Harrisburg mayor proposes trial of guaranteed income program to combat poverty

May 12, 2021 | by Maddie Conley Gittens

Harrisburg’s MLK Jr. Government Center

Harrisburg has been compared before to Stockton, Calif., as both cities have a shared history of financial crisis.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse hopes Harrisburg soon will have another thing in common with the western city, this time more positive: a guaranteed income program for residents.

“This is something that we are considering in Harrisburg, more than considering,” Papenfuse said. “I want to move forward with it.”

During the city’s weekly Facebook Live event last week, Papenfuse spoke virtually with former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs about his city’s experience with a trial for an income floor program to combat poverty.

The program, as piloted in 2017 in Stockton, gave $500 per month for two years to 125 residents at or below the city’s median income level.

While Stockton didn’t have the resources to offer the program to the whole city, municipal officials saw it as a way to test it on a small scale, receive data and advocate for a similar program at the federal level, Tubbs explained.

“Poverty was the root of all of our issues in Stockton,” Tubbs said. “We couldn’t just point our fingers and do nothing. We had to use our city as a laboratory for democracy.”

Tubbs said that the findings of the guaranteed income pilot showed that many recipients transitioned from part-time to full-time jobs, working more than before. They also found that most residents used the funds for expenses related to utilities, food or their children’s needs. Additionally, as a result of the program, residents’ mental health improved, he said.

“The data shows that $500 was enough to serve as a bridge for opportunity,” he said.

Since then, Tubbs started “Mayors for a Guaranteed Income,” to activate other city officials to try out the program for themselves.

Papenfuse said that he has pledged his support, joining 45 mayors from across the country. Now, he wants to start a similar program in Harrisburg.

With the $48.8 million in federal funds coming to the city as part of the American Rescue Plan, Papenfuse said that some of that money may be allocated to a multi-year income floor program.

Papenfuse said that he plans to implement the program with the help of the University of Pennsylvania. He has not announced a timeline for the project.

“The wealth disparity in Harrisburg and throughout the country has only been further exacerbated by COVID,” he said. “If we are going to bounce back, we’ve got to make sure everyone bounces back and address these basic systemic issues.”

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More apartments headed to downtown Harrisburg, as council OKs building conversion

May 11, 2021 | by Maddie Conley Gittens

An office building at 112 Market St. will be converted into apartments with first-floor retail space.

Downtown Harrisburg soon will have another new apartment building, as City Council approved an office-to-residential conversion on Tuesday.

During a virtual legislative session, council members unanimously passed the land development plan for the century-old, eight-story building at 112 Market St.

Harristown Enterprises will lead the $7 million project, which will include about 35 one- and two-bedroom apartments, with first-floor retail space, according to CEO Brad Jones. The 51,000-square-foot structure has served as an office building since its construction in 1918.

Most of the current companies occupying the building have expiring leases and will be relocated, though tenant Tri-County Planning Commission may stay, Jones said.

In recent years, Harristown and several other local developers have renovated and converted numerous aging, often rundown office buildings to apartments, adding hundreds of new residential units to the downtown.

On Tuesday, council also passed a resolution to enter into an agreement with Impact Harrisburg to conduct a disparity study to determine where diverse business vendors are underrepresented in the city’s public procurement and contracting processes.

Impact Harrisburg plans to hire a company to conduct the study to determine where the city can provide additional resources for minority, women, LGBTQ, disabled and veteran-owned businesses.

“We believe it will help the city establish goals around MBE, WBE, DBE and the range of other categories that show the kind of equity and diversity that we would like to see as a city,” said Sheila Dow Ford, director of Impact Harrisburg, at last week’s council work session.

Both the city and Impact Harrisburg will contribute up to $125,000 for the study.

City Council on Tuesday also approved a settlement agreement with bond insurer Ambac Assurance to help pay down debt related to general obligation bond defaults incurred during the city’s financial crisis in 2012 and 2013. Through the agreement, the city hopes to accelerate debt payments and reduce its overall debt load.

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Apply Now: Dauphin County opens application process for new commissioner

May 11, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda

The Dauphin County Administration Building

Would you like to be the next Dauphin County commissioner?

Dauphin County President Judge John F. Cherry is now accepting applications for the position, with an application deadline of May 25, according to the county.

The position pays just over $100,000 per year.

On May 31, commission Chair Jeff Haste will retire after more than 18 years in the job. According to PennLive, Haste said that he wishes to dedicate his time to a recently launched business development and government relations business.

To apply, a candidate must reside in Dauphin County and have been a registered Republican at the time that Haste was last elected, which was in November 2019.

