Boil water advisory lifted for most of downtown Harrisburg affected by water main break

February 13, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Capital Region Water crews on Tuesday as they worked to repair a water main break in downtown Harrisburg.

Capital Region Water today lifted the boil water advisory for most of the area impacted by a water main break last weekend.

CRW spokesperson Tanya Dierolf said that most of the 200 affected residents no longer have to boil water for uses such as personal consumption, washing dishes and brushing their teeth.

The boil water advisory remains in effect only for a small number of customers who are located at:

100 State St.
503, 601, 603, 605 and 611 to 615 N. Front St.
109 to 111 N. Front St.

Dierolf said that these customers will be advised individually when they no longer need to boil water.

Early Sunday morning, an 82-year-old, 16-inch water main on the 100-block of North Street developed a large crack. A large residential and commercial area of downtown, generally bordered by Front, North, N. 3^rd and Forster streets, then either lost water service or had to boil their water before personal use.

Water service returned to most of the affected area on Tuesday, but the entire area remained under a boil-water advisory until today.

Now that repairs have been complete, CRW will flush nearby hydrants, which may temporarily lead to cloudy or discolored water. According to CRW, this does not pose a health risk, but customers still should run their taps for a full minute to flush out their system.

For more information, call CRW’s customer service center at 888-510-0606 or visit their website.

Downtown Harrisburg braces for a busy March with parade, race, ice, fire

February 13, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Last year’s Ice and Fire Festival featured this cold seat and some rapidly melting snow.

Two celebrations, just weeks apart, will mean a busy March around downtown Harrisburg.

First up, on March 7, the city hosts its third annual Ice and Fire Festival. The one-day event closes down a portion of N. 2^nd Street for free ice skating in the street, children’s activities, music, food trucks, fire dancers and other fun events, capped off by a dozen or so ice sculptures.

True to form for the first week of March, it’s been both frigid and mild for the first two festivals. So, depending on this year’s weather, you’ll be able to admire the elaborate ice sculptures in their full artistic glory or watch them change shape as they slowly melt.

Two weeks later, on March 21, downtown again springs to life with a host of St. Patrick’s Day activities.

The fun takes off at noon for what’s become the start of the long race season in Harrisburg, with the Lucky Charm 5K/10K. At 2 p.m., the run becomes a slow walk as the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade begins to wind its way through the downtown.

The parade will feature six Irish pipe and drum bands, fire trucks, floats, Irish dance groups and other entertainers, in addition to numerous food trucks.

“We are pleased to be hosting this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and are excited to show off more of our downtown business community,” said Todd Vander Woude, executive director of the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District. “We invite you and your family to join us for a great day downtown.”

Several downtown streets will close for the Ice and Fire Festival and St. Patrick’s Day events, which both occur on Saturdays. Four hours of free parking is available in downtown metered spots by using the Parkmobile app with code “LUVHBG.”

Harrisburg’s Ice and Fire Festival takes place on March 7, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., in downtown Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.harrisburgpa.gov/iceandfire.

The Lucky Charm 5K/10K begins at noon on 2nd Street in downtown Harrisburg. To sign up, visit the race website. The St. Patrick’s Day parade starts at 2 p.m. from the Market Street Bridge. For more information, visit www.HarrisburgStPatricksDayParade.com.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

February 13, 2020 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

Hey hey! It’s Thursday! We hope to see you this evening at the Pop-Up at The BenMar today. It’s a great chance to check out these new apartments in downtown Harrisburg — plus, of course, we’ll have some light food, beer, spirits, and live music.

My weekend plans include a couple photoshoots, toddler-wrangling, and Hershey Bears hockey with the fam on Sunday!

What are you doing this weekend?

(more…)

Politics night at Midtown Scholar with popular podcast hosts, best-selling author

February 12, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

In case one progressive voice wasn’t enough for you, Midtown Scholar Bookstore is now featuring an author double bill for the next 3rd in the Burg.

Civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson (pictured) will join bestselling author Dan Pfeiffer on stage for a ticketed event on Feb. 21 at the sprawling independent bookshop.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Dan Pfeiffer and DeRay Mckesson to Harrisburg for what’s sure to be a fascinating conversation on the upcoming election,” said Alex Brubaker, manager of Midtown Scholar.

Mckesson is host of “Pod Save the People,” a top-rated podcast, and has been a leader in the Black Lives Matter movement. Pfeiffer is the co-host of another top podcast, “Pod Save America,” and author of the new book, “Un-Trumping America: A Plan to Make America a Democracy Again.”

Mckesson will interview Pfeiffer, leading the conversation about his book as they also share their thoughts about the coming election. A book-signing will follow the discussion.

The ticketed event requires attendees to purchase “Un-Trumping America,” which costs $30.

“‘Pod Save America’ and ‘Pod Save the People’ are two enormously popular podcasts in today’s political media culture, so I can’t wait to hear what they have to say in Harrisburg,” Brubaker said.

