image this month captures well the profound destruction and sense of sorrow.

It was the beginning of a very long and emotional day for Harrisburg. At TheBurg, we wrote several stories, interviewed vendors and residents, spoke with city, state officials. I received more texts, emails, phone calls—people shocked, distressed.

The Broad Street Market holds a special place in the hearts of Harrisburg, this I’ve long known. However, sometimes it takes tragedy for people to truly feel that emotion and express it.

They expressed it intensely and at length. On social media, they shared stories and memories of the market; they voiced sympathy for their favorite vendors; they detailed their pain, their grief.

If there’s a more beloved city institution, I don’t know what it is. Fortunately, as that first day wore on, the news got better. The city seemed eager to quickly rebuild; the state pledged its support.

To me, one interesting aspect was that, since the pandemic—let’s face it—the market has been in something of a funk. Foot traffic has been down, and some vendors have left recently.

So, I deeply hope that, in the end, this catastrophe proves to be a blessing: that the re-construction modernizes a building desperately in need of repair and updates; that officials better appreciate this remarkable city gem; and that the community continues to rally around the market with their love, their patronage and their money.

Let’s take this opportunity to turn disaster to fortune, to reinvigorate our allegiance to our beloved Broad Street Market.

If you would like to donate to the market and its vendors, please visit www.broadstreetmarket.org.

Lawrance Binda
Publisher/Editor

Click here to read the digital version of our August issue.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Royalty & Representation: Two Harrisburg residents represent the commonwealth in a national pageant spotlighting, celebrating Black girls

July 28, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Kahlia Brown and Laila-Joy Perry. Photo courtesy of Red Patch Studios.

Laila-Joy Perry and Kahlia Brown aren’t only cousins, they’re Pennsylvania royalty.

You may have seen them around Harrisburg, their home city, wearing their tiaras and sashes or at the occasional ribbon cutting or parade.

The girls think it’s fun to feel like celebrities, waving to crowds and meeting with city officials, but even queens and princesses get a little nervous at times.

Perry and Brown both proudly represent Harrisburg on a national level in the Little Miss Black US of A pageant. Perry, 7, was selected as Little Miss Black Central Pennsylvania and Brown, 12, was chosen as Little Miss Black Pennsylvania, each for her own age group.

To the girls, competing in the pageant means more than showcasing their talents, intellect and beauty, it’s about a chance to inspire other girls, represent their community and grow in confidence.

“I was so ecstatic to be chosen,” Brown said. “Because I wanted to show girls that they can do this.”

“Especially because the pageant is for Black girls,” Perry chimed in.

The Little Miss Black US of A pageant, founded by Letricia Loftin Russell, is in its second year of promoting, celebrating and empowering young Black girls around the country. For 2023, 32 girls, across six states, were chosen to compete in the national pageant, held at the end of July in Maryland.

Girls who apply and are selected participate in community service, sisterhood bonding and other events leading up to the competition. There, they participate in dance numbers, fun fashion showcases and onstage interviews.

According to Tracie Hunt, community and public affairs director for the pageant, there aren’t many other pageants like this, specifically for Black girls.

“There isn’t always a space for Black queens, so we are intentional about making that space for them,” she said.

While crowned, Perry and Brown have had the chance to meet with Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams. Brown even appeared on Harrisburg’s local TV station, WHBG 20, to discuss self-confidence with Williams.

“I like seeing Black women in leadership,” Brown said of meeting with Williams.

Perry, who wants to be a police officer when she grows up, also got to meet Harrisburg Police Commissioner Thomas Carter.

“There needs to be more Black and girl police officers in the world,” she said.

Through all of these experiences, Racquelle Perry, Laila’s mom and Brown’s aunt, has seen the girls grow in confidence and poise.

“It’s important for young girls, specifically Black girls, to know that they are seen, they are appreciated, they are loved and valued, no matter how much society may make them feel like they are less than,” she said.

Brown knows the importance of promoting self-worth, and that’s the platform she’s standing on throughout the pageant.

“Girls need to love themselves,” she said. “I want to help them.”

The cousins practiced together for the pageant, which helped calm their nerves going into the event. But mostly, they were just excited to compete together.

For one portion of the evening, Brown will wear chucks and pearls in honor of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’ signature style, and Perry will wear an outfit paying homage to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

The pageant will take place just days after this story is published, and the girls will find out the results, but to them, winning is only a bonus.

