Nick Laus honored by HBG restaurant community; funeral arrangements announced

June 12, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Nick Laus in front of one of his restaurants, Cork & Fork. Photo by Waxman Photography.

An artist. A visionary. A risk-taker.

Those were among the words used today to describe Harrisburg restaurateur Nick Laus, who died suddenly early Saturday.

Brian Fertenbaugh met Laus 10 years ago, becoming general manager of Level 2, a nightclub that Laus had opened. Fertenbaugh then became manager of Café Fresco Center City, later buying both establishments.

“He was a mentor and a friend,” he said. “He had the vision and the ability to execute, which not many people in our industry have.”

Harrisburg’s tight-knit food community has been in mourning since Saturday, when word began to spread that Laus, 59, had died unexpectedly. An innovative, serial entrepreneur, he started restaurants as varied as Café Fresco, Home 231, Cork & Fork and Burger Yum, in addition to the nightclub, Level 2.

A viewing, funeral Mass and burial will take place on Friday just outside of Harrisburg city (see below for the full obituary).

Fertenbaugh said the news of Laus’ passing shocked those who had worked for him, and many gathered on Saturday night at Café Fresco to share stories and toast the man who had helped so many start and advance their careers.

Laus, Fertenbaugh said, brought a new type of dining to Harrisburg, a more upscale, yet still accessible and affordable product, along with an obsession with customer service and the overall dining experience. He often went on scouting trips to larger cities like Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., to learn about trends he could bring back to Harrisburg.

“Nick saw things in a different way,” he said. “He had the ability to put together the total package, where you have great food, atmosphere and a style that’s popular.”

Food photographer Ali Waxman worked with Laus for the last seven years. He said that Laus spared no effort or expense to ensure that his food looked as good in pictures as it tasted in his restaurants.

“He was such a talent, a visionary,” said Waxman. “He wasn’t afraid to take risks with ideas or concepts.”

He also wasn’t afraid to take risks with people, Waxman said. Laus was able to spot talent in a bartender or server, elevating them and even preparing them to own their own establishments.

“He saw talent in people that others couldn’t see,” Waxman said. “And he gave them opportunities to become managers and even owners.”

Restaurateur Qui Qui Musarra was one of the first to honor Laus on Saturday, sharing her grief with the online community soon after learning of his death.

Today, Musarra and her partners, Staci Basore and Elide Hower, released a statement expressing their sense of loss.

“We here at Mangia Qui, Suba and Rubicon tip our hats to the generosity of spirit he has shared with us,” they said. “He will be greatly missed.”

They added that, often, the public doesn’t witness all the hard work and even anguish that goes into making a restaurant a success.

“The public perception of people involved in the restaurant industry, especially owners, is typically of success and contentment–many times belies the private truths of one’s life,” they said. “So it was with Nick Laus–a professional, a colleague and a comrade-in-arms.”

David La Torre of the Cork & Fork investor group emphasized the impact that Laus had on dining in the Harrisburg area.

“He was more than a restaurateur,” La Torre said, in a statement. “He was an artist who has left an indelible mark on the central Pennsylvania restaurant scene.”

In fact, several restaurateurs emphasized Laus’ influence and impact.

“Once he decided to open downtown, Harrisburg was never the same,” Fertenbaugh said.

Laus’ greatest legacy, said several restaurateurs, was his eagerness to help to others. That sentiment is reflected in his family’s wish that, to best honor his memory, people should not send flowers, but perform “a random act of kindness.”

Obituary for Nick Laus

Nicholas “Nick” Joseph Laus, age 59, died on June 9, 2018 in his home. He was born in Lima, Peru, and immigrated to the United States at a young age, where he became a U.S. citizen. Nick graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School in 1978. He is the son of Doris Soce and brother to Anita (Laus) Chilmaza, her husband Armando Chilmaza, and his brother John Laus.

