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.

Food, fireworks, fun–Kipona returns for Labor Day weekend

August 24, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse speaks at a press conference introducing this weekend’s Kipona Festival, surrounded by festival participants and sponsors.

It’s almost Labor Day, which can only mean one thing in Harrisburg—Kipona is right around the corner.

The three-day, annual tribute to all-things-river kicks off this Saturday, Sept. 1, featuring a blend of the new and the tried-and-true in Riverfront Park and on City Island.

“This is an incredibly important event for Harrisburg,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse at a press conference on Wednesday. “It allows us to show off the city to everyone.”

Kipona costs about $100,000 to put on, but the total cost is borne by sponsors, he said. Some of those sponsors, such as the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, were in attendance at the press conference, held in stifling heat outside of city hall.

“Not a single dollar is a taxpayer dollar,” Papenfuse said. “It’s a real economic catalyst for the city, especially for the downtown.”

For the first time, Kipona will feature a mobile “escape room,” in which visitors must solve a mystery in order to leave. The activity, sponsored by Harrisburg Escape Rooms, will feature a zombie-themed puzzle with an “actual” zombie.

Other recent additions are returning, including wire-walkers over the Susquehanna River and a beer garden featuring products from Harrisburg-based craft brewers, Zeroday Brewing Co. and The Millworks.

This year, the wire-walkers are adding an illuminated tight-wire walk over the river starting at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday. Following that event, Midtown Cinema will show a free outdoor movie, the 2017 Disney/Pixar animated fantasy film, “Coco.”

And, of course, tradition will carry on with canoe races, a Native American pow-wow, music, a children’s festival, an artist village and more than 120 vendors selling food, crafts and other goods.

Then, naturally, there will be fireworks, which will fire off at about 8:15 p.m. on Sunday. Kipona, as usual, will wrap up on Monday, Labor Day.

Street parking on Sunday and Monday will be free. Parking on City Island will be $5. SP Plus will provide $10 special event parking in the Market Square garage from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. As always, you can get four hours of free street parking on Saturday by using the code “LUVHBG” in the ParkMobile App.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

August 23, 2018 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

TONIGHT! Block Party in SoMa (one of two left this year!)

Early tomorrow morning, you can have breakfast with me at Ad Lib for the HYP CEO Roundtable.

Saturday #BTB to Midtown Cinema for My Best Friend’s Wedding (for you millennials, this stars American actresses, Cameron Diaz and Julia Roberts).

What are you doing this weekend?

(more…)

Harrisburg installs more signs to warn of dangerous Dock Street Dam

August 22, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

The Dock Street Dam in Harrisburg

Harrisburg is installing additional signage to warn boaters of the dangers of the Dock Street Dam, the city announced today.

City spokeswoman Joyce Davis said that two warning signs have already been installed along the lower river walk on the east bank of the Susquehanna River. One is located about 200 feet upriver from the dam, and the other about 100 feet downriver.

The signs are intended to warn boaters of the dangers of the nearby low-head dam, which has led to numerous accidents, including fatalities, over the years.

Another sign has been installed on the walking path leading down from the parking area under the I-83 bridge, where a boat launch is located. Moreover, the city plans to install two more signs on the west bank of the river once waters recede enough to do the work, Davis said.

The announcement comes on the same day that 26-year-old Cody Binkley of Palmyra was arraigned on numerous felony and misdemeanor counts in the deaths of his girlfriend and daughter.

Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo said that Binkley, travelling upriver from Middletown, deliberately and recklessly steered a small Jon boat directly into the concrete dam on the night of May 7, capsizing the craft and leading to the two drowning deaths.

Already, there are numerous reflective signs in the river warning boaters of their proximity to the dangerous dam. The new signs, though, are along the riverbanks.

It’s estimated that some two-dozen people have died in accidents at the 3,800-foot-long, four-foot-high dam since its construction a century ago.

Impaired judgment, poor decisions cited, as homicide charges filed in deadly boating accident

August 22, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo speaks during today’s press conference.

The Dauphin County district attorney today described a tragedy that could have been avoided easily, as he announced charges against a Palmyra man whose alleged actions led to the deaths of his girlfriend and their daughter.

In a press conference, District Attorney Fran Chardo said that 26-year-old Cody Binkley had marijuana in his system and demonstrated terrible judgment on the night of May 7, when he crashed his Jon boat into the Dock Street Dam in Harrisburg, resulting in the deaths of Mary Bredbenner, 25, and their 3-year-old daughter, Madelyn Binkley.

“I think it’s the combination of poor decisions that led to this tragedy,” he said.

Chardo announced a total of 16 criminal counts against Binkley, including four homicide-related counts, one of involuntary manslaughter and one of endangering the welfare of a child. The most serious charges include two counts of homicide by watercraft while operating under the influence.

Binkley was arraigned earlier this morning at the courthouse then released on $50,000 unsecured bond.

