Viral Logic: Round 1 is ending. We need to approach Round 2 with more wisdom, greater balance.

May 29, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Illustration by Rich Hauck.

Back in forever ago (mid-March), an old college buddy called me for a chat.

He phoned just as his region, the San Francisco Bay Area, was beginning to hunker down for the foreseeable future. The same thing was happening here.

“This doesn’t feel right to me,” I said, as the streets of Harrisburg emptied almost overnight.

We went on to discuss how bizarre it was that a place could be so busy and thriving one day and, like someone flipped a switch, vacant and desperate the next. He was more convinced than I was that a lockdown was the way to go.

“What would you do differently?” he asked, sounding like the college professor that he is.

“I’m not sure,” I responded. “But layering on a profound economic and social crisis to a health crisis doesn’t seem like the best solution to me.”

And, months later, as I sit here in my empty office, having walked from my empty house, through an empty city, I continue to think two things.

First, unlike the Twitter jockeys who populate my feed, I don’t mind admitting ignorance. This is an unprecedented and incredibly complex situation with many moving parts and no easy answers. No one truly knows how to yield an optimal outcome.

Not Gov. Wolf or Secretary Levine. Not President Trump. Not you, not me, not anyone. We’re all making it up as we go along, whether we’re creating national policy, state policy or household policy. I think it’s healthy to admit that and to have tolerance for mistakes and corrections.

And, secondly, I continue to think that a scorched-earth policy derived from panic almost always leads to disastrous unexpected consequences.

I actually told my friend that I wished that we, as a country, had prepared better, that we had the ability to quickly mobilize a system of wide-scale testing and the rapid deployment of needed resources. But I guess, upon reflection, we all wish that. To me, this lack of preparation shows an extraordinary failure at the highest levels of our federal government.

Concurrently, I told him, that, from the beginning, we should have acted to vigilantly protect our most vulnerable people. And, in fact, the pandemic’s grim statistics show that we also failed to do that. COVID-19 has burned through nursing homes and other care centers at a shocking rate. As I write this, 65 percent of all deaths from the disease in PA have been in congregant care centers.

So, where to now?

Throughout May, Pennsylvania began slowly opening back up. In most areas of the state, the governor switched his “red” to “yellow,” allowing some activities to resume in places with low or falling rates of COVID-19.

As summer progresses, we’ll continue to see fewer reds and more yellows and greens.

My hope is that we learned something—actually, a lot of things—from our first big battle with the coronavirus, because it likely won’t be our last.

Absent a vaccine, we’re going to have to learn to live with this monster.

So, here’s hoping that, during a second or third round, we do things far better than the first time around, making decisions based more on knowledge and less on panic and improvisation.

We need a solid plan based on more testing, better therapies, contact tracing where possible, and a concerted community effort to protect our most vulnerable. Well, I’ll leave the rest to the experts because I’m certainly not one.

However, I will say this—we cannot shut down society cold again. That should be the baseline on which we operate. There needs to be some balance between our health, our economic and our social needs, which all are important.

I’ve thought many times about what Harrisburg will look like on the back end of this. Will we be able to spring back? As I sit here, after more than two months of shutdown, I’m cautiously optimistic. But I also know that time is not our friend. How long before all we’ve built begins to crumble? Some businesses are already on their last legs, patience is wearing thin, and people are taking sides. The unity of the early days is dissipating as the weather warms and the suffering continues.

In the end, I hope that we’ve learned many things from what may be a warm-up for future outbreaks. We’ve had our trial-and-error period. Next time around, we must take our collective experience and newfound wisdom and do it all much, much better.

Lawrance Binda is co-publisher/editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

History Keeper: As Harrisburg changes, Calobe Jackson Jr. tells the stories of what came before.

May 29, 2020 | by M. Diane McCormick

LeRon McCoy, Calobe Jackson and Ryan Sanders.

Calobe Jackson nimbly treads a narrow path behind his childhood home. He plants a hand on a low concrete wall.

“My dad had this wall put in, probably around 1937 or 1938,” he said.

Jackson’s memories are modest. Sweeping barbershop floors. Pears growing on backyard trees. But when Harrisburg’s history-keepers talk about Jackson, they pull out the superlatives. “Living treasure.” “Walking encyclopedia.” “Historian’s historian.”

Calobe Jackson, Jr., turned 90 in April. With his steel-trap memory and will-do attitude, he has spent decades in community service. His contributions have broadened the scope of Harrisburg’s past, even as he steps into the future as a muse for revitalization of a key piece of African-American entrepreneurial history.

Stories They Told

In 1934, World War I veteran Calobe Jackson, Sr., relocated his barbershop and his family, including 4-year-old Calobe, Jr., from Strawberry Alley to N. 6th Street.

In a mixed-race neighborhood, “Jack’s Barbershop” joined a thriving African-American business scene. German Jackson (no relation) ran the Green Book-listed Jackson House rooming house and restaurant next door. A beauty school was on the other side. At the funeral home on the corner, morticians would embalm bodies in the basement and carry them upstairs via a stairwell leading to the sidewalk.

These are the stories Jackson shares as he walks around his old neighborhood.

“You had the major African-American businesses right together, and that is very symbolic,” he said. “They were prosperous during segregation, and they’re still the most popular businesses. Most African Americans go to the African-American barbers or beauticians, the undertakers and the restaurants.”

As young Calobe worked around the barbershop, he heard the tales of old-time Harrisburg from the doctors, lawyers and politicians in the chairs.

“I was fascinated by the stories they told,” he said.

He especially loved stories of the Old 8th Ward, where a thriving, diverse neighborhood had given way to expansion of the Capitol grounds.

His step-grandfather would take Calobe to Negro League baseball games.

“All these great stars—(Josh) Gibson and (Satchel) Paige,” he said. “I saw them play.”

Jackson graduated from William Penn High School, where he ran track. He attended Lincoln University until being drafted into the Army, where his proclivity for math landed him a spot as a surveyor. His unit—possibly one of the last all-black units before President Harry Truman desegregated the armed forces—stayed stateside during the Korean War.

After military service, Jackson worked his way up to post office superintendent, a problem-solving role that energized his puzzle-loving brain. He married Betty Canady in 1957. They raised two sons and a daughter. Betty died in 1976.

Jackson served on the Harrisburg school district’s elected school board and appointed board of control. He never feared the future, from childhood days building crystal radios to his years leading establishment of the school district’s Marshall Math Science Academy and the Harrisburg High School SciTech Campus. From 2005 to 2010, he served on the board of the fledgling Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

“Harrisburg University has some very innovative courses,” Jackson said. “These things they’re into with the (esports) gaming—that’s part of the future.”

A Toast

After retiring in 1990, Jackson started tracking down details on all the stories he had heard over the years. He and fellow historians bonded over their hours spent in the Pennsylvania State Library’s microfilm section.

He has contributed memories and meticulous research to a long string of projects—creating African-American history trails, commemorating U.S. Colored Troops, celebrating Harrisburg’s sesquicentennial, preserving cemeteries, exploring jazz and the Negro Leagues, researching Old 8th Ward residents for the Commonwealth Monument Project.

Ken Frew, librarian for the Historical Society of Dauphin County, remembers when Jackson asked for an obituary that wasn’t in the society’s files. Visiting the State Library the next day, Frew asked for two rolls of microfilm that might yield the obit, but they were loaned out. Frew went into the microfilm room, “and there’s Calobe with the two rolls.”

“When he has a lead on something, he follows through on it,” Frew said.

With Jackson’s contributions of informational gems from his own collection, Frew expanded the Historical Society’s file of African-American history from a small file to one now outgrowing a drawer.

Fellow historians marvel at Jackson’s accuracy and his generosity in sharing his knowledge.

“He’s sort of like a living Wikipedia,” said Historic Harrisburg Association Executive Director David Morrison.

