Harrisburg mayor: Water system privatization “off the table,” as new stormwater fee delayed 6 months.

November 20, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

The Capital Region Water board of directors on Wednesday night

Harrisburg is dropping the idea of potentially privatizing its water system, as Capital Region Water (CRW) has agreed to delay the start of a new stormwater fee for six months.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that the city would cease any effort to sell or lease the municipal water/sewer system following discussions with, and changes by, CRW to its stormwater fee implementation schedule and evident progress in finalizing a stormwater plan.

“Ultimately, I’m hopeful that CRW can get the job done,” he said. “Privatization is off the table.”

On Wednesday night, CRW passed its 2020 rate schedule, which will implement a new stormwater fee, but not until July 1. Originally, CRW had planned to begin the fee on Jan. 1.

“This is a better plan,” Papenfuse said, following the CRW board meeting. “A delay of six months means a big difference to a lot of people.”

The delay, he said, will give some property owners “a chance to work through the appeals process” for their stormwater assessments. It also gives CRW more time to get final approval from the federal government for its plan to cut the flow of pollutants into area waterways.

CRW plans to spend some $315 million over the next 20 years to slash the amount of wastewater that flows into Paxton Creek and the Susquehanna River during heavy rains. That plan, which relies heavily on building out green infrastructure to prevent stormwater from overwhelming the combined stormwater/wastewater system, has yet to be approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Papenfuse said that he hopes that CRW and the EPA will reach a final agreement during the first half of 2020. He had cited this lack of final approval as part of his objection to the stormwater fee, which will raise some of the money to pay for the system improvements.

In July, his administration issued a request for information to explore the possibility of selling the system. Four qualified companies responded, and the city interviewed three of them, Papenfuse said.

Papenfuse said that the interviews were “very informative and interesting,” but, in the end, the city decided to stick with CRW.

“I’m pleased to give them an opportunity to do it,” he said.

Rate-wise, most of CRW’s residential customers in Harrisburg will begin paying a $6.15 per month stormwater fee beginning on July 1. That amount equates to $74 per year ($37 for 2020).

The non-residential rate will fluctuate based on the amount of impervious surface on the commercial properties. Most commercial property owners will pay the standard residential rate of $6.15 per month, times a multiplier based upon the amount of additional impervious surface on their properties over 700 square feet.

CRW said that it would mail out assessments to property owners detailing their new stormwater fees.

This plan differs markedly from one presented just a week ago during a CRW budget workshop. At that time, CRW stated that it planned to impose the stormwater fee incrementally over the next three years, beginning on Jan. 1.

On Wednesday, CRW board Chairman Marc Kurowski said that board members changed their approach following further discussions with the city, as well progress with the EPA.

“It was a lot of different things,” he said. “It wasn’t one single item.”

The 2020 wastewater fee also changed during the past week. During last week’s budget meeting, that fee was due to be unchanged.

However, on Wednesday night, the CRW board approved a 4.5 percent increase, from $7.65 in 2019 to $7.99 in 2020 for 1,000 gallons of water.

This change prompted Harrisburg resident Evelyn Hunt, who serves as a community “ambassador” between CRW and her Allison Hill neighborhood, to object.

“I thought that was going to be a zero,” she said. “It’s changed from zero to 4½ in a period of a week. When you give a presentation as to what it’s going to be, don’t come back a week later and say it’s 4½.”

Board member Alisa Harris told Hunt that the rate changed due to revised financial data.

“We received information just today,” she said. “I assure you, it was not just to change things.”

CRW also approved a rate increase for the third component of its service—drinking water. For 2020, drinking water rates will increase by 2 percent from $9.65 to $9.84 per 1,000 gallons, plus a 2 percent increase in the “ready to serve” charge.

The drinking water rate is the same as proposed during last week’s budget workshop.

For more information about Capital Region Water, visit https://capitalregionwater.com/.

Hill joins Harrisburg’s oversight board, bringing ICA back to full strength

November 20, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

ICA board member Ralph Vartan (center) introduces new member Doug Hill (left) as board Chair Audry Carter looks on.

Harrisburg’s state-appointed financial oversight panel is back to full strength, as a new member has been appointed to fill an opening.

On Wednesday, Doug Hill, the executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, attended his first meeting of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (ICA), appointed by Senate Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati.

“I know he’ll be a great addition to our board,” Vartan said, introducing Hill. “On a personal note, I’m excited to serve with him.”

