Renewed hope for Harrisburg’s MarketPlace neighborhood as city buys back dozens of empty lots

July 10, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

An S&A sign still stands near N. 6th and Reily streets despite the recent sale to the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority.

A stalled building project may have a new lease on life, as the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority has bought back dozens of undeveloped lots in the city’s MarketPlace Townhomes neighborhood.

In late June, the authority purchased 58 lots from S&A Homes for $128,672, re-acquiring the Midtown properties it had given to the State College-based developer almost 14 years before.

“The Redevelopment Authority had to take back the properties because S&A was not going to develop them,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. “The Redevelopment Authority is now looking for a [development] partner for those lots.”

In the 1970s, the authority began acquiring parcels just south of N. 6^th and Reily streets, which eventually included the Zommit Cleaners site, an industrial property that required soil decontamination.

By 1998, 38 single-family homes had been built in the MarketPlace neighborhood, named for its proximity to the Broad Street Market. In late 2005, the authority sold most of its remaining inventory—71 lots—to S&A for $1 apiece in an area bounded by N. 6^th, James, Reily and Sayford streets.

Over the next three years, S&A built 13 houses, but stopped when the financial crisis hit in 2008. No homes have been constructed since, leaving numerous grassy, overgrown lots, many set off by white wooden fences that are now falling down.

A group of townhouses in the MarketPlace neighborhood.

Papenfuse said that he regards the re-acquisition as a first step in getting the project back on track. The authority is eager to receive proposals from qualified developers, he said.

“By taking them back, HRA can find a new development partner,” he said.

Bonnie Rhoads, board president of the MarketPlace Home Owners Association, said that she welcomed news that the city had taken back the lots. Residents, she said, long have wondered about the future of their neighborhood, since S&A seemed uninterested in resuming the project.

A few years ago, the company installed utilities for several lots at N. 6^th and Reily but no development followed.

“We’d love to see something done with these lots,” she said. “I’m open to listening to whatever the mayor or the Redevelopment Authority wants to do.”

Many of the former S&A lots look like this.

Papenfuse said that he believed the area now may be desirable for home buyers given the construction of the U.S. courthouse nearby. He said that the city would welcome development proposals that included novel ideas, such as greater density and mixed-use developments, possibly with affordable housing, even if it required rezoning.

“We’re taking pitches,” he said. “If people have a plan, they should bring it to the city.”

Related: In his column, our editor this month offers ideas for affordable housing in Harrisburg, and, in it, he even mentions the S&A lots as an area begging for redevelopment.

Harrisburg proposes changing procedures, timeframe for disbursing federal housing funds

July 9, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Franchon Dickinson, Harrisburg’s director of building and housing, speaks to City Council on Tuesday night.

Harrisburg plans to shake up the yearly process of doling out federal housing dollars under its “Annual Action Plan” unveiled on Tuesday night.

Franchon Dickinson, director of the city’s Department of Building and Housing, told City Council that the administration wants to tighten requirements for Harrisburg-based social service agencies seeking funding under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

“If we want to effectuate change, we’re going to need to change the way we do business,” she said.

In recent years, council has doled out relatively small amounts of CDBG money to a dozen or so specific service agencies. HUD, however, recently has questioned the way Harrisburg has distributed some of those funds, said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. Therefore, the city needs to make certain it strictly follows HUD guidelines, he said.

Specifically, agencies must show that a service is new or must demonstrate a “quantifiable increase in the level of service in the last 12 months,” said Dickinson. In addition, she said that HUD prefers to fund “senior enrichment programs or special needs populations.”

Moreover, the administration wants to change the funding structure for CDBG, which, this year, will total nearly $1.94 million, down a bit from last year’s pot of $2 million.

Under the current proposal, just $100,000 will be set aside for social service programming, down from about $240,000 last year. However, for facilities projects, agencies will be able to apply for money from a second bucket, one reserved for “public improvement/public facilities,” which totals $407,261, Dickinson said.

Papenfuse said that HUD didn’t like that, in the past, Harrisburg permitted facility improvements with money meant for “public service activities,” funds that were supposed be reserved for programming and other service activities.

The application process also is changing.

