Wheel House: Recycle Bicycle buys permanent home following years-long search

October 14, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Volunteers clean out the interior of the new Recycle Bicycle building this past weekend.

The long search is over.

After years of combing through nearly every neighborhood in Harrisburg, Recycle Bicycle has found a new home—and it’s exactly where Ross Willard has wanted to be all along.

“It’s in the heart of the city, which is where we need to be because that’s where the need is the greatest,” said Willard, founder of the Harrisburg-based nonprofit.

Specifically, it’s at 1722 Chestnut St., a mixed commercial and residential area smack-dab in the middle of Allison Hill.

Recycle Bicycle closed on the building purchase last week, and volunteers spent the weekend cleaning it out, an effort that continues this week.

But that’s just the first step. The circa-1940 machine shop needs a “a lot,” said Willard: a new roof, drywall, plumbing, lighting and much else before it can officially open for business, hopefully by early spring. In the meantime, the organization will be able to collect and store bikes there, while performing repairs outside the building.

Recycle Bicycle collects, fixes and gives away bikes free of charge throughout the Harrisburg area and beyond. Perhaps most importantly, it teaches people to care for and fix their own bicycles.

Willard said that he long had his eye on the 9,000-square-foot building near Hamilton Health Center but was unable to contact the former owner who ran a home repair business from there. When he finally reached him, the owner was willing to sell.

“Years ago, I pointed at a map and said that I wanted to be exactly there because it’s so centrally located,” Willard said.

That said—Willard still would like to find a satellite location in Uptown Harrisburg. For the past four years, Recycle Bicycle was located in the Atlas Street Warehouse, needing to move out after the building sold. As a result, the children in that neighborhood have grown up with easy access to the group and its volunteers, Willard said.

Meanwhile, fundraising continues so that the Allison Hill building can be fixed and made suitable for Recycle Bicycle.

“The roof will cost us as much as the building did,” said Willard.

With that, Willard needed to get off the phone, since he was at an area halfway house helping a resident there fix his bicycle so he could get to his job.

“Too many guys and gals need economical transportation to get to work,” he said. “We are that place.”

For more information about Recycle Bicycle and to make a donation, visit www.recyclebicycleharrisburg.org.

More apartments headed for downtown Harrisburg as building project evolves

October 14, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Plans have changed for 17 S. 2nd St. (building on left) and 21 S. 2nd St. (empty lot on right).

A plan for a downtown Harrisburg office building has evolved and now will consist of two separate projects—one residential and one office.

Harristown Enterprises has decided to split a Market Square project into two pieces, said CEO Brad Jones.

The first building, an existing, century-old office building at 17 S. 2nd St., now will become a 30-unit, market-rate apartment building with a mix of one- and two-bedroom units, with retail or restaurant space on the first floor, Jones said. That six-story project will go before the city’s Planning Commission next month.

The neighboring building, new construction at 21 S. 2nd St., still will become an office building, Jones said.

Originally, Harrisburg-based Harristown had planned one large, interconnected office building spanning both sites, but hasn’t been able to secure an anchor tenant for it.

“The original plan was to do an office complex,” Jones said. “We spent the last year shopping that concept. We had a number of prospects, but didn’t find the right deal on that.”

In 2017, Harristown acquired 21 S. 2nd St. and later knocked down the small, dilapidated building on that site, which now is an empty lot. Last year, it bought the building next door, 17 S. 2nd St., most recently the home of the Skarlatos & Zonarich law firm, which has relocated to Strawberry Square.

Jones said that he didn’t want 17 S. 2nd St. to sit empty, possibly for years, while his company searched for a large anchor tenant for the office complex, nor could Harristown build it on spec. So, they decided to convert that existing building into apartments, as demand has been strong for other downtown residential projects.

Over the past few years, Harristown has built—or is building—about 150 apartment units in downtown Harrisburg, mostly conversions from aging office buildings. Its largest project, two attached, mid-century buildings on the 100-block of Pine Street, will deliver 74 units early next year.

