Healthy Habits: New program aims to improve nutrition, battle chronic disease for seniors.

December 28, 2018 | by M. Diane McCormick

Pat Mueller knows all about healthy eating, the kind that helps keep the rash and weakness of dermatomyositis at bay and got her off the steroid that caused annoying weight gain.

“Five fruits and veggies per day. Lean meat. Avoid highly processed foods. Avoid the whites, the sugars, the flours,” said Mueller. “What we put in our bodies is very important.”

Sitting at a long table at the bustling Heinz-Menaker Senior Center, Mueller declared her lunch of chicken, Brussels sprouts and brown rice as acceptable. She has taught herself the lessons in nutrition that her fellow center members and others are about to learn, through a new initiative tackling chronic disease in the community.

The Chronic Disease Prevention Program is a partnership of UPMC Pinnacle and the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, in conjunction with Heinz-Menaker Senior Center in Harrisburg. Their combined efforts will bring more fresh fruit and vegetables into the community, paired with screenings and education on the links between diet and health.

A Dent

Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in America, according to UPMC Pinnacle. Affecting 190 million Americans—nearly two out of three—their cost to the health care system from 2016 to 2030 is projected to be an incredible $42 trillion, according to the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease.

That is, if nothing changes. Officials with the Chronic Disease Prevention Program hope that leveraging their resources will make a dent. They can achieve their individual missions without “reinventing the wheel and by breaking down siloes,” said Tina Nixon, UPMC Pinnacle’s vice president of mission effectiveness and chief diversity officer.

“At the food bank, they understand hunger and access to food,” she said. “Where can we partner to bring in the healthy component of prevention education and how to utilize the foods you’re receiving if you have a chronic disease?”

Add assessments for such leading chronic conditions as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, and “we are able to catch things early and provide the resources and tools so individuals don’t have to come into our hospital.”

For about a decade, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank has expanded its capacities for acquiring, storing and distributing fresh and frozen meats and produce, said Executive Director Joe Arthur. In recent years, the food bank has also connected with health care providers and insurers at the intersection of health and food insecurity, because a doctor’s order to eat healthy foods can be an insurmountable challenge for some patients.

“The guidance to eat more fruits and vegetables is wonderful advice, but if you don’t have the dollars to do that consistently and steadily, it becomes more of a struggle,” Arthur said. “One of the coping mechanisms is to eat cheaper, less healthy foods.”

Barriers preventing access to fresh food include more than a scarcity of grocery stores. Unemployment and low incomes limit buying power. Unsafe neighborhoods make it hard to venture outside. Those without cars have to lug grocery bags home on the bus. Even those with access to groceries might need “some education and tactics around shopping” in the produce section, said Arthur.

“About 45 percent of the food Central Pennsylvania Food Bank provides is actually fresh or frozen,” he said. “That stacks up pretty well to the American grocery cart, but there’s more work to be done around the education part and the access part of it. With health care moving very rapidly to help patients in that way, it’s a natural partnership.”

Food Oasis

For the recent “Chronic Disease Prevention Program” kickoff, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank delivered lettuce, apples, zucchini and milk to the Heinz-Menaker Senior Center. Nestled in a central part of Harrisburg, Heinz-Menaker could be called a food oasis in a food desert.

The center serves lunches provided through Dauphin County, and it is the county’s largest Meals on Wheels distributor, delivering to about 40 clients daily, according to Executive Director Les Ford. The food pantry, unique for stocking fresh and frozen meats, provides food for the kitchens of qualified center members and community residents.

The chronic disease initiative introduced fresh produce, dairy and eggs to Heinz-Menaker’s food pantry, stocked in a space equipped with a refrigerator funded by UPMC Pinnacle. While the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank delivers the pantry’s boxed and canned staples on Fridays, center personnel arrange for produce deliveries on Mondays, to assure freshness through the week.

UPMC Pinnacle nursing staff offers health screenings and chronic disease management to center members, while food bank personnel will supplement nutrition education already provided by Penn State, said Ford.

Ford hopes to see members “take a more focused approach to their diets, specifically the fruits and vegetables.” The center’s served lunch is separate from the food pantry, but, as Ford said, “I hear the complaints when we serve them lunch that doesn’t have a green vegetable.”

“Now we have the opportunity to acquire those, supplemental to our luncheon, but still just as important,” he said. “I hope they will take that to heart and use those wisely even when we cannot provide them here in the institutional meal.”

Poised for Growth

As the center positions itself as a community resource, Ford also hopes for a ripple effect beyond its walls.

Institutions have always struggled to keep food fresh, but, as the center takes on the challenge, “by virtue of us having this footprint in the community, we hope to make people in the surrounding community aware of the urgency of their health, their nutrition and the preparation and consumption of fruits and vegetables.”

Food insecurity, like other embedded health issues, affects all segments of the midstate’s unique mix of rural, urban, suburban and “quasi-urban” regions, said Nixon. The chronic disease program is a sort of pilot, with UPMC Pinnacle collecting and assessing baseline data and, in time, rolling findings into its ongoing community outreach. From there, it’s a matter of building trust between institutions and community residents.

“We know it takes three years to see a significant change,” Nixon said. “We’re talking about changing human behavior. Especially with the senior population, it’s changing the way you’ve eaten for the majority of your life. That’s a mountain to climb, but if you do it the right way and you’re culturally conscious of how to go about it, it’s a win-win, and you will see changes.”

Joint efforts between health care and food banks are sustainable and poised for growth because “this is a money-saver for chronic diseases,” Arthur said. Everyone should pay attention to their eating habits—“myself included,” he added—but the elderly are among the most vulnerable to the consequences.

“Those things don’t need to be solved with medications or more appointments and medical intervention,” Arthur said. “As a culture, we’ve known that for a long time, but in recent years, that preventative medicine has become a movement. We feel like we can be a valuable partner in that movement.”

Artist in Focus: Ryan Spahr

December 28, 2018 | by TheBurg Editor

In describing the artwork of Ryan Spahr, the word “versatile” immediately comes to mind.

Ryan creates in a wide range of styles, for many types of clients, employing a variety of media. His aesthetic can be described as bold, expressive and experimental.

Ryan might be known best for his work in ethanol inks, but he also has worked extensively in oil, pastel, pen and ink and photography. Did we mention that he’s also a gifted tattoo artist?

Here at TheBurg, we’re very familiar with Ryan’s talent, as he’s contributed to our magazine many times, even winning several Keystone press awards. You also may have seen his commercial work for such Harrisburg-based companies as Zeroday Brewing Co. and Elementary Coffee Co.

We hope you enjoy this small sample of Ryan’s extensive body of work. To see more, visit www.theblackshrine.com or @old1eye on Instagram.

Happenings: Our January Calendar of Events

December 28, 2018 | by Missy Smith

Museum & Art Spaces

AACA Museum
161 Museum Dr., Hershey
717-566-7100; aacamuseum.org

“Cars and Christmas,” with themed Christmas trees, unusual vehicles, vintage toys and cars, a Hess truck display, model train exhibits and more, through Jan. 6

“Buses and their Impact on the Civil Rights Movement,” through Jan. 30

“Post World War II Luxury Convertibles,” through spring 2019

Art Association of Harrisburg
21 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-236-1432; artassocofhbg.com

“Realized,” a collaborative exhibit with Hannah Dobek, Kelly M. Curran, Chad Whitaker and Reina “R76” Wooden, through Jan. 3

“Figuratively Speaking” winter member exhibition focusing on the human form, Jan. 11-Feb. 14; reception: Jan. 11, 5-8 p.m.

Café 1500
1500 N. 6th St., Harrisburg
717-831-8322; cafe-1500.com

“Fluid Art Extravaganza,” works by Ann Benton Yeager, through Jan. 13

Carlisle Arts Learning Center
38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle
717-249-6973; carlislearts.org

“Alterations—A Juried Exhibit,” Jan. 11-Feb. 2; reception: Jan. 11, 6:30-8 p.m.