This year, the city will not determine recipients before submitting its action plan to HUD in mid-August. Specific recipients will be determined later through a request for proposals (RFP) process, which will be issued in late August, and applications will be scored to make sure they meet HUD guidelines, Papenfuse said.

“It’s a change in procedure, but it’s a good one,” he said. “It makes sure that every dollar we spend will be spent wisely.”

Other proposed CDBG allotments include:

$593,423 for debt service, as the city continues to pay down a federal loan it guaranteed under former Mayor Steve Reed for the disastrous Capitol View Commerce Center project
$387,670 for grant administration
$250,000 for homeowner rehabilitation
$200,000 for emergency demolition

In addition to the CDBG ordinance, council tonight introduced ordinances for the HUD Emergency Solutions Grant Program for $166,243, which mostly goes to the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness to fund emergency shelter and rehousing, and another for HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program for $432,187, which funds affordable housing solutions.

Now that council has introduced its ordinances, the public has 30 days to comment before council takes a final vote on them on Aug. 13. In addition, a public meeting will be held on July 31 at 6 p.m. at Hamilton Health Center.

Only one current CDBG recipient attended Tuesday’s meeting—Les Ford, executive director of the Heinz-Menaker Senior Center.

Following the meeting, Ford said he was unsure what to make of the proposed changes to the program. He said he was concerned that the funds allotted for “public service programs” had been cut from $240,000 to $100,000 under the administration’s proposal, leaving little for the city’s many service providers to split.

“I don’t even know if it’s worth applying for,” he said. “I need to get more information tomorrow. At this point, my head is spinning.”

Sold! Mecum Auto Auctions to “cover all the bases” at 2019 show

July 9, 2019 | by Hanna Martin

The scene at last year’s Mecum Auto Auction at the PA Farm Show building.

More than 100 years of automotive history soon will be up for sale in Harrisburg as part of the annual Mecum Auto Auctions, slated this year for early August.

The Harrisburg auction, chosen specifically because of its central location to the densely populated northeast, is one of Mecum’s 13 national auctions this year and will feature more than 1,200 cars.

“What’s interesting about this auction is that we’ll have $5,000 cars, and we’ll have cars that sell for a $1 million, and everything in between,” said John Kraman, Mecum’s consignment director and TV commentator/analyst. “We really try to cover all the bases, so everybody who wants to do business with Mecum Auctions has an opportunity.”

The four-day auction includes vintage and model cars, motorcycles and road art—memorabilia like tin signs and gas pumps. The less expensive cars will be sold on Wednesday and Thursday, while the more expensive, main attraction cars, with estimated prices of upwards of $2 million, will be sold on the last two days of the auction.

Most of the cars are from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, according to Kraman. However, the auction will feature cars from the last century, late-model European exotics and model American performance cars, such as Camaros, Mustangs and Chevrolet Corvettes.

“The different time periods these cars represent take us back,” Kraman said. “It’s how I feel when I’m behind the wheel. That’s my escape to a different era.”

The auction is a dynamic, fast-paced show, with cars driving around the noisy venue. About 35 cars run per hour, meaning something new will always be rotating onto the auction block.

“We’ve had people tell us it’s the best car show that they’ve ever attended because it has a pulse that the average car show doesn’t,” Kraman said. “It’s loud, there’s a lot of lights, color, excitement and high stakes. For car people or for adrenaline junkies in general, it’s a mecca.”

The Todd Werner collection, a main attraction boasting more than 40 vintage cars and racecars, is gaining national and international attention, according to Kraman. Other collections include the Boca Raton, Kurt Cunningham and John Powers collections, among others.

“With the addition of the Todd Werner collection this year, this would be the first year where we can call this a national-level event,” Kraman said. “Just because of how important a lot of these cars are, people are definitely going to come to Harrisburg to be there for them.”

Although the auction attracts car dealers and hardcore collectors, many people also come to buy their dream car or just browse the show. If you don’t have the budget for a car, don’t despair, as plenty of road art and memorabilia is sold half an hour before the main auction each day.

As an extra attraction this year, NASCAR legend Richard Petty will be on hand both Aug. 2 and Aug. 3 for autograph sessions and photos.

