Musical Notes: It’s Still Beating–In Harrisburg, the heart of rock ‘n roll plays through.

August 31, 2018 | by Kait Gibboney

It’s getting close to my favorite time of year.

In this column, I definitely mention seasons a lot, but there’s something extra special about those cooler evenings spent on porches with friends or out on the town in the Burg. The Kipona festival hits its 102nd anniversary early this month, the Celtic Craic Music Fest returns towards the end of the month, and, as always, there are plenty of fun shows to go around the rest of the time. We have some big names coming through the city, so keep an eye out and be sure to give them a big Harrisburg welcome!

RICKIE LEE JONES, 9/6, 8PM, H*MAC CAPITOL ROOM, $50
Even though Harrisburg is a small city, it’s attracted the attention of big-time artists looking to book a show while on tour. Two-time Grammy winning artist Rickie Lee Jones is coming to town, and you know it’s going to be a good time. Starting her pop career in 1978, Jones wowed her fans with “Saturday Night Live” performances, Rolling Stones covers and 15 albums to boot. Jones has undoubtedly got spunk, but she’s also got the heart to match it. Her confessional style of playing and her honest, soulful lyrics have inspired many artists. If you haven’t heard her before, check out some of her older material like the critically acclaimed “Pirates” or look up her newest album, “The Other Side of Desire,” tales from life in her current home of New Orleans. The song “Chuck E’s in Love” is a classic and, hopefully, Harrisburg will get to hear her play it live in the Capitol Room.

HYBRID ICE, 9/15, 8PM, CLUB XL
Everyone seems to love the ‘80s, especially the decade’s unique sound. Harrisburg’s hottest new venue, Club XL, is hosting Hybrid Ice, the self-proclaimed “most famous unknown band in the world.” This prog rock band, hailing from Danville, Pa., has been active from 1969 on, taking a hiatus from 1998 to 2002 and switching some band members along the way. Their claim to fame came back in 1982 when they released their radio hit song “Magdalene.” It gained much attention back then but hasn’t lost any of its quality along the way. Boston even covered the song on its 1994 album, “Walk On.” Prep your big hair, neon colors and spandex because this is going to be a rockin’ night to remember.

NEKO CASE, 9/17, 7:30PM, WHITAKER CENTER, $49
Perhaps better known by some for her stints in her former bands, Neko Case is giving Harrisburg a taste of her transformative solo career for an evening at Whitaker Center. With roots in the Vancouver music scene back in the ‘90s, Case started her music career playing drums with her bands and, eventually, went on to form Neko Case and Her Boyfriends and, later, The New Pornographers. With her solo career, Case went back to her punk and country roots. Her newest album, “Hell-On,” was released earlier this year, and its title track is mesmerizing. This genre-defying, country-leaning powerhouse is sure to bring the house down.

Mentionables:

Kitchen Dwellers, Sept. 7, The Abbey Bar

Torture Ascendancy, Sept. 8, J.B. Lovedraft’s

Peter White, Sept. 9, Dauphin County Jazz & Wine Festival

The Hackensaw Boys, Sept. 13, The Abbey Bar

Chris Jamison, Sept. 14, H*MAC Stage on Herr

Grumpy Old Men, Sept. 15, River City Blues Club

PennDOT hoping for a “project champion” to propel multi-million dollar Paxton Creek restoration.

August 30, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

An initial rendering of the proposed Paxton Creek Park, which PennDOT calls for constructing on a parcel owned by CREDC. Amenities include community garden plots, picnic pavilions, walking trails, a sculpture garden and a grass play court. (Click to enlarge.)

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time, according to PennDOT Deputy Secretary Jennie Granger, who used the metaphor to describe a $90 million restoration of Harrisburg’s Paxton Creek.

Granger spoke this morning at Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC 2018 transportation briefing, a ticketed breakfast meeting at the Hilton Harrisburg Hotel. She outlined objectives of the long-anticipated restoration project, which aims to widen the Paxton Creek and lower its floodplain elevation, making hundreds of blighted, industrial acres more attractive for development.