“I just want to have fun,” Brown said. “I don’t really have to win. It’s about sisterhood and having fun.”

“It doesn’t matter if I win or lose, at least I competed,” Perry added.

And while the girls are still young, Racquelle is hopeful that one day, they will look back at this experience and understand the impact it had on not only their lives, but the broader community.

“It’s something they’ll really appreciate when the time comes,” she said. “And the fact that the two of them are from Harrisburg is not only a win for the city, but overall, for Pennsylvania.”

For more information about the Little Miss Black US of A pageant and to see the 2023 results, visit www.littlemissblackusofa.com.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Eye to the Sky: Cedar Crest High School boasts a unique, far-out feature—a planetarium

July 28, 2023 | by Jeff Falk

At first glance, the Cedar Crest High School planetarium in southern Lebanon County doesn’t look like much.

Two rows of outdated circular benches provide viewers access to a high, domed ceiling. Conventional desks, pushed against the wall, are a stark reminder of the traditional classroom setting.

But when the lights go out, the stars come out—as well as the planets and the constellations and seemingly infinite possibilities. The planetarium sparks one’s imagination that parallels the universe being portrayed.

“From 5 year olds up to people rolling in here in a wheelchair, it always causes the same reaction,” said Cedar Crest astronomy teacher Rich Fried. “They come in here and the lights are turned off and you turn on the stars for the first time, and the first word from every single one of them is, ‘Wow’ or ‘Whoa.’ I can talk to you about a supernova exploding. But why would I just talk to you about it when I can show you?”

If astronomy is the coolest of all the major sciences, then a planetarium is the ultimate visual aid.

“It’s a supplement to the normal classwork,” Fried said. “We get to take it one step further by actually seeing and immersing ourselves in the topics we are studying. Now that I’ve been teaching with a planetarium for so long, I personally would find it challenging to go back to the paper-and-pencil way. It’s easier to learn things by seeing them rather than just reading them, and the planetarium allows us to do that.”

Not only is the Cedar Crest planetarium a unique teaching tool, it’s also uncommon. It is believed to be the only functioning planetarium in Lebanon County, and one of the few in central Pennsylvania.

“At the high school level, planetariums are exceedingly rare,” Fried said. “It’s an uncommon perk or uncommon benefit. The type of planetarium we have is typically reserved for museums, as well as university-type learning. I’m not going to say it’s the only digital planetarium at the high school level in the state, but you can count the number of them on one, or perhaps two hands.”

Ever Evolving

In the planetarium, Fried teaches two different astronomy courses—a historical one and one focused on deep-space topics—to six to eight different classes. But the Cedar Crest planetarium is also used as a field trip destination for elementary- and middle-school-aged students and is made available as a community outreach tool for older local residents.

“It is something that kids from the youngest of ages can look up at the sky and just question, ‘Why?’’’ Fried said. “It’s that simple fascination with trying to put your life here on earth in perspective with a greater universe. Astronomy very often deals with things beyond our comprehension, things that are very, very old, things that are very, very hot or cold, things that are so very, very distant. Astronomy challenges the perceptions of life here on earth.”

It’s also ever evolving. We may know more about the universe today than we did yesterday—and not as much as we will tomorrow—but we may never know everything about it.

“In the planetarium, we can look forward 100,000 years and look back 100,000 years,” Fried said. “You can speed up time and you can slow down time. Where we’re at right now in astronomy is we’re starting to figure out what we know and what we don’t know. We’re at this interesting point where the mathematics is outpacing our technological abilities to study the universe.”

Part of the Cornwall-Lebanon school district’s original plan, the planetarium was constructed when Cedar Crest High School was built in 1966. Upgrades and the maintenance of the planetarium, including the installation of a digital projection system in 2006, have afforded thousands of students an opportunity to indulge their fascination with astronomy over six decades.

That type of commitment is at the heart of learning and education.

“I would argue that planetariums were more common back in the ‘60s and ‘70s,” Fried said. “Of course, back then, we had the Apollo missions front and center, the race to the moon. Astronomy was perhaps very much mainstream back then; it was ever-present in the news.”

Times have changed, people have come and gone, and the love for astronomy has spiked and waned. But as a course of study, astronomy will always be relevant.

“It’s fascinating to think about, not just how many people, but how many generations have gone through these doors,” Fried said. “Some of them have been so interested in the sciences that they have focused on a career in them.”