Meanwhile, Harristown continues to search for an anchor office tenant for 21 S. 2nd St. Jones said that he envisions that new building to be four to six stories tall, with 10,000 to 15,000 square feet of new office space. Harristown would like to break ground on it in 2021, but timing depends on interest, as the company requires at least 50 percent of the space to be pre-leased to start construction, he said.

“There’s a sense of urgency on both of these projects,” Jones said. “We’d like to do them as quickly as possible.”

The Week That Was: News and features around Harrisburg

October 11, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Franchon Dickinson, center, accepted a huge federal grant in the morning, then, later in the day, was refused an appointment by City Council.

It was another fast-moving news week around Harrisburg, as City Council faced down a lengthy agenda during its legislative session. As usual, we have a wrap-up in case you missed any of our coverage over the past week.

Dauphin County is moving many of its polling places for the November election, especially within Harrisburg. Read our story to find out if your polling station is being moved and, if so, to where.

El Rancho is a new downtown Harrisburg restaurant serving Mexican and Central American cuisine. What’s a pupusa? Find out by reading our feature story.

Free Dentistry Day is a national effort to provide no-charge dental services to anyone who needs them. Learn how it’s making a difference to patients in the Harrisburg area.

Garth Stein came to Harrisburg recently to read from his new book, “The Art of Racing in the Rain.” In his talk to a packed house at Market Square Presbyterian Church, the best-selling author also opined on dogs, Hollywood and just life in general. Read our online feature story here.

Harrisburg City Council refused to endorse the administration’s choice for director of the city’s building and housing department. The mayor said that the denial endangers the city’s federally funded housing programs, including a lead abatement grant that was just announced. Click here to read about the controversy.

Homes sales were up last month in the Harrisburg area, as were prices. We have a county-by-county breakdown in our online story.

PennDOT may be open to making changes to its planned widening of I-83, Harrisburg’s mayor said last week. Read our news story to find out what may be in store for the busy highway and the surrounding area.

Sara Bozich has serious plans for the weekend, mostly centered around wine and pumpkins. Find out what else is going on around town in her weekly column.

Steelton has sold it water assets to Pennsylvania American Water, the same company that has expressed preliminary interest in Harrisburg’s water system. Click here to read our news story.

YWCA’s “Style of Power” fashion show is both a major annual event and a way to raise awareness of domestic violence. We highlight the event in our feature story from the October issue.

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

Steelton sells water assets to PA American Water; company also being interviewed by Harrisburg

October 11, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Capital Region Water at work. File Photo

A company that has expressed preliminary interest in Harrisburg’s water system has purchased the water assets of a neighboring municipality.

Pennsylvania American Water announced today that it has bought Steelton’s water system for $21.75 million. The system serves nearly 2,400 customers.

“The purchase not only provides financial benefits and rate stability for Steelton, but it also aligns perfectly with our existing water service territory here in the midstate,” said company President Mike Doran, in a statement.

The Hershey-based company, a subsidiary of American Water, serves customers in numerous municipalities in the area, including in Camp Hill, New Cumberland and Lemoyne, and is one of the largest water providers in the state.

Last month, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that PA Water was one of four companies that responded to a city-issued request for information (RFI) and that the administration planned to interview. The other three companies are Aqua America, Suez North America and Veolia American Water.

Papenfuse has repeatedly stressed that the city has reached no decision on whether to privatize its system, but is in an information-gathering stage. Currently, the municipal utility Capital Region Water (CRW) serves 20,300 water customers and 17,000 wastewater connections in and around Harrisburg.

The Steelton sale included only drinking water, not wastewater or sewer, assets, said Maggie Sheely, PA American Water’s external affairs manager. CRW treats wastewater from Steelton.

“Pennsylvania American Water’s investment in our system brings Steelton into the 21^st century and ensures customers will have reliable, high-quality water service into the future,” said Allan Ausman, chair of the Steelton Water Authority.