“This could have a monumental, positive impact for the city and the commonwealth,” Granger said. “From Herr Street south, there’s a lot of potential for redevelopment.”

However, PennDOT first needs a “project champion” to emerge from the gaggle of state agencies, city and county offices, and private sector stakeholders invested in the restoration, Granger said. She emphasized the need for private dollars to fund the full project.

Paxton Creek, which runs for 6.2 miles from Wildwood Park to the Susquehanna River watershed, was a key part of the City Beautiful movement in the early 1900s. It was channelized as a canal in 1914, after rapid urban development in the 19th and early 20th century degraded the creek’s ecology and structural integrity, leaving it vulnerable to flash floods.

The threat of flooding has since deterred development near Paxton Creek, particularly along the Cameron Street industrial corridor.

PennDOT’s chief goal in the restoration project is to lower the elevation of the creek’s 100-year floodplain from 317 feet to 314 feet.

“Three feet doesn’t seem substantial, but it will have major impacts,” Granger said.

In all, 147 property parcels are partially affected by the flood plain, and an additional 73 are totally affected, Granger said. A PennDOT study found that the elevation reduction could increase property values by 15 percent absent any other improvements, she said.

One of those sites is the former Harco Steel Corporation, a 23 acre parcel on Cameron Street, which CREDC purchased for $500,000 in March. The Paxton Creek Master Plan calls for renovating the site as Paxton Creek Park, with amenities such as community garden plots, a grass play court, picnic areas and walking trails.

Like many parcels on the Cameron Street corridor, the former industrial site will need extensive remediation before it can be repurposed.

PennDOT’s Paxton Creek Master Plan, published earlier this year, put a $60 to $90 million price tag on the project. That figure includes all engineering and design work and repairs for structurally deficient bridges.

A second, more comprehensive study, which analyzes the creek’s impact between Herr Street, South Harrisburg and the Susquehanna River, has been delayed due to summer flooding.

PennDOT hopes to complete the due diligence study by January 2019, at which point it can lay out next steps in the years-long project.

Earlier this summer, the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority received a $2 million state RACP grant to fund preliminary work on the Paxton Creek Project. Mayor Eric Papenfuse said this morning that the city is still deciding whether to use it on bridge repairs, channel reinforcement or property acquisitions.

“We have a lot of options for how to spend that money,” Papenfuse said. “It’s a small amount, but it’s a start, and where we deploy it is key to the overall strategy.”

Granger also provided a brief update on the Harrisburg Transportation Center renovation, one component of the Paxton Creek Master Plan. The train and bus hub’s observation room will get a new roof and full renovation in early 2019, she reported.

However, long-term plans to renovate the station’s concourse, lobby and bathrooms are on hold while PennDOT negotiates building ownership and leasing with Amtrak.

Detours ahead as projects affect Harrisburg roads, traffic

August 30, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg drivers will have to dodge some key street closures, as infrastructure projects are shutting down portions of two well-traveled routes.

Capital Region Water today shut down Market Street between Cameron and N. 13^th Street to repair two sewer mains. That portion of road will remain closed through November, said Andrew Bliss, CRW’s community outreach manager.

Bliss said that traffic will be detoured to Paxton Street (see map), though sidewalks will remain open. The work is needed to replace and reline portions of two sewer pipes, Bliss said.

Up Cameron Street, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has revised its scheduled to replace the Herr Street Bridge that runs over Paxton Creek. The bridge replacement now will take place starting Sept. 14, continuing for about 10 days, which will close Herr Street between Cameron Street and N. 7^th Street.

Previously, the road closure was slated for Sept. 7 to 17.

A detour will direct traffic around the work zone using Cameron Street, Maclay Street and 7th Street. A signed detour for pedestrians will use Cameron Street, Market Street, 5th Street and 7th Street.