With this one tool, the school has brought both young and old together, under one roof, to learn something fascinating.

“As a teacher, I find that to be the most rewarding component of my time spent here,” Fried said.

Cedar Crest High School planetarium is located at 115 E. Evergreen Rd., Lebanon. For more information, visit www.clsd.k12.pa.us.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Plane Talk: Pilots with a Purpose introduces young people to careers in aviation

July 28, 2023 | by Rachel Curry

Ed Nielsen

Alex Ellerbee

Back in his days as a youth counselor, Ed Nielsen found that a literal change of perspective shook some troubled teens out of their normal and into a more positive trajectory.

It was a bird’s eye view from a plane, he found, that did the trick on more than one occasion.

“I called it being ground-bound in terms of what you see and what you perceive based on your vision,” Nielsen said about the youth before he took them on a flight.

But the aerial ascent, he added, “gave them a whole new perspective of what was going on and how they fit into things.”

Nielsen—a private pilot, lifelong aviation enthusiast and U.S. Air Force veteran—has since transitioned out of counseling. However, he has managed to find a way back into directing youth toward a successful path in life through a nonprofit organization he co-founded called “Pilots with a Purpose.”

Pilots with a Purpose (PWAP) seeks to connect under-represented teens (including females and minorities) ages 16 and up with the education and experience needed to venture into successful aviation careers.

The group partners with Cargill Aeronautical Academy in New Cumberland to help students excel in pilot training. While education for aviation careers is traditionally a costly expense, corporate partners help alleviate the financial strain on students. Due to factors like pilot shortages at airlines, companies hiring for aviation roles are incentivized to streamline the path to education.

PWAP student Alex Ellerbee is in the process of getting his commercial pilot’s license, which requires 250 hours of training as well as a range of experiential and written assessments. Ellerbee already has his private pilot license and his instrument rating, which allows a pilot to navigate in adverse weather conditions.

Ellerbee is also a student at Penn State York, but flies as much as he can to push his dream forward of being a commercial pilot. He compared his field of study to his peers focused on traditional college majors.

“It’s a lot more practical, a lot more physical,” he said. “It’s a skill as much as it is knowledge.”

According to Ellerbee, “there’s also a risk factor.”

“You have to pay attention to what you’re doing and the consequences for your actions,” he said.

But for students with the drive to be disciplined and conscientious—even if they haven’t been given the chance to prove that part of themselves yet—it’s a promising path.

Besides pilot training, PWAP has affiliations with Harrisburg International Airport and Susquehanna Area Regional Airport for career paths like cargo loading, air traffic control, airport security, airport management and more.

“My goal is to get kids who don’t have an opportunity, don’t have exposure, from the inner city to get into aviation career paths,” Nielsen said. “It’s really that simple.”

PWAP has conducted aviation career days at schools in the region and plans to extend them to more schools in the future. They’re also seeking to partner with more guidance counselors to connect people ages 16 to 22 throughout central PA with aviation careers.

As for Ellerbee, he knew he wanted to be a pilot ever since his mom gifted him with a discovery flight experience one Christmas. When it came time to look for college, he said that he rushed into it, in part due to college being thrust upon him as the number-one option, and, in part, due to the fact that he once felt like piloting was out of reach.

“The cost seems very prohibitive for people that don’t really have much money or come from a lot of money,” Ellerbee said.

But he added that there’s always a way, whether through PWAP, scholarships to academy programs or military routes.

Maybe it’s his nature, or maybe it’s his flying experience that’s given him the confidence, but Ellerbee is full of words of wisdom.

“People in aviation are very goal-oriented. You’re always thinking ahead,” he said. “Slow down, enjoy where you’re at. This time doesn’t last forever, and it’s such a small amount of time when compared to the big picture of how long you’re actually going to be doing it for a career.”

If you’re a PWAP student, Ellerbee said that it means the team believes in you. Perhaps, in addition to the perspective change of flying in the sky, that support is enough to put someone on the right track.

To learn more about Pilots with a Purpose, visit www.pilotswithapurpose.org.

Photos courtesy of Shannon Confair.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

All in the Family: Juggling single motherhood and education, Danielle Martin has received her doctorate, as her twins prepare for college

July 28, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Ashlee, Danielle & Arin Martin

It’s that time of year when students get ready to head back to school. For twins Ashlee and Arin Martin, that means the start of a big new adventure.