Candidates should send a resume and cover letter to the following address:

President Judge John F. Cherry
5^th Floor
Dauphin County Courthouse
101 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101

The court then will determine interview times for candidates.

The successful candidate will serve the remainder of Haste’s term, which expires in January 2024.

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Harrisburg reconstructs 3rd Street sidewalk near Capitol, making it wider, ADA-accessible

May 11, 2021 | by Maddie Conley Gittens

City officials cut the ribbon on the newly reconstructed sidewalk.

The circle is now complete, as Harrisburg has cut the ribbon on the final stretch of sidewalk expansion around the state Capitol.

On Tuesday, city officials unveiled a new ADA-accessible length of sidewalk on N. 3rd Street surrounding the building.

“The old sidewalk was what they call an ankle buster,” Mayor Eric Papenfuse said.

About a decade ago, the state expanded the narrow strip of concrete that long surrounded much of the Capitol along Walnut and N. 3rd streets, constructing a full-sized walk. However, it left the job unfinished near the front of the building.

The newly reconstructed sidewalk extends the full-sized, 10-foot-wide walk from State Street to North Street, completing the loop around the building. The sidewalk expansion removed parking spaces along the street. However, that parking loss was made up last year, when the city built additional angled parking spaces and electric vehicle charging stations in front of the State Museum.

Across the street, at a bus stop near the intersection at North and 3^rd streets, a bump out from the sidewalk also was added. City Engineer Wayne Martin said this will increase safety for riders by making it easier for them to board the bus. ADA-accessible ramps were added to the sidewalks, as well.

The state Department of General Services helped the city fund the sidewalk project.

Papenfuse said that these changes help make the city more walkable and safer—the goal of Harrisburg’s Vision Zero initiative to reduce pedestrian fatalities.

“You’re going to see these types of improvements in every corridor of our city,” he said.

For more information on the city’s Vision Zero initiative, visit their website.

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Nursing-focused charter school sets sights on healthcare education for Harrisburg, county students

May 10, 2021 | by Maddie Conley Gittens

Screenshot from the virtual public hearing on Monday

A new charter school is seeking to come to Harrisburg, with a focus on preparing Dauphin County students for the healthcare field.

The Pennsylvania Nurses Middle College Charter School came before the Harrisburg School District on Monday for a virtual public hearing on its application to create a charter high school in Midtown.

According to CEO Betsy Snook, the charter school seeks to create a pipeline for students in grades 9 through 12 to enter the nursing field. She said that they also hope to address the racial disparity in the field by attracting and training minority students.

“The vision for our school is to create this unique, inspired and supportive secondary public school experience where students will attain a quality high school-to-professional nursing/healthcare education,” Snook said.

The school was founded by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, which Snook also oversees, and the Nursing Foundation of Pennsylvania.

The idea came out of a 2010 “Future of Nursing” report conducted by the Institute of Medicine, which found that only about half of registered nurses have a baccalaureate degree, Snook said. The report set a goal of increasing that number to 80%. It also found that about 90% of registered nurses are white females, and it set goals to diversify the profession.

“None of this got better as the result of the current pandemic,” Snook said. “As a matter of fact, in one study, 60% of nurses said they’re planning to leave their profession as a direct result of the impacts caused by COVID-19.”

Snook said that she hopes the charter school will create a solution to these problems by encouraging students to pursue baccalaureate degrees in nursing.

If approved, the charter school would open for the 2022-23 academic year to all Dauphin County students, who would be chosen by a lottery system. Snook said that the school would seek to enroll 120 9th-grade students for the first year and add additional grades each year.

Classes would be STEM-focused with hands-on curriculum, practicums and summer employment opportunities in local healthcare settings, she explained. The school also would offer first-aid, CPR and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in partnership with HACC.

The school would be located in GreenWorks Development’s Midtown II building, alongside the PA STEAM Academy. The PA STEAM school recently received approval to open by the state Charter Appeal Board after a lengthy back-and-forth with the Harrisburg School District, which opposed the charter school.

GreenWorks Development CEO Doug Neidich said that the 130,000-square-foot building would have space for both schools, which would have separate, secure entrances and classroom space.

Snook said that she anticipates leaving her position as the CEO of the nurses association to focus on her role as CEO of the charter school. At the hearing on Monday, she said that she has no teaching certification or experience leading a school.

She said that she hopes the Harrisburg School District will work with the charter in the interest of students. The district’s school board must approve the new charter before the school can open.