A slide with a picture of the victims, shown at today’s press conference

According to Chardo, Binkley put into the Susquehanna River in Middletown at about 8 p.m., then motored upstream in a 16-foot-long, flat-bottomed boat.

At about 9:20 p.m., he encountered the dangerous low-head dam in Harrisburg. He first veered away from it, but then, “inexplicably,” turned directly into it at a high rate of speed, capsizing the boat, Chardo said. Only Binkley survived the accident, swimming to shore near the PennDOT building in Harrisburg.

Upon reaching shore, Binkley called 9-1-1 at 9:59 p.m. At 11:33 p.m., rescue personnel found Bredbenner’s body, though Madelyn Binkley’s body was not recovered for another three days.

Chardo cited additional examples of poor judgment, such as Binkley checking himself out of the hospital that evening and going to his grandmother’s house to sleep.

“He went home and went to sleep,” Chardo said. “That really struck me that he did that. The men and women of emergency services cared more about his woman and child than he did.”

Chardo said that Binkley told investigators that he knew nothing of the dam until crashing into it, despite the numerous warning signs and loud churn of the water. Binkley said the family was heading for a camping site on the river, Chardo said.

“He claimed not to be aware of the danger,” Chardo said.

Despite numerous dam-related accidents and fatalities throughout the years, an investigator with the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission said today that he believed that signs near the dam, warning of the danger, were sufficient.

“What’s there is adequate and required of the city on the river,” he said. “[The signs] are reflective and very visible.”

Walk of Life: Harrisburg author recounts the journey of a lifetime.

August 21, 2018 | by Yaasmeen Piper

The first thing you notice about Tracy Pawelski is her smile.

It’s the kind of smile that, if you stare at it too long, you find your own mouth forming into a grin. She walked up to me outside of Little Amps to shake my hand. Throughout our chat, her high energy and infectious smile never seemed to fade. Even within the first few minutes, I could tell she was never one to slow down.

Perhaps that’s what made putting her life on hold to walk 500 miles through El Camino de Santiago trail so astonishing.

Pawelski’s first book, “One Woman’s Camino: Each Step the Promise of a New Beginning,” tells her account of coming out of her corporate job to walk one of Spain’s famous trails. Through her journey, she comes in contact with a variety of characters, reconnects with her faith and reflects on what she really wants out of life.

“What began as what I thought was a mother-daughter journey really became clear that this was my camino, and that it was an opportunity for reflection and for introspection amid today’s world of distraction,” she said.

Pawelski went from working for a congressman and former President George H.W. Bush in Washington, D.C., back to Pennsylvania for Hershey’s corporate company, for Giant Food and for the local advertising and marketing agency, PPO&S, with little to no breaks in between. Then, in 2015, something hit her. She knew she needed a change.

While Pawelski was having her awakening, her daughter, Juliet, was planning a trip to Spain. With a jolt of courage, Pawelski asked, “Can I come too?” and, to her surprise, Juliet said, “Yes.”

It took Pawelski and Juliet 35 days to walk 500 miles through El Camino. The 1,000-year-old pilgrimage is arranged into different towns that travelers can explore and pass through.

Each night, they stayed in a dormitory-style hostel, woke up early, put on their headlamps and walked until about 2 p.m., before the Spanish sun became unbearable.

Throughout their journey, they became familiar with other travelers, some even becoming close friends outside of the path, and got to hear what brought them to the Camino.

“Some of them were walking and grieving,” she said. “Some of them were walking to remember, and others were walking to forget. But everyone was walking and sort of sorting through life’s big questions.”

Each chapter in “One Woman’s Camino” is broken down by theme such as “Simplicity,” “Truth,” and “Balance,” and then follows Pawelski’s journey as she finds the meaning of those words along the Camino.

Not every moment was beautiful. There were times that she and Juliet barked at each other during the journey. On her birthday, she reflected on how lost she felt and wondered if she made the right choice to leave her job. There were times she doubted her endurance and felt homesick. But she persisted.

“One of the greatest takeaways was this hanging on to the mindfulness and how hard it is,” she said. “You sort things out and have this much more serene perspective on things. And then you get home and you drive in traffic again and you plug back into a busy world.”

Throughout her time on El Camino, Pawelski kept journal entries and blog posts that she eventually tied together to create, “One Woman’s Camino.”

The book has already received praise on Amazon’s reviews and was featured on ABC27. Readers are even sharing their pictures with the book (and a glass of wine) during their own adventures and vacations.

“Don’t wait,” she told me after I shared my own desire to plan a Camino trip. “What are you so afraid of? As far as we know, we only get to go around life once. So, you might as well do it your way and be who you want to be.”

Photos: Tracy Pawelski along El Camino (top) and signing books at Midtown Cinema in Harrisburg.

To learn more about Tracy Pawelski visit tracypawelski.com. You can buy a copy of “One Woman’s Camino: Each Step the Promise of a New Beginning” on Amazon.

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