A Harrisburg resident, Hill replaces David Schankweiler, who resigned in September from the board for unspecified reasons. Hill joins members Audry Carter, Tina Nixon, Ralph Vartan and Kathy Speaker MacNett, as well as two non-voting members.

“My wife and I have lived in Harrisburg for 12 years,” Hill said, in explaining his interest in joining the board. “We’re impressed with how the city has turned around, and I want to be part of this turnaround.”

The ICA is tasked with overseeing the city’s five-year financial recovery plan, which will allow Harrisburg to exit Act 47, the state’s program for financially distressed municipalities.

Moreover, the ICA on Wednesday identified three overall themes to advance the financial recovery of the city. These are:

- Sound financial management and reporting
- Community and economic development
- Operational excellence

ICA members are appointed for the expected five-year lifespan of the board. To serve, they must live in or own a business in the city.

“Winter Wonderland” set to march for Harrisburg’s annual holiday parade

November 19, 2019 | by Maddie Conley

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse spoke today while announcing the details for the city’s annual holiday parade.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, Harrisburg is welcoming the holiday season with decorated floats, balloons and food trucks for its annual holiday parade.

This year’s theme is “Winter Wonderland,” which will be showcased through various activities on parade day. The festivities begin at noon on Saturday.

“There is no bad seat for this parade,” Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse said.

There will be over 100 floats from various organizations as well as musical acts, vintage cars, theater groups, marching bands and characters from the “Grinch,” “Star Wars” and “Paw Patrol.”

Large snowflake, Rudolph, turkey, snowman and snow globe-shaped cold air and helium balloons will hover over the street during the procession. The balloons are about 15-feet tall and provided by StarBound Entertainment.

The route begins at Market Street then heads to 2nd Street. From 2nd Street it marches toward North Street, then Front Street and ends at City Island.

Not only will there be plenty to feast your eyes on, but to actually feast on as well.

“This year, we’ve got some incredibly exciting food trucks,” Papenfuse said.

These awards will be handed out at the Holiday Parade.

Along Market Street will be five food trucks, including 717 Tacos, Tiki T’s Mini Donuts and More, Knead HBG, Get Rollin’ Gourmet Eggrolls and Bartlebaugh Concessions. A map and menu show the trucks’ locations and what they’ll be serving up. Food will be available beginning at 10 a.m.

During the parade, there will be a carnival game for the kids and after the parade, families can head to Strawberry Square to meet Santa and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies.

Awards will be given for marching bands and drill, step-and-dance teams. Winners will be chosen on the basis of the music, performance and theme of the act, explained ExploreHBG’s Director of Marketing and Communications Devan Drabik. Judges will include members of the local media, and an awards ceremony will take place in Strawberry Square.

“We have some fantastic new awards this year,” Papenfuse said.

Parking for the parade will be $10 at the Market Square Garage from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Street parking is free for four hours by using the code “LUVHBG” on the ParkMobile App. Parade route roads will be closed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sponsors for the event include Visit Hershey & Harrisburg, ExploreHBG, Capital BlueCross and others.

“I hope everyone will make it out and get in the holiday spirit,” Papenfuse said.

Harrisburg’s holiday parade begins on Market Street at 12 p.m. on Nov. 23. For more information, visit www.harrisburgpa.gov/holiday-parade.

Beer Is Near: Harris Family gets zoning OK to open nanobrewery

November 19, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harris Family Brewery’s Shaun Harris, Tim White and JT Thomas.

In a few months, you should be able to buy a fresh Harris Family beer straight from the tap.

That’s the good news.

However, it won’t be from the Harrisburg-based craft brewers own taps—at least not for now.

On Monday night, the city Zoning Hearing Board gave its unanimous approval for a zoning variance, allowing the company to begin brewing soon out of an industrial building at 1721 Holly St. on Allison Hill.

Co-owner Shaun Harris said that he expects to start operating sometime in early 2020, once he gets the final go-ahead from the PA Liquor Control Board.

The company, though, will begin as a wholesale-only brewer, meaning that it’ll make beer for other locations to serve. Harris said that they plan to operate as a “nanobrewery,” producing fewer than 500 barrels for the first year.

“Our operation is going to be very small at first,” Harris said.

The company, which would be the first black-owned brewery in Pennsylvania, will occupy less than 30 percent of the squat, brick industrial building on the corner of Holly and S. 18^th streets, Harris said.