“If we are all going to say that we want to do something innovative and new to ensure that our students succeed, then it becomes incumbent upon us to talk about the barriers we’ve had in the past and eliminate those if possible,” Snook said.

Charter school board members include Latino Hispanic American Center Director Gloria Merrick, former state government employee Peter Speaks and retired Harrisburg School District Human Resources Director Lance Freeman, among others.

The school has received support from the Dauphin County commissioners, the Foundation for Enhancing Communities, HACC, Harrisburg University, UPMC and other organizations.

While this was a school district hearing, district officials did not comment during the meeting. They also could not be reached immediately for separate comment.

The public hearing on the charter school did not conclude on Monday. It will continue on a date that has yet to be determined.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Nurses Middle College Charter School, visit their website.

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April home sales, prices jump in greater Harrisburg area

May 10, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda

Row homes for sale in Harrisburg

The Harrisburg-area housing market took flight in April, with both home sales and prices up substantially.

For the month, 686 houses sold in the area, compared to 465 homes for April 2020, as the median sales price increased to $225,000 from $200,000, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR).

In Dauphin County, 347 homes sold versus 220 a year ago, while the median sales price jumped to $200,000 from $171,000, GHAR stated.

Cumberland County had sales of 274 homes, compared to 216 in the prior year, as the median sales price rose to $267,000 from $234,950.

In Perry County, sales increased to 35 homes versus 22 houses in April 2020, as the median price declined to $156,000 from $174,200, GHAR said.

Houses were also selling much faster than last year, as the average “days on the market” declined to 22 days versus 50 days in April 2020, according to GHAR.

Notably, the number of home sales in April 2020 was held down by the COVID-19 pandemic and the state-mandated shutdown of businesses.

However, sales and price data in April also were strong compared to two years ago. In April 2019, 619 homes sold for a median price of $180,000 throughout GHAR’s three-county coverage area, according to the association.

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Harrisburg plans to open Hall Manor, Jackson Lick pools in late June

May 10, 2021 | by Maddie Conley Gittens

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse celebrated a day of free swimming at the Jackson Lick pool in July 2019.

Harrisburg expects to open both its municipal pools next month in a step towards a post-COVID summer.

According to the city, the public pools at the Jackson Lick and Hall Manor housing complexes will likely open for swimming by late June.

“The city is looking forward to opening both pools this year for residents to enjoy,” said Dave Baker, the city’s parks and facilities director.

The two pools were closed for the 2020 season, due to the pandemic.

In previous years, the city has wrestled with how to keep the 53-year-old pools up and running. In recent years, both have been repeatedly patched and repaired, leading to delays and closures. Harrisburg has considered completely renovating both pools, but decided the multi-million-dollar price tag was too high.

Harrisburg has explored more affordable options, such as replacing the pools with spray park/splash pad installations.

Nonetheless, the pools will open for the 2021 season, according to the city, which is now testing the pool facilities and training staff.

When the pools do open, COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols will be followed, Baker said.

The Jackson Lick pool is located at 1205 N. 6^th St., Harrisburg and the Hall Manor pool is located at 1413 South 18^th St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit the city’s website.

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The Week that Was: News and features from around Harrisburg

May 7, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Conley Gittens

Micah Parsons receives the key to Harrisburg.

Whether you plan to hunker down at home and out of the rain or grab your umbrella and head out, start your weekend right here, catching up on this past week’s local news.

Bob’s Art Blog will take you on a virtual walk-through of Carlisle’s art and antique scene. He also previews the upcoming Odd Ones Bizarre at the Millworks, by showcasing artists involved.

Dauphin County Library System launched a $3.5 million capital campaign to renovate and expand its McCormick Riverfront Library, our online story reported. The project will entail connecting the current building to a historic home next door, the Haldeman Haly house. Other improvements will be made to better utilize space in the Riverfront library, as well.

The digital divide has been exposed across south-central PA during the pandemic. Our magazine story shares how local libraries have stepped in to fill the internet gap.

Gamut Theatre opens “Little Red Riding Hood,” a family-friendly fairy tale, this weekend. Our theater review has the details on what to expect from this goofy, musical show.

Harrisburg school board candidates outlined their priorities and goals, should they be elected, in our online story. If you’re still deciding who to vote for, this may help.

The Harrisburg School District plans to celebrate its high school seniors through a “Sign & Drive” event. They will also hold an outdoor prom and graduation ceremony in the coming weeks, our online story reported.

Jeff Haste announced his retirement as a Dauphin County commissioner this week, our reporting found. The Court of Common Pleas will appoint another Republican to serve the remainder of his term.