Dan Pfeiffer and DeRay Mckesson will appear on Feb. 21, starting at 7 p.m., at Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtownscholar.com. Ticket information is available at www.midtownscholar.com/dan-pfeiffer/event-ticket-and-book.

CASA to expand presence, take more space in Strawberry Square

February 12, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

The CASA sign outside of Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg.

The Capital Area School for the Arts is moving on up—to the third floor of Strawberry Square.

Starting next academic year, CASA will expand by one floor, into space once occupied by Gamut Theatre.

“The move is exciting for us,” said CEO and Principal Tim Wendling. “The improvements will allow CASA to support additional STEAM learning opportunities as well as sustain our academic needs well into the future.”

More than four years ago, Gamut relocated from its long-time home in Strawberry Square to the former First Church of God across N. 4^th Street in downtown Harrisburg. Strawberry Square owner Harristown Enterprises has been searching since for a tenant for that third-floor space.

“It’s an ideal space for CASA to cement their future in Strawberry Square,” said Brad Jones, Harristown president and CEO. “Over time, they’ve really grown to find this to be a unique and opportune space for their campus.”

A public charter school, CASA offers full-day high school education for 200 students from 30 central Pennsylvania school districts.

According to CASA, the new, third-floor space above the food court will add classrooms, a science lab and several other academic spaces, bringing the school’s footprint to about 25,000 square feet over the first and third floors of Strawberry Square.

For the past several years, CASA has been leasing additional classroom space from Temple University Harrisburg, which is located on the other end of the office, residential and retail complex. The expansion should eliminate the need for that space.

Work on the new space, totaling about 10,000 square feet, is expected to start soon, with completion in time for the 2020-21 school year.

To pay for the lease and the build-out, the CASA Charter School Foundation has begun a campaign to raise $1.6 million.

The Capital Area School for the Arts (CASA) is located in Strawberry Square, downtown Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.casaarts.org. To contribute to the CASA Charter School Foundation’s capital campaign, visit www.CASAfound.org.

A sigh of relief along North Street as water returns and businesses reopen

February 11, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, Business Administrator Marc Woolley and Treasurer Dan Miller share a cup of coffee to celebrate the reopening of Elementary Coffee Co. following a water main break.

At Elementary Coffee Co., the water came back on early today and, with it, the doors swung open for the Capitol neighborhood café.

Up and down North Street, there may have been no one happier than owner Andrea Grove.

“I’m so relieved, I’m so delighted,” Grove said. “And now people are hearing and coming back in.”

Elementary opened a few hours late, at 9 a.m. after Grove heard from her neighbor, restaurateur Qui Qui Musarra, that water service had returned to the block.

The businesses, including Mangia Qui, Rubicon, Elementary and Roxy’s Cafe, had been closed since the water stopped running on Sunday, following a break in the 82-year-old water main early Sunday morning on the cozy street of restaurants and residences.

This morning, these businesses reopened, though Capital Region Water maintained its boil water advisory for an area bounded by North, N. 3^rd, Forster and Front streets (see map). Tanya Dierolf, CRW spokeswoman, said that the advisory would remain in effect until further notice.

The East Shore YMCA planned to reopen at 11:30 a.m., though without drinking water from fountains. CRW said that it also will provide bottled water to impacted customers in the neighborhood today at the YMCA from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Grove said the greatest problem was not knowing when water would return and, thus, how long she would be closed.

“It was terrible not knowing,” she said.

Likewise, Staci Basore of Mangia Qui/Rubicon expressed delight at being able to open, especially since her restaurants are booked for the coming Valentine’s Day weekend. Her restaurants won’t be open today for lunch but will reopen today for dinner service.

“It’s good, good, good,” she said. “We were so worried about Valentine’s Day, but now everything seems to be getting back to normal.”

For the latest information on the boil water advisory, visit the CRW website.

Home sales, prices up significantly in Harrisburg area

February 10, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A house for sale in Harrisburg’s Capitol neighborhood.

Harrisburg area home sales and prices rose significantly in January, with strong sales data from both Dauphin and Cumberland counties.

Overall, housing sales in the three-county region climbed to 494 units versus 350 in January 2019, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR). The median sales price increased to $182,000, up by 7.1 percent year-over-year.

In Dauphin County, sales surged to 240 housing units compared to 179 in the year-ago period, while the median sales price rose to $171,000 versus $152,500, said GHAR.

Cumberland County also had a strong month, with sales rising to 229 units versus 154 in January 2019, according to GHAR. The median sales price increased to $196,900 from $182,500 in the year-ago period.

In Perry County, sales also were up, totaling 25 units versus 17 a year ago, but the median sales price decreased to $138,000 from $170,000, GHAR said.

According to GHAR, average days on the market in its coverage area dropped substantially, standing at 42 days in January, down 28.8 percent from the year-ago period.

Businesses close, residents told to boil water as downtown water main break enters second day

February 10, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Capital Region Water crews work to fix a water main break on North Street.

A water main break in downtown Harrisburg entered its second day today, closing businesses and affecting several hundred residents.

Tanya Dierolf, spokesperson for Capital Region Water, said that she couldn’t provide an estimate when the repair would be completed and when the boil water advisory would be lifted.