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

Artist of the Month: Cheryl Piperberg

Messiah College School of Arts
One College Ave., Mechanicsburg
717-766-2511; messiah.edu

“Beauty Given by Grace: The Biblical Prints of Sadao Watanabe,” through Jan. 25

“How to Meet an Angel,” with Russian-born American artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, through Jan. 25

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

Holiday group exhibition, featuring a collection of cash-and-carry works by Millworks resident artists, through Jan. 13

New works by Linda Benton McCloskey, John Davis, Richard Souders, Lauren Castillo, Bob McCloskey and John Davis, Jan. 15-Feb. 10

Pennsylvania National Fire Museum
1820 N. 4th St., Harrisburg
717-232-8915; pnfm.org

Exhibits dedicated to Pennsylvania firefighting history

Perry County Council of the Arts
Landis House, 67 N. 4th St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

“Annual Juried Exhibition,” with original artwork in a variety of media, through Jan. 18

Perry County Council of the Arts
PCCA Gallery, 1 S. 2nd St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

Artisan marketplace, packed with locally made, unique art and gifts for the holidays, through Jan. 5

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North St., Harrisburg
717-787-4980; statemuseumpa.org

“Innovative Means: Photography from the Collection,” featuring 29 photographs from the museum’s fine art collection, spanning almost 80 years, through Feb. 17

“Dressed for Service: Pennsylvanians in the Great War,” through May 5

“Pennsylvania at War: World War I Posters from the Pennsylvania State Archives,” through Dec. 29

“Pennsylvania at War: The Saga of the USS Pennsylvania,” through Dec. 29

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; sqart.org

“Color Improvisations 2,” invitational exhibition of contemporary quilts curated by Nancy Crow, through Jan. 20

“Celebrating Sprocket Murals 2014-2017,” a record of the citywide mural project created with a community of volunteers and artists, through Feb. 10

“Pattern & Place,” large-scale paintings by Danielle Klebes and Maija Miettinen that incorporate patterned brushstrokes as a response to the world and spaces they inhabit, through Feb. 17

“Special FX,” featuring works that explore pattern, optical illusion and the art of dazzle camouflage, through Feb. 24

Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery
Lebanon Valley College
101 College Ave., Annville
717-233-8668; lvc.edu/gallery

“Dorothea Lange’s America,” featuring photography by Lange and 13 other artists, whose socially conscious work documented the Great Depression, Jan. 15-March 24; reception: Jan. 25, 5-7 p.m.; lecture: Jan. 30, 4:30 p.m.

The Ware Center
42 N. Prince St., Lancaster
717-871-2308; artsmu.com

“Scotopia: Steve Abreu,” through Jan. 25

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

Friends of Wildwood Photo Contest Display, through Jan. 26

Yellow Bird Café
1320 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-635-8991; yellowbird-cafe.com

Works by Kevyn Knox

Zeroday Brewing Co.
250 Reily St., Harrisburg
717-745-6218; zerodaybrewing.com

Art Gallery by Matt Samuel, through Jan. 17
Art Gallery by Sarah Fogg, Jan. 18-Feb. 15

Read, Make, Learn

Carlisle Arts Learning Center
38 W. Pomfret St., Carlisle
717-249-6973; carlislearts.org

Jan. 7-Feb. 18: Fundamentals of Photography, 6 Mondays, 6:30-8 p.m.
Jan. 7-Feb. 18: Advanced Photography, 6 Tuesdays, 6:30-8 p.m.
Jan. 8, 15, 22: Crash Course—Teapots, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Jan. 8-Feb. 12: Intermediate Photography, 6 Wednesdays, 6:30-8 p.m.
Jan. 19: Carved Tumbler, 10:30-12:30 p.m.
Jan. 22-May 2: ArtWorks! for Teens, Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3-5 p.m.
Jan. 23, 30 & Feb. 6: Crash Course Wheel 101, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

Jan. 11: Comforting Soups, Chili & Stews, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Jan. 17: Breakfast & Brunch, 6-9 p.m.
Jan. 31: Tailgate Party & Beer Pairing, 6-9 p.m.

East Shore Area Library
4501 Ethel St., Harrisburg
717-652-9380; dcls.org

Jan. 10: Device Club, 1-2:30 p.m.
Jan. 11: Getting to Know Your Computer I, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Jan. 22: Friends of East Shore Area Library Meeting, 9:30-11:15 a.m.
Jan. 25: Getting to Know Your Computer II, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Jan. 25: Fandom Friday, 6-8 p.m.

Elizabethtown Public Library
10 S. Market St., Elizabethtown
717-367-7467; etownpubliclibrary.org

Jan. 5, 19: Cards and Coffee, 10 a.m.
Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29: Cards and Coffee, 9:15 a.m. & 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29: Yoga for All, 7 p.m.
Jan. 10, 24: Community Knitters, 6 p.m.
Jan. 12: Lace Cottage, 10 a.m.
Jan. 19: Book Discussion, 9:15 a.m.
Jan. 19: Community Knitters, 11 a.m.

Fredricksen Library
100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill
717-761-3900; fredricksenlibrary.org

Jan. 2: Moving Forward Book Group w/Hospice of Central PA, 1 p.m.
Jan. 4: Youth Chess Night, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 7: Music Together, 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
Jan. 7: Meet Someone New—Kids’ Biography Club, 5 p.m.
Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28: Coding Club, 7 p.m.
Jan. 7, 21: Fredricksen Writes, 6:45 p.m.
Jan. 8: Curl Up with the Classics—“The Secret Garden,” 10 a.m.
Jan. 8: Poetry—Read It, Write It, 1:30 p.m.
Jan. 9, 11: Library for Lunch—A New Year of Unity Celebration, 12 p.m.
Jan. 10, 24: Drop-In Family Story Time, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 10, 24: Plot Twisters Teen Writers Group, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 11: Foreign Film Friday, 2 and 7 p.m.
Jan. 12: Trivia After Hours—“The Office,” 7 p.m.
Jan. 14: Philosopher’s Roundtable, 2 p.m.
Jan. 14: Twisted Stitchers, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 14-Feb. 23: Winter Story Times (birth-kindergarten)
Jan. 15: Adventures in 3D Printing and Modeling, 5-6:30 p.m.
Jan. 15: Pennsylvania Books—The Story of our State, 6 p.m.
Jan. 18: Family Movie Night, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 19: Book vs. Movie—“The BFG,” 1:30 p.m.
Jan. 20: Game Day for All, 1:30 p.m.
Jan. 21: Won’t You Meet My Neighbor?, 9:30-11 a.m.
Jan. 21: “MLK—the Man, the Myth, the Martyr,” 1 p.m.
Jan. 22: Engineering Design Challenge—Watercrafts (ages 9-12), 5 p.m.
Jan. 22, 29: How to Escape Money Traps 2-part series, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 25: Indie Film Friday, 2 and 7 p.m.
Jan. 28: Fredricksen Reads—“Dinner with Edward,” 7 p.m.

Harrisburg Improv Theatre
1633 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-798-6973; hbgimprov.com

Jan. 8-Feb. 26: Improv Level 1, Tuesdays, 7-10 p.m.

Hershey Area Art Association (HAAA)
40 Northeast Dr., Hershey
hersheyart.org

Jan. 22-Feb. 12: Drawing Inside and Outside the Box, Tuesdays, 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28: Paint Together, 12:30-3:30 p.m.

Hershey Public Library
701 Cocoa Ave., Hershey
717-533-6555; hersheylibrary.org

Jan. 2: In the Middle—Games, 3 p.m.
Jan. 5, 12, 19, 26: Chess Club, 1:30 p.m.
Jan. 6: Twin Edens—Galapagos and the Falklands, 2 p.m.
Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28: Books and Babies, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.
Jan. 7, 14, 21, 18: Crazy 8s (Grades 1-2), 4 p.m.
Jan. 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30: 1, 2, Whee!, 10 a.m.
Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29: Penn State Hershey Mothers & Babies Together, 10 a.m.
Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29: Girls Who Code, 5:45 p.m.
Jan. 9: In the Middle—Art, 3 p.m.
Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30: Sensory 1, 2, Whee!, 11 a.m.
Jan. 11, 25: Play Day for Families, 10 a.m.
Jan. 12: Second Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Jan. 16: In the Middle—Writing, 3 p.m.
Jan. 20: PA German Groundhog Lodges and Versammlinge
Jan. 23: Friends Meeting, 9:15 a.m.
Jan. 23: In the Middle—Creativity, 3 p.m.
Jan. 27: Children’s Program w/ Dovie Thomason, 2 p.m.
Jan 28: Central PA Blood Drive, 3 p.m.
Jan. 30: Adulting—Tea Party, 3 p.m.