Work on this project has already begun, with some lane closures. However, the actual bridge replacement and complete road closure now won’t occur until Sept. 14, according to PennDOT.

Meanwhile, PennDOT also announced today that work has begun to clear areas along the southbound and northbound lanes of I-83 near Valley Road, Locust Lane, Megoulas Boulevard and Londonderry Road in preparation for mainline interstate and structure widening in Lower Paxton Township.

This work marks the start of the $104.7 million interstate reconstruction contract that was awarded on June 26 to Atglen-Pa.-based J.D. Eckman and includes widening and rebuilding a 2.77-mile section of I-83 east of Harrisburg from just south of Exit 48 for Union Deposit Road, through Exit 50 for U.S. 22 (Colonial Park/Progress), to Exit 51 for Interstate 81. The entire project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2021.

Work this fall will focus on preparations to widen the highway along the outside of the current alignment for the additional northbound and southbound lanes on I-83, construct retaining walls, and begin work to widen the mainline structures, followed by the reconstruction of the existing lanes in the middle. The initial two-thirds of the work will be conducted off alignment with minimal impact to mainline traffic.

Two lanes of traffic in each direction of I-83 will be maintained during daylight hours throughout the project, but traffic may be reduced to single lanes during nighttime hours, according to PennDOT.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

August 30, 2018 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

Pretty much everyone I know is heading into the wilderness this Labor Day weekend, but I’ll be right here. Market, Kipona, maybe Flinchypalooza all on the “if it’s not oppressively hot” list. What about ya’ll?

What are you doing this weekend?

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Winter Is Coming: Downtown Daily Bread makes plans to reopen overnight shelter for men.

August 29, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Downtown Daily Bread on South Street in Harrisburg.

For a second straight winter, Downtown Daily Bread plans to open a men’s shelter at its facility on South Street in Harrisburg, and it’s now raising funds to make that happen.

Like last year, the downtown shelter, located at the Pine Street Presbyterian Church’s Boyd Memorial Center, would run Dec. 1 to March 31, with a capacity of 40 beds.

“Last year went very well,” said Anne Guenin, director of Downtown Daily Bread. “I don’t think anyone was unsheltered who wanted to be sheltered.”

Like last year, the shelter will open at 8 p.m. and close at 6 a.m. each day.

During most of the year, Downtown Daily Bread operates as a drop-in center, offering daytime shelter and meals to 70 to 90 people a day. Last year, it received city permission to extend its hours for a nighttime men’s shelter during the winter.

The need proved to be great, Guenin said. For most of last winter, the shelter was near capacity, averaging 25 men per night in December, 36 in January, 39 in February and 37 in March.

Guenin said that the men caused few problems, and she didn’t hear any concerns from the surrounding downtown community.

The biggest obstacles, she said, are staffing and funding. To that end, Downtown Daily Bread is trying to raise $100,000, which would cover expenses for the next two winters. Money also is being raised to fund a staff position dedicated to helping those staying in winter shelters get into long-term housing.

In addition to the shelter at Downtown Daily Bread, 23 beds for men will be available this winter at the Susquehanna Harbor Safe Haven, run by Christian Churches United. Bethesda Mission in Midtown also opens up emergency beds for men when the temperature drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit or in case of inclement winter weather.

Guenin said that, last year, the number of men staying overnight at Bethesda Mission due to hazardous weather conditions plummeted, which she attributed to the opening of the Downtown Daily Bread shelter. That, she said, allowed Bethesda Mission to more effectively serve its existing clients—those committed to long-term recovery.

“We have a nice system of coordination,” she said. “If people went to Bethesda, they would be sent to us.”

To donate to Downtown Daily Bread, visit www.downtowndailybread.org or mail a check payable to Downtown Daily Bread, 310 N. 3rd Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101.

Harrisburg approves eminent domain to acquire Public Works facility

August 28, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

image of Public Works Department building, located at former Brenner autodealership

The Harrisburg Public Works Department on Paxton Street.