Nick leaves behind his beloved daughter, Chanelle Laus, who he cherished, and a loving family of nieces, nephews, aunts, cousins and godchildren. He loved his dogs, Rocco and Bruno; they were his constant companions and could often be found patrolling tables at his many restaurants.

For more than three decades, Nick developed a reputation as a visionary in the central Pennsylvania restaurant industry, creating some of the most well-known and popular eateries. His many creations include Cork & Fork, Café Fresco and Home 231, which are still amongst the most frequented dining establishments in the Harrisburg area.

Perhaps an even greater legacy than his business accomplishments is how Nick treated people in his life. He mentored and touched many — believed in them. He often paid it forward and thought nothing of buying the groceries for everyone in line ahead of him. That was Nick. He cared so much for so many. As Chanelle has said: “He was extraordinary, loyal, and strong. He was stern but always kind. He was funny, loved hard and expected little in return. To those who he loved — he gave everything.”

Funeral services will be held on June 15, 2018 with family greeting friends for a viewing at Neill Funeral Home, 3501 Derry St., Harrisburg, from 9 a.m. to noon. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:30 p.m. by Father Neil Sullivan at St. Catherine Laboure Church, 4000 Derry St., Harrisburg. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, 116 South Oak Grove Rd., Harrisburg.

In lieu of flowers, Nick’s family asks that his friends pay it forward by performing a random act of kindness. Through such acts, Nick’s legacy will live on.

Harrisburg school board continues budget talks, but changes to preliminary budget unlikely, CFO says

June 11, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

After five years of state-imposed austerity, the Harrisburg school district doesn’t have many programs left to cut.

That was the message of district administrators to the school board budget committee tonight, as they presented cost-cutting alternatives that could help the district close a $9 million deficit.

The board has already approved a preliminary budget for the 2018-2019 school year, which calls for eliminating 51 positions across the district – most of them teachers. Combined with a 3.6 percent tax hike, the cuts will narrow the district’s deficit to $4.7 million.

Board president Judd Pittman voted to approve the preliminary budget in May. But he also asked the business office to identify other expenditures that the district could trim.

Administrators responded tonight by listing the costs of all the district’s non-mandated programs, which are the only general fund expenditures it can legally eliminate. Those include the $1.2 million full-day kindergarten program, $600,000 of athletics programs and the $8.3 million Sci-Tech Campus of Harrisburg High School.

The business office did not recommend that the board cut any of those programs. The preliminary budget that the board approved in May represents the administration’s official budget recommendations, said chief financial officer Jim Snell.

But at tonight’s committee meeting, many district residents and employees continued to protest the preliminary budget, saying it will strain teachers and worsen learning conditions for students.

The district’s former business manager also accused the administration of obfuscating budget details before the public and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE.)

State law requires school districts to post their proposed budgets online for 30 days prior to final approval. The revenues and expenditures must be formatted according to a PDE template.

Kenneth Medina, the district’s former business manager, said that the administration had omitted critical information from its budget page, putting it out of compliance with PDE requirements.

“The information the public is working with has been obscured,” Medina said. “It is not correct or validated… and I would like to do my part to make sure the budget we’ve presented is as accurate as possible.”

In past years, the forms the district has presented under the PDE template have been at least 25 pages. This year’s document is only 12 pages and does not include the same detailed revenue and expenditure breakdowns as the budgets posted for past years.

Neighboring school districts – including Central Dauphin and Cumberland Valley – have all posted PDE budget forms that run over 20 pages.

The district’s current business manager said that the omission of the detailed report was an error that will be corrected as soon as possible.

“It wasn’t done on purpose,” said business manager Bilal Hasan. “I’m sure it will be up on the site tonight.”

The school board will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, June 18 in the Lincoln Administration Building. It will vote on its final 2018-19 budget in a special meeting to be scheduled later this month.

Restaurateur Nick Laus has died, opened numerous eateries in, around, Harrisburg

June 9, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg restaurateur Nick Laus died suddenly earlier today, numerous sources have confirmed.

Laus, 59, grew up in the restaurant business, getting his start at the family-owned Italian Pizza and Subs on Derry Street in Swatara Township.