Joseph T. Simpson Public Library
16 N. Walnut St, Mechanicsburg
717-766-0171; simpsonlibrary.org

Jan. 3: Learn to Knit/Crochet, 7-8 p.m.
Jan. 7, 21: Brain Games for Adults, 10-11 a.m.
Jan. 8, 15, 29: Tea & Stitches, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Jan. 9: Mad About Mysteries, 7-8 p.m.
Jan. 14: iPad/iPhone Beginners, 1-3 p.m.
Jan. 14, 28: English Conversation Group, 6:30-8 p.m.
Jan. 16: Sci-Fi Book Club, 7-9 p.m.
Jan. 17: Thursday Morning Book Club, 10-11 a.m.
Jan. 17, 24: Mah Jongg, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Jan. 19: BYOB Trivia, 6-8 p.m.
Jan. 21: Monday Night Book Club, 7-8 p.m.
Jan. 22: Tea & Stitches Extended, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Jan. 23: Yoga for Beginners, 7-8 p.m.

Kline Library
530 S. 29th St., Harrisburg
717-234-3934; dcls.org

Jan. 16: Device Club, 1-2:30 p.m.
Jan. 17: Friends of Kline Library Meeting, 6:30-8 p.m.
Jan. 30: Knit 1, Crochet Too1, 6-8 p.m.

The LGBT Center of Central PA
1306 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-920-9534; centralpalgbtcenter.org

Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Common Roads Youth, 6 p.m.
Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27: Common Roads Young Adult, 4 p.m.

Luhrs Performing Arts Center
1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg
717-477-7469; luhrscenter.com

Jan. 26: Uprise Women’s Retreat, 10 a.m.

Madeline L. Olewine Memorial Library
2410 North 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-232-7286; dcls.org

Jan. 8, 22: Job Seekers Resources, 1-2:30 p.m.
Jan. 9: Dungeons and Dragons, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Jan. 28: Cookbook Book Club—Slow Cooked Comforts, 6-7 p.m.

McCormick Riverfront Library
101 Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-234-4976; dcls.org

Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Mid-Day Getaway, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Jan. 18: Book Bingo, 6-7 p.m.
Jan. 22: Device Club, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Middletown Public Library
20 N. Catherine St, Middletown
717-944-6412; middletownpubliclib.org

Jan. 3: Book Club 6-7 p.m.
Jan. 3, 10, 17, 24: LEGO Club, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Jan. 4, 11, 18, 25: Science Fiction Book Club (meets online)
Jan. 7: Stuffed Animal Sleepover, 7-8 p.m.
Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28: Evening Family Yoga, 6-7 p.m.
Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29: Storytime and Craft, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Jan. 8, 15, 22, 28: Tales with T.A.I.L.S., 6-7 p.m.
Jan. 12, 26: Super Saturday Storytime and Free Play, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Jan. 21: Mystery Book Club 6-7 p.m.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Café
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

Jan. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel, 7-9 p.m.
Jan. 4, 11, 18, 25: Nathaniel Gadsden’s Spoken Word Café, 7-9 p.m.
Jan. 16: Sci Fi & Fantasy Book Club, 7 p.m.
Jan. 20: Midtown Writers Group, 1 p.m.

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

Jan. 12: Fluid Art Class, 12-2:30 p.m.
Jan. 16: Cold Wax Workshop, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Jan. 19: Art As Sacred Process—Portals of Wisdom, 1-4:30 p.m.

The Movement Center
2134 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg
717-238-0357; themovementcenter.net

Jan. 13: Community Beginner Yoga Class, 10 a.m.

National Civil War Museum
One Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg
717-260-1861; nationalcivilwarmuseum.org

Jan. 19: “New Acquisitions and Seldom Seen Treasures of the Museum,” 1-2 p.m.

New Cumberland Public Library
1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland
717-774-7820; newcumberlandlibrary.org

Jan. 2: Family Game Day, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Jan. 3: Ruth’s Mystery Discussion Group, 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m.
Jan. 5: LEGO Madness, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Jan. 7: Play-Doh Palooza!, 10:15-11:45 a.m.
Jan. 7, 21: Monday Great Books Discussion, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Jan. 8: Book Review—“Hank and Jim: The Fifty Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart,” 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Jan. 8: Tales for T.A.I.L.S., 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29: Book Babies Storytime, 11:15 a.m.
Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29: Tuesday Night Book Discussion Group, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Jan. 9, 23: Wednesday Great Books Discussion Group, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Jan. 11: Snowman Storytime & Craft, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Jan. 12: Write-On Writer’s Workshop, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Jan. 14, 21, 28: Preschool Storytime, 10:15 a.m.
Jan. 14, 21, 28: Twos & Threes Storytime, 11 a.m.
Jan. 14, 21, 28: 1-2-3 Library! Family Storytime, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 15, 22, 29: Preschool Storytime, 1 p.m.
Jan. 16, 23: “Learn to Crochet plus,” 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 19: Couponing for Extreme Savings, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Jan. 19: Children’s Book Writers Critique Group, 2-4 p.m.
Jan. 23: PennWriters Writing Group, 6-9 p.m.
Jan. 31: Library History Room Display, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Palmyra Public Library
50 Landings Dr., Annville
717-838-1347; palmyra.lclibs.org

Jan. 8: Tech Help, 1-5 p.m.
Jan. 10, 17: iPhones for Seniors, 1-2 p.m.
Jan. 15: Makerspace (for kids in grades 1-6), 3:30-5 p.m.
Jan. 28, 31: Little Explorers Story Time, 10:30-11 a.m.
Jan. 30: Little Explorers Story Time, 6:30-7 p.m.
Jan. 31: Little Explorers Story Time, 1:30-2 p.m.

Perry County Council of the Arts
Landis House, 67 N. 4th St., Newport
717-567-7023; perrycountyarts.org

Jan. 5: Drop-In Art, 1-4 p.m.
Jan. 8-Feb. 12: Landscape Basics for Watercolors, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Jan. 8-Feb. 12: Landscape Basics for Watercolors, 6-8 p.m.
Jan. 12: Wet Felting for Kids, 1-2:30 p.m.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North St., Harrisburg
717-787-4980; statemuseumpa.org

Jan. 10: Nature Lab—SNOW!, 11:30 a.m.
Jan. 17: Curiosity Kids—SLIME!, 11:30 a.m.
Jan. 18: Learn at Lunchtime—Planetarium “Faster Than Light,” 12:15 p.m.

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; sqart.org

Jan. 5, 12, 19: Yoga in the Main Gallery, 10-11 a.m.
Jan. 15: Life Drawing Class, 6-9 p.m.

Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery
Lebanon Valley College
101 College Ave., Annville
717-233-8668; lvc.edu/gallery

Jan. 30: Lecture—Dorothea Lange and Photography for Social Justice

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

Jan. 12: Kids Discover—Winter Insects, 10-11:30 a.m.
Jan. 23: Preschool Storytime—Winter at Wildwood, 10-10:45 a.m.
Jan. 29: Winter Lecture Series—Snapping Turtle Conservation and Nesting Ecology, 7-8:30 p.m.

William H. & Marion C. Alexander Family Library
200 W. Second St., Hummelstown
717-566-0949; dcls.org

Jan. 3: Teen Night—Stop Motion Animation, 6-7 p.m.
Jan. 8: Friends of Alexander Family Library Meeting, 6:30-8 p.m.
Jan. 9: 2nd Wednesday Cinema, 6-8 p.m.
Jan. 15: Novel Thoughts Too Book Club, 1-3 p.m.
Jan. 15: Novel Thoughts Book Club, 6:30-8 p.m.
Jan. 16: Battle the Winter Blahs, 12-2 p.m.