With the sale, the authority’s seven workers are now employees of PA American Water, according to the company. In addition, the company said that it has adopted the borough’s existing water rates.

For more information on Pennsylvania American Water, visit the company’s website.

Vote Where? Many polling places in Harrisburg area about to change.

October 11, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Actually, don’t vote here, as this Ward 4 polling station in Harrisburg is switching to city hall.

Many Harrisburg voters will need to cast their ballots in a new polling place next month, as Dauphin County had made numerous location changes to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

For the Nov. 5 general election, voters in seven Harrisburg polling stations, and two more outside of the city, will have new locations, said Gerald Feaser, director of the county’s Bureau of Elections and Voter Registration.

In several other locations, the building will remain the same, but the room or entry point will change.

“We had to make these changes to comply with the law,” Feaser said. “We had no choice.”

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice surveyed a portion of the county’s polling stations, finding “many” to be difficult to access for people with disabilities. Then, last year, the county and the department reached an agreement meant to increase accessibility.

“The county shall select facilities to be used as polling places that do not exclude individuals with disabilities from or deny them the benefits of the polling place, or otherwise subject them to discrimination,” according to the settlement agreement.

As a result, the following polling stations are changing:

Harrisburg 1-1
Old: Comfort Inn/Passage to India, 525 S. Front St.
New: UPMC Pinnacle/Life Team Facility, 1000 Paxton St.

Harrisburg 4
Old: St. Michael Evangelical Lutheran Church, 118 State St.
New: MLK Jr. City Government Building, 10 N. 2nd St.

Harrisburg 7-2
Old: Capital Presbyterian Church, 1401 Cumberland St.
New: Downey Elementary School, 1313 Monroe St.

Harrisburg 9-4
Old: Bellevue Community Center, Briarcliff & Oakwood Rds.
New: John Harris High School Field House, 2451 Market St. (S. 25th Street side)

Harrisburg 10-1
Old: Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, 2121 N. 3rd St.
New: Goodwin Memorial Baptist Church, Family Life Center (rear entrance), 2430 N. 3rd St.

Harrisburg 10-3
Old: Hadee Mosque, 245 Division St.
New: Scottish Rite Cathedral (west side of ballroom), 2701 N. 3rd St.

Harrisburg 10-4
Old: Teamsters Local #776, 2552 Jefferson St.
New: Scottish Rite Cathedral (east side of ballroom), 2701 N. 3rd St.

In addition, for Harrisburg 6 (Susquehanna Art Museum) and Harrisburg 9-3 (Edison Village), the building will remain the same, but the polling location in the building will change.

Elsewhere in Dauphin County, two polling locations are changing:

Londonderry 1
Old: Middletown Hunters & Anglers, 1350 Schoolhouse Rd.
New: Living Hope Church, 3030 Schoolhouse Rd.

Swatara 10
Old: Waterford at Summit View, 8201 President’s Dr.
New: Vietnam Veterans Bingo Hall, 8000 Derry St.

In addition, Lower Paxton 24 (Linglestown Elementary) and Swatara 7 (Lawnton Elementary) will remain in their buildings but change the entry point and room, respectively.

Several of the new polling stations are located just outside of their ward or precinct boundary: Harrisburg 1-1, Harrisburg 4 and Harrisburg 9-4. Feaser said that this is permitted if a suitable location can’t be found within the district boundary itself.

The county also changed several polling places for May’s primary election. However, those changes were made mostly because the former locations either didn’t want to serve, or no longer could serve, as a polling station.

Feaser said that he wanted to make the bulk of the changes this year, in the typically lower-turnout, off-year election. However, he still may need to make additional changes to polling locations next year, when a larger turnout is expected for the presidential election cycle.

“This is an ongoing process, and we’re probably halfway there,” Feaser said.

Click here for a complete list of polling locations in Harrisburg.

Lower mortgage rates push home sales, prices up in Harrisburg area

October 10, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

A row of houses in Midtown Harrisburg

Harrisburg area home sales jumped in September and prices also rose thanks to a drop in mortgage rates, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR).