HHA’s 2020 Preservation Celebration—postponed to Sept. 20 because of the pandemic—features “A Toast to Calobe Jackson.”

For HHA, Jackson worked with historian Jeb Stuart to create an African-American history route for the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg’s Race Against Racism. He also helped HHA intern Kristian Carter write about African-American businesses and, said Morrison, “the subtle segregation in that these black-owned businesses existed and thrived because people couldn’t go downtown and shop.”

“He was one of several people, and certainly the dean of African-American historians, who have helped to integrate African-American history into general history, locally and beyond,” said Morrison.

Jackson’s accuracy derives from his talent for matching memories “with actual documentation,” said Stuart. “He’s unbelievable. He’s sharp.”

Jackson provides context that makes pictures emerge from the scattered puzzle pieces of history, said arts activist Lenwood Sloan—even if it means, as in one case, sharing a racist account of a visit by 19th-century abolitionist and journalist Martin Delaney.

“You’re creating fact-based history and not legend and mythology,” Sloan said. “Memory tends to gild things. Some of the things that Calobe turns up are not that pretty.”

A Pillar

Post-World War II, most of the 6th Street African-American business corridor gave way to Capitol Complex expansion and urban renewal. One stretch survived—the historic buildings of Jackson House, Jack’s Barbershop and the corner funeral home that was originally the Ridge Avenue UMC parsonage, later known as the Swallow Mansion.

“They’re the only thing left from that time,” said Jackson.

Through late historian Hari Jones, Jackson connected with Ryan Sanders, a partner in Vice Capital with NFL veterans LeRon and LeSean McCoy. The team is revitalizing Jackson House and the former funeral home to create Jackson Square, transforming the dilapidated buildings into apartments and retail.

Jackson’s firsthand knowledge of the site helped forge a narrative of African-American entrepreneurship and its role in overall Harrisburg history, said Sanders.

“He is absolutely a pillar of this project,” he said. “Accuracy is very, very important here. As we’re telling the narrative and the storyline, we’re setting the groundwork for future endeavors on this property.”

Jackson’s memories helped give momentum to reinvigorating “an important anchor to the community,” added LeRon McCoy. “Hearing those original stories and what these buildings meant, it only cemented the idea that we wanted to rebuild them.”

As the new federal courthouse drives revitalization of N. 6th Street, noted Morrison, Jackson is enhancing the effort by helping restore the corridor as “a special boulevard of African-American heritage.”

Keeps Him Young

In every conversation about Calobe Jackson, someone references the man himself.

“He’s one of my favorite historians,” said Frew. “One of my favorite people, even if he wasn’t a historian. He’s just a good guy.”

“He’s just a heck of a nice guy,” seconded Morrison

Added Sloan: “He is a gentle man and a gentleman.”

But make no mistake, Sloan said. Jackson’s work counterbalances Harrisburg’s culture of “perpetually emerging” but largely peripatetic African-American organizations that have no place to call home—no black bookstore or art gallery or theater group with a sign out front and its own door to walk through, Sloan said. In a heritage marked by displacement, people such as Jackson are “temples of memory” pointing toward permanence.

“If it wasn’t for people like Calobe who remind us that we were here and that we thrived and survived for a time, we would be forgotten, or worse than forgotten, discounted,” Sloan said. “Calobe reminds us that we count.”

Jackson says simply that his work keeps him young.

“It keeps your mind flowing,” he said. “I’m in good health to be 90. A couple of ailments like some people get. The way my mind works, the idea of having this thirst for history, this thirst for knowledge, keeps you going.”

“A Tribute to Calobe Jackson and Harrisburg’s African-American Heritage,” will be live-streamed on Sunday, Sept. 20, starting at 5 p.m. Click here for more information and to view the event.

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Artists in This Time: A Photostory

May 29, 2020 | by Dani Fresh

Our lives and collective consciousness have been challenged and changed through the pandemic, and it’s difficult to reflect on what that really means right now, while still experiencing what will surely ripple for decades. But through the intersection of creative practice and community politic, area artists among us are adapting and creating and coping.

Ryan Spahr

Ryan opened the back gate and started clearing toys from view of the sidewalk. Their partner, Morgan, wrangled the younger of their two kids, who was blazing through the back door with a squirt gun. Shelter in place, it seems, is a particular flavor of challenging when you have kids.

“I’m not really making any art,” Ryan says.

Truthfully though, they have still been able to squeeze out a few pieces: a series of 21st Century Gibson Girls, “erotic frog art” for a friend’s book project, a few #quarantinedrawingchallenge pieces, a new label for Elementary Coffee, and a few other ongoing projects. But they’re just used to doing so much more.

Ryan has been baking copious amounts of bread, though. It’s a tactile, creative outlet since they can’t carve out a lot of studio time. With their partner still working full time and the kids not in school, Ryan can have their hands in making bread and still be able to engage as a parent. It’s also their way to seize the means of production and cut out industrial yeast. Ryan’s even made a few loaves for other folks and jests that they’re starting a mega-micro-bakery.

Jovana Sarver

Jovana’s usual projects have been sidelined during the pandemic: drawing, DJing, creating live multimedia installations and other art. She’s also no longer working at Rubicon as a server. But, while being mindful of frugality for the first time in her life, she actually has the time to really explore what kind of medium she wants to focus on.

Dyeing fabric was something that she started doing before stay-at-home orders, but now she’s fully immersed. She’s been foraging lichen on the Greenbelt to test and develop dyes, working with indigo, ice dyes and Cochineal dyes. There is a long line of vibrant pieces hanging between the blooming trees in her backyard.

She’s a bit conflicted at times—the weight of this time is undeniable, and she still experiences moments of despair, but over all, sheltering in place has given her the opportunity to re-center and discover.

Caitlin Graci

Caitlin sat perched on the stoop outside of her downtown apartment with a cup of coffee.

Bare Bones Theatre Ensemble, the theater company of which she is the founder and artistic director, is in a unique position compared to other theater companies. They don’t have to worry about the strain a physical space incurs during the pandemic’s economic burden. But, even so, live performance theater will be drastically impacted for the foreseeable future and perhaps years to come.

Companies of actors will have to stay small and, for now, live audiences cannot exist. Caitlin is patiently moving forward with table readings over Zoom calls, virtual meetings for her company to check in with each other, plans for plays and musicals with two- to six-person casts, and bouncing around new ideas to bring shows to life.

The dramatic shift in dynamic of performance is both devastating and exciting for Caitlin. She’s excited to rise to the challenge and problem-solve logistics, think outside the box, as Bare Bones has been known to do. But it is also apropos to mourn the loss of the live audience. Part of the magic of theater is the sync of heartbeats and the shared experience.

Tristan Bond

Tristan has been a massage therapist at Hershey Spa for 11 years, but, like many businesses, the spa has been closed since mid-March. He’s trying to be mindful of not procrastinating with ample free time. Activation comes and goes, but, when his hands are busy, the ideas are fluid. Keeping his brain and body active are instrumental to maintaining creative flow.

He’s been working on concepts for two murals in Midtown and feeling grateful that the pandemic hasn’t tabled the projects. Tristan is a little worried that there might be complications ordering supplies right now, but they will be his first murals painting directly on a wall instead of using parachute cloth, and he loves the prospect of growing as a muralist.

Tristan is also glowing more than usual. He’s going to be a dad soon, and, pandemic be damned, he is so excited.

Hanniel Sindelar/Mister Treats

Hanniel lounges on the green patio furniture at the base of the deck covered with manicured, potted plants and a small antique clown statue. It’s a stark comparison to seeing Hanniel in their drag character, Mister Treats.

The loss of work and the shelter-in-place have presented a range of challenges for the freelance artist and Sundae Best co-founder and artistic director. With theater shows and costume design projects on hiatus during this time, all of Hanniel’s focus has shifted to safely moving Sundae Best and Fruit Boots, the monthly punk drag show, to virtual platforms, creating video drag and burlesque performances, exploring those characters deeper, pinup photography and mask making. All of these things simultaneously lend to giving care to themself, their partner, their drag family and wider community during the time of crisis.