He said that the company will focus initially on supplying bars and restaurants in Harrisburg, especially in their home area.

“We want to begin serving around Allison Hill and then branch out from there to anybody who wants it,” Harris said.

Originally, the company, which includes co-owners Tim White and JT Thomas, had eyed a snug, second-floor area above a laundromat at 13^th and Market streets for a brewery and small taproom. That plan, however, had logistical and space problems, Harris said. So, they decided to proceed more incrementally.

The new plan includes producing a limited quantity of beer on a wholesale basis. They would then grow that operation while continuing to search for—and save up for—a larger, permanent home with a taproom.

“Our next location is where we’ll actually be serving the product,” Harris said.

At the meeting, Zoning Board members had questions about deliveries, refuse and hours of operations. However, in the end, they seemed satisfied that the small brewery would fit into the mixed commercial/residential area.

“The building already is an industrial-use building. It’s along the historically industrial corridor,” Harris told the board. “Our use isn’t going to change anything in the neighborhood.”

For more information about Harris Family Brewery, visit their website or Facebook page.

Burg Review: At Open Stage, a delightful night on the wrong side of Whoville

November 18, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Rachel Landon as Cindy Lou Who in Open Stage’s new, must-see “Who’s Holiday!” Photo: Marc Faubel

“Who’s Holiday”: A Review in Verse

The night air was chilly
in need of a heater.
As people rushed into
Open Stage’s new theater.

Gathered were many,
the straight and the gay.
It was opening night
of “Who’s Holiday!”

We strode past the bar,
tickets were scanned in.
Seats, lights and music,
then the star, Rachel Landon!

She wore sparklers and frizzlers,
silky stockings and stays.
She was Cindy Lou Who
who had seen better days.

At first she seemed merry
but then started to curse.
As she spoke of a rough life
all in Seussian verse.

The years were not kind
since her fame as a toddler.
Her Grinch-ian fond-ship
had grown a little too fonder.

In a trailer she lived,
where she tried to be happy.
With cigs, pills and booze
and that whacky tobacky.

It was funny and touching
and bawdy, as well.
With jokes, songs and F bombs
from the talented Ms. L.

It ended rather wistful
with hope and delight.
My funny bone, I think,
grew three sizes that night!

Editor’s Note: My bad poetry aside, “Who’s Holiday!” is a fantastic production. Rachel Landon, alternatively hilarious, lecherous, sentimental and regretful, delivers a profoundly entertaining one-woman, adults-only show (directed by Stuart Landon). “Who’s Holiday” is for anyone who needs an off-colored respite from the annual onslaught of traditional holiday merriment. It may be the best (and funniest) way to spend 90 minutes in Harrisburg between now and New Year’s.

“Who’s Holiday!” runs through Dec. 28 at Open Stage, 25 N. Court St., Harrisburg. For more information and tickets, call 717-232-6736 or visit www.openstagehbg.com.

Burg Review: Warm up for the holiday with Gamut’s immersive “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”

November 18, 2019 | by Amy Mastrangelo

Lore says that the fantastical country of Narnia stretches for hundreds of miles, and its rulers may rule there for hundreds of years.

The size and scope of the world C.S. Lewis created is massive, yet “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” premiered this Friday at the cozy Gamut Theatre space. Though this story features many larger-than-life characters, the viewer feels a closer connection to each one of them on the Gamut stage. Thanks to Melissa Nicholson’s excellent direction, there is a strong focus on the way each character talks, snarls, prances and moves.

Dramatized by Joseph Robinette, “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” is a story of good versus evil at its core. To start, the audience is plunged into darkness, and booms vibrate loud enough to shake the whole theater. Siblings Peter (Lyeneal Griffin), Susan (Leighann Koppenhofer), Edmund (Andrew Webb), and Lucy (Kennedy Commissiong) escape these London bombings to live in a country home, but, once they arrive there, they soon discover that a wardrobe in a spare room is hiding its own secrets.

The younger siblings Lucy and Edmund are the first to find Narnia on the other side of the wardrobe, but their older siblings have their doubts. Commissiong exerts confidence as she leans against the iconic lamppost, welcoming all of her siblings into Narnia with her “told-you-so” body language.

In Narnia, the enchanting cast spans all ages. Several very young performers appear as cute mice twirling amongst the other frolicking forest creatures. The snow-lined stone path leads into a silver forest with tangled branches overhead. We see the Unicorn (Abby Carroll) chatting with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver. The pair (played by Diego Sandino and Erin Shellenberger) quickly become crowd favorites with their warm disposition and good chemistry. Sandino, wearing a cap and suspenders and a long brown tail, speaks in a perfectly nervous yet charming tone.