After a brief career hiatus, he returned to the food business, opening Café Fresco on Paxton Street in 2002, then debuting a second location in downtown Harrisburg three years later.

Laus would go on to open the dance club, Level 2, above the Harrisburg location and, a few years later, started Home 231 on North Street in Harrisburg.

Several years ago, Laus sold Café Fresco, Level 2 and Home 231, turning his attention to a new enterprise, Cork & Fork, an Italian trattoria at State and N. 2^nd Streets. More recently, he opened the gourmet hamburger restaurant, Burger Yum, in downtown Harrisburg, and a second Cork & Fork location in Camp Hill.

“The Cork & Fork family is devastated by the loss of our dear friend, Nick,” David La Torre, of the Cork & Fork investor group, said in a statement. “He was more than a restaurateur. He was an artist who has left an indelible mark on the central Pennsylvania restaurant scene. We will continue to carry on his vision for Cork & Fork. We are thinking of his family at this difficult time.”

TheBurg would like to express our sympathies to the Laus family and to his friends, staff and colleagues.

Please click here for funeral arrangements.

Spradley faces residency questions as citizens challenge his school board seat

June 8, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

A group of Harrisburg residents have issued an ultimatum to a school board member—resign your seat or we’ll ask the district attorney to investigate your residency.

Tyrell Spradley, who was appointed to a one-year seat on the Harrisburg school board in January, denies allegations that he lived in Penbrook in the months leading up to his appointment.

But residents say that they have evidence that Spradley failed to maintain a fixed residence in Harrisburg for one year before seeking office and is therefore ineligible for his seat under state law.

Members of a citizen-led school reform group sent a letter making their case to school board President Judd Pittman and board Solicitor Samuel Cooper on Thursday. They say they’re prepared to submit a quo waranto petition to the Dauphin County district attorney if Spradley does not voluntarily resign his seat. That petition could trigger a formal investigation into Spradley’s residency.

“We wanted to put them on notice that we demand better representation, and that includes people who are transparent,” said Kia Hansard, co-founder of the group Concerned About the Children of Harrisburg (CATCH.) “You’re not deserving of the seat if you are not a resident… so we wanted to give [Spradley] the opportunity to be honorable and resign.”

Spradley said on Thursday that he would not give up his seat. He admits to spending time in a Penbrook home that he bought with a former girlfriend in 2010, but insists that his home in Harrisburg has been his fixed, legal residence for years.

County records list him as an owner of both properties.

“I am in my living room [in Harrisburg] right now,” Spradley said by phone on Thursday night. “I’ve offered to have these people come by my house to see that I live here, but they have not.”

Voter registration records confirm that Spradley does vote in Harrisburg. He also has a child enrolled in the Harrisburg School District.

However, court documents from October 2016 list Spradley’s legal address as his property in Penbrook. Those documents include a civil complaint filed by a credit card company seeking more than $3,700 in unpaid balances. Spradley was found liable for the damages and settled in 2017, according to the docket.

Spradley said that he applied for that credit card when he “was residing” at the Penbrook address. But he still denied that the Penbrook home was ever his fixed, legal domicile. He said there was no way to quantify how much time he spent in Penbrook in the year leading up to his appointment.

Spradley said that work and graduate school also took him to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia for periods of 2017. But the time he spent in those locations has never been scrutinized, he said.

“Since I turned 18 in 2002, I’ve had at least six different addresses,” Spradley said. “I’m not denying I stayed [in Penbrook,] but I never legally lived there.”

CATCH claims that Spradley testified in court this year that his legal address was in Penbrook. Spradley admitted to testifying, but again insisted that spending time at his Penbrook property did not make it his primary residence.

CATCH also plans to submit a notarized statement from a woman who lives next door to Spradley’s Penbrook property, saying that Spradley was residing there through the end of 2017.

Spradley impugned the credibility of that neighbor, saying she was involved in litigation against his former girlfriend.