Phil Wells

Phil lost some projects due to the economic hardship of the small businesses that usually contract him, especially restaurants and small retail shops. But he feels fortunate to have picked up a couple of projects as places like Little Amps transitioned for modified service. They hired him to make a hand-painted sign and to modify a coffee cart previously intended for Troegs, which will now live at the downtown shop on State Street.

He’s had a bit more time to draw, sketch custom furniture designs, and work in the garden.

Walking through the gate of Phil’s house feels like walking into some kind of city garden oasis. The side of the house has been tilled into beds of lettuce, arugula, peppers, tomatoes, peas and an alphabet of other vegetables and produce.

Community connectivity was always incredibly important to Phil and his partner, Kate. They were already planning on doing what he calls a “homestead style” vegetable garden, but, with the looming pandemic, they expedited a lot of the work this spring with intentions to produce high yield—much more than they need. He hopes that the crisis opens up more discussion on solving issues of food insecurity here in Harrisburg.

Gabe Taylor/Baby Flamingo

Gabe is the youth programs coordinator at the LGBT Center and GLO, as well as a Sundae Best drag performer named “Baby Flamingo.” They also float between other artistic expressions—photography, jewelry making, music—but hate calling themself “an artist.” Something about the label feels confining.

Video drag performance was never something that really interested Gabe, but creating video performance for the virtual Fruit Boots event meant they could use music that would have otherwise proven difficult in a live setting and find deeper latitude with their drag character.

As someone who is mindful about inclusion in organizing, they noticed that the way mediums have evolved into virtual events opens accessibility for disabled folks who previously were unable to participate. Access that was denied because it was not necessary for the larger group is now essential for the survival of not just art and performance, but a massive range of events. Realizing this moment is crucial to remembering to keep that access open as the community gradually moves out of shelter in place.

Michael Tschop/Felicia O’Toole

The drag artist and Sundae Best co-founder Michael Tschop, more widely known as Felicia O’Toole, was used to performing eight to 10 drag performances a month. Weekends have been especially difficult. Losing physical proximity to their community as well as the live gigs felt like a sucker punch to the gut. But drag is still a labor of love. Felicia is a curious dive into their extroverted self, and a little bit of reinventing through video performance has resulted in some wildly entertaining “How To” videos.

They’ve helped quickly transition Sundae Best and Fruit Boots to a virtual platform with co-host, Mister Treats, as well as moving their solo event, “Boozy Bingo” at Zeroday to an online, weekly event instead of monthly. It’s giving them and folks who tune in something to look forward to on Thursday nights.

Garrick Dorsett

Garrick leans back in the chair on his front porch in Camp Hill and jokes that he is the mayor of the porch. It’s almost the time of day when the neighborhood folks stroll by his house to walk their dogs. He’s been spending a lot of time out there.

Garrick is the coordinator of the graphic/interactive design and photography program at HACC, and he’s had to finish teaching this semester’s studio photography course over Zoom. He has sorely missed his classroom and workspace through shelter in place. His artwork is a steady consciousness stream of two-dimensional lines, a kind of haptic discovery that thrives in the energy of the academic environment that he leads.

“It’s really hard for me to say I’m not making anything.”

He’s referring to his usual studio practice, but, in the next breath, tells me he’s been whittling walking sticks for folks he knows, knife handles, and a slingshot to feed peanuts to the squirrels in his yard. “I don’t know, I just really love straight sticks,” he laughs.

An Experience in Resilience: Mental health experts offer keys to surviving these pandemic times.

May 29, 2020 | by Karen Hendricks

Ryan Smith in his kitchen.

Everything is frozen in time inside Deb Smith’s fifth-grade classroom at Red Mill Elementary School in Etters.

The date on the board still reads, “Friday, March 13,” even though, three months later, the always highly anticipated last day of school is Friday, June 5.

“Make no mistake—our fifth graders are missing a lot of rites of passage,” said Smith, in her 25th year of teaching. “They are missing award ceremonies, concerts and ‘move-up day’ when they normally travel to the middle school for a tour. They’re anxious about it, and I don’t have all the answers.”

One of the biggest challenges in her own household is making sure her online teaching sessions don’t interrupt her son’s ninth-grade Zoom classes.

A quarantine “bright spot” was the day of a special delivery: The Red Land High School’s marching band trailer dropped off a 5-foot-long vibraphone, similar to a xylophone.

“We joke about putting a tablecloth on it and making it our dining room table,” said Smith.

Ryan, 15, said the percussion instrument adds a new activity to his “new normal.”

“I miss being at school, eating lunch with my friends,” he said. “I’m mostly staying occupied, doing puzzles, video games. I’m reading more books. I’m also learning how to cook. I made a cake and used the mixer with my mom, and my dad taught me how to make hamburgers, plus I’m mowing the lawn. One of the biggest challenges is keeping your brain engaged in positive ways.”

That challenge—to stay positive—is something Sara Houser can relate to. The 19-year-old college sophomore left her classes and Temple University apartment “abruptly” amid the pandemic in order to continue her studies online, from her Carlisle home.

“Some days are harder than others,” Houser said. “I’m just sad I can’t see my friends. On the hard days, I try to distract myself with other things.”

Her family regularly plays games, works out together, and finds “fun ways to cope.”

“I’ve always thought of myself as an introvert, but I realize through this experience that I really love and miss being around people,” Houser said. “I’ll be more grateful and appreciative of little things when we get back to normalcy.”

Little things like daily conversations mean a lot to Tricia Donley and her students.

Donley, a Mechanicsburg High School English teacher, said a number of her students regularly log into her online office hours—not because they need academic help—but because they want to talk.

“Everyone is feeling a little lonely and isolated—a lot of students are saying, ‘We love breaks and snow days, but this is a little much.’ We all miss school and the human interaction,” Donley said.

There are some bright spots. Donley has found innovative ways to stay connected to her students, such as using the app Good Reads to discuss books they’ve read while quarantined. And the school library launched virtual book clubs.

“I miss being with my students—that’s been the roughest transition,” Donley said. “We didn’t have a chance to say goodbye or conclude anything—it’s hard. I miss the human connection—that’s why I became a teacher. Right now, going online to talk with them is the highlight of my day.”

New Normal

That ability to adjust—even though it’s difficult—is one of the keys to our collective mental health through the pandemic, according to experts.

And that key can be summarized in one word: resilience.

“Resilience is really the ability for children and adolescents, as well as adults, to be able to get through a stressor or trauma and to be able to learn and grow from it, versus having negative reactions or feelings consumed by that stressor or worry,” said Jennifer Rothman, of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), based outside Washington, D.C.

Resiliency is a skill typically developed during childhood and adolescence. Developing it now, during the pandemic, is perhaps the ultimate challenge for today’s youth—as well as adults who may not have had the opportunity to develop resilience in their younger years.

“Resilience comes in and plays a key role in what we’re all going to look like when we come out of this pandemic, when we’re able to go back to school, back to work and how we adapt to those additional changes,” Rothman said.

And it’s “normal” to feel anxious about all the changes we’re experiencing in our daily lives.

“People are feeling highly anxious and certainly struggling to find the new normal—it is typical to feel that way,” said Dr. Melissa Brown, a clinical psychologist with PinnacleHealth Psychological Associates in Harrisburg. “Some are feeling depressed… there are cancellations of major events, loss of jobs and changes in routines,”

Brown offered three vital pieces of advice, to help people cope at any age.

“The first thing I say to people is, ‘Find out what you can control.’ We can’t see this virus, but when we can grab onto something, it tends to calm us—our routine and schedule, eating properly and sleeping,” she said. “And make sure you’re connecting with your support systems.”

Exercise and movement are the second key components. And finding a sense of purpose, especially by helping others, is the third key. Brown advises people to seek positive activities such as delivering meals to family and friends.