The Mecum Auctions Harrisburg Automobile Auction is held Wednesday, July 31 through Saturday, Aug. 3 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, 2300 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg. It starts at 1 p.m. on Wednesday and 10 a.m. Thursday to Saturday, with doors opening at 8 a.m. The show will also be broadcast on the Mecum Auto Auctions show on NBC Sports Network. For more information, visit https://www.mecum.com/auctions/harrisburg-2019/lots/featured/.

Art Preview: En Plein Air Lancaster takes it outside

July 9, 2019 | by Bob MacGinnes

Painting in the great outdoors has a charm uniquely its own.

Usually, it is a rare occurrence when one happens upon an artist engaged in this endeavor. So, it is with some degree of fanfare when an entire locale is invited to take part in an event that centers around “fresh air painting.”

Lancaster hosts “En Plein Air Lancaster” this Saturday on the streets of the Red Rose City. Set up outside of 13 participating art galleries and museums, the event is free to the public, who can watch artists actively dabbing at their palette.

Coordinated by Lancaster City Art Galleries and Museums, the event is hosted by Mio Studio, City Folk Gallery, Liz Hess Gallery and Red Raven Art Company. The event is rain or shine, with galleries welcoming visitors indoors if the weather is unwelcome.

The participating galleries and museums will feature artists who regularly show there, are members of the respective galleries or are there by special invitation for the event. One such gallery, City Folk, at 146 N. Prince St., owned and curated by Karen Anderer, will welcome Michael Bartmann, who specializes in oil paintings on board with an emphasis on urban Lancaster’s abandoned structures.

Painting in the great outdoors may be just what the doctor ordered for artist and viewer alike. Watching the artists paint “En Plein Air” is certainly more exciting than watching paint dry.

En Plein Air Lancaster takes place on July 13, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. To learn more, visit their website.

Central PA Jazz Fest returns for 39th year, making music throughout the region

July 8, 2019 | by Maddie Conley

The CPFJ youth band

Harrisburg is full of musical artists on the cutting edge of the industry, each hoping to deliver a sound like you’ve never heard before. But, this week, the city is taking it back to the music that started it all, “America’s original art form”—jazz.

For the 39^th straight year, Central PA Friends of Jazz (CPFJ) is presenting their jazz festival, which features performances in Harrisburg, York, Mt. Gretna, Dillsburg and Hummelstown.

“It’s a whole lot of jazz in four days,” said Andy Herring, co-executive director of CPFJ.

CPFJ is a nonprofit organization with a threefold mission of the preservation, education and presentation of jazz. Along with their six annual concerts and performance at Harrisburg Artsfest, their youth band and jazz camp, jam sessions and newsletter—the Central PA Jazz Festival is one of the ways they fulfill their vision.

This year, festival musicians will include the River City Big Band, vocalist Amy Banks and the CPFJ Youth Band. However, the big name at the festival this year is pianist and composer George Cables, who plays Saturday at the Gretna Playhouse.

Cables has been playing jazz for longer than the festival has even existed, performing with renowned artists like Sarah Vaughan and Freddie Hubbard.

“Getting to see George and his trio play is kind of like a window back in to seeing jazz developed,” Herring said.

On Thursday, one of the performance locations will be the Pride of the Susquehanna, on the river in Harrisburg. Audience members will float along the river listening to the Dave Stahl Quintet for a three-hour evening cruise on Thursday. It’s the perfect venue to socialize while enjoying the music, Herring said.

On Friday night, CPFJ is turning up the sound as they feature a festival jazz party at the new Greystone Brew House in Dillsburg.

“We try to stay dynamic with new venues all over the area,” Herring explained.

There will be two free jam sessions on Saturday for aspiring jazz musicians. The stage is open for anyone at any skill level from the community who wants to play with other musicians, Herring said.

A jazz picnic will take place on Sunday at Indian Echo Caverns in Hummelstown featuring Amy Banks, the Andy Roberts Trio, Teen Town, Mark Swartzbaugh’s Quartet and the CPFJ Youth Band.

Ron Waters, a jazz musician, has been directing the CPFJ Youth Band for over 30 years. His band typically has 15 to 20 students. Those interested in the band are not required to audition, making it ideal for any beginner that loves jazz.

Waters explained his passion for keeping jazz alive is through young musicians. Being able to perform at the festival is just one more way to do that.

“The audience is the thing that keeps jazz alive,” Waters said.

