Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

November 21, 2018 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

Every year, we publish the Weekend Roundup a day early so you crazy kids can get out for the Biggest Bar Night of the Year. I don’t remember the last time I went out for it because often I’m traveling the next morning — as I am this year — plus, I’m no JP.

However, it’s popular for a reason, and we have loads of way you can enjoy it with friends — plus ideas to take you through the weekend, whether you’re escaping the fam, doing some Black Friday shopping (or not).

What are you doing this weekend?

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AutoZone proposal advances through City Council, despite mayor’s requests.

November 20, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

AutoZone will purchase the vacant lot at 645 Maclay Street from Harrisburg-area developer The Vartan Group, pending approval of its proposals by the city.

Depending on who you ask, the proposal to bring a national auto-parts chain to uptown Harrisburg is either a much-needed economic development boost or the first step in suburbanizing the city.

City Council inched closer to sanctioning the project tonight, when it held a public hearing on a resolution that would vacate unused alleys on the 1-acre lot at 7th and Maclay Streets owned by the Buonarroti Trust, a subsidiary of the Vartan Group.

Council will vote on the measure at a Dec. 18 legislative session. The street vacation would wipe the unused alleys off city planning maps, allowing the Vartan Group to consolidate two tax parcels in preparation to sell the lot to AutoZone, a Memphis-based auto-parts retailer.

The streets in question are narrow, one-way “grocers alleys” on the vacant lot that are not used by motorists, cyclists, or pedestrians, according to city planning director Geoff Knight. The planning bureau does not expect any residents to be inconvenienced once they are nullified.

AutoZone plans to build a full-service retail location on Maclay Street property, which has been vacant since the 1970s. Vartan Group CEO Ralph Vartan said tonight that it would be Harrisburg’s first, market-rate construction project by a national retailer in decades, other than a dollar store in Allison Hill.

Vartan added that there was no other interest in the Maclay Street lot at this time.

“We hope this will be the first spark to change that,” he told council.

The lot is six blocks north of the site of a new federal courthouse and state archives building — two long-awaited projects that are hoped to spur development along the blighted 6th and 7th street corridors.

But Mayor Eric Papenfuse urged council tonight to withhold approval for the street vacation until AutoZone presented final design plans for the lot.

Papenfuse said in September that he opposed the project on the grounds that it was better suited to a suburban strip mall setting. He later said his comments were misconstrued by the media, and that his opposition was based on the project’s proposed design, not the AutoZone franchise itself.

Tonight, he reiterated his claim that the location would be best served by dense, mixed-use development, not a single-story building with surface parking.

“Let’s not confuse business with design,” Papenfuse said. “We welcome AutoZone [but] this is our opportunity to get a design we are happy with as a city. Once you approve vacation, they more or less do what they want.”

Some council members bristled at the mayor’s directive. Council president Wanda Williams said that an auto parts store would be well suited to the industrial 7th street corridor. She also said that Uptown residents have expressed enthusiasm about the project, though none contributed public comments at tonight’s hearing.

Other council members said that the city was in no position to be choosy about proposals for new construction.

“This area is overall in need of economic development,” council vice president Ben Allatt said. “We’re lacking for retail presence in the city, and we have to be open to the development that can occur.”

Council member Shamaine Daniels argued that the city couldn’t make arbitrary planning decisions. Absent a conflict with Harrisburg’s comprehensive plan or zoning ordinance, she said, city council could not legally deny the project application.

Harrisburg’s comprehensive plan has been delayed by more than a year following disputes with a contractor. But Papenfuse said the draft document identified the 7th Street corridor as a site for dense, mixed-use development, and urged council to consider the project in the context of the larger neighborhood.

“This is an area of the city with great potential for redevelopment, but one-off plans like this are not as good as working on an entire neighborhood plan together,” Papenfuse said.

The Harrisburg planning commission has spent the past nine months editing the comprehensive plan to prepare it for final approval.

Council member Ausha Green said that the commission has already approved the application to vacate streets, signifying their implicit approval of the AutoZone project and its compliance with the draft comprehensive plan.

City Council members suggested they would support the street vacation permit pending more information about water management and utilities at the vacant lots.

They also asked a representative from Auto Zone to convene a conference call between AutoZone and city officials to discuss design options. The representative said he would issue the invitation to his client.

A previous version of this article incorrectly identified an Auto Zone representative as a Vartan Group representative.