Harrisburg officials fielded similar questions about Spradley’s residency in 2014, when he was appointed as Harrisburg’s treasurer. He held that position for two years after the city found him eligible to serve.

Spradley says he’s being targeted over his support for Harrisburg Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney. Spradley switched his allegiance to Knight-Burney during a protracted debate over her tenure this spring. Though he initially voted to seek new candidates for her position, he later tried to rescind that vote, and then sided with four other board directors in May to award her a new contract.

“People are grabbing at straws,” Spradley said. “When I changed my vote, all of this started coming out.”

Hansard denies that the challenge to Spradley’s seat is politically motivated.

Pittman said on Friday that the letter from CATCH was not the first time a constituent had questioned Spradley’s residency. He plans to discuss next steps with the board solicitor this afternoon.

“Our solicitor has made it clear that it is hard to prove residency,” Pittman said.

Pittman also said that the challenge to Spradley’s seat could reverberate throughout the board.
Spradley is the second board member who’s been forced to defend his seat this year. In November, the county’s assistant district attorney asked board member Carrie Fowler to step down due to a misdemeanor conviction from the early 2000s.

Fowler has held on to her seat. The DA did not respond to requests for comment on her case.

“We have to do our due diligence to make sure that everyone who is on the board is seated properly, and that means everybody,” Pittman said. “It’s important that we’re equitable.”

Facing ouster by PennDOT, newsstand owner fights for his right to stay in the Harrisburg train station.

June 8, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

In the 1990s, when his lobbyist job had him crisscrossing Pennsylvania by plane and train, Bill Cologie took solace in a newsstand in the Pittsburgh airport that stocked a single shelf of classic literature.

“It was an island of sanity in the insanity that is business travel,” Cologie said on a recent weekday morning, as he unloaded flats of bottled water from his Honda to the Transit News bookstore in the Harrisburg train station.

Since Cologie bought Transit News in 1991, he’s worked to make his own spot of respite for weary business travelers. But as he eyes retirement, he’s taken up a new venture—mobilizing against a PennDOT proposal that could force his thriving business out of its current location.

In March, PennDOT published plans for overhauling the Harrisburg Transportation Center, home to the city’s train station and long-haul bus terminals. The $15 million proposal calls for the addition of a café, restaurant and seating in the station’s main concourse, a new entry plaza from Market Street and the relocation of office space from the first to second floor.

Transit News, which occupies a snug corner of the station’s main lobby, is nowhere to be found in the plans. The proposal calls for relocating all retail to three kiosks in the station’s main concourse and for replacing Transit News with Amtrak’s offices and police station.

According to Cologie, PennDOT officials explained that the Amtrak offices must be relocated to accommodate a renovation to the station’s restrooms, which are not ADA-compliant. While Cologie supports that renovation, he rejects Amtrak’s claim to his shop’s highly visible location.

Transit News serves as many as 10,000 customers a month, Cologie says, peddling snacks, drinks, toiletries, newspapers and magazines that bring in more than $500,000 in annual revenue. The store also boasts a small but well-curated selection of books, which Cologie takes pleasure in choosing himself.

Cologie argues that his shop benefits Amtrak’s own business—which is part of the reason he resents being overlooked in the PennDOT proposal.

“We bust our butts to serve the traveling public to make sure riders have a good experience,” Cologie said. “Ridership on Amtrak is essential to our success. We want to enhance the experience as much as we can.”

Cologie said that he was not included in any of the stakeholder meetings during the development of the plans. When he wrote to PennDOT officials about his potential displacement in April, their response largely overlooked his concerns, he said.

PennDOT told TheBurg on Friday that it planned to continue with the project design, including the reallocation of the Transit News space to Amtrak.

“We encourage local business owners such as Mr. Cologie to take advantage of the [retail] opportunities that would become available at the project’s completion,” said Erin Waters-Trassat, PennDOT press secretary.