Winters Heritage House Museum
41-47 E. High St., Elizabethtown
717-367-4672; elizabethtownhistory.org

Jan. 11: Story Hour, 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 1 p.m.

Yoga at Simply Well
28 S. Pitt St., Carlisle
717-968-0167; yogaatsimplywell.com

Jan. 11-13: The Universe Inside the Body of the Yogi
Jan. 19: Kids Night Out—Winter Wonderland, 6-8 p.m.
Jan. 26: Stay Centered at your Core with a Healthy Pelvic Floor, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Jan. 26: Yoga Nidra Guided Relaxation, 2-3 p.m.

Live Music

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

Jan. 19: Little River Band w/Ambrosia
Jan. 26: Elvis Birthday Bash w/Mike Albert & Scot Bruce
Jan. 27: Mike Albert’s Elvis Gospel Show w/The Stamps Quartet

Appalachian Brewing Co./Abbey Bar
50 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg
717-221-1083; abcbrew.com

Jan. 4: Cold Springs Union
Jan. 5: LITZ
Jan. 11: Mighty River Band
Jan. 12: JJGunn
Jan. 18: Driftwood
Jan. 25: Rumpke Mountain Boys
Jan. 30: Magic Beans & Kitchen Dwellers

Appell Center for the Performing Arts
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; appellcenter.org

Jan. 16: Tyler Henry
Jan. 19: York Symphony Orchestra
Jan. 21: The Wood Brothers

Carlisle Theatre
44 W. High St., Carlisle
717-258-0666; carlisletheatre.org

Jan. 25: Cash Unchained

Chameleon Club
223 N. Water St., Lancaster
717-299-9684; chameleonclub.net

Jan. 4: A Scent Like Wolves
Jan. 16: Handguns
Jan. 17: WHY?
Jan. 18: Anti-Flag, Ja Rule
Jan. 19: 51 Peg Spinebelt
Jan. 23: Shaggy 2 Dope
Jan. 25: Left Lane Cruiser
Jan. 26: Trenches
Jan. 30: Jon Spencer & the HITmakers

Club XL
801 S. 10th St., Harrisburg
717-409-8975; xlhbg.com

Jan. 3: U.S. Bombs
Jan. 4: DJ Caraby
Jan. 5: Farm Show Kick-Off Concert
Jan. 11: Go Go Gadjet
Jan. 18: Smooth Like Clyde
Jan. 19: Appetite For Destruction
Jan. 25: Small Town Titans
Jan. 26: The Mantras

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

Jan. 4: Antonio Andrade
Jan. 5: Dominick Cicco
Jan. 11: Michael Arthur
Jan. 12: Paul Zavinsky
Jan. 18: Collette Eckert
Jan. 19: Doug Morris
Jan. 25: Joe Cooney
Jan. 26: Hard Travelin’

Fort Hunter
5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-599-5751; forthunter.org

Jan. 6: The Honey Dewdrops
Jan. 13: Susquehanna Folk Music Jam

Fredricksen Library
100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill
717-761-3900; fredricksenlibrary.org

Jan. 13: Los Monstros

Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
The Forum at 5th and Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-545-5527; harrisburgsymphony.org

Jan. 12-13: Masterworks
Jan. 26-27: Pops 2—Sondheim & Webber

Hollywood Casino
777 Hollywood Blvd., Grantville
717-469-2211; hollywoodpnrc.com

Jan. 4: No Bad Juju
Jan. 5: DJ Magic, ToolShed Jack
Jan. 11: The Luv Gods
Jan. 12: Ray Rossi, Sapphire
Jan. 18: The Uptown Band
Jan. 19: DJ David Matrix, HoneyPump
Jan. 25: Smooth Like Clyde
Jan. 26: Ray Rossi, Funktion

House of Music, Arts & Culture (H*MAC)
1110 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

Jan. 5: Martin Sexton, Chris Trapper
Jan. 5: Lexa Terrestrial, Y.M. Your Motivation, Phaze, Goolie, Mr. Hyde of BMG, LB Pounds
Jan. 12: Mojo Bozo’s Electric Circus, Kali Ma and The Garland of Arms, Future Trash Band, November Lounge, Nothing Planned
Jan. 20: Crash Test Dummies
Jan. 25: Bleed the Dream, Wrath of Typhon, Thousand Pound Destruction, Defiant

Little Amps Coffee Roasters, Downtown
133 State St., Harrisburg
717-635-9870; littleampscoffee.com

Jan. 4: The Average, Hometime, NOWNS
Jan. 6: Familiar Spaces, Previous Love, Northern Gloom
Jan. 11: Have A Good Season, Planet Mercury, 1 TBA
Jan. 25: Good in the Dark, Northern Gloom, Dear Forbidden

Luhrs Performing Arts Center
1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg
717-477-7469; luhrscenter.com

Jan. 19: Tommy James & The Shondells w/The Buckinghams

Market Cross Pub & Brewery
113 N. Hanover St., Carlisle
717-258-1234; marketcrosspub.com

Jan. 5: Visitors Duo
Jan. 12: Demguise
Jan. 19: Octavia Blues Band
Jan. 26: Flatwheels
Jan. 27: Blues Brunch

Market Square Concerts
marketsquareconcerts.org

Jan. 9: Francisco Fullana

Messiah College School of Arts
One College Ave., Mechanicsburg
717-766-2511; messiah.edu

Jan. 22: Jazz Orchestra

The Mill in Hershey
810 Old W. Chocolate Ave., Hershey
717-256-9965; themillinhershey.com

Jan. 5: Keith Goldstein
Jan. 12: Corinna Joy
Jan. 19: Radio Neon
Jan. 26: Lucille

Palmyra Church of the Brethren
45 N. Chestnut St., Palmyra
717-838-6369; palmyracob.org

Jan. 6: Palmyra Community Band

River City Blues Club & Dart Room
819 S. Cameron St., Harrisburg
717-525-8926; rivercityhbg.com

Jan. 26: Jarrad Briggs

Rusty Rail Brewing Company
5 N. 8th North St., Mifflinburg
570-966-7878; rustyrailbrewing.com

Jan. 11: Deadgrass
Jan. 25: PA Crude

Stock’s on 2nd
211 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg
717-233-6699; stocksonsecond.com

Jan. 4: Cruise Control Trio
Jan. 5: Natalie Ness
Jan. 11: Erica Lyn Everest
Jan. 12: Shea Quinn & Friends
Jan. 18: Lucille and the Wolf
Jan. 19: Visitors Duo
Jan. 25: DJ Ray Rossi
Jan. 26: Drew Adams

The Susquehanna Folk Music Society
717-745-6577; sfmsfolk.org

Jan. 13: January Jam Session
Jan. 18: Eileen Ivers Band
Jan. 20: Richie and Rosie

The Ware Center
42 N. Prince St., Lancaster
717-871-2308; millersville.edu/muarts

Jan. 11: Allegro’s Music in the Round
Jan. 20: Richie & Rosie

Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

Jan. 22: Lettuce

Zeroday Brewing Co.
250 Reily St., Harrisburg
717-745-6218; zerodaybrewing.com

Jan. 18: Aaron Daniel Gaul
Jan. 27: Josh Dominick

The Stage Door

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

Jan. 22-24: “Dancing with the Stars Live!”
Jan. 31: “The Simon & Garfunkel Story”

Appell Center for the Performing Arts
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; appellcenter.org

Jan. 5: Bill Engvall

The Belmont Theatre
27 S. Belmont St., York
717-854-3894; thebelmont.org

Jan. 11-17: “Love, Sex and IRS”

Club XL
801 S. 10^th St., Harrisburg
717-409-8975; xlhbg.com

Jan. 12: “Winter Extravaganza” Drag Benefit Show

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre
510 Centerville Rd., Lancaster
717-898-1900; DutchApple.com

Jan. 10-Feb. 9: “Stand By Your Man: Tammy Wynette Story”