I was eager to see the White Witch, played by Amber Mann. Wearing a tall, shimmering, icicle tiara, Mann barks orders like “Now” and “Come Forth” in a sharp, piercing tone. The mighty lion Aslan, combining impeccable puppeteering with the booming voice of James Mitchell, is another equally commanding presence who stands for what is good and just. Young performers all worked together to dance, shake tambourines and chant to give Aslan the grand entrance he deserved.

When Aslan appears, the lighting onstage warms up with colorful hues of orange, red and yellow. In contrast, the lighting turns blue, sparse, and fragmented when the Witch works her magic and turns her victims to stone. As Aslan’s followers clash with the Witch’s followers, the four young siblings find themselves in the middle of a prophecy that will determine the fate of Narnia.

What impressed me the most about this production was the immersive, large scope of it all. Specifically, the second act brings about two-dozen performers together for the final battle sequence. The entire stage, including both floors, are used appropriately to showcase all of the performers.

Costume designer Stephanie Jones also knocks it out of the park with intricate head-to-toe costumes for all Narnia beasts, big and small. Fenris Ulf (Garrett Knisley) rips and roars across the stage with his wolf-like ears, tattered pants and studded cuffs. Mr. Tumnus (Will Mueller) walks on his toes with his wide, pointed ears and signature red scarf. Edmund dons an argyle sweater vest and matching socks. Scott Long nails the eccentric swagger of the Professor with an eyebrow raised, a pipe hanging out of his mouth, and a bushy mustache.

Even Father Christmas makes an appearance as “Silent Night” plays softly in the background, and the whole cast seems to catch their breath for a moment of peace.

Now is the perfect time of year to catch this production. As wreaths appear on street lamps and shops stream holiday music, this play fills you with just the right amount of childhood wonder to kick off the holiday season.

“The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe” runs through Dec. 8 at Gamut Theatre, 15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg. For more information and tickets, call 717-238-4111 or visit www.gamuttheatre.org.

Bob’s Art Blog: “Dreams” at SAM

November 18, 2019 | by Bob MacGinnes

“Pink Line” by Peter Ydeen

There is a creature that inhabits Easton in the manner it approaches its prey, the cover of night allows it to hunt unnoticed.

Photographer Peter Ydeen claims nocturnal Easton as his territory. His home turf of the past number of years comes alive under the gossamer gaze of his lens. It is like Ydeen is using night goggles while the rest of the world is experiencing tunnel vision.

The captivating results create a world of atmospheric abandonment and eerie enchantment. He is both an urban landscape photographer and an artist of abandonment. His nightscapes are infused with an internal yearning for a city that has gone missing. His photographic portrayals of emptiness give an otherwise static universe an umbrella of “underground” uniformity. A surreal script, non-linear in its narrative, and the dragnet it throws create “colors and contrasts” and places of substance and shadow.

No one knows better than the Susquehanna Art Museum’s (SAM) Director of Exhibitions Lauren Nye that, when one door closes, another one opens. She was responsible for not only bringing Valeri Larko’s “Hidden City” painted paradise of abandoned spaces to SAM but curating it, as well. Filling the lobby gallery over its three-month run, that exhibit closed on Sunday.

As it became history, Ydeen’s urban landscape photography opened nearby, and I saw it for the first time during last Friday’s 3rd in the Burg. Nye rightfully placed it like a jewel in the DeSoto Family Vault. Ydeen’s “Dreams,” like Larko’s before, share the thread of longing and loss with things and places once inhabited and imbued with life that have become mere relics of the past. Under her steady hand and gimlet eye, Nye showcases “Dreams” in the most intimate of spaces at SAM. When you enter the Vault, you enter a world from another dimension, one that pays homage to isolation and interpretation, to imagination and idylls.

“It’s a Nice Night for a Picnic” by Peter Ydeen

Snapshots from the Vault include “Pink Line,” which derives its title from the neon glow capping the top of the frame. A used car dealership is romanced in its depiction as “Car Heaven” with its pop of pink doubling as a halo. Another, “Garden of Eden,” takes place in nearby Bethlehem, which occupies a space of lush green foliage leading to an open area. The only thing missing are Adam and Eve. Ydeen’s self-deprecating humor is evident in his photo titles like “Tree Eats Mall,” “Digestion,” and “Vogue Couture, Paris, Pennsylvania.”