Developing resilience relies on positivity, creativity and ingenuity.

“Finding alternate ways to celebrate major life milestones like a birthday is going to take a little creativity,” Brown said. “Getting creative taps into resiliency and hopefulness, trying to motivate yourself and finding the positive—that’s what I encourage people to do. Maybe it’s not getting on the plane and going to Florida, for example, but how can I bring Florida to me?”

And that’s exactly how Smith is approaching one of her fifth graders’ rites of passage.

“We’re missing our field trip to Philadelphia,” said Smith. “But our tour guides are offering virtual tours, a Constitutional walking tour of historic sites, and the kids seem really excited about it.”

PinnacleHealth Psychological Associates is located at 205 S. Front St., Harrisburg, 717-231-8360.

For information on NAMI, see nami.org; the NAMI helpline is 800-950-6264; text “NAMI” to 741741 for 24/7 confidential, free crisis counseling.

Taking Root: The new Allison Hill Farmers Market to offer healthy foods for Harrisburg.

May 29, 2020 | by Diane White McNaughton

Strolling through the stands of an open-air farmers market, flanked by the bright greens, juicy reds and sunny yellows of summer, it’s easy to see why it’s more than just an outdoor store.

It’s a place in the sun. A hub for friends to meet. A succulent scavenger hunt. An opportunity to chat about healthy food, new recipes and the neighborhood.

The new Allison Hill Farmers Market promises to be that and more, as our social-distancing selves venture out from forced isolation to snap up fresh fruits and vegetables—no cans, pre-packaged snacks, junk food, artificial ingredients or frozen bites to be found.

It is the handiwork of Tri-County Community Action (TCCA), located just a half-block away from the market and the Allison Hill Community Garden.

Isabel Blumenthal, market coordinator, said that the market will have “a plethora of produce to offer throughout the season.”

Local vendors have already pledged to provide asparagus, kale, lettuce, spinach, beets, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, broccoli, squash, tomatoes, strawberries, sweet corn, eggplant, cucumber, green beans, watermelon, strawberries, okra and sweet potatoes.

Fresh herbs, such as basil, cilantro, thyme, mint, sage, fennel, rosemary, oregano, savory, and lovage, will also be available, as will artisanal products like thyme butter, flavored vinegar, comfrey salves, fennel glycerin soaps, potted perennials, honey, tea and hemp products.

Produce boxes, similar to those offered at a CSA (community supported agriculture), will be available for pickup from Harrisburg Urban Growers, and eggs will be available from a local farmer as well, Blumenthal said.

Vendors are expected to be able to accept the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) vouchers.

“We are so excited because this is the market’s first year,” Blumenthal said.

Making Adjustments

The idea took root years ago, and has come into full bloom in 2020, despite the scourge of the coronavirus.

For years, community members asked for a local food marketplace, Blumenthal said. That ties in nicely with TCCA’s mission to tackle food insecurity and promote self-sufficiency throughout the Allison Hill community.

The produce is so “local” that fruits and vegetables will often come from the soil of community members’ own urban gardens.

And the deals will be hard to beat.

“Thanks to TCCA and our sponsors, the farmers market will be offering a SNAP Matching Program,” Blumenthal said. “Not only does the AHFM accept SNAP benefits. Individuals who redeem these benefits will have double to spend at the market.”

She explained that the program matches up to $10 in benefits. So, if you purchase $10 worth of eligible products on your EBT card, you receive another $10 to spend at the market.

Like all farmers markets across Pennsylvania, the Allison Hill market will make adjustments to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Because the Wolf administration has deemed farmers markets an “essential” business, it can operate even if stay-at-home orders remain in place.

Their pre-opening, pandemic-conscious preparations include offering a pre-order and drive-through pickup option for those who prefer reduced-contact shopping.

”Farmers markets are a fundamental piece of Pennsylvania’s supply chain, something many Pennsylvanians have become acutely aware of in recent weeks,” Secretary of Agriculture Russ Redding said in guidance from the department.

The department’s guidance includes these suggestions:

Offer delivery or pickup options and online or phone ordering.
Pre-package bags of fruit, vegetables and other items to limit shoppers’ handling of food and to keep customers moving quickly.
Offer designated times for high-risk and elderly persons to shop at least once a week.
Communicate with consumers via website or social media to explain changes, delivery options or other precautions to mitigate against COVID-19.
Separate stands to limit crowds and consider limiting the number of customers in the market at one time.
If possible, have a different person handle products and handle money, or wash hands and sanitize between tasks.
Remove tablecloths and eliminate samples and eating areas.

The guidelines also offer farms the opportunity to open an on-farm stand to sell raw produce, eggs, or shelf-stable packaged foods such as jams, jellies or baked goods without additional food safety licenses.

This guidance augments state Secretary of Health Rachel Levine’s directives to wash hands frequently, wipe down surfaces often, and stay home if you feel sick.

Blumenthal hopes the Allison Hill market fills far more than kitchen pantries and refrigerators. She wants it to help fill the stomachs of residents who may often go hungry or undernourished, improve the health of residents, build entrepreneurship among local farmers and residents and enrich community life in Allison Hill.

Other summer offerings planned at AHFM include cooking demonstrations, free health screenings, no-cost samples, talented musicians, cooking classes, smart gardening practice and recipe swapping.

For anyone who loves a juicy tomato, a creative concoction for dinner, and fresh air and fresh fruits and vegetables, Wednesdays are your green-letter day.

The Allison Hill Farmers Market is located at 1421 Derry St., Harrisburg. It debuts on Wednesday, June 10, 3 to 7 p.m., and will continue every Wednesday through mid-October. For more information and updates, visit www.cactricounty.org/ahfm or follow Tri-County Community Action on Facebook.

His Outro: On the cusp of retirement, Jeff Woodruff reflects on 17 years managing the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.

May 29, 2020 | by Barbara Trainin Blank

When Jeff Woodruff started as executive director of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra in August 2003, he was attracted to the opportunity to be the “number one” managerial person.

At the same time, Woodruff, who was raised in Los Angeles and had lived in many different parts of the country, was a little uncertain about the destination.

“If anyone had told me I’d end up living in Harrisburg, my response would have been, ‘No way,’” he said. “I look a leap of faith, coming here with a wife and two little children. I took on a new adventure. I didn’t know Stuart Malina [HSO’s music director], and I had no idea what it would be like to live here.”

It didn’t take long for Woodruff to realize his “leap of faith” had led to the “highlight” of his career.

“HSO represented all the key ingredients to success,” he said.

He developed a good relationship with Malina—whom Woodruff calls “a model for music directors everywhere”—and found quality leadership at the board level, as well as the staff level. He also found effective fundraising in the Harrisburg Symphony Society—a vital component for a nonprofit.

Moreover, Woodruff said, HSO is a “first-rate orchestra. Relations with the musicians have been good.” The orchestra’s beautiful venue is another advantage.

“We’re fortunate that it performs in a state-owned facility and has a very good relationship with the management of the Forum,” he said.

With some sadness, Woodruff, who is almost 77, decided it was time to complete his tenure. He retires this month and, for his service, has been named a 2020 honoree for Distinguished Service to the Arts in the Capital Region, an annual award bestowed by Theatre Harrisburg.

“I’d like to enjoy life,” he said. “I’m not seeking another job, though I may do volunteer work for nonprofits.”

Traveling with his wife is also on the agenda. There are many places in Europe and the United States they’d like to go. Woodruff also plans to visit museums and attend music and theater performances. His wife, in fact, worked part-time for the Oakes Museum of Natural History at Messiah College.

The couple also has a property near Carlisle.

“After 17 years, I’m not selling the house and moving,” Woodruff said. “Short term at least, we’re staying in the area.”

He also said he’s “a phone call away” and can be available if needed if the new executive director, Matthew Herren, should want to consult. But Woodruff also knows Herren, a native of the area, will want to establish his own patterns.