Harrisburg plans to force the sale of the land that houses its Public Works Department, as the city has not been able to reach a purchase agreement with the owner.

City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to begin the eminent domain process for the large tract at 1812-1820 Paxton St., the former site of a Brenner car dealership. The Allison Hill property actually includes eight separate parcels owned by MEB Partners and Brenner Motors.

“We were unable to reach a mutually agreeable price with Mr. Brenner,” Mayor Eric Papenfuse said following the council meeting.

Papenfuse would not disclose the price that the city offered or how much the owners wanted for the property. However, he said that the two sides were far apart.

“I don’t think we came close enough to be in the neighborhood,” Papenfuse said.

In its 2017 municipal budget, the city had allocated $2.5 million to obtain a public works facility.

Harrisburg moved its Public Works Department to the site in 2014. It long had been located on the grounds of the city incinerator in South Harrisburg, but had to relocate following the sale of the incinerator to the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority.

Papenfuse said that negotiations for the land broke down last year, after which the city stopped paying rent. The city will compensate the owner for back rent as part of the final sales process, he said.

Harrisburg now has a year to complete the eminent domain process. The city, Papenfuse said, has the authority to take the property, but a Dauphin County judge will determine the final sales price based on an official appraisal, assuming the city and the property owner still are unable reach an agreement in the interim.

Papenfuse said the city would have preferred not to exercise eminent domain, but that the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement, and there was no other suitable site in the city for the department.

“It’s the perfect site for the city,” he said. “It needs to be outside of the flood plain and large enough to handle our entire fleet.”

In other city land news, council on Tuesday introduced a resolution to approve the land use plan for the proposed state Archives building at Harris, Hamilton, N. 6^th and N. 7^th streets. Council next will hold a hearing on the plan before voting on it.

A graphic of the planned state Archives building on N. 6th and Hamilton streets.

The state is seeking to build a new facility after running out of room at its iconic mid-century Archives tower on Forster Street. It plans to break ground on the project next year, with a two-year construction period expected.

Councilman Johnson says good-bye, as Harrisburg prepares to fill vacancy.

August 28, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Cornelius Johnson has announced his intent to leave Harrisburg City Council.

An emotional city councilman gave a preliminary farewell to his colleagues on Tuesday night, as the Harrisburg City Council prepared to fill its third empty seat in a year.

Councilman Cornelius Johnson choked back tears as he reflected on his 2½ years in office, saying that he had grown as a person during that time and hoped that he has served his native city well.

“Harrisburg is a very special place,” he said. “I believe it will be as great a city as I know it can be.”

Johnson, 30, announced just last night on Facebook his intent to leave council effective Sept. 14. He is moving to Atlanta to take a job with Chick-fil-A, he said tonight.

After Johnson spoke, his council colleagues took turns praising both his tenure on the seven-member body and his involvement in the community.

“I’m going to miss seeing you at community events. You’re everywhere,” said Councilman Dave Madsen. “I hope you take all these values to Atlanta and hopefully, someday, you’ll come back.”

Council now must appoint a city resident to fill the remainder of Johnson’s four-year term. Council President Wanda Williams tonight said that council will follow a similar process to past vacancies.

Applications for the position will be available beginning Sept. 7 and must be returned completed to city hall by Sept. 21. At an Oct. 3 special meeting, qualified applicants will have the opportunity to briefly introduce themselves to council members, who each will nominate a candidate of their choice. Those nominees then will have a longer interview that night before a vote to select the appointee, who will be sworn in before the Oct. 7 regular meeting.

This will be the third vacancy on council in about a year, as former council members Jeffrey Baltimore and Destini Hodges resigned last year, replaced by Dave Madsen and Ausha Green, respectively.

In his remarks, Johnson said that he believed that Harrisburg has a great future ahead of it, as long as politicians always remember that they’re in office to serve the public, not the other way around.