According to Herring, having youth at the festival is what makes it so special.

“It’s a balance between internationally world-renown musicians all the way to students,” he said.

The Central PA Jazz Festival runs from July 11 to 14. For more information and the full schedule of events visit www.friendsofjazz.org.

Burg Books: Midtown Scholar to host author of “The Tenth Muse.”

July 8, 2019 | by Yaasmeen Piper

You may know the story of the nine muses.

The daughters of Zeus were masters of the arts and would bestow their gifts in any creative person who called upon them. However, author Catherine Chung came up with a 10th muse. Unlike her sisters, when it came time for her to claim an art, the 10th muse refused.

“She did not wish to sing the voices of men, telling only stories they wished to tell,” wrote Chung. “She preferred to sing her songs herself.”

This muse left the heavens, leaving behind her family, gifts and immortality without ever looking back. Instead, she walked among Earth as a mortal woman until her last breath. But, according to Chung, the spirit of the muse lived on inside countless women throughout history who defied societal rules.

This muse became the backdrop to Chung’s sophomore novel “The Tenth Muse.” This coming-of-age novel outlines the life of Katherine, a mathematician on a quest to solve the Riemann hypothesis, the greatest unsolved math problem of her time. Throughout her life, Katherine uses numbers, patterns and history to understand the complexities of the world and make her way through the male-dominated industry.

“[The novel] is about history and the way in which it invisibly affects the ways of our lives in ways that we don’t necessarily understand at the time,” Chung said. “It’s about coming of age and trying to grapple with the world around us. It’s also about love and what it gives you and often what it demands.”

From the moment she was a child, Katherine was taught to subdue her intelligence by outsiders. She was often punished for her intellect or simply not believed. But she pushed her way through these barriers and eventually took on one of the greatest unsolved math problems.

Though Chung insists she is no genius like Katherine, she does have some background with math. Her father was a mathematician, and she even studied math when she was in college. Just like Katherine, Chung was fascinated by the patterns and structure of math.

“I always thought math was beautiful,” she said. “It’s an interesting way to explore other ideas of what it means to try to find a place for yourself.”

“The Tenth Muse,” published June 18, has received praise from a plethora of news outlets and authors. USA Today listed the novel on their “5 books not to miss.” New York Times bestselling author Roxane Gay called the novel “as ambitious and intriguing” as the math problems that the novel’s main character aims to solve.

However, Chung’s favorite reactions have come from the readers she’s encountered on tour.

“In Katherine’s struggles and joys, they feel triumph,” she said. “Knowing that people have felt that deeply about Katherine and have felt like they’re on her team and she is on theirs.”

Chung now is coming to Midtown Scholar Bookstore, her first time here. The author will read from bits of her novel and be in conversation Adrienne Su, a creative writing teacher at Dickinson College.

Chung is offering to buy one lucky audience member a book, as long as they can solve a math problem found in her book.

“I think the audience will learn about the growing complexity of Asian-American writing,” Su said. “And I think Catherine will shed light on the process of writing and revising in a fast-changing literary context.”

See Catherine Chung this Friday, July 12, at 7 p.m. at Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. For more information visit www.midtownscholar.com/featured-events.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

July 5, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district receiver Dr. Janet Samuels with Dr. John George of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit

It may have been a holiday-shortened week, but it was still long on news around Harrisburg. Here are some local stories and features that you may have missed amidst the barbecues and big booms.

Harrisburg City Council members expected a long summer break, but now they’ll need to return to city hall next week because of delays in the annual process of doling out federal housing grant money. What’s the holdup? Click here to find out.

Harrisburg’s affordable housing crunch is a problem that won’t be fixed overnight. However, our editor has some thoughts on what may help.

Harrisburg school district receiver Dr. Janet Samuels introduced Dr. John George, who will head up her recovery team for the next three years. Oh, and a bunch of computers and essential data have gone missing. Click here for all the details.

Independence Day fireworks went off with a bang, despite the threat of rain. Read our feature story on the best place to witness them in Harrisburg.

Pennsylvania Department of Education consultants completed their financial audit of the Harrisburg school district, issuing a damning report that prompted responses both from the school receiver and from our editor.