Gamut Theatre Group
15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg
717-238-4111; gamuttheatre.org

Jan. 18-27: “Murderess”
Jan. 24: TMI Improv
Jan. 19, 26: “Tales From Ancient Greece!” (Popcorn Hat Players)

Harrisburg Christian Performing Arts Center
1000 S. Eisenhower Blvd., Middletown
717-939-9333; hbg-cpac.org

Jan. 18-20: “Brigadoon”

Harrisburg Comedy Zone
110 Limekiln Rd., New Cumberland
717-920-5653; harrisburgcomedyzone.com

Jan. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: Open Mic
Jan. 4, 5: Shaun Jones
Jan. 11, 12: Shane McConnaghy and Stan Shelby
Jan. 18, 19: Jason Kanter
Jan. 25, 26: Ron Feingold and Kristen Sivills

Harrisburg Improv Theatre
1633 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-798-6973; hbgimprov.com

Jan. 11, 13: Level 3 Class Show

Hershey Theatre
15 E. Caracas Ave., Hershey
717-534-3405; hersheyentertainment.com

Jan. 26: “Beyond The Footlights”
Jan. 29-Feb. 3: Monty Python’s “Spamalot”

Majestic Theater
25 Carlisle St., Gettysburg
717-337-8200; gettysburgmajestic.org

Jan 15: Dancing With the Local Stars

Open Stage of Harrisburg
223 Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-232-OPEN; openstagehbg.com

Jan. 10-13: “Absolutely Freaked,” the early works of Frank Zappa
Jan. 19-27: “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf”

Oyster Mill Playhouse
1001 Oyster Mill Rd., Camp Hill
717-737-6768; oystermill.com

Jan. 25-Feb. 10: “The Mousetrap”

Rose Lehrman Art Center
One HACC Drive, Harrisburg
717-780-2435; hacc.edu

Jan. 23: BODYTRAFFIC

Theatre Harrisburg
513 Hurlock St., Harrisburg
717-232-5501; theatreharrisburg.com

Jan. 18-27: “Oh Joy, Oh Rapture!” (at Whitaker Center)

Untitled: A Storytelling Project
untitledhbg.com

Jan. 17: 3rd Annual Grand Slam at Midtown Cinema

The Ware Center
42 N. Prince St., Lancaster
717-871-2308; millersville.edu/muarts

Jan. 19: “Prince Charming” (PA Ballet)
Jan. 24-25: “Voces Del Sur” w/Flamenco Vivo

Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

Jan. 18-27: “Oh Joy, Oh Rapture!” (Theatre Harrisburg)

Student Scribes: “A Deer in Headlights”

December 28, 2018 | by Greggory Sullivan

The doe outside the children’s hospital in Hershey was spry and petite, no taller than my waist, with ink-streaked ears and tail. Only the fringes of her wide, triangular tail were white—a healthier, fluffier hue than her ashy calves.

As I pulled the SUV to the curb, she bounded past my right flank, springing over the low shrubs and rust-colored gravel that lined the sidewalk. She threw herself against the hospital window, hooves slipping on the glass. She bounced back with ease and wasted no time in leaping once more against the tinted pane. Panic was all I could imagine; she must be panicked, and I was panicked for her. As she approached the automatic doors, I envisioned the fright she would cause, prancing and kicking in the presence of patients with oxygen tanks and intravenous stands. I wondered what had brought her here and where she thought she was going.

“They’re always standing right there,” my mom had said that morning, pointing as she drove, up onto a hillside thick with brown tree husks where the grass was buried under russet leaves. It definitely looked like the type of place deer would congregate, on the edge of an open hill, near a duck pond and a jogging path and some stone-hewn estate. “Every morning, I see them there, tons of them. Like, more than a dozen. And they just sit there and stare.”

I nodded quietly, tapping on little anime caricatures on my phone. She was indulging in the small wonders of the world, telling me all about the deer she saw on her daily commute. She wouldn’t shut up about them. It figured that she would see them every single day, and now that I was along for the ride, poof! They were nowhere in sight. She kept repeating that there were so many of them and that they would stand right there next to the road, telling me over and over as if they had been unicorns and I would never believe her. But of course I believed her. We lived in suburban Pennsylvania; deer were nothing new.

I never cared much for hunting animals, but I wasn’t entirely against it. As a kid, I had gone hunting with my dad once, in Texas. I played my GameBoy on mute while we sat waiting in his stand for something to approach the feeder he’d set. Neither one of us took it very seriously; I remember my dad cracking open a Diet Coke and rustling through a bag of chips. I suppose for him it was more a way to spend time with me than anything. At the end of the day, we saw a few bucks but no doe, which were all he could afford to buy tags for. I didn’t get to kill anything that day. I didn’t have to kill anything that day.

I had driven my mom to work that morning so I could take the car to an interview. As I pulled in to pick her up, that’s when I saw the doe, scrambling against the sandy concrete walls of the medical center, shuffling her hooves against the window. She rebounded with grace, hopping in that whimsical way that deer do in movies, but then threw herself once again against the window, which seemed to wobble like an oily bubble.

I took out my phone to get a picture. It was the first thing that popped into my head. Mom will want to see this. She’d been talking about deer all morning—how odd it was that they would stand so near to the road—and now here was the strangest deer I’d ever seen. I snapped a few pictures then recorded a short video of the doe as she threw herself against the next window then pranced a bit further along the wall and tried the next. At last, she bolted past the automatic doors and reared into a corner behind them. She was out of sight now, hidden behind some women who had gotten out of their cars, behind a pillar, behind a row of empty wheelchairs and a stone bench.

I didn’t know what to do. Neither did anyone else. Even the security guards who eventually shooed her away from the building were caught in a state of inaction for several minutes. She was bleeding from her mouth, I heard someone say, though I’ll never know if this was from flinging herself against a concrete building or from some brush she’d had with a car that sent her fleeing toward the hospital. I’ll never know why she was there or what happened to her after. Obviously, I’ve imagined that she scampered off the hospital lawn and into rush hour traffic. It would have been nice to have calmed her—to be the light of reason in the fog of confusion. But all I did was watch and take out my phone. Mom will want to see this.

“It figures,” she said to me on the drive home. “Every day, there’s tons of deer here, but now that you’re with me: none.”

“They’re probably off looking for their friend,” I said half-jokingly.

“Don’t say that,” she replied. “I always think about that when I see a deer dead on the road. It probably has friends and babies that are gonna wonder why it hasn’t come back.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “They probably do.”

Greggory Sullivan is a senior English major and honors student at Penn State Harrisburg.

December News Digest

December 28, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda and Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg Weighs 2019 Budget

Harrisburg City Council last month delayed a vote on the 2019 municipal budget, citing unresolved disputes with the mayor’s office over spending proposals.

The seven-member council voted unanimously to table the budget bill proposed by Mayor Eric Papenfuse in November.

The mayor’s $70.8 million balanced budget called for slightly less spending than last year, flat tax rates, and more than $7 million in capital improvement projects.

The budget was the subject of almost eight hours of public hearings in December, when council members raised questions about proposed salary increases and the reorganization of city hall departments.

Council budget and finance chair Ben Allatt said on Dec. 18 that the administration would not budge on those proposals, or grant council’s requests to amend capital spending plans.

The mayor’s original capital spending plan called for $4.8 million in spending from the Neighborhood Services fund, including:

$2.5 million for the acquisition of a new public works building
$250,000 to outsource the demolition of abandoned buildings
$2 million in new equipment for parks maintenance

An additional $2.5 million in the proposed budget would allow the city to finance its share of grant-funded transportation projects. Among them are:

$517,000 to construct new sheltered bike lanes and a traffic circle on N. 7th Street.
$345,000 to repave two miles of Riverfront Park’s lower river walk, a segment stretching from Maclay Street to Shipoke.
$270,000 for landscaping and construction to complete the MulDer Square revitalization project.
$250,000 to complete the 3rd Street repaving project, which was delayed last year by heavy summer rains.