In the three-county region, home sales increased to 607 units, a jump of 18.1 percent over September 2018, while the median home sales price rose 5.1 percent to $181,000, GHAR said on Thursday.

In Dauphin County, 292 housing units sold versus 254 in the year-ago period, and the median sales price increased to $167,500 compared to $164,900. Cumberland County saw home sales increase to 286 units from 233, while the median price rose to $209,950 from $189,000 in September 2018.

In Perry County, home sales increased by two units, to 29, while the median price was unchanged at $149,900, compared to the year-ago period, according to GHAR.

Overall, housing inventory was down by about 10 percent compared to September 2018, GHAR said.

“The sharp drop in mortgage rates over the past year has created additional demand,” said GHAR, in a press release.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

October 10, 2019 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

It’s Très Bonne Année weekend, pretty much the only thing I do for myself that isn’t somehow work-adjacent, at least not presently. Tonight, we’re off to the Vintner’s Dinner, which is a really cool wine dinner held on the stage at the Whitaker Center.

Friday, TBA has its Vintner Tasting nights, and I’m staying home but sending the crew — Jimi, Hope, Lena, and Corinne will be sampling Verity wines all night!

Saturday is the Gala! Fingers crossed my Rent the Runway gown fits or I’ll be scrambling for a dress.

For family-related fun, we may take the kiddo to the Lower Allen Township Touch a Truck on Saturday and Pennsboro Pumpkin Festival on Sunday.

What are you doing this weekend?

(more…)

Harrisburg Council refuses to confirm housing director; mayor says programs now threatened

October 8, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Franchon Dickinson, center, as she and Mayor Eric Papenfuse accepted a check for the city’s lead abatement program on Tuesday morning.

Harrisburg City Council on Tuesday rejected a top administration appointment, with the mayor stating that the decision imperils key city housing programs.

By a 4-2 vote, council turned down the appointment of Franchon Dickinson as the city’s new director of building and housing, the second time this year council members had refused to confirm her appointment.

Following the vote, Dickinson, who was serving as interim department director, resigned her job with the city.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse railed against the vote, saying that Dickinson’s departure endangers two critical housing programs—the annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the city’s Lead Hazard Reduction Program.

“There is no way this can be understood as anything other than pure dysfunction on the part of City Council,” he said, following the meeting.

Council members Ben Allatt, Ausha Green, Danielle Bowers and Dave Madsen voted against the appointment, while council President Wanda Williams and Councilman Westburn Majors voted in favor. Councilwoman Shamaine Daniels was absent from the meeting.

In June, council voted 4-3 against the appointment.

Just hours earlier on Tuesday, Dickinson had hosted a city hall ceremony in which she accepted a check for $5.6 million from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to continue the city’s lead abatement program for five years.

Papenfuse said that Dickinson was fundamental in securing both CDBG funds and the federal lead abatement grant and that, without her leadership, both programs were at risk.

“This puts our HUD funding in jeopardy,” he said. “I don’t feel we’ll be able to implement that grant or even our CDBG funding right now.”

City Business Administrator Marc Woolley also condemned the council vote, saying that Dickinson proved her value by securing the lead program funds and rescuing the CDBG program following mismanagement.

After the meeting, Bowers said that she couldn’t discuss the issue, which she considered a confidential personnel matter. But she said that the next move is up to the mayor.

“I would hope that the administration and City Council can find some resolution to this issue, but it would be up to the administration to determine a next step to fill the role on an interim basis,” she said.

Harrisburg Mayor: PennDOT may be receptive to changes for proposed I-83 redesign

October 8, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Aerial view of I-83 in Harrisburg from 19th Street to the Susquehanna River. A PennDOT proposal would double the width of this segment of the highway.

The PA Department of Transportation might consider making changes to its design for the widening of I-83 that would reduce the project’s impact on the community, Harrisburg’s mayor said on Tuesday night.