Looking back, Woodruff—who previously worked in administrative posts at the Houston Symphony, Florida Orchestra in Tamp Bay and Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyo.—found much that was gratifying at the Harrisburg Symphony.

For one thing, there’s Malina, now in his 20th year as HSO music director.

“He lives locally, raised his family here,” he said of Malina. “He’s a wonderful colleague, and the orchestra is considerably better than when he came.”

Plus, HSO’s proximity to big cities means it can draw from a large pool of fine musicians.

The feeling between the outgoing executive director and the longstanding music director is mutual.

“It’s impossible to encapsulate in a few sentences all that Jeff has done for the HSO over the course of his tenure,” Malina said. “I think his most significant accomplishment is the atmosphere of transparency, caring and trust that he brought to our orchestra.”

Malina also complimented Woodruff for the no-drama environment he created.

“There is none of the intrigue and combativeness that one often finds in our business,” he said. “[Woodruff] has been a wonderful partner. I will deeply miss his leadership, his passion and his friendship.”

In his retirement, Woodruff looks forward to another phase of involvement—enjoying the area’s arts scene not as a participant, but as an enthusiastic fan.

“We have orchestral, chamber, jazz and many other first-rate cultural offerings here,” he said.

To learn more about the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, visit www.harrisburgsymphony.org.

Hunger Pains: Innovative solutions, charitable donations meet unprecedented need for food–for now.

May 29, 2020 | by Karen Hendricks

Cereal, peanut butter, pasta, sauce and other essential household staples are inside the brown cardboard emergency food boxes.

But it’s innovative “outside-the-box” thinking and “extremely generous” acts of charity that are powering and placing the ingredients inside.

“The innovation that is happening—we are leveraging all opportunities, and it takes a lot of infrastructure to meet an immense challenge,” said Joe Arthur, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. “But we want folks to feel confident that, if they need help, the food is going to be there for them.”

The “immense challenge” Arthur’s talking about is the sudden, unprecedented spike in families who need help putting food on their tables amid the COVID-19 pandemic’s simultaneous economic crisis.

Every day, the food bank is packing and shipping 5,000 boxes of food throughout central Pennsylvania—enough to fill four tractor-trailers. In March and April, the food bank distributed 4 million additional pounds of household staples, compared to the same two months in 2019—that’s 45 percent more food.

Serving a 27-county area, the food bank supplies a network of soup kitchens and food pantries with boxes of shelf-stable boxed and canned goods that normally find their way into the hands of 135,000 central Pennsylvanians. But, under our “new normal,” the need has escalated to 175,000 residents.

Supply chain issues and higher prices for shelf-stable foods are compounding the situation. However, Arthur said fresh foods are actually readily available and being distributed to those in need—albeit due to the drop off in demand from restaurants and schools.

“Right now, because of our produce contacts, we’re positioned to acquire an immense amount of produce from the surplus coming into the port of Philadelphia, as part of a produce co-op that we and 24 other food banks across the mid-Atlantic pulled together,” Arthur said. “It’s become a significant operation over the last two years.”

Thanks to the infrastructure in place, this co-op—the Mid-Atlantic Regional Co-op (MARC)—is creating tens of thousands of family-sized boxes containing produce that doesn’t require heavy refrigeration, such as potatoes, carrots, cabbage and onions.

The MARC is managed by Feeding Pennsylvania, the state association overseeing nine food banks, including central Pennsylvania’s.

In the first month of ramped-up COVID-19 operations, the MARC supplied nearly 100 truckloads of produce boxes to 18 regional food banks, including in this region, according to Corinne Foster of Feeding Pennsylvania.

The brand new U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program will begin distributing boxes of fresh produce, dairy products and cooked meats in late May and early June. Program contracts are being established with farmers. One of the first local growers to sign up is Lancaster Farm Fresh, a co-op of Lancaster County growers.

“Looking forward, we’re expecting this to be a long period of high food insecurity, and, as the federal household stimulus and relief dollars are depleted, we’re expecting an increase in the number of people we serve,” Arthur said, calling April’s unemployment figures “devastating.”

The food bank’s typical annual operating budget is $16 million, underwriting the distribution of 50 to 60 million pounds of food.

“We’re adding probably 10 million pounds of food on top of that… and that’s just to get through June,” said Arthur. “We are about $2 million above normal expenditures due to the crisis response… and we are using some of our own reserves saved over the years. This crisis is that big.”

Arthur is thankful for “extremely generous donors” such as Giant Foods, PNC Foundation, Highmark Health and Capital BlueCross.

Sizeable corporate donations coming into the overarching Feeding Pennsylvania include those from Pennsylvania Skill and PSECU. Additionally, PA Pork donated 90,000 pounds of pork products.

Record Number

Statewide, the number of Pennsylvanians served by food banks has increased by about 65 percent. Foster wasn’t able to provide exact figures or answers about how the organization will continue to keep pace with the demand for food.

“We are getting several donations from partners, plus grants, and we’re working with government agencies to get relief funds,” Foster said. “However, this won’t be enough to cover additional costs. We need to urgently remind supporters this is an ongoing pandemic, and we need their help with financial donations. Our food banks need help now more than ever.”

Two of the region’s largest nonprofit funders—the Foundation for Enhancing Communities and United Way of the Capital Region—partnered to establish a COVID-19 Community Response Fund to help curb hunger, with donations culled from the Hershey Company, Highmark Health and private donors.

One of the Harrisburg-area distribution points for those life-sustaining, 25-pound brown boxes is the Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital City Region. Social-distancing, drive-through procedures are in place.

“We are seeing a record number of new folks, who have never used our services before—more and more folks who have lost employment, as well as small business owners, from all walks of life,” said Kathy Anderson-Martin of the Salvation Army.

In the first four weeks of crisis operations, the Salvation Army distributed food equivalent to 130,835 meals. To put it in perspective, that’s the amount of food they distributed under typical circumstances over six months, last year.

The numbers demonstrate the growing need. Food distributed over the first seven weeks amounted to 188,000 meals—equivalent to 10 months’ worth of food, last year.

Between 60 and 65 percent of the 1,700 households being served have never needed the faith-based charity’s food box program before.

There are positive signs of hope and charity. “Rescue food” gleaned from restaurants, grocery stores and other sources have nearly doubled from the amount normally collected, said Anderson-Martin. Over the course of a typical year, the organization rescues more than 100,000 pounds of food.

Recipients are “very appreciative, very grateful,” she said. “The thing that bothers me greatly is seeing people who want to work but can’t—that’s tough.”

Aside from nourishing food, another item being distributed nourishes the soul.

“Our mission addresses body, mind and spirit,” said Anderson-Martin. “We offer everyone a Bible, and these days, nine out of 10 people are saying ‘yes.’ We’ve distributed over 2,000 Bibles—English, Spanish and children’s Bibles. Some people call back and thank us for that, more so than the food.”

To contact The Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital City Region to see if you’re eligible for food distribution, call 717-233-6755. For more information, or to make a donation, visit pa.salvationarmy.org/harrisburg-pa.

Anyone within the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank’s 27-county coverage area can locate feeding programs by calling the nonprofit’s helpline at 877-999-5964. To donate or volunteer, visit centralpafoodbank.org.

To learn more about the COVID-19 Community Response Fund or to make a donation, visit tfec.org/covid19.

A “New Normal”: Health care providers are adapting to safely deliver services during the coronavirus pandemic.

May 29, 2020 | by Dr. John Goldman

As much as we’d like to get life back to normal, our idea of what is “normal” will need to change if we are to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and ensure the safety of our communities.

Until a vaccine is developed, we will be living what some have called a “new normal.”

That includes health care itself. Doctors and hospitals are changing the way they provide care in order to ensure a safe environment during this pandemic.

At the start of the pandemic, doctors and health systems across the state focused their energy and resources on preparing for a surge of coronavirus patients. Per state guidelines, many surgeries and treatments were put on hold.