As of press time, the council budget vote was scheduled for Dec. 27. Allatt declined to describe the specific changes council sought.
Recycling Fee Hits Harrisburg

Harrisburg will start paying a new fee for single-stream recycling in 2019, but ratepayers won’t see any changes to their municipal waste bills.

Beginning in January, Harrisburg will pay trash collector Penn Waste $40 for each ton of recycled paper and plastic taken to its materials recovery facility, where refuse is sorted, baled and prepared for export.

Harrisburg has used Penn Waste’s recycling facility since 2014 but did not previously pay for recycling.

Due to recent federal trade disputes with China, however, consumers across the country are now paying for a service that waste management companies traditionally offered for free.

As the world’s largest importer of recycled goods, China took the American waste industry by surprise earlier last year when it announced a temporary ban on all American imports, claiming that they contained too many contaminants—non-recyclable plastics and food waste that made their way into recycling bins.

The country later imposed new contaminant standards that all but disqualified American recyclables from import.

The announcement led to a meltdown in the American recycling industry, as waste companies began hemorrhaging money on a previously profitable service.

Higher Water, Sewer Rates in 2019

Water and sewer rates will rise this year for many people in the Harrisburg area, as Capital Region Water set its new rates for 2019.

Under the 2019 budget, CRW’s drinking water customers will pay $9.65 for 1,000 gallons, an increase of 19 cents, or 2 percent, over the 2018 rates. These customers also pay a $7.62 “ready to serve” charge.

Wastewater rates will go up more substantially. For 2019, these customers will pay $7.65 for 1,000 gallons, an increase of 66 cents, or 9.4 percent, over the 2018 rates.

An average, full-service residential customer who uses 4,500 gallons of water monthly will pay an extra $3.98 per month, according to CRW.

CRW stated that the rate increases were necessary, in part, to fund ongoing capital improvements in its service area. The company has committed to some $40 million in capital projects to repair and replace its aging infrastructure.

For 2019, CRW’s water projects include lining a major water main on Cameron Street, replacing several aging water mains, and evaluating the DeHart Dam spillway. Wastewater capital improvements include updating treatment systems at the wastewater treatment facility and repairing major interceptor sewers along Paxton Creek and the Susquehanna River, according to the company.

CRW has increased its water and sewer rates for several years in a row. For 2018, drinking water rates went up by 7.5 percent and wastewater rates by 7.1 percent.

Charter School Proposed

A new elementary charter school could open its doors in Midtown Harrisburg next year, if it gets the approval it seeks from the Harrisburg school board.

The Pennsylvania STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Academy last month presented a charter application to the school board at a public hearing in the district’s Lincoln Administration Building.

Only three board members attended the hearing, which was recessed after 90 minutes and will reconvene in January.

The presentation was led by former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq, a founding board member of the PA STEAM Academy. Dumaresq explained that the school would offer small classes and a rigorous curriculum in STEM fields, as well as a deep emphasis on language arts and literacy.

If Harrisburg grants the five-year charter application, the STEAM Academy would open at the HACC Midtown 2 Academic Building, 1500 N. 3rd St., in fall 2019 for grades K-2. The school would add a grade of instruction every year, allowing the incoming cohort of 2nd-graders to progress through 6th grade by the time the charter expires in 2024.

If their charter is granted and then renewed, they hope to expand to 8th grade.

HACC currently occupies Midtown 2, but the 15-year lease on the building expires in June 2022, and HACC announced in March that it would not renew it. The college plans to start moving some programs out of the building as early as this year.

As a public charter school, enrollment at PA STEAM Academy would be free for students, paid for by contributions from its students’ school districts. Harrisburg students would have first priority for the 120 enrollment slots. If the school received applications for more students than it could serve, it would select students through a lottery system.

Enrollment would only be open to students from other districts if the school could not fill its seats from within Harrisburg.

The school would also have a research component, Dumaresq said, serving as a testing ground for innovative curriculum programs that could raise student achievement across all of the Harrisburg school district.

“We would be able to look at our programs, look at student achievement, and say ‘this works’ and take the model [to other schools],” Dumaresq said. “A school district the size of Harrisburg can’t implement things this big all at once.”

UMC Churches to Close

Ten Harrisburg-area United Methodist churches are slated to close as their congregations consolidate, it was announced last month.

The Susquehanna United Methodist Conference cited declining membership and the high cost of building maintenance in its decision to shutter and sell the churches. Several churches are historic structures that date back more than a century.

The churches set to close are:

First Harrisburg UMC, 260 Boas St.
Riverside UMC, 3200 N. 3rd St.
Rockville UMC, 4386 N. 6th St.
Mark’s UMC, 3985 N. 2nd St.
Camp Curtin Memorial Mitchell UMC, 2221 N. 6th St.
Grace Harrisburg UMC, 216 State St.
Derry Street UMC, 1508 Derry St.
Twenty Ninth Street UMC, 750 S. 29th St.
Grace Penbrook UMC, 25 S. 28th St., Penbrook
Trinity Penbrook UMC, Canby and N. 25th St.

The conference stated that the congregations will consolidate into a smaller number of newly constructed campuses. Sites in Harrisburg and Penbrook are being considered as locations for the new campuses.

County Tax Unchanged

Dauphin County last month passed a 2019 budget that will keep the county’s portion of the property tax unchanged.

The $247 million budget retains the county rate of 6.87 mills, plus a .35 mills library tax.

This marks the 14th straight year that the county tax will not increase.

Additionally, the budget includes $11 million for the county’s municipal bridge project. Under the program, Dauphin County will use state transportation-related funds to cover 40 percent of a municipality’s cost to repair or replace a bridge. The rest of the money can be borrowed via low-interest loans from the Dauphin County Infrastructure Bank.

County officials said they are working with municipalities to determine an initial list of bridges.

“Without this program, township and boroughs would be forced to either close or weight-restrict bridges or raise local taxes to fix them,’’ said Commissioner Mike Pries. “We’re looking at long-term solutions and working with our municipal partners to improve the quality of life in the county.”

Robinson Regains Board Presidency

Danielle Robinson returned to her post as president of the Harrisburg school board last month, ousting incumbent Judd Pittman in a 6-3 vote at an annual reorganization meeting.

Lola Lawson, a board veteran who was appointed to a temporary seat in August, will serve as vice president.

A member of the school board since 2012, Robinson served as its president from 2015 to 2017, when she lost her leadership role to Pittman. She was subsequently elected vice president for the 2018 calendar year.

Robinson and Pittman found themselves in opposite factions throughout most of 2018, as the board decided whether to retain Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney or conduct a nationwide search for her replacement. The board frequently split along slim margins on questions related to Knight-Burney’s tenure and administration, with the majority supporting her.

In other school board news, board member Melvin Wilson died suddenly last month. The board now must appoint a replacement by mid-January.

Study: Dauphin County Most Like “Middle America”

A research firm last month named Dauphin County the most typical county in the nation.

Alexandria, Va.-based Echelon Insights released the results of its “Middle America Project,” which ranked Dauphin County as, statistically, the “closest to resembling America as a whole.”

The firm used a variety of demographic and other data, including income, employment, church attendance and voting tendencies, to compile a “Middle America score” and rank more than 3,000 counties.

Another Pennsylvania county—Lehigh—took second place nationwide, with Scott County, Iowa, Shawnee County, Kansas, and Peoria County, Ill., rounding out the top five spots. Webster County, W.Va., was ranked as least resembling the nation as a whole.

Locally, Lancaster County came in at No. 51, Cumberland County at 109, York County at 318, Lebanon County at 533, Adams County at 633 and Perry County at 2,024.

So Noted

Adam Porter was named last month as president of the executive board of Harrisburg Young Professionals for 2019. Porter is co-owner of both the st@rtup Harrisburg co-working space and Provisions, a downtown grocery. In addition, HYP named Jeremy Scheibelhut and Brandon Boring as vice presidents, Sydney Kyler as treasurer and Mary Kate Grimes as secretary.

AutoZone passed its first significant hurdle last month, as Harrisburg City Council voted to void several “paper” alleys on the proposed site at N. 7th and Maclay streets. Before the auto parts company can build a retail store on the Vartan-owned parcel, the city still must approve its land use plan.