The job of mayor may just be one of the toughest in the country, according to our editor’s column. The responsibilities of Harrisburg’s commander-in-chief are far from glamorous and are often a grind, he writes. Read more, here.

The Market Square bus transfer station received updates from PennDOT to make it safer and more ADA accessible, our reporting found. Changes included additional signage and new pedestrian shelters, among other improvements.

Micah Parsons, a Harrisburg High and Penn State University alumni, received the key to the city for his football accomplishments, our online story reported. Last week, Parsons was an NFL first-round draft pick for the Dallas Cowboys.

Many pandemic-related mitigation orders will be lifted by the state Department of Health on Memorial Day, our online story reported. Businesses will be able to operate at full capacity, although facemasks will still be required.

Sara Bozich has her Weekend Roundup, including everything from live music to yoga to dining. If you’re looking for a way to celebrate mom this Sunday, she’s got you covered.

The state oversight body for Harrisburg issued a generally positive annual report on the financial condition of the city, our online article reported. The report, submitted by the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority for Harrisburg, acknowledged areas where progress has been made but also stated places for improvement.

Susan Orlean, author of “The Library Book,” will visit Harrisburg’s Whitaker Center this month for a live conversation about her book, our magazine story reported. The event is part of the launch of a capital campaign by the Dauphin County Library System to renovate and expand its building.

Susan’s Treasures, a gift shop in the West Shore Farmer’s Market, is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this month. Owners of the store are thanking loyal customers through gift giveaways and donations to local charities. Read more in our online story.

Young the Giant will rock in Riverfront Park on Aug. 27, as part of the Harrisburg University Presents summer concert series, our reporting found. The band was originally slated to play last year, but, due to the pandemic, had to reschedule.

Zeroday Brewing Co. opened a new flagship taproom in Midtown Harrisburg. Our magazine story highlights what customers can expect, from food to brews.

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Harrisburg School District to celebrate seniors with drive-up event and outdoor graduation

May 7, 2021 | by Maddie Conley Gittens

Harrisburg School District Administration building

Harrisburg will soon see its second class of seniors graduate high school during the COVID pandemic—but that won’t stop them from celebrating.

The Harrisburg School District is inviting its senior students and their families to a “Sign & Drive” event on May 8 to congratulate them from a safe distance.

“During this unprecedented time and a year of remote learning, it is imperative that we as educational leaders, a school district, student’s families and all residents of the City of Harrisburg, take time to acknowledge, celebrate and honor the hard work, steadfast perseverance, and outstanding accomplishments of our amazing students. Their academic tenacity, resilience, and determination to succeed is to be applauded,” said Harrisburg High School principals in a collective statement.

High school seniors and their families are encouraged to decorate their cars for the drive-up event, where the district will distribute complimentary Class of 2021 congratulatory signage. There will be music and gift giveaways, as well.

According to the district, only one car per graduate is permitted and students and families must stay in their vehicles.

The event will take place at Harrisburg High School’s John Harris Campus.

Also coming up is the high school’s red carpet and prom on May 22. It will be held outside on Severance Field at the John Harris Campus. In the case of rain, it will be moved to May 23.

On June 5, the district will hold a graduation ceremony at 11 a.m., also on Severance Field. Tickets will be required for entry and the ceremony will be live-streamed, as well. The rain date is June 6.

For more information, visit the Harrisburg School District’s website.

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Young the Giant added to growing number of summer concerts in Riverfront Park

May 7, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda

Young the Giant will play Riverfront Park this summer. Photo courtesy: Young the Giant

Riverfront Park just got a little rockier.

As in, rock music.

On Friday, Harrisburg University Presents announced that Young the Giant will play in the park on Friday, Aug. 27.

The California-based rockers were originally slated to play last year at the Forum as part of their “Mirror Master” tour. However, the pandemic wiped that date off the schedule.

Now, they’re back and, like many shows, the rescheduled concert will take place outdoors. Tickets are $55, all general admission.

HU Presents is slotting the band first in its outdoor summer concert series.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will take the Riverfront Park stage the next day, on Saturday, Aug. 28.

Outdoor concerts then take a break for nearly a month before resuming on Sept. 23 with Cage the Elephant and Sept. 25 with Portugal. The Man.

Like Young the Giant, these bands originally were slated to appear last year. Tickets purchased previously will be honored on the new dates, according to HU Presents. Tickets for the previously scheduled Young the Giant show already were refunded.

For tickets and additional information, visit www.HUConcertSeries.com.

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