In a May letter, PennDOT urged Cologie to set his sights on the three kiosks that will occupy the station’s main concourse. Cologie called those a “dying proposition.” With newspaper and magazine plummeting, he’s doubtful that they could sustain a single kiosk, as the PennDOT plans suggest.

He also argued that kiosks would triple personnel costs for his business. Cologie staffs Transit News with one employee at a time, but each of the three kiosks would require its own staff person.

Cologie doubts he would be able to pay his employees their minimum $10 an hour wage while keeping prices low for consumers.

There’s no guarantee that PennDOT would select Cologie as the tenant at the kiosks. But if they did, he fears, “It would be the end of reasonable pricing for our customers.” It would also constrain the store’s $54,000 worth of inventory.

PennDOT did offer Cologie a vacant space above the bus garage on the northwest side of the building. But Cologie said that the services he provides merit a location closer to the main concourse and questioned why Amtrak needs such a visible location for its training center and security offices.

“I’ve been to the Amtrak police office once during 26 years of business here,” Cologie said. “There’s no need for a place that’s accessible to the public.”

He believes that there is ample office space in the station’s second story to accommodate Amtrak.

Cologie plans to write to lawmakers whose districts border the Keystone train route, which connects Harrisburg to Philadelphia and its suburbs. He also plans to appeal to customers for support. He began distributing fliers in his shop this week with instructions for contacting PennDOT project managers.

“If you would like to see Transit News survive in its current form, then you too are a stakeholder in this project and your comments and concerns should be heard,” the flier reads. “If you are familiar with the wide range of products we offer to meet the needs of travelers, you know this business can’t be conducted from a kiosk, or even three kiosks.”

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse supports Cologie’s right to remain in his current retail space.

“He’s a great tenant, and his lease is valid through 2022,” Papenfuse said. “There are no definitive pans for remodeling the train station yet, [but] we wouldn’t want to see him leave.”

Business traveler Samantha Dawson agreed. Dawson, who stopped in Transit News before catching a train on a recent Thursday morning, said that the shop “has everything you could want.”

“It’s fantastic,” she said. “It would be a shame if it shut down, it’s quite quaint here.”

Waters-Trassat said that the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority currently manages tenant space at the train station. PennDOT and Amtrak are deciding who will manage the redeveloped station, since that entity will have ultimately decide on tenants in the new retail space.

This article was updated on Friday to include comments from PennDOT.

Listen Up: Italian Lake summer concerts return, begin this weekend.

June 7, 2018 | by Yaasmeen Piper

Folks dance during an Italian Lake concert last year.

As the weather warms, live music takes to the great outdoors in Uptown Harrisburg, with five concerts slated over the course of the summer at Italian Lake.

This year, Harrisburg Young Professionals (HYP) is adding two shows to its Italian Lake Music Series, with concerts every two weeks through mid-August.

Both local and national acts will be featured, and the fun kicks off this weekend.

“We’re excited to have these bands near and far for people to enjoy and listen to,” said Derek Whitesel, HYP’s executive director. “It’s really about getting the community together in and outside of Harrisburg city and having a good time.”

First up this Sunday, June 10, is Mark DeRose and the Dreadnought Brigade. DeRose has opened for national touring artists such as Rusted Root and The Sugar Hill Gang and performed during the NFL halftime show for the Baltimore Ravens. According to HYP, the roots-rock sound is perfect for fans of Van Morrison, Counting Crows and The Band.

The Singers Lounge is next to the stage on June 24. This collection of singers and musicians specializes in cover songs–everything from ‘90s hits to Motown.

On July 8, Sub-Radio, a pop-rock band from Washington, D.C., will bring its sound to Harrisburg. Run the Willow is next, on July 22. This Gettysburg, Pa., band produces an electric folk-rock sound with melodic vocals to match.

Roanoke closes out the series on Aug. 12. According to HYP, the folk/Americana group is known for its vibrant live shows, appealing to fans of The Civil Wars, The Lumineers or The Head and the Heart.