Beth Taylor resigned last month after more than three years as manager of the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg. At press time, the market board had not yet named a replacement.

Harrisburg City Council last month unanimously passed a resolution opposing “conversion therapy,” a controversial treatment that claims to be able to change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Council passed the measure, which contains no sanctions, as a public statement of opposition.

Harrisburg University has been named U.S. STEM University of the Year by United Kingdom-based Corporate LiveWire. Corporate LiveWire is a networking platform that allows individuals and organizations to find other professionals in the corporate finance and business community.

Lindsay Helsel has been named vice president of Team Pennsylvania, a nonprofit dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship in the commonwealth. Helsel previously served as the group’s director of international initiatives.

Patrice Merzanis will serve as the new executive director of the Dauphin County Bar Association effective Jan. 1. Merzanis, who most recently served as a consultant with the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, replaces Elizabeth Simcox, who served in the position for seven years.

Radish & Rye Food Hub plans to open a second location this summer on the 1300-block of N. 3rd Street in Harrisburg. Owners Dusty and Julia James will open a seven-day-a-week grocery store, complementing their Broad Street Market stand, focused on local, organic and prepared foods. Radish & Rye has received a three-year, $333,410 federal grant to help fund the expansion.
Changing Hands

Berryhill St., 2163: G. Garmin & D. Hart to International Union of Elevator Constructors Local Union #59, $140,000

Boas St., 223: Clionsky & Keys LLC to C. & K. Kelley, $142,800

Boas St., 257: F. & J. Beskind to R. Lowery, $116,900

Boas St., 261 & 263: C. & M. Frater to Alex Manning Enterprises LLC, $194,000

Boas St., 1816: D. Schultz to Harrisburg Properties LLC, $39,000

Cumberland St., 224: A. Karns to A. & A. Chaplin, $114,000

Derry St., 2423: E. Gmys to S. Bello, $78,000

Duke St., 2438: M. & K. Morris to K. Morris, $30,000

Fulton St., 1722: PA Deals LLC to Pedavelis Properties LLC, $109,000

Green St., 1102: LHRE LLC to W. Hoover & Heinly Homes LLC, $50,000

Green St., 1820: C. Edwards to Jhonleo Home Renovations LLC, $45,000

Green St., 2212: T. Treece to E. Villavicencio, $55,000

Harris St., 226: P. & T. Davis to V. Parades, $74,500

Herr St., 1611 & 703 N. 18^th St.: WK Rentals LLC to Henry & Sons Property 2 LLC, $119,800

Locust St., 115 & 117 N. River St.: Allis Revocable Trust to M. & D. Williams, $287,000

Locust St., 119: D. Shatto, S. Shatto & A. Rhoads to G. Rhoads & M. Beamer, $95,000

Market St., 1827: 2103 Central PA Real Estate Fund LLC to Henry & Sons Property 2 LLC, $79,900

N. 2^nd St., 2131: J. & R. Miller to BCRA Realty LLC, $84,500

N. 2^nd St., 2140: M. Price to G. & K. Raser, $140,000

N. 2^nd St., 2313: G. Mineur to D. Lehman, $36,700

N. 3^rd St., 1614: P. Eusi to D. McCord, $144,500

N. 3^rd St., 1800: R. Valentine & C. Frater to 1800 N. 3^rd LLC, $174,500

N. 3^rd St., 1818: C. Frater to Heinly Homes LLC, $100,000

N. 3^rd St., 1724: Y. Farzana to J. Montone, $132,000

N. 3^rd St., 1937: C. Frater to Heinly Homes LLC, $130,000

N. 4^th St., 3230: D. Garman to C. Sitterly, $132,000

N. 5^th St., 2648: R. Walker to R. & O. Hicks, $44,000

N. 13^th St., 113: Adonis Real Estate LLC to 77 Estate LLC, $37,500

N. 15^th St., 183 & 185: S. Fenton, D. Fenton & Harrisburg Property Management Group to T. Casteel, $58,000

N. 15^th St., 1308: Harrisburg Rentals LLC to Henry & Sons Property 2 LLC, $59,900

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 210: N. & D. Burke to R. & L. Mack, $105,000

N. Front St., 2949: Fraternal Order of Police to Vinculum Inc., $285,000

Penn St., 1717: J. Armstrong to N. Houle, $109,900

Pennwood Rd., 3100: C. Pensyl to K. Zuber, $96,000

Reel St., 2433: A. Wood to C. & M. Gentry, $31,000

Reily St., 204: R. & E. Davis to B. Davis, $80,000

Rolleston St., 1235: L. & E. Saunders to ECS Holdings LLC, $170,000

Rumson Dr., 2786: PA Deals LLC to B. & C. George, $79,500

Seneca St., 241: CR Property Group to L. Graham, $71,500

S. 14^th St., 1403: J. & F. Scott to City of Harrisburg, $41,000

S. 17^th St., 205: J. Tyson, M. Tyson & W. Hill to 205 S. 17^th Street LLC, $137,500

S. 23^rd St., 605: 2014 LIMG Real Estate Investment Fund LLC to Henry & Sons Property 2 LLC, $64,900

S. 24^th St., 705 & 711: C. Dellmuth to R. Hendrix, $95,800

S. 26^th St., 655: Twenty Ninth Street United Methodist Church to F. & R. Rivera, $109,900

S. Chestnut St., 100: Dauphin County General Authority to Chestnut 100 LLC, $1,600,000

S. Market Sq.: Skarlatos & Zonarich Real Estate LP to South Second Associates LLC, $1,800,000

State St., 1310: Skye Holdings LLC to M. Maniari & Z. Er Roudi, $30,000

Sylvan Terr., 127 & 134: C. McGraw to Enterprise O LLC, $65,000

Verbeke St., 1418: A. & D. Cruz to J. Reid, $63,900

Yale St., 227: J. & C. Nuhfer to A. De Camacho, $42,000

Yale St., 228: C. Jones to NGDR Company Inc., $45,000

City Council resolves disputes with Mayor’s office, passes 2019 budget without substantial changes.

December 27, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg City Council met tonight to pass the city’s 2019 budget.

One week after disputes with the mayor’s office delayed its scheduled budget vote, Harrisburg City Council tonight approved a 2019 municipal budget that calls for no tax increases and flat spending in the new year.

The budget, which allocates $6.8 million in capital improvement spending and reorganizes city employees into a new departmental structure, is largely unchanged from the one Mayor Eric Papenfuse proposed in November.

Council was originally scheduled to vote on the 2019 budget at its Dec. 18 legislative session.

Council members decided last week to table the budget discussion until they could resolve disagreements over the mayor’s proposals to increase employee salaries and reorganize staff within city hall.

Ultimately, council members did not amend the mayor’s proposed spending for 2019, but they did attach two conditions to their approval of the budget tonight. First, the mayor must provide written justifications for awarding any salary increases greater than 5 percent, and, secondly, must also provide council with quarterly reports of unused salary funds.

Council also amended the 2019 budget to re-institute the director of community and economic development position, a role that was omitted from the city’s organizational chart in the mayor’s proposed reorganization.

The amendment does not carry any new funding, so the city’s 2019 spending plan is unchanged. Councilman Ben Allatt said that the city will seek grants in the new year to pay a salary for a new director.

Council President Wanda Williams said last week that council members wanted to use surplus funds to pay down debt, but that proposal did not come up at tonight’s 20-minute meeting.

As always, the city’s largest operating expenditure in 2019 — $32.7 million — will be on personnel. Debt service and healthcare will eat up $9.8 million and $11 million from the operating budget, respectively.

Even though personnel expenses increased by $500,000 from 2018, Papenfuse said a priority for the 2019 budget is to maintain Harrisburg’s current staff capacity, which his administration has rebuilt after years of austerity.

Rather than add new personnel in 2019, the mayor proposed reorganizing the city’s departments to more closely align with the city council committee structure.

The city’s new organizational chart creates seven city departments to correspond with the seven council committees. The chart dissolves the Department of Community of Economic Development and replaces it with the Department of Engineering and Development.