“CRW is still working to make the repair,” she said. “[Timing] will depend on trying to complete the repair.”

The break of the 16-inch water main was detected early yesterday, with torrents of water streaming down North Street. CRW crews have worked around the clock since to fix the circa-1938 pipe.

Some 200 properties are affected along a swath of downtown Harrisburg stretching from Front Street to North Street to N. 3^rd Street to Forster Street (see map).

This area includes such businesses as Mangia Qui/Rubicon and Elementary Coffee Co., which are closed today, as well as the East Shore YMCA.

Mangia Qui co-owner Staci Basore said that her restaurants had to close because they have no running water at all. They began serving brunch yesterday, but then had to turn away about 60 people once water pressure ceased. Now, she’s worried about this weekend, as her restaurants are fully booked for the Valentine’s Day weekend.

“Businesses need to make a living out of it,” she said. “I can bring in bottled water to drink, but I can’t operate without a toilet.”

Similarly, Elementary Coffee Co. is shut down until the water comes back on. Owner Andrea Grove said that she’s concerned because her shop just opened a few months ago and is still gaining traction.

“It’s a huge tragedy for us and everything that we’re trying to build up,” she said.

Both Basore and Grove mentioned that their anxiety has been worsened by not knowing when service will resume.

“No one can tell us anything with any degree of certainty,” Basore said.

The break occurred directly in front of the YMCA, which had to shut down and cancel all classes and its daycare. According to the Y, bottled water and portable toilets have been brought in for its residential population.

Dierolf said that different locations have differing issues. Some buildings in the advisory area have little or no water, while others seemingly have full pressure. Nonetheless, all customers in the area should boil water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and washing dishes until further notice, she said.

Dierolf said that the repair has taken longer than first anticipated because a valve needed to be replaced. Once the repair is finished, CRW must perform a series of water tests to ensure safety, which likely will prolong the advisory even after work has finished and North Street, between N. 2^nd and Front streets, has reopened to traffic.

“We appreciate everybody’s patience,” she said. “We’ll give you updates when we can.”

For the latest information, visit the CRW website.

This story has been updated to include comments from business owners.

Boil water advisory issued for much of Capitol area neighborhood

February 9, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Capital Region Water has issued a boil water advisory for this area of downtown Harrisburg.

Capital Region Water (CRW) has issued a boil water advisory for a large swath of the Capitol area residential neighborhood.

The advisory covers the heavily residential area near the East Shore YMCA, from Front to North to N. 3^rd to Forster streets (see map).

CRW issued the advisory following a water main break this afternoon on North Street near the YMCA. This has created low water pressure throughout the neighborhood, which increases the chance for water contamination.

Until further notice, CRW requests that customers boil water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and food preparation. CRW didn’t offer an estimated time for completion of the work, but said it would notify property owners when it lifts the advisory.

About 200 properties are affected from Front to N. 3rd Street; N. 3rd Street from Forster to North Street; North Street from N. 3rd to Buttonwood Street; Buttonwood Street from North Street to South Street; South Street from Buttonwood Street to Front Street; and Front Street from South Street to Forster Street.

For more information, visit the CRW website.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

February 7, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

PA Downtown Center and Historic Harrisburg will host a film and discussion on housing inequality.

The weekend is upon us, so it’s time for “The Week that Was,” a weekly recap of our news coverage. This past week, we featured a mix of online stories, events and magazine features. If you missed anything, just hit the links below.

Amtrak rail underpass is a truck-crusher, with numerous trucks each year getting stuck beneath the span. Our February magazine story addresses the problem and asks if anything can be done about it.

Dauphin County Library System will debut its “Hari Jones Hidden Histories Program” later this month, with the first lecture on the subject of, “Who caused the Civil War?” Read our online story to discover more about the series and the inaugural event.

Forster Street in Harrisburg comes under withering criticism from our editor, who describes it as dangerous, poorly engineered and an artifact of shortsighted 1950s-era planning. In his monthly column, he says it’s time to ponder how the road can be improved for today’s needs.

Harrisburg University announced yet another outdoor concert in June, this time for the rock band, Cage the Elephant. This marks the third Riverfront Park concert announcement in as many weeks. Read the details here.

Musical Notes recaps the Harrisburg area music scene each month. Find out what our music columnist says are the can’t-miss shows in February.

Open Stage has debuted “Amelie,” a stage musical based on the popular French movie. Read our magazine feature story then discover what our theater reviewer had to say after she attended opening night.

PA Downtown Center, along with Historic Harrisburg Association, will host a short film and discussion next week on the important subject of housing inequality. We wrote an online story to preview the event.

Sara Bozich has your weekend plans, though it may be tough deciding from among a hundred or so events. Check out her activity list then head on out the door.

The Bridge has rapidly made a name for itself in Harrisburg with plans to redevelop the former Bishop McDevitt High School. But who are the guys behind the concept and why did they choose Harrisburg for their first project? Our magazine story has some answers.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events delivered right to your email inbox? If not, subscribe here!

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