“We’re fortunate that [in] the last couple of years I have been involved with HYP, more and more people are starting to know and come out to the concert series,” Whitesel said. “Before we even got a chance to release when the concerts were, people were reaching out to me and others to try to find out, so they can plan their summer.”

Years ago, the music series at Italian Lake was hosted by the city. After several dormant years, HYP picked it up and revived it.

“It was something that our members and even all of Harrisburg enjoyed going to and being a part of,” Whitesel said. “People were sad when the city was not doing it. So, it seemed like a good opportunity for us to start doing concerts there throughout the summer.”

Last year, the series had around 1,000 attendees throughout the summer. With the addition of dates, Whitesel hopes the number of guests will increase.

“Harrisburg is such an awesome place, particularly the city, and I think some of our city parks, especially Italian Lake, are really under-utilized,” he said. “So it’s a great opportunity for us to showcase some of the most beautiful parts of Harrisburg city while [giving] some family-fun entertainment to do on a Sunday evening.”

Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs and snacks. A food truck will be on site, as well.

The Italian Lake Music Series begins this Sunday, June 10, 6 to 8 p.m. For more information visit hyp.org/events.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

June 7, 2018 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

WINE: I’ve been #wineing all week for work, even though it’s Negroni Week. But Saturday is National Rosé Day!

BEER: Tonight, our friends at Stouts & Stilettos are hosting #SSgirlsnightin, which is actually something I can go to because it’s happening on Twitter. Hoping to stay awake long enough to crack a local beer and chat with other beer-loving ladies. Also in beer, Saturday is Bonifest at St. Boniface Craft Brewing Co., and that is on the “to do” list this weekend.

What are you doing this weekend?

(more…)

Trash Talk: Residents, city officials discuss billing, recycling app as city considers new sanitation laws.

June 6, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg Treasurer Dan Miller explained a sanitation billing proposal as Mayor Eric Papenfuse looked on at tonight’s public meeting.

As Harrisburg attempts to overhaul the city’s trash and recycling laws, city officials are turning to the public for help to guide their proposals to final passage.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse last month unveiled a proposed set of laws concerning trash collection, billing and illegal dumping in the city.

The proposed ordinance would create harsher fines for illegal dumping and hauling, grant enforcement powers to more city employees and introduce a new, annual billing system designed to save the city more than $100,000 a year.

City officials have fielded public questions about the bill at a series of public hearings, including one that brought almost 40 residents to the Harrisburg Armory in North Allison Hill tonight.

Papenfuse hopes that City Council members will pass the ordinance before they adjourn for recess in July, which would give the city almost six months to undertake marketing and public information campaigns before the law takes effect in January 2019.

Billing

Some residents expressed concerns tonight about the proposed billing system, which calls for issuing one annual bill to city homeowners. The city’s current practice of issuing monthly bills costs thousands of dollars in postage, printing and labor costs, said Treasurer Dan Miller.

The new billing program would add the cost of trash service to homeowners’ annual real estate tax bill, which the city mails in January.

Residents could choose to pay their trash bill in one lump sum at the start of the year or opt for monthly direct deposit payments from their checking account.

Whatever they choose, the January trash bill will be the only one they receive all year.

“I really want to stress the difference between a bill and a payment,” Miller said. “If you get one bill at the start of the year, you can still pay it monthly.”

The treasurer’s office will offer exemptions for people who do not have bank accounts, Miller said.

Harrisburg will also stop sending trash bills to tenants. The city currently bills tenants at the request of their landlords, but under the proposed ordinance, landlords would receive all bills for their properties.

Annual billing will save the city more than $100,000 every year, Miller said. Residents have suggested ways the city could use those savings, such as hiring another employee to enforce the sanitation rules or funding a satellite treasury office where people can pay bills for city services.

Recycling

The global recycling industry is in trouble, but Harrisburg just introduced a free glass recycling program with collection stations throughout the city. It also expects to keep its single-stream recycling program free, even as other municipalities may begin to charge residents recycling fees, Papenfuse said.