Parents raise concerns about security, traffic safety at school intersections.

November 19, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

The intersection outside Ben Franklin Elementary school was the site of two vehicle crashes between 2015 and 2017, according to PennDOT data.

How safe are the streets outside of Harrisburg’s schools?

Data from a targeted city traffic study show that intersections outside of school buildings saw multiple car crashes in recent years.

The intersection of 6th and Division streets, near Camp Curtin Middle School, was the site of seven car crashes between 2015 and 2017, according to a city analysis of PennDOT data. The same data recorded two car crashes at 6th and Verbeke streets, just outside Benjamin Franklin Elementary School.

These findings were released as part of the city’s 2nd Street conversion study, which only analyzed the area from Forster to Division streets between the river and 7th Street. Crash data near the city’s other schools were not included.

Nonetheless, district parents are now asking for more crossing guards and bus service in neighborhoods across the city.

Yaqinah Abdurrahman’s 8-year old son is a second grader at Ben Franklin Elementary school. He’s able to ride the bus, but she said his friends who live outside the 1-mile bus radius are afraid to walk to school in the morning, due to busy intersections and the presence of a men’s homeless shelter near their campus.

A group from Benjamin Franklin School recently took matters into its own hands, launching a GoFundMe campaign to raise $40,000 to buy a new bus so they can transport more children.

But Abdurrahman fears problems will only get worse in the winter, when inclement weather and snowy sidewalks could force some walking students to stay home.

“If kids aren’t getting to school, you can’t serve them at all,” Abdurrahman said at a school board meeting tonight. “When it gets colder, you’re losing attendance.”

Abdurrahman suggested that school employees could ride public CAT buses with children who can’t take the school bus. She also asked if the district could grant building security guards greater power to patrol traffic outside the buildings, or to act as crossing guards at nearby intersections.

Board director Brian Carter said that some school security officers already direct traffic at school crosswalks. The district is also hiring more crossing guards.

But some residents want students to have the protection of adults along their entire walk to and from school.

“I have been fighting for crossing guards every year for the last 10 years,” said Sylvia Rigal. “We can’t get them, we can’t keep them. Not every parent can take their child to school.”

Rigal wants to see crossing guards along 6th street, stationed at the intersections of Maclay, Reily and Schuykill streets. School board members and administrators say that they’ll have to work with the city to station crossing guards beyond school property.

“I’ve spoken to City Council many times on this issue. It is the city’s responsibility to provide crossing guards,” board director Carrie Fowler said. “The only place they cannot provide crossing guards is on school property. That’s the district’s responsibility.”

But board vice president Danielle Robinson said the district can’t hire enough crossing guards as it is. She said the human resources department has advertised jobs for crossing guards this fall to monitor intersections near school property, but hasn’t found enough candidates.

“The district is doing everything it can to provide crossing guard protection for our children,” Robinson said. “We put all the advertisements up, but we can’t force people to come in. It’s frustrating because we want to help.”

Abdurrahman worries that people won’t mobilize behind the issue until it’s too late.

“If you can injure a person going 25 miles per hour, an adult, what would happen to a child?” Abdurrahman said. “Once a kid gets hit by a car, we’ll have 1,000 people at the crosswalks.”

Mayor Eric Papenfuse did not immediately respond to a request for comment tonight.

TheBurg Podcast: “Sweet Gig” Edition

November 16, 2018 | by TheBurg Staff

Traffic on Forster Street during the Nov. 15 snow storm.

We cover infrastructure changes, budget previews, and partial building collapses in today’s episode of TheBurg Podcast, here just in time for your weekend listening pleasure.

Lizzy and Larry discuss proposed changes to Harrisburg’s 2nd Street, and recap a recent public meeting on that subject that drew more than 100 city residents. We also make predictions on the 2019 budget presentation and lament the recent partial collapse of a historic city home.

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

Read more about the topics discussed in this episode at TheBurgNews.com:

A New North 2nd Street: Residents debate bike lanes, parking and more at public meeting.
Harrisburg eyes Forster Street lane change, sheltered bike routes as infrastructure blitz continues.
Harrisburg lifts hiring freeze, acts to extend lobbying effort as it prepares for Act 47 exit
Codes inspectors rule out demolition as repairs begin at Swallow Mansion.

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.

Commonwealth announces theme, logo for 2019 Farm Show

November 16, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Farm Show shakes await takers at the 2018 event.

The timing seems perfect.