Soon enough, the sisters will be off to Temple University in Philadelphia for their first year of college. While there’s always a little bit of nervousness that accompanies a significant life change, Ashlee and Arin, of Lower Paxton Township, are excited for their next chapter.

Their acceptance to Temple was even more significant, as their mother Danielle Martin just received her doctorate degree from the school in May.

Education has always been a major part of Danielle’s life, and she raised her daughters to understand its importance, as well. As she has now reached a level of scholarship that she never would’ve imagined for herself as a young girl, she has all the confidence that her girls will find success, as well.

But in one fell swoop, both of her girls, whom she has raised as a single mom, will be out of the house, and she knows that won’t be easy.

“It’s always just been us, our little club,” she said. “I’m so proud of them and so excited for them for this next chapter. But also, everybody’s leaving. It’s bittersweet.”

It’s the end of an era for the Martin family as Danielle finished her doctorate degree in step with Ashlee and Arin’s graduation from Central Dauphin High School. And after 18 years, the sisters will move out of their house and onto campus.

But it’s also the beginning of a new era, when the twins will get to explore their love for art and music at a higher level and when Danielle will use her degree in her career as an academic success coordinator at Temple’s Harrisburg campus.

“I’m grateful,” Danielle said. “My path was not a straight path. And I need people to understand that too, success is not a straight path.”

Crazy, in a Good Way

Danielle, a Harrisburg native, was the first in her family to attend college. Even so, there was always an “unofficial expectation” from her parents that she would pursue higher education.

She decided to follow her passion for teaching and graduated from Millersville University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Soon after, she landed a job teaching first grade in the Harrisburg School District and later received her master’s degree.

During her time as a teacher with the district, Danielle gave birth to her twins and suddenly her life revolved around little people, at work and at home.

“I had an amazing village,” she said. “But also, there is such a thing as prayer. It was not easy.”

Danielle’s career shifted into the higher education realm when she took a job assisting students from underrepresented communities in accessing college and, later, a position as an admissions counselor at HACC.

When HACC offered her the opportunity to pursue a doctorate of education, she had her doubts about whether she could do it.

“I wasn’t sure how I would be able to manage that,” Danielle said. “How was I still going to be actively engaged in parenthood, on top of going to school, on top of what it was going to cost me as a single mom?”

She was scared that she wouldn’t be able to make it work, so she declined.

When she was later offered her position at Temple, the school told her about its tuition remission program, and this time, Danielle took the chance.

While their mom was going back to school, Ashlee and Arin were entering high school and life was busy.

“We were in school together, which was crazy, but in a good way,” Danielle said.

Always There

After the many years at home of Danielle teaching the girls to write cursive, giving them educational games, and helping them learn how to read at a young age, Ashlee and Arin were more than prepared for high school.

“Every second I had, I wanted to make sure they were learning,” she said.

At Central Dauphin, the girls participated in almost every band, ensemble and drumline offered while also getting good grades.

At home, Danielle balanced helping the girls with homework with her own studies.

“She took a lot of pride in us and what we did and always pushed us to go harder,” Arin said. “Because of that, I literally am where I am. She was always there.”

For Danielle, that validated all of the hard work and investments she made in her family, even through the challenges.

“As a single parent, you’re just trying to do the best that you can, and you’re praying that the best you are giving is what they need,” Danielle said. “It does my heart good to know that they appreciated that.”

Now that Ashlee and Arin are headed off to college, they may be leaving home, but the twins will still be side by side as roommates. If their history isn’t enough to predict that they’ll be good living partners, they also received a 99% match on the university’s roommate finder program.

“She’s the only one that can tolerate me,” Arin said.

Both sisters will study art, a lifelong passion for each. They both have many years’ worth of sketchpads filled with drawings. At Temple, they look forward to finding their own unique style and expressing themselves.

“Art is a part of me and a coping mechanism for me,” Ashlee said.

As they continue their education, Ashlee and Arin are grateful for the role model that their mom has been for them and how she led by example.

On the flip side, everything Danielle has done has been for her girls, she explained. They’re what has motivated her.

“They are what keeps me going,” she said. “They are why and how I finished my doctorate program. They are what got me through.”

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Grief, Relief in Room 116: Daughter takes over mom’s second-grade classroom after beloved teacher dies suddenly

July 28, 2023 | by Diane McNaughton

Ashley and Jill Demmel at St. Catherine Laboure School.