At a City Council legislative session, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that PennDOT officials seemed receptive to the preliminary findings of the city’s transportation consultants, Kittelson & Associates, during a Sept. 16 meeting.

“It was a robust discussion of Kittelson’s findings,” Papenfuse told council members.

In June, the city hired the company for $72,500 to conduct a traffic and community impact study of the commonwealth’s proposal to double the number of lanes running through the city.

The study analyzes PennDOT’s widening plan, which envisions as many as 12 lanes and new interchanges, and is determining whether alternatives exist to reduce the project’s footprint and the impact on the community.

Kittelson is expected to release its final report in December, but shared its preliminary findings during the September meeting with PennDOT, Papenfuse said.

Kittelson believes that the footprint of the project can be reduced to lessen the impact on numerous homes and businesses in south Harrisburg threatened by the expansion, and PennDOT seemed receptive to the firm’s ideas, the mayor said.

Following Tuesday night’s council meeting, city Engineer Wayne Martin explained that Kittelson is recommending reducing the size of the project from 12 to 10 lanes by eliminating two collector/distributor lanes, which are lanes that parallel and connect to the main travel lanes.

Other recommendations include redesigning the proposed 19^th Street and Paxton Streets ramps to further reduce the impact on the neighborhood.

“PennDOT is committed to doing what it can to minimize the footprint,” Papenfuse said. “It seems encouraging at this point. It’s been a good dialogue and a good discussion.”

In other meeting news, City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution to pay former Jump Street Executive Director Melissa Snyder $10,000 to serve as a consultant for one year as the city takes on organizing the annual Artsfest celebration. Council also passed a resolution applying for a grant for an extension of the “Urban Meadow” in Midtown.

Also at the meeting, Papenfuse introduced Amma Johnson as the new director of the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development and Jamal Jones as the new director of business development and LERTA administrator.

Harrisburg to continue, accelerate lead abatement program with new federal grant

October 8, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Uptown Harrisburg resident Joanne Chisolm spoke at a press conference today on lead abatement funding.

Harrisburg’s lead abatement efforts got a huge boost today, as the city announced a major federal grant.

In a press conference at city hall, federal, state and local officials joined together to announce that Harrisburg will receive $5 million from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction grant program and $600,000 from its Healthy Homes Supplemental program.

“With the aging housing stock we have in Harrisburg, we have a lot of lead paint,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. “But now with the assistance of HUD, we’ll be able to move our lead abatement efforts forward for years to come.”

The funding covers five years of lead paint analysis and removal throughout the city, Papenfuse said.

The city’s program is open to residents who meet certain conditions, including income requirements. It’s been show that children who eat chipped, lead-based paint can experience learning disabilities and behavioral problems.

HUD’s Joe DeFelice, Harrisburg Building and Housing Director Franchon Dickinson and Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse pose with a ceremonial check.

HUD recently announced $319 million in funding throughout the country for its Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction grant program and supplemental program, including $22 million for six jurisdictions throughout Pennsylvania.

Locally, besides Harrisburg’s funding, Lancaster is receiving $9.1 million through the grant program and another $600,000 through the supplemental program.

The grant marks the return of federal funds for lead abatement in Harrisburg. The city’s previous federal grant of $3.7 million expired last December. This year, Harrisburg has continued its program though a one-year, $986,245 state grant.

“The funding will enable professionals to evaluate the living conditions in the house and then address the lead hazards found there,” said Joe DeFelice, HUD’s Mid-Atlantic regional administrator.

Speaking at the event, city resident Joanne Chisolm said that Harrisburg’s program has allowed lead to be removed from her Uptown house, where she also runs a part-time daycare center.

She said that her house first was analyzed for lead and that, when it was discovered, she was put up in a hotel for 1½ weeks while the remediation took place, all at no cost to her.

“It was a wonderful experience,” she said. “The work was professionally done.”

Click here for more information on Harrisburg’s Lead Hazard Reduction Program.

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