In producing a sobering study in languid landscapes, Ydeen does not take himself too seriously. He shoots when the lights come on, giving his stage sets life. Swathed in a sodium vapor that is admitted by streetlights, his images cast an ethereal essence that evaporates as night lapses into day. Any semblance of those who once danced and dreamed have been wiped clean, leaving only the props for posterity. The exhibit is a testament to time’s mutability and matter over memory. Ydeen’s photography is both poetic and potent, allowing the viewer to fill in the blanks, populate the portraits or not and wander through the city and landscapes haunted or in harmony with the present state of being.

While at SAM, venture upstairs to see the Main Gallery exhibits—painter Inka Essenhigh’s fantastical “Other Worlds” and the thought provoking “War Is Only Half the Story,” an exhibit from 40 photojournalists that depicts war in all its myriad meanings.

Art in its purest form is meant to fire the imagination, open up new worlds, inspire and challenge, stir emotion and create a connection between art and life, even if landscapes are the only sign of life in the frame.

Art This and That: Upcoming events of note in November

Nov. 22: “Picturing a More Perfect Union: Violet Oakley’s Mural Studies for the Pennsylvania Senate Chamber 1911 to 1919,” opens at the State Museum of Pennsylvania.

Nov. 30: The Odd Ones Bazaar, with over 50 artists and vendors, takes place at the Millworks in Harrisburg. Small Business Saturday is on this date, so support your local galleries, merchants and museums. Shop small, think big!

“Dreams” by Peter Ydeen shows through Jan. 12 in the DeSoto Family Vault at the Susquehanna Art Museum, 1401 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.susquehannaartmuseum.org.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

November 15, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse speaks during the official opening of a new city park, which once was a sinkhole-marred street.

The news came at us from all sides last week—Harrisburg city council, the school district, arts, business, etc. Did you miss any of our coverage? Don’t fret, as we have it all recapped below in one convenient place.

Environmental awareness and action will be front and center next week during “A Call for Climate Action: A Community Conversation” to be held at the Dixon University Center in Uptown Harrisburg. Find out more about this important event from our November magazine story.

Gamut Theatre opens “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” this weekend, the first major production in Gamut’s new theater season. Read our recent feature to find out how they’re approaching this venerable fable.

HACC will end its long-running “Live at Rose Lehrman” performing arts series. HACC said that it plans to shut down the 35-year-old series in March, citing decreased attendance and revenue. Our online story has the details.

Harrisburg introduced an ordinance last week that would allow greater housing density in residential neighborhoods. The city’s mayor said that he was proposing the change to help attract more residential development. Click here to read the details.

Harrisburg area home sales and prices in October were up substantially compared to a year ago, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors. Read the latest data and the county-by-county breakdown here.

Harrisburg school district has completed an analysis of the 2019-20 budget it inherited from the prior administration, discovering a revenue shortfall of about $6.7 million. Get all the unpleasant details by reading our online story.

Open Stage this weekend opens “Who’s Holiday,” the first play to be staged in the newly reconstructed theater in downtown Harrisburg. For a preview of this very non-traditional holiday comedy, check out our recent theater feature.

Riverside Firehouse is expected to hit the market after City Council transferred the century-old station to the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority. The authority would put the firehouse up for sale after consolidating two separate parcels. Read the details in our online story.

Sara Bozich has your plans for the weekend, which could include theater openings, a new brewery at Sip @ Soma and 3^rd in the Burg, among a hundred or so other things to do. Visit her “Weekend Roundup” for the most complete event list in Harrisburg.

Seven Bridges Development has decided to delay an effort to rezone a swath of Midtown. The company said that they plan to engage with the community and return next year with a more detailed building proposal. Click here to read our online story.

Sinkhole-plagued S. 14^th Street has gotten new life as a city park. This week, Harrisburg officials unveiled the South 14^th Street Open Space, the culmination of a years-long effort to buy out homeowners and turn the area into green space. Read the details here.

Writeface is a local program that uses the power of the pen to help veterans tell their stories. Naturally, it was our story selection for Veteran’s Day. Click here to read about this important program.

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

Developer halts rezoning effort in Midtown Harrisburg, vows more community engagement in new year

November 14, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

These undeveloped parcels at Reily and N. 6th streets make up part of the area that a developer would like to rezone.