The reorganization was due in part to the resignation of Community and Economic Development Director Jackie Parker, who left the city in September for a new job in the private sector.

Council’s amendment tonight would place the director of Community and Economic Development in the city’s administrative department, reporting to Business Administrator Marc Woolley.

The duties of the role are not yet defined, and will depend on the skillset of the person who fills the role if the city can fund it, Papenfuse said.

Harrisburg’s 2019 budget also allocates $4.8 million from the Neighborhood Services fund for capital improvement projects, including:

$2.5 million for the acquisition of a new public works building
$250,000 to outsource the demolition of abandoned buildings
$2 million in new equipment for parks maintenance.

An additional $2.5 million in allocations will allow the city to finance its share of grant-funded transportation projects. Among them are:

$517,000 to construct new sheltered bike lanes and a traffic circle on N. 7th Street
$345,000 to repave two miles of Riverfront Park’s lower riverwalk, a segment stretching from Maclay Street to Shipoke.
$270,000 for landscaping and construction to complete the MulDer Square revitalization project.
$250,000 to complete the 3rd Street repaving project, which was delayed this year by heavy summer rain.

The budget also allocates money from the city’s general fund to purchase new equipment for other city departments. Those expenditures include $700,000 for the IT department to replace aging infrastructure and purchase off-site data storage.

The police bureau will also receive $150,000 for the purchase of body cameras, a figure that includes $70,000 in unspent funds for the same purpose in this year’s budget.

Papenfuse said the city can expect to see body cameras in 2019, despite initial promises they would be rolled out this year. Police said this fall that it took longer than expected to identify what kind of equipment they wanted.

Councilwoman Shamaine Daniels cast the lone dissenting vote against the budget tonight. After the meeting, she said that she doubted the accuracy of the data that the mayor’s office provided during budget talks in November and December.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

December 27, 2018 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

Hope you’ve all had a wonderful holiday. We. Are. Tired. As you read this, we’ll be gearing up for Christmas 4 of 4. I also thought I’d get to work luxuriously all week but apparently, I don’t know how a calendar works. Friday we host friends for dinner, then it seemed like a really good idea to go to a cocktail party on Saturday (I know it’ll be fun, I just am feeling my age). Sunday football is blacked out which I’ll cry about, but at least next week I don’t have anything going on. I’ll miss our annual New Year’s Day Party (one of these years I’ll actually write about this — it’s a blast), but Andy has to work.

Anyway. Let’s get some rest, cook some things, and enjoy the final days of 2018! Tomorrow, we’ll be posting the entire team’s New Year’s Resolutions, and we’d love to hear yours, too!

If you’re still here, please do me a solid and take this survey.

What are you doing this weekend?

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TheBurg Podcast: Impasse Edition

December 21, 2018 | by TheBurg Staff

Hitting the road for holiday travel this weekend? Bring yourself up to speed on Harrisburg political news with the newest episode of TheBurg Podcast.

Lizzy and Larry discuss what’s delaying the city’s 2019 budget, and explain a recent effort to get more local laborers on the new federal courthouse construction site. They finish by previewing a brewing charter school debate, which is sure to take the Harrisburg School Board by storm in 2019.

Stream the episode here, or subscribe to TheBurg Podcast in the Apple or Android podcast apps.

Read more about the topics discussed in this week’s episode:
Harrisburg City Council tables 2019 budget vote, citing “impasse” with mayor’s office.

City council president blocks vote on Federal Courthouse plans, staging symbolic rebuke of hiring practices.

Harrisburg School Board hears charter application for midtown elementary school.

Following church consolidation, Derry Street UMC leaders fight for right to stay in South Allison Hill.

Burg Blog: On Average

TheBurg Podcast is released semi-monthly by TheBurg Magazine. It is recorded in the offices of Startup Harrisburg and produced by Lizzy Hardison. Special thanks to Paul Coolley, who wrote our theme music.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

December 19, 2018 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

The holidays are here. Hope your shopping is (almost) done. Gifts are wrapped (mine aren’t – when do you do that with a 1-year-old?). We have a full weekend followed by travel and family. It’s going to be a lot. Thank goodness for cbd-infused seltzer.

After a busy workday, I’ll be at Broad Street Market for 3rd in the Burg, picking up pork fat and accouterments for Andy and Jimi to make venison sausage and chorizo on Saturday (with Mexican Oregano from Calicutts). Bo and I will probably hit The State Museum or maybe visit friends in the ‘hood.

Monday, we meet up with friends, as per tradition, at ZerØday — before we hit I-80 for Elk County for Christmas this year. After festivities, we’re back home hitting up my side of the family. Then we cap the week both hosting dinner and attending a cocktail party. OMG I am exhausted typing all of this.

What are you doing this weekend?

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City council president blocks vote on Federal Courthouse plans, staging symbolic rebuke of hiring practices.

December 18, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Shortly after tabling an anticipated vote on Harrisburg’s proposed 2019 municipal budget, City Council tonight made a symbolic gesture in support of local laborers when it declined to approve plans for a long-delayed federal courthouse project.

Council was scheduled tonight to vote on a proposed land development plan submitted by the U.S. Department of General Services, which is constructing a $192 million federal courthouse on 6th and Reily Streets in Midtown Harrisburg.

Council members said that federal government officials had not shown commitment to hiring local laborers for the project, which broke ground in September and is scheduled for completion in 2021.

Williams pressed federal representatives in December to commit to hire local contractors for the project, particularly women- and minority-owned businesses. But she said they failed to make any commitments to Harrisburg’s local trades workforce.

In response, she used her power as council president to withdraw the land development plan from tonight’s city council agenda.

“We have to make a statement to make a change, and if this is the way me make the statement, so be it,” Williams said. “I will not sit by and allow anyone to keep coming here and developing and not utilize the residents who live in this city.”

The proposal already cleared the city’s Planning Commission in an Oct. 3 vote. City council has 90 days to act on it before it is deemed approved by third-class city planning code, according to deputy city solicitor Tiffanie Baldock.

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse pointed out that failure to act on the land use plan granted it “tacit approval,” and challenged council to vote the resolution down instead.

But Williams said tonight that she would not reschedule the proposal for a vote. She acknowledged that failure to act on the land use plan would not stop GSA from building the courthouse, but said council had to take a stand using whatever means it could

Members of the building trades community addressed council during tonight’s public comment period. They implored council to press for more local and minority representation in development projects, saying such projects provided valuable opportunities for laborers and young people learning new trades.

“It is immoral for the federal government to build a courthouse without using local labor,” said Rev. Frank Hairston-Allen, president of the Harrisburg chapter of the NAACP. “The moral consequence of those jobs that are going to be in the courthouse that will not be obtained by minorities and others in the city is a deprivation.”

Dauphin county commissioner George Hartwick expressed his disappointment that more local minority and women-owned businesses were not being hired for the project.

“That corridor can really benefit from the economic development that’s going to happen in the city, yet we don’t see Dauphin County’s [minority and women] employers, or union based employers, at the table,” Hartwick said. “We want to know where Dauphin County businesses are.”

Council community and economic development chair Dave Madsen said that council has no other paths of recourse to advocate for local laborers, since it cannot compel GSA, legally or otherwise, to award its contracts to certain firms.

“We can’t force them, but we can ask them to come to the table,” Madsen said. “But there’s no legal or procedural mechanism we can use to force them to do the right thing.”

City council did vote tonight to void unused “paper streets” on a lot at Sixth and Maclay Streets in Uptown Harrisburg, just blocks away from the federal courthouse site. The vote clears the way for national car parts retailer AutoZone to consolidate the lots in preparation to build a full-service retail location.

Representatives from AutoZone and the Vartan Group, which owns the 6th Street lot, appeared before council last month to answer questions about their proposed development. Vartan Group CEO Ralph Vartan said it would be Harrisburg’s first, market-rate construction project by a national retailer in decades, other than a dollar store in Allison Hill.

Despite the promise of new development, nobody on council asked AutoZone for assurance that it would hire local laborers.

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