During this time, telemedicine use has skyrocketed. At UPMC Pinnacle, for example, it has risen from single-digit daily use in February to more than 1,100 video visits a day in early May.

Telemedicine uses state-of-the-art videoconferencing technology to provide real-time consultations and examinations. It provides a safe option for the patient and the provider, particularly if there is a concern about the patient having the coronavirus. Even after the virus is gone, telemedicine will remain an important part of our care.

However, not all care can be provided via telemedicine. For some things, like cancer care and surgeries, patients need to come to the office or hospital.

During the pandemic, many people have put off important medical care due to the state of emergency. With a leveling off of the virus in our area, the state is allowing many of these services to resume. But people may wonder if it is safe to get care.

Everything has risks, but health care providers across the region are taking steps to ensure the safety of patients and staff while providing the essential care that people need.

One of the first things you may notice is that many doctors’ offices are conducting prescreening. When you make an appointment to go to a provider office, you will likely be asked several questions to determine if you have any COVID-19 symptoms. This is to prevent exposure of the staff and other patients at the office.

If you go to your local hospital, it is likely that you—and all visitors and all staff—will be screened before you can enter. This screening can include questions to see if you have any COVID symptoms as well as a temperature check to identify a fever. Staff and visitors with symptoms or a fever are not allowed in and are instead directed to health care services.

Hospitals, long-term care facilities and cancer centers are also restricting visitation in order to avoid any potential spread of the virus. While health care facilities understand the concerns that patients and family members may have about this policy, this is a vital step to ensure the safety of all patients in the facility.

If you walk into a hospital today, you will immediately see a difference—all patient-facing staff members are wearing a mask and so are the patients. At UPMC Pinnacle, for example, we supply a mask to every patient-facing employee in our hospitals and cancer centers for them to use the entire day. Wearing a mask is required for staff. And if a patient comes in without a mask, we will provide one.

You will likely see the same thing at your doctor’s office. Staff and providers will be wearing a mask. You’ll also see a change in the waiting room. Patients and visitors may be asked to wait in their car until their appointment. And where a waiting room is necessary, seating is reduced to comply with social distancing.

High-touch surfaces at facilities are also getting frequent cleanings, including elevator push buttons, door handles, telephones, handrails, light switches, chairs, etc. Exam rooms, patient rooms and imaging equipment are also thoroughly cleaned after each use with a disinfectant approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

You’ll even see changes in the cafeterias at hospitals. They have probably removed all self-service foods, and they are sanitizing all high-touch surfaces and changing serving utensils every half hour during meal service times. You’ll also see less seating to support social distancing.

The coronavirus is a part of our lives. However, we continue to need health care services. The health care system is changing to address this issue while continuing to find ways to safely provide the essential services that area residents need.

John Goldman, MD, specializes in infectious disease at UPMC Pinnacle. For more information, visit UPMCPinnacle.com.

Tough Lessons: Parents, kids were forced to suddenly adapt, struggle after the coronavirus hit.

May 29, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

Amber Luster and her son, Amauri.

Two weeks off? Vacation!

The rest of the year off? Oh no.

This seemed to be the timeline of thoughts leading up to the predicament that students and parents found themselves in.

Originally, parents questioned what education at home would look like. Now, many are questioning their sanity.

Adults scrambled to figure out how to work online learning platforms and develop schedules for their children. Homeschool, cyber school and stay-at-home parents loomed over their shoulders taunting, “See, it’s not so easy, huh?”

The new normal has many students begging to go back to a place they formerly couldn’t wait to escape and has parents mentally mapping routes of escape from home.

It’s a battle between enjoying the quality time and enduring the quantity of time.

Overwhelmed

Shakira Clark is a supervisor at the U.S. Army depot in New Cumberland. She’s supposed to oversee employees, but it’s been hard to focus with five children calling her all day.

Clark took off two weeks in April to stay home and help her kids with school. She suffered a pay cut, but knew she wouldn’t be effective at work when her head was at home.

“It was either I let my children fail or I make money,” she said. “I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

Being a single mom is hard as it is, but, with having to balance work and homeschooling, it became hardly manageable. Then there’s the fact that her two oldest high school children have learning disabilities.

“Tenth grade is a pivotal moment,” she said. “I’m worried they’re going to be too far behind. I’m not equipped to even try to begin to teach them.”

Both of her high school students usually receive assistance in their classes, but the responsibility fell heavily on Clark. One of the students is enrolled in the Harrisburg school district and the other in Susquehanna. Clark said the Susquehanna case manager reaches out to help her child often, but the Harrisburg case manager does not.

The other kids are in seventh, fourth and first grades. Clark makes sure they are all up by 9 a.m. and work until the afternoon, but they all have varying, chaotic schedules.

“Trying to juggle the five of them is very overwhelming,” she said. “The different grade levels require my undivided attention.”

Level the Field

Stories like Clark’s are familiar to Ellen Hartman, head of school at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Harrisburg.

“St. Stephen’s is so diverse,” she said. “We had to think—how do we make sure we take care of families on each end of this spectrum?”

Hartman explained how some St. Stephen’s students are living in two-parent households and their needs are being met, while others live in single-parent households and rely on school lunches for food.

That was the first step for the school, making sure everyone was equipped to learn during the pandemic, whether that was through handing out devices or food.

“You have to figure out how to level the playing field,” Hartman said.

From there, the school built an online presence for students containing daily work and online class meetings and videos.

Still, Hartman realizes students have unique life situations that require a lot of catch-up work after schools (hopefully!) reopen in the fall.

“Teachers are giving quality education, but the context is so different,” she said. “Quality is dependent on that child’s context.”

Teachers regularly reach out to students virtually to maintain relationships. Guidance counselors and administrators have been available to students, as well.

With Hartman having a young child of her own who attends the school, she has been impressed with the teachers’ effort and intentionality.

“The silver lining is relationships,” she said. “I’ve seen how much the teachers mean to the kids and how much the kids mean to the teachers.”

Counting Down

Amber Luster is appreciative of her son Amauri’s teacher at Rutherford Elementary School. The teacher regularly Zoom calls with her third-graders.

Even with the teacher’s help, Luster is exhausted.

For weeks, Luster had to handle not only helping her son with his schoolwork but doing her own. Before summer break hit in May, she was finishing up a semester in college. She’s a senior at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg.

“I’m not working,” she said. “I had school, and I still have to cook and clean while helping Amauri. It’s hard.”

Rutherford was giving out devices to students in need of them, but, because Luster had a laptop, they didn’t qualify. The two had to figure out how to take turns using their one computer for homework.

Besides the challenges, Luster was glad her college moved work online for the rest of the school year because it gave her more time at home with her son.

“That’s the biggest plus, that I can spend more time with Amauri,” she said. “But I’m counting down the days until they’re done with school.”

Most parents and students agree. They’re ready for the year to end and hoping for a normal start in the fall. If anything, they won’t be taking it for granted for a while.

“You didn’t realize how much that community meant to you,” Hartman said.

For both parents and students, that may end up as the most widely shared lesson to come out of this strange semester spent at home.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal School is located at 215 N. Front St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.sseschool.org.

May News Digest

May 29, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Conley

Businesses Receive Stabilization Grants

More than 300 Harrisburg-licensed businesses last month received $5,000 grants to help them survive the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

The city and Impact Harrisburg announced the awards from a pool of money funded by both entities.

“We wanted to fund as many businesses as we possibly could across the broad spectrum,” said Sheila Dow-Ford, executive director of Impact Harrisburg, a nonprofit set up following the city’s financial crisis to help spur economic development. “So we are hoping we hit the mark in that regard.”

The program allowed businesses to request up to $10,000, but, given the large number of applicants, Impact Harrisburg decided to give $5,000 grants to all qualified applicants.