“We’ve seen what happens when you don’t put residents first,” he said. “We have to keep to our true purpose, and then we’ll see how Harrisburg will improve.”

Pooch Plan: Harrisburg’s first dog park slated for fall debut.

August 28, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

This field at N. 7th and Granite streets is due to become Harrisburg’s first public dog park.

Harrisburg is a hair away from getting its first public dog park, as Friends of Midtown says that it’s raised enough money to open one this fall.

At a meeting last night, Andy and Annie Hughes, who are heading up the dog park task force, said their group has raised about $8,000 of its $20,000 goal, enough to install a fence with an anticipated October opening.

“I can’t believe this day has finally arrived,” Annie Hughes told a small gathering of dog-lovers at Midtown Scholar Bookstore.

The married couple began the project almost two years ago, after moving to Midtown Harrisburg and feeling that their energetic dog needed an area to run around off-leash.

“We were enjoying walks around the river, but we needed more space for her,” Andy Hughes said.

They approached Friends of Midtown, which encouraged them to pursue the idea, he said.

Soon after, they identified a possible site—an empty block at N. 7^th and Granite streets. The owner, Vartan Group, agreed to donate the grassy lot for a two-year period if Friends of Midtown could raise the money to build the park. So, they solicited donations, held events and ran online fundraisers.

Andy Hughes said that the major expense has been the fencing, a special heavy-duty, yet flexible product manufactured by West Haven, Conn.-based Pet Playgrounds, which specializes in dog fencing. A 5-foot high, 700-square-foot fence will enclose the ½-acre site. Other expenses include signage, insurance, repairs, equipment, outreach and some maintenance, although, to lower costs, Friends of Midtown volunteers will perform some of the regular maintenance, Hughes said.

The park will be divided into two sections: one for smaller dogs of less than 30 pounds and one for larger dogs. The areas will have separate entry gates. There will also be waste bags and trashcans on site. A sign will spell out a number of rules, including an age restriction for dogs (over 6 months) and for humans (over 18 years). Dogs also must be licensed, have a current rabies vaccination and be spayed or neutered. Entry is free.

The temporary, two-year park is essentially a pilot project. Friends of Midtown will collect data to determine how the park is used and how it might be improved, in the event a permanent park is built.

To that end, the group hopes to use the time to identify a permanent site or, perhaps, get an extension on its current agreement with Vartan. In addition, Harrisburg has plans to build a city-owned dog park over the next few years, though that park would be located several miles away in Reservoir Park.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that, in conceptual meetings for the city’s comprehensive plan, residents kept mentioning that they wanted a dog park in the city.

“A dog park was the No. 1 thing to come up,” he said.

Annie Hughes said that her group plans to continue to fundraise to reach its $20,000 goal. The next fundraiser, in fact, is slated for Wednesday, a Harrisburg Senators game at FNB Field on City Island, with a portion of ticket sales ordered through a special website going to the dog park.

“While we have fundraised to open the park, we haven’t fundraised enough to operate it for the next two years,” said Kate Moyer, president of Friends of Midtown.

You can support the dog park by ordering a ticket for the Senators game on Wednesday at https://groupmatics.events/event/Dogpark. For more information and other donations, visit https://chuffed.org/project/fomdogpark.

Cornelius Johnson to resign from Harrisburg City Council

August 27, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Cornelius Johnson is sworn in as Harrisburg councilman in January 2016.

Cornelius Johnson has announced his intent to resign from the Harrisburg City Council, having served more than 2½ years on the body.

Johnson made the announcement on Facebook, saying that he is leaving town to take a new, full-time job in Atlanta.

“I would first like to thank all of the residents of Harrisburg for trusting me to represent you,” he wrote. “Serving as your City Council representative has been one of my life’s greatest joys.”

His resignation will be effective Sept. 14.