A Harrisburg developer has halted an effort to change zoning for a swath of Midtown Harrisburg, stating that his company will put off any further action until next year.

Ian Wewer, the director of development and operations for Seven Bridges Development, said on Thursday that his company will not immediately pursue a change in zoning for a 14-block area just north of the Broad Street Market.

“After collecting the feedback of the residents of Midtown Harrisburg and the surrounding areas, Seven Bridges is withdrawing the Zoning Amendment Application for the proposed area of Midtown,” Wewer said, in an email to TheBurg.

In April, the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority (HRA) named Seven Bridges as its potential developer in the Marketplace townhouse community. The HRA holds some 60 lots in the area, after buying them back earlier this year from State College-based S&A Homes, which stopped developing in the neighborhood more than a decade ago.

Before undertaking any projects, Seven Bridges stated that it needed to change the zoning for the area from “residential medium neighborhood” to “commercial neighborhood,” which would permit greater height, density and mix of uses. A split city Planning Commission recommended the zoning change in early October.

The company was due to make a presentation before City Council on Tuesday on the amendment, as council members need to approve any zoning change. That presentation has now has been cancelled.

“Our intent is to return in the new year with an application infused with greater community involvement and input in the design of the future of their community,” Wewer wrote.

Seven Bridges held a community meeting in September on its zoning change proposal and was met with a mix of support and skepticism from residents. The same occurred at a second, well-attended meeting last month, with several residents requesting greater detail on what Seven Bridges planned to build.

To date, Seven Bridges has been reluctant to reveal details about potential projects, saying only that they may include a mix of residential and commercial uses.

Sinkhole to Park: City unveils new open space in South Harrisburg

November 14, 2019 | by Maddie Conley

Mayor Eric Papenfuse spoke on Thursday at the unveiling of the South 14th Street Open Space, a new city park.

Five years ago, a sinkhole began to swallow up the 1400-block of S. 14^th Street in Harrisburg. On Thursday, the once-residential area began a new era as a community green space.

City, state and federal officials–and some former residents–gathered at the South 14th Street Open Space, a new, 2.4-acre city park, which, until recently, was occupied by rows of small, 1950s-era houses and a street.

“I just never saw so much open space over here,” said former S. 14^th Street resident Rhonda Scott, who had lived in the neighborhood for 28 years. “It’s bittersweet; everybody was over here for a long time.”

In 2014, the disaster affected 53 homes, throwing some residents out of their houses and endangering others.

Roads, sidewalks and yards were damaged as well—making it a problem the city needed to solve. At the time, Harrisburg, just out of receivership, was in no financial condition to be tackling an issue this big, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said.

However, at the urging of state and local officials, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funded much of the sinkhole mitigation project, suppling the city with $1.65 million for it. Never before had FEMA approved a sinkhole project.

“This project changed national policy,” said Steve Ward, a FEMA federal coordinating officer who attended the ceremony.

An additional $4.55 million came from HUD’s Department of Community and Economic Development and Dauphin County’s Community Development Block Grant.

Using these funds, the city was able to buy all of the 53 affected units for their assessed market values. Residents were assisted in finding and purchasing new housing elsewhere. After a tedious, multi-year process, the buildings were demolished last April.

The site was excavated 10 feet deep, backfilled and regraded to help prevent future sinkholes caused by excessive rainfall, as copious rain from Tropical Storm Lee in 2011, passing through the porous ground in the area, likely caused the initial sinkhole outbreak. The area was zoned as a green space, meaning no future construction can occur there.

“This site will allow folks to reflect on local memories,” said Tom Hughes, state hazard mitigation officer for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA).

The new park includes a walking path, benches and newly planted trees. A permanent plaque will be installed to serve as a memorial to the neighborhood that once stood there.

Some neighbors do have concerns about how well the park will be taken care of.

“We know the community really appreciates it and because they appreciate it, they are going to treat it well,” said Rev. Roberta Thompson, associate pastor at Mount Olive Baptist Church nearby. “We do have some concerns about how we are going to keep it up.”

Papenfuse assured community members that the city will maintain the green space as it does other parks in the city.

Although devastating to those who lived there, the sinkhole project showed Ward the potential of city, state and national organizations uniting on a job that once seemed impossible.

“This is a perfect example of the community coming together and helping those families,” he said.

The South 14th Street Open Space is located on the 1400-block of S. 14^th St., Harrisburg.

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