Initially, both the city and Impact Harrisburg were to contribute $500,000 to a $1 million fund, with the city’s portion originating from its dormant “revolving loan fund.”

However, qualified applications exceeded the initial funding, so Impact Harrisburg kicked in another $750,000. The city now is considering adding money for a second round of funding.

“Our goal is to keep these businesses afloat so, when it is time to reopen, they have a fighting chance of surviving and bouncing back, hopefully stronger than ever,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

Recipient Angel Fox of Fox’s Wash and Go said that the grant will allow her to repair washing machines in her Allison Hill laundromat, as customers have been “over-stuffing” the machines to try to stretch their own limited financial resources.

Elementary Coffee Co.’s Andrea Grove said that, beyond the money, she appreciated that care was taken to distribute the grants to all deserving, qualified applicants.

“We desperately need this money, but so many other people need it as well,” she said. “That is a beautiful testament to the care that this community has for each individual business and the position that they are in.”

For recipient Lori Reese, the money will help her sustain her personal organizing business, Consider It Done LLC, and it will help offset additional costs brought on by the crisis. Like many companies, she’s been forced to do more business online, which has meant extra, unanticipated costs to expand her virtual presence, capabilities and security.

Reese also mentioned a non-financial benefit of the program. Much like Grove, she said that she appreciates the effort, caring and the creativity that her city and Impact Harrisburg showed for the small business community here.

“I feel valued as a city business and a city resident,” she said. “Because it’s local, it means more to me.”

Harrisburg Area Enters Yellow Phase

Most of the Harrisburg area last month entered the less-restrictive “yellow” phase of the state’s phased reopening plan.

In south-central PA, Cumberland, York, Perry and Adams counties were the first to transition from the red phase to the yellow phase in late May. A week later, Dauphin and Lebanon counties joined them.

On June 5, Lancaster County, along with the remainder of “red” counties in the commonwealth, will transition to yellow, Gov. Tom Wolf announced.

Wolf credited the policies of the state government for helping to cut the number of new cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth. Cases peaked in early April at almost 2,000 new cases a day and gradually fell to fewer than 1,000 new cases a day.

“We know not only that we succeeded in slowing case growth, but that our actions, our collective decisions to stay at home and avoid social contact—we know that saved lives,” Wolf said. “My stay-at-home order did exactly what it was intended to do. It saved lives, and it bought us valuable time.”

The state government uses a tri-color red/yellow/green system to guide re-openings in the commonwealth.

Under the red phase, people are supposed to observe strict “stay-at-home” orders, and “non life-sustaining” businesses cannot operate from their physical locations. Under yellow, these restrictions are eased, but limits remain in place. For instance, schools must remain closed, bars and restaurants are stilled banned from offering sit-down dining, and gatherings of more than 25 people are prohibited.

Under the green phase, most restrictions are lifted, though large crowds remain prohibited. Late last month, 17 mostly rural counties in the northwest and north-central parts of the state entered the green phase.

Allison Hill Project Gets Go-Ahead

One of the largest housing developments on Allison Hill in recent years is slated to move forward, as Harrisburg City Council last month approved a plan for a multi-building project just off of Market Street.

Council unanimously approved the land use plan by TLC Cornerstone Renewal to construct 26 townhouses, a 24-unit apartment building and a community center in a five-block area bounded by N. 15th Street, Walnut Street and Crabapple Street.

“This is such a blighted area,” council President Wanda Williams said during a council work session. “It certainly will enhance this area.”

At that work session, developer Tarik Casteel, president of TLC, told council members that he hopes to break ground in the early fall on the $14.7 million affordable housing project on the 2.1-acre site.

“This project will be big in this community,” he said. “It’s definitely needed, not just in this community but in several areas of the city of Harrisburg.”

Nearly two years ago, TLC cut the ribbon on its first big project, the 20-unit Harrisburg Uptown Building (HUB) and the HUB Veteran Housing Campus.

Casteel told council that the new Allison Hill project would be just the first phase of a three-phase project for the area. He expects a 16-month construction period for the first phase.

“In Allison Hill, there is definitely a need,” he said. “This was one of the worst areas of the city. That’s why we wanted to come into this area, because it is the worst.”

Council Approves CDBG Disbursement

Harrisburg City Council last month approved the disbursement of annual federal housing funds.

The city set aside money from its share of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for use by nonprofit “sub-recipients.” These included:

A Miracle for Sure: $13,810
Center for Employment Opportunities: $13,810
Communities in Schools: $13,810
Heinz Menaker Senior Center: $14,000
Latino Hispanic American Community Center (LHACC): $13,810
Neighborhood Dispute Settlement: $13,810
Pennsylvania Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Network: $13,810
The Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital City Region: $25,000

The city also distributed federal Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding to the following organizations:

Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness: $24,000
Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area: $63,000
Shalom House: $43,100
YWCA Greater Harrisburg: $50,000

These funds originate from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, and, every year, the city sets aside some of the money for use by community nonprofits.

Harrisburg Plans Cyber School

Come fall, Harrisburg school district students will have another way to learn, as district officials have announced a new, full-time cyber school.

Last month, officials unveiled the Harrisburg Virtual Learning Academy, which is meant to broaden educational options and offer an alternative to cyber charter schools.

“Early on, we asked our teachers to make calls to get feedback from our families. This was way back in March,” said Susan Sneath, chief academic officer for the district. “They were already telling us there was no way they were going to send their children back to [the brick-and-mortar] school.”

Sneath knew the district needed to have another option for students. Thus, the Harrisburg Virtual Learning Academy (HVLA) was established.

According to the district, the HVLA will be full-time and free to Harrisburg students. The program offers K-to-12th grade enrollment, in which each student is provided a Chromebook.

This differs from the district’s existing Cougar Academy, which is a “blended” cyber program that requires that students also spend time inside the classroom. In contrast, HVLA is fully remote.

Students will receive recorded instruction from teachers with additional meetings as needed. While the school is primarily online, there are face-to-face tutoring options, including English language arts and math. Special education teachers, English as a second language teachers and reading specialists will be available to provide support.

Sneath explained that students will continue to receive academic advising through an assigned counselor and can expect outreach from a social worker to aid with social and emotional needs. Technology support will be readily available, as well, during school hours.

The school district plans to use trained educators from the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, an entity that supports local school districts. Additional faculty, such as counselors and academic advisors, will come from Harrisburg staff.

Students in HVLA can participate in academic advancement such as Advanced Placement courses and “gifted” programs. They will also be tied to their neighborhood’s school, which will allow access to all special events and extracurricular activities such as picture day, athletics and prom.

All HVLA students are considered Harrisburg Cougars, and they will receive a diploma from the Harrisburg school district.

In the past, students in the district seeking online education have often looked to cyber charter schools, but Sneath hopes that this option curbs that.

“We want to keep our kids, and we want to provide the very best for our kids,” she said. “We developed HVLA with that in mind.”

HVLA will not take the place of the district’s remote learning plan for students in the case that students can’t return to school buildings in the fall. The cyber-school is only for those who enroll.

“The intent for the people who enroll in HVLA is that they are going to stay in HVLA,” Sneath said.

Development Projects Approved

Two significant development projects in Harrisburg should soon break ground after receiving final approval by the city.

City Council last month unanimously approved a land development plan by the Hudson Companies to build a 130,000-square-foot office building on the 2500-block of N. 7th Street, the site of the former headquarters of D&H Distributing.

The Hermitage, Pa.-based company plans to demolish D&H’s low-slung building and construct a new, three-story, brick-and-glass building on the site. Hudson then will enter into a long-term lease with the commonwealth, which plans to locate about 850 Department of Human Services and Office of Administration workers there. Most will move from the former Harrisburg State Hospital grounds, which the state is trying to sell.

Hudson hopes to break ground on the project in several months, with completion in late 2021.

City Council also approved a land development plan for the construction of four new townhouses on the 600-block of Woodbine Street. The nearby Camp Curtin YMCA plans to undertake the $1 million affordable housing project on vacant land currently owned by the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority.