Johnson, 30, won election to council in 2015, campaigning hard and gaining more votes than any other candidate in a crowded Democratic primary. Council now must announce a process to fill Johnson’s seat, with the successful candidate serving out the remainder of the four-year term.

In his Facebook post, the Harrisburg native also thanked his council colleagues, especially for their efforts in the city’s continuing financial recovery.

“As a council, we were able to accomplish great things and, as we enter the next stages of our financial recovery, I believe that we will continue that course,” he wrote.

More Pizza Kneaded: Pie-maker plans triple treat for Midtown

August 27, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Jennie O’Neill and Bow Phrachansiri stand outside the ordering window at Knead Bar Pies inside Zeroday Brewing Co. in Harrisburg.

Fans of Knead pizza, take heart—your pie box is about to runneth over.

Last week, Knead made its first foray outside of the Broad Street Market, opening a second location, with a different style of pizza, within the confines of Zeroday Brewing Co. in Midtown Harrisburg.

And yet another location and concept is in the works, a slice shop. But more on that later. First, let’s talk “bar pie.”

According to Knead co-owner Jennie O’Neill, a bar pie can be defined as being “all about the cheese and the toppings.”

In other words, more of both, compared to the light, airy, slightly charred pie that quickly elevated Knead near the top of the pizza charts locally upon opening in the market’s stone building a year and a half ago.

“We’re doing a very different style than at the market,” O’Neill said. “So far, we’ve had a great reaction.”

O’Neill said that she considered Zeroday as a second spot upon hearing that the owners were interested in adding a kitchen to their craft brewery. What, she asked herself, goes better with beer than pizza?

Zeroday co-owner Brandalynn Armstrong is on board with that.

Customers, she said, long had asked her to expand the menu beyond bar snacks. She had even identified where the kitchen would go—in the snug area between the brewery and Midtown Cinema, where Urban Churn started before outgrowing the space and moving out its ice cream operations.

However, she needed to find the right fit.

The Zeroday owners wanted something that would complement their brews, that would be relatively simple to make and serve and that would be run by people they liked and who cared about their product.

“We wanted to find someone who is passionate about their food like we are about our beer,” Armstrong said.

O’Neill and Armstrong began serious discussions after getting to know one another when they both opened in the Broad Street Market’s stone building.

“It really was a natural fit,” Armstrong said.

Both O’Neill and Armstrong emphasized that the pizza at Zeroday is different not only from the Knead pizza at the market, but different from other styles in Harrisburg—cheesier, gooier, more robust. To that end, Armstrong hopes that customers will not just eat in, but also will take out—ordering through the new Knead “window” and leaving the brewery with a pizza and a crowler or growler of beer.

“It’s pizza, but it’s something unique,” Armstrong said. “You can’t get it at just some place down the street.”

The “bar pie,” though, won’t be the only new pizza in town. Knead also is in the process of taking over the corner storefront space in Midtown that long has been home to Mercado’s Pizza.

The Mercado’s owner plans to retire, said O’Neill, so has put his business, including the beer license, up for sale. After the license transfers and following some renovations, the space will become home to Knead Slice Shop, featuring thick-cut Sicilian and thin-crust New York-style slices and pies.

In other words, Knead will serve a type of pizza similar to the current Mercado’s—and will even keep the tradition alive by staying open for the late-night-slice crowd. But customers can expect to see upgrades to the interior, the pizza quality and the beer selection.

“Were hoping for that classic pizza shop vibe,” O’Neill said. “But we will focus on more of a dine-in experience and will feature craft beers from PA.”

The grand opening depends upon how long the liquor license transfer and renovations take, but O’Neill is hoping for a few months down the road.

So, there you have it—three Knead pizzerias, three different pizza experiences.

“It’s interesting to do different styles from place to place,” O’Neill said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Knead Broad Street is located inside the stone building of the Broad Street Market, Harrisburg. Knead Bar Pies is located inside Zeroday Brewing Co., 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. Knead Slice Shop will be located at 937 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit the Facebook page.

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