Last week was our area’s first snowfall of the season, a fitting time for the commonwealth to announce the theme and logo for one of wintertime’s main events in central Pennsylvania—the annual PA Farm Show.

For the 103^rd show, the theme is “Inspiring Pennsylvania’s Stories,” with story-related events featured throughout the 10-day agricultural exposition, which takes place at the PA Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.

Events will include a daily story time for children, interviews with Pennsylvania residents who work in agriculture and opportunities for attendees to tell their own stories.

“The agriculture industry and the people within it have a powerful story that has impacted our lives for centuries,” said state agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “It’s a story of passion, a story of conviction, a story of purpose and meaning, a story of hope.”

The logo, pictured above, states that theme, atop of an image designed to reference a book.

For 2019, the PA Farm Show runs Jan. 5 to 12 and will feature about 12,000 competitive exhibits, including some 5,200 animal competitions. Admission is free, though parking in a Farm Show Complex lot will cost $15.

“Each year, the Pennsylvania Farm Show uses a theme to communicate our vision for the future of agriculture, and this year’s theme speaks to the importance of using our voices to champion our industry, to be the storytellers expressing our mission and our purpose,” said Farm Show Executive Director Sharon Altland.

For more information, visit www.farmshow.pa.gov. Organizers also said that, starting next week, they would use the Farm Show’s social media outlets, including Facebook and Instagram, to tell stories of PA agriculture.

November Editorial Cartoon: “Our Deliveries Have Arrived”

November 16, 2018 | by Brad Gebhart and Lawrance Binda

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

November 15, 2018 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

Please check all listings. I guess if this snow/ice thing happens, many Thursday events are subject to change or cancellation.

Hey, so it’s the holidays. It’s a 3rd in the Burg weekend, which is festive and fun, but we’re hosting good friends for wine and food. On Saturday, it’s off to Market, but maybe I’ll adjust my timing to coincide with part of the Holiday Parade, or just to swing by The Curiosity Connection at The State Museum of Pennsylvania, of which we are new members.

On Sunday, we’re getting family photos taken because we are officially “those” people. If you’re on our card list, you’ve been warned.

What are you doing this weekend?

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City Council Update: Traffic police on the move, roadwork planned for South Harrisburg

November 13, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg City Council at tonight’s legislative session

Harrisburg’s traffic police are moving their home base to Paxton Street.

City Council tonight approved a one-year, $1 lease with UPMC Pinnacle to rent office space in a UPMC-owned property at 1000 Paxton St.

The new space will allow officers in the city’s traffic safety unit to store damaged cars for inspection following traffic safety incidents.

Officers currently store vehicles involved in investigations in a downtown garage, which is cramped and not entirely protected from the outdoors, according to police officials.

The deal also provides 140 square feet of office space where officers can store equipment and complete paperwork. Only one or two officers will ever be in the office at a given time, council public safety chair Ausha Green said tonight.

UPMC will furnish the office with desks, a credenza and a refrigerator, and the Harrisburg Police Bureau will provide furniture from its existing inventory as needed.

The agreement will not permit the bureau to increase the size of its traffic safety unit, which currently comprises six officers who are called to traffic assignments in between other duties.

Council also voted tonight to reaffirm the terms of a $2 million loan to finance street improvements in South Harrisburg.

A resolution that council passed in April authorized the city to enter into the loan agreement with the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Bank, to be repaid over a 10-year period at a 2.5 percent interest rate. A resolution passed tonight ratifies the same terms with “more robust language,” according to Deputy Solicitor Tiffanie Baldock.

The $2 million loan will allow the city to repave 38,000 square feet of roads and install ADA-compliant wheelchair ramps and crosswalk signals at six deteriorating intersections in South Harrisburg.

The goal of the project is to create a safer pedestrian environment, according to council legislation, which does not identify the streets targeted for improvements. The project is expected to begin next year.

City Council also considered legislation tonight to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement with city employees represented by the Local 521 chapter of AFSCME. It would extend the current contract for two years, providing a 1-percent annual raise and a $1,000 bonus for members of the bargaining unit, effective at the start of the new fiscal year.

The contract agreement was sent to council’s administration committee, which will meet during the next work session on Tuesday, Nov. 20.

Here Comes Santa: Harrisburg unveils details of Saturday’s holiday parade

November 13, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Officials from both Harrisburg and Christmas announced the details of Saturday’s holiday parade today.