Jamien Harvey, the Camp Curtin YMCA executive director, said he hoped that this project would just be the first phase of building more affordable housing in the area.

Harvey said that the houses, which will cost about $175,000 apiece to build, will sell for $70,000 to $80,000.

“We are looking to change the look of our neighborhood,” he said. “We’re looking to eliminate blight. We’re looking to cut down on the drugs and the violence in our neighborhood, and we’re looking to building a community with pride. This is one of many projects to come.”

Preliminary School Budget Approved

The Harrisburg school district last month approved a preliminary budget for next school year, using federal aid to close a substantial budget gap.

District Receiver Janet Samuels accepted the $157.6 million spending plan, which does not raise school taxes for the 2020-21 year.

The district took a $4.2 million hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis. Unexpectedly, the district had to lower anticipated revenue from earned income taxes, PILOT tax payments, real estate taxes and increases in the state’s basic and special education subsidies.

To help close the deficit, the district was awarded a $4.7 million grant from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. However, those funds expire Sept. 30, according to Acting Superintendent Chris Celmer.

“It’s going to take time to work through logistics of how we are able to spend that,” he said.

Celmer said that, if additional state funding doesn’t eliminate the deficit, a staff realignment may help, along with the CARES Act funding.

The 2020-21 budget is $8.6 million higher than the current, 2019-20 school year’s projected final budget. Employee salaries and benefits, along with other higher expenses, are causing the increased spending, according to the district.

Another virtual budget workshop is scheduled for June 15. A final decision on a 2020-21 spending plan is expected on June 22.

The proposed completed budget will be available to the public on the district’s website for 30 days before the last meeting in June.

School Board Appointment

The Harrisburg school district has named Nora Carreras to its board of directors, filling an open seat following the death of Gerald Welch.

District Receiver Janet Samuels last month appointed Carreras, who works for the PA Department of Human Services, due to her “long history as a public servant along with her wealth of knowledge of resources that support children, families and the broader Harrisburg community.”

Under state code, Samuels had 30 days to fill the seat, which was left open after Welch died of COVID-19 complications on April 15. Welch was elected last year to the nine-member board and was in the first year of a four-year term. Carreras’ appointment runs through next year.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Ms. Nora Carreras to the Harrisburg school board of directors,” said Acting Superintendent Chris Celmer. “Ms. Carreras has a proven track record of providing advocacy and support for at-risk families through the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Carreras expressed excitement for the opportunity.

“I am honored to join and support the district’s effort to bring increased educational quality and fiscal accountability,” she said. “Every student in the city of Harrisburg deserves the opportunity to thrive, to learn in a supportive environment and reach their full potential.”

Home Sales Down, Prices Up

Sales dropped but prices rose in the Harrisburg area, as the realtor’s association released its first report during a full month of COVID-19 restrictions.

In April, 455 homes sold in the three-county area, compared to 619 in April 2019, but the median price increased to $200,000 compared to $180,000 a year ago, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR).

In Dauphin County, 212 houses sold at a median price of $173,000, versus 294 houses at a median price of $167,000 in the year-ago period, GHAR said.

Cumberland County saw 222 houses change hands compared to 296 a year ago, while the median price rose to $235,000 from $202,500. Perry County bucked the trend, with 21 houses selling for a median price of $173,000 compared to 29 houses for $200,000 a year ago.

For the three-county region, days on the market dropped to an average of 50 days versus 53 days the previous April, according to GHAR.

So Noted

TheBurg received 16 individual and group 2020 Keystone Media Awards in the annual peer-reviewed contest sponsored by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation. These awards cover a wide range of categories, including for reporting, editorial writing, column writing, illustration, photography and design. TheBurg also won the coveted “Sweepstakes” award for best performance in its category statewide.

Changing Hands

Benton St., 607: D. Thomas to Neidlinger Enterprises LLC, $60,000

Brookwood St., 2462: K. Boyer to CR Property Group LLC, $47,000

Calder St., 321: R. & F. Armetta to 1037 Maclay St. LLC, $70,000

Chestnut St., 1810: CR Property Group LLC to C. Blodgett, $91,500

Derry St., 2531: J. Hocker to J. Einzig, $72,500

Edgewood Rd., 2315: I. & A. MacFarlane to E. Shaner, $214,000

Edward St., 260: J. Dudick to Realm Properties LLC, $97,000

Fulton St., 1707: K. Herbe to A. Murray, $124,900

Fulton St., 1714: N. Smith to N. Pachella & M. Pickup, $127,500

Grand St., 920: M. & A. Bukowski to E. Fisher, $115,000

Green St., 1710: M. Della Porta to B. & B. Hinnenkamp, $210,000

Green St., 1931: N. Condon to S. Agbaw, $204,900

Green St., 2003: S. Biray to B. Maurer & M. Zia, $194,500

Green St., 2043: R. Shokes Jr. to D. & T. Schutt, $214,900

Green St., 2328: J. & L. Leahy to Moxie Properties LLC, $41,000

Holly St., 1815: CR Property Group LLC to B. Nevid, $105,000

Kelker St., 317: Wilmington Trust NA to BDS Property Group LLC, $62,000

Lexington St., 2619: CR Property Group LLC to A. Bertschmann, $105,000

Logan St., 2247: CR Property Group LLC to J. & A. Oates, $101,000

Logan St., 2305: B. & K. Saltzgiver to C. & R. Herr, $42,000

North St., 242: J. & S. Wesley to J. Lucia, $105,000

N. 2nd St., 2525: P. & A. Ramos to A. Arturet, $205,000

N. 3rd St., 1604: C. Overbaugh to A., P. & T. Bair, $124,000

N. 3rd St., 2435: D. & G. Laninga to D. & M. Lambert, $149,900

N. 4th St., 1336: R. & F. Armetta to 1037 Maclay St. LLC, $80,900

N. 4th St., 2442: M. & N. Godfrey to Graevel Holdings LLC, $50,000

N. 4th St., 3111: B. Redman to D. Miller & M. Strouse, $138,000

N. 6th St., 2446: J. Urena to R. Contreras & Y. Vargas, $230,000

N. 14th St., 226: W. Cruz to J. Bowen, $66,000

N. 15th St., 1336: M. Smith to J. Valverde, $50,000

N. 16th St., 814: D. Boyle to E. Reyes, $30,000

N. 16th St., 1105: K. Drayton to N. Gutierrez, $50,000

N. 16th St., 1219: L. Wolf to J. Cruz, $42,000

N. Front St., 2509: Pennsylvania Builders Association to Morning Star Pregnancy Services, $475,000

Parkway Blvd., 2509: A. & L. Smith to J. & M. Torres, $135,000

Penn St., 1208: R. Christ & D. Cole to Wheatland Restore LLC, $88,501

Pennwood St., 3202: CR Property Group LLC to A. Bertschmann, $110,000

Revere St., 1720: Atlantic NorthStar Properties LLC to N. de los Santos, $49,000

Race St., 542: N. Fenstermacher to A. Dullebawn & A. Ditzler, $140,000

Reily St., 206: D. Burnham to Fratelli Property Investments, $135,439

Rudy Rd., 2339: W. MacMichael to L. Kurutz, $169,900

Seneca St., 623: Atlantic NorthStar Properties LLC to J. Thieu, $44,000

S. 18th St., 1033: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development to F. Ramos, $30,100

S. 25th St., 448: K. & M. Stone to G. Bedasa, $115,000

S. 25th St., 616: P. & L. Brown to R. Reyes & F. Nunez, $65,000

S. Front St., 601: R. & L. Firestone to J. Shen, $184,900

Swatara St., 1913: G. Amador & C. Vargas to J. Tejada, $62,000

Sycamore St., 1726: Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC to D&F Realty Holdings LP, $30,000

Harrisburg property sales for April 2020, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

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