Jill Demmel was the type of teacher you are destined to reminisce about long after you leave the report cards, reading assignments and recesses behind.

As a second-grade teacher at St. Catherine Laboure School in Swatara Township, “Mrs. Demmel” understood that some of her pint-sized students were dealing with adult-sized challenges beyond the walls of her alphabet-lined, primary-colored classroom, fragrant with the scent of Play-Doh, books and glue.

To brighten their world, Mrs. Demmel bought hairbrushes and decorated them with the words, “You Are Beautiful,” to brush a student’s hair every morning.

She bought snacks for the children who would have gone without. She came to every game, recital and tournament and cheered exuberantly from the sidelines.

“She gave out ‘mom hugs,’ and you didn’t even have to tell her you needed it,” said Megan Fackler, the school’s administrative assistant and Jill’s close friend.

She even purchased clothing for students in need.

So, when she suddenly passed away last October at the age of 49, leaving behind her husband Bob, two daughters, a sister, and a stunned classroom of second-graders, the close-knit school family was rocked to its core.

Demmel had just been diagnosed with what was deemed to be a “mild” case of breast cancer. After just one chemotherapy treatment, she was hit with an aggressive infection that overpowered her.

The pain and permanence of death is difficult for anybody to fathom, but when you’re 7 and the teacher you love was fine on Friday but gone on Sunday, grief and confusion are more confounding than advanced algebra.

On that Sunday, an emergency text went out to all school parents informing them of the sad news and encouraging them to talk to their children. Grief counselors were also brought in to help.

Children at that age often experience “magical thinking” to try to cope with complex issues, grief experts say. When they lack the emotional tools to understand the world, they may, irrationally, blame themselves or others to try to explain the unexplainable.

Fortunately for the children of St. Catherine’s, something magical did happen.

The teacher who stepped into Mrs. Demmel’s ample shoes was her 22-year-old daughter Ashley, who had just graduated from Shippensburg University with a degree in elementary and special education.

Long-time learning support teacher Aimee Surgeoner said that some caring teachers feared that it would be far too painful for Ashley to walk into her mom’s empty classroom.

Yet, soon, they saw that taking her mom’s place was far from traumatic—it was healing. Ashley wanted to teach the kids the way her mom did, hug them like she did, and give them the Christmas gifts her mom would have, which she did—blankets and ornaments with their names on them.

When news of Ashley’s hiring hit social media, the outpouring of joy was tangible.

“Absolutely beautiful” said one mom. “Can’t think of a better tribute to Jill and a gift for those lucky second graders.”

“Best news I’ve heard in a long time,” said another mom. “Couldn’t imagine anyone else teaching those kids!”

“We were elated for Jill to take her mother’s room,” Fackler added. “She was graduating college, and it just seemed like fate.”

Surgeoner agreed.

“Having Ashley step in for her mother has been a blessing for all of us,” she said. “It has truly been seamless.”

The entire school community, from the principal and teachers to the custodians and lunch ladies, supports her, and they all feel Ashley channeling her mom’s love.

“I see a lot of Jill in Ashley,” Fackler said. “Ashley is gentle, kind and patient. She gives the best hugs. She is her mother’s child.”

Students sharing memories of Jill with Ashley has been a big part of their collective coping, Surgeoner said.

In honor of Mrs. Demmel, the school family purchased a buddy bench, which Fackler described as a place where, “when you are feeling sad or alone, you sit. Friends see you and either sit with you or ask you to join them.”

It was something Demmel always wanted for the school playground.

“I know the staff will be sitting on it to talk to her as well,” Fackler said.

“I feel like Jill’s final gift to her daughter was room 116,” she said. “Jill will never be replaced, and that void will always be present…. As much as I know she didn’t want people to be sad for her, she comforted us with Ashley.”

Ashley said that the kids sometime tell her they miss her mom. Even though she is “Miss Demmel,” they often call her “Mrs. Demmel.” And that’s more than fine with her.

“I know she was my mom, but she literally was the best person ever,” Ashley said.

Still, school goes on—the pancake breakfasts, the school plays, the holiday fundraisers, the classroom parties.

“You can still feel Jill in room 116, and I think Ashley feels comfort in that,” Fackler said. “It was just meant to be. We needed her, and she needed us.”

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like