Sara Bozich looked beyond the July 4 holiday to offer up some great ideas for going out and having fun for the entire long(ish) weekend.

TheBurg’s music columnist has fests and folkies in focus this month. Check out all her recommendations for July.

Two-way 2^nd Street is a step closer to reality, as Harrisburg plans to offer two design plans at a public meeting on July 18. Click here for the details.

“Where I Live,” a book by Harrisburg writer and educator Debra Hervitz, teaches local children exactly where they stand in the state, the country, the universe.

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

School receiver calls financial audit “clear indictment” of former administration practices

July 4, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg school district receiver Janet Samuels introduced John George, executive director of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, earlier this week.

The state’s recently released financial audit of the Harrisburg school district is a “clear indictment” of the practices of the former school administration, according to the district’s receiver.

Receiver Janet Samuels released a statement on Thursday declining comment on specific audit findings, but that acknowledged the report’s findings.

“In my capacity as the court appointed Receiver, I acknowledge receipt of the audit which is a clear indictment of the accounting and Human Resources practices of the former school district administration,” she said.

In March, the state Department of Education hired Johnstown-based Wessel & Co. to perform the audit following a series of costly errors by the district, including continuing to pay health benefits to former employees.

The report, released earlier this week, looked at a year-three period, July 2015 to June 2018, and discovered more than $3.8 million in unsupported and questionable costs, more than 100 ex-employees who continued to receive healthcare benefits and huge deficits in cafeteria operations that had to be covered by the general fund. Other shortcomings included personnel records rife with errors, a lack of financial oversight and controls and a profoundly unqualified business manager.

“I am not going to comment on any of the specifics of the audit findings other than the fact that the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit plans to fully analyze all of the issues raised in the audit and establish best practices for the school district. These audit findings further justify the necessity of my June 27, 2019 action partnering with the MCIU to operate the district and my personnel actions taken on that date,” Samuels concluded.

At the urging of the state Department of Education, a Dauphin County judge appointed Samuels as the district’s receiver on June. 17.

Under her direction, the district dismissed former Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney and much of the top school district leadership. It then contracted with MCIU, one of 29 intermediate units throughout Pennsylvania that offer educational services to local school districts, to head up the district’s leadership team under the three-year receivership.

Read the full audit report: Harrisburg City SD – AUP and Consulting Report 2016-2018

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

July 4, 2019 | by Sara Bozich

Happy [Long] Weekend! Weather-permitting, we’ll be in the pool, at the BBQ, and dancing with friends (the latter, weather doesn’t matter!). We hope you have a wonderful and relaxing weekend, too — and if relaxing doesn’t cut it, well, see below.

What are you doing this weekend?

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Meeting planned to share, discuss designs for 2-way 2nd Street

July 3, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

N. 2nd Street in Harrisburg

Last year, more than 100 Harrisburg residents came together to hear about preliminary plans to convert N. 2^nd Street to two-way traffic.

Now, city planners are back with some firmer ideas.

On July 18, the city and its consultants will present concept plans to return much of N. 2^nd Street, between Forster and Division streets, to two-way traffic. The road has been a three-lane, one-way mini-highway since the 1950s.

According to the city, residents will have the opportunity to ask questions and suggest refinements to the alternatives before the final design is drafted.

“We honestly don’t know which design we’re going to go with,” said city Engineer Wayne Martin. “So, we need the public input.”

Martin said that the city will present two major design choices, though some elements could be interchangeable based on public feedback.

The city, Martin said, hopes to begin some work on the $6 million project next year. However, the majority of the work probably will take place in 2021, due to an expected, lengthy state permitting process for signalized intersections.

Also, the city plans to begin soon on related improvements to several other streets, including Forster Street, to facilitate the flow of traffic once N. 2^nd goes two-way in Midtown and Uptown.

One thing that residents won’t see is angled parking along 2nd Street, an option that was discussed during the public first meeting in November. According to Martin, angled parking was nixed because it took up more space on the street but didn’t yield any additional parking spaces.

Martin said he hopes that a consensus emerges following the July 18 meeting.

“We hope there will be overwhelming support for one design or the other,” he said.

Harrisburg’s two-way 2^nd Street public meeting will take place on July 18, 6 to 8 p.m., at HACC Midtown 2, 1500 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg.

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