Food trucks, marching bands and live reindeer will flood the streets of downtown Harrisburg this weekend for the city’s annual holiday parade, which will take place rain or shine on Saturday.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse announced details of the parade at a press conference this morning in city hall, where he was joined by performers and corporate sponsors.

“Events like this bring people to the city in droves,” Papenfuse said. “The city has improved so much in the past few years, and this is an opportunity to come together and celebrate the holiday.”

The $20,000 event budget was funded entirely by sponsorships, Papenfuse said.

The parade will begin at the Market Street Bridge at noon, traveling its customary route up 2nd Street to North Street, before continuing to Front Street and concluding on City Island.

This year’s theme is “A Storybook Season,” Papenfuse said. More than 90 parade entrants will provide entertainment, including marching bands, local celebrities, vintage and classic cars and costumed performers.

The procession will also feature giant inflatables, including a gingerbread man that requires 24 handlers, Papenfuse said.

Event highlights this year include a photo station with two live reindeer at State and 2nd streets.

Free carnival games will be stationed on Market Street between Front and 2nd streets for the duration of the parade, along with 10 food trucks offering everything from Brazilian cuisine to crab cakes.

A food guide with a complete list of menu items is available on www.harrisburgpa.gov.

The afternoon’s festivities also will be broadcast on Channel 20. Residents who don’t want to brave the cold can join the after-party at Strawberry Square beginning at 3 p.m.

There, revelers can take photos with Santa, enjoy complimentary cookies and hot chocolate, and watch encore performances from step teams, drill teams and marching bands.

The best teams as picked by a panel of judges will receive cash prizes, which range up to $500 and help performing groups purchase uniforms and instruments, Papenfuse said.

A new prize for the “best in theme” parade entry will also be awarded this year.

The Market Square garage will offer a $10 flat rate special for parade day. Motorists can also redeem four hours of free parking by using the promo code LUVHBG on the ParkMobile app.

The forecast is looking good for Saturday, Papenfuse said, currently calling for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-40s.

Harrisburg lifts hiring freeze, acts to extend lobbying effort as it prepares for Act 47 exit

November 12, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg city hall

After a brief period of austerity, Harrisburg is hiring again.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said today that he lifted a five-month hiring and spending freeze on Oct. 24, the same day that Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill designed to release Harrisburg from state financial oversight.

Papenfuse declared a moratorium on hiring and non-essential city spending in June. At the time, he said that the freezes would prepare Harrisburg for the eventual loss of $12 million in tax revenue, which would accompany its Act 47 exit in 2021 unless state lawmakers intervened.

The hiring freeze affected 14 unfilled positions in city hall, half of which were represented by bargaining units.

As of Monday, the city was advertising six vacant positions on its website. Papenfuse expects the other unfilled positions to be posted in batches.

The non-essential city spending freeze was also rescinded in October, Papenfuse said today. It did not interrupt any grant funded capital improvement projects, but did lead city officials to re-evaluate in-house spending.

Papenfuse declined to say in June which programs, if any, were curtailed by the freeze.

The bill that Wolf signed in October, House Bill 2557, will temporarily spare Harrisburg the revenue losses that normally occur when a city exits Act 47, as it surrenders the augmented taxing power it exercised under state oversight.

Harrisburg officials have long said that the city cannot survive without its current local services and earned income tax rates, which were both increased under Act 47.

At a House committee hearing in September, Papenfuse testified that the city’s commuter population creates an irreparable structural deficit for the city, since the demands on its infrastructure and emergency services are too great for its small, largely impoverished residential tax base to afford.

House Bill 2557 let Harrisburg retain its current taxing authority for five years under the guidance of a five-member governing board. City officials expect to exit Act 47 in the spring, once the board adopts an agreement with the city granting it oversight powers.

House Bill 2557 won’t allow Harrisburg to keep its current taxing authority in perpetuity, as city leaders initially wanted. But they hope Harrisburg can push for even greater reforms in the future.

Papenfuse also is asking City Council to extend Harrisburg’s contract with the lobbying firm Maverick Strategies, which worked throughout the year to make the city’s case in the statehouse.

The current contract with Maverick was set to expire in December at the end of a one-year, $60,000 term. Papenfuse said today that he hopes to retain their lobbying and intelligence gathering services for at least another year.

City Council will consider a motion to re-hire Maverick at its legislative session tomorrow, which begins at 6 p.m. in city hall.

What are you doing this weekend?

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