Recycling coordinator John Rarig said that residents should be more cognizant of what is and isn’t recyclable. The city is launching a new phone app, Recycling Coach, which contains all the details of the city’s trash and recycling laws.

Residents can use the app to determine if an item is recyclable or remind themselves of their neighborhood trash collection day. Harrisburg officials will also be able to send updates and notifications to app users.

Harrisburg introduced single-stream recycling more than three years ago, but the city is finding a growing amount of contamination in its recycling bins. Rarig said that food waste, plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam containers all belong in trashcans.

Harrisburg officials continue to encourage residents to recycle glass in new drop-off locations throughout the city. Papenfuse said that every ton of glass that is recycled saves the city $190 in tipping fees at the LCSWMA trash incinerator.

The final public hearing on the proposed sanitation ordinance will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13, at the Scottish Rite Temple.

A Living Downtown: Harristown eyes another building for apartment project.

June 6, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Harristown Enterprises plans an apartment conversion for this building on Pine Street in Harrisburg.

Chalk up another apartment conversion for Harristown Enterprises.

The Harrisburg-based company already has converted several rundown office buildings downtown to higher-end apartment buildings.

This month, it will go before the city’s Planning Commission and Zoning Hearing Board for yet another—this one at 116 Pine St.

“We feel very good about the rental market,” said Harristown CEO Brad Jones. “We’re trying to create more of a neighborhood downtown.”

The bank-owned, 54,600-square-foot building is on the market for $1.3 million. If Harristown completes the purchase, it plans to convert the circa-1946 building to 44 apartment units, its largest residential project to date.

The five-story building currently houses several different entities, including Pennsylvania Neurodiagnostics and some state offices. All would be relocated, with the exception of the longstanding first-floor tenant, Alicia’s Deli, which is likely to remain in the building, Jones said.

The building is directly next door to another office building at 124 Pine St. that Harristown currently has under contract from seller Keystone Human Services. City Council approved that project, which includes 25 apartment units and 19 parking spaces, in April.

Jones said he expects the sale of both buildings to close by late June. Harristown then would renovate the buildings at one time, beginning next year, he said.

“Our intent is to build them together and have economies of scales,” he said, adding that Harristown expects to invest some $12 million in the projects.

Harristown has long been known as a commercial developer. However, it began to move into the multi-family residential market several years ago, focusing on rehabilitating old, often dilapidated and vacant office buildings, converting them to apartments.

Currently, the company manages about 60 units among several smaller, downtown buildings. In addition, it now is renovating a long-empty office building at the corner of N. 2^nd and Cranberry streets into a 12-unit building it has renamed “The Bogg on Cranberry.”

Over the past two years, Harristown has been the most active developer downtown. However, several other local developers also have converted older office buildings to apartments. Besides creating more downtown residents, this has helped sop up excess office capacity, as some companies have relocated to other buildings, Jones said.

“The domino effect of this is very compelling,” he said.

Tebow in HBG: 1 hit and 6,000 screaming fans.

June 6, 2018 | by Erica Koup

The crowd grew silent as Tim Tebow walked up to the plate. They even hushed the man selling beer to take in Tebow’s first time batting at FNB Field yesterday.

Even a brief rain delay didn’t dampen spirits or keep fans from filling the stands for the chance to see the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback play baseball. Attire last night was a mixture of Tebow football jerseys and Tebow baseball shirts as the sports icon drew long autograph lines amid a larger-than-normal crowd for a weekday game.

Right now, Tebow is working his way through the New York Mets minor league system, currently manning left field for the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies, which played the first of three games against the Harrisburg Senators.

Tebow is more than an athlete, as many fans treat him as a celebrity, some of whom carted along copies of his inspirational book, “This Is The Day,” as they packed the stadium. He spent some pre-game time with members of the press, who peppered him with questions ranging from baseball to philanthropy to leadership.

In interviews, Tebow often stresses his faith, which is also what attracts many of his fans. Yesterday, he cited his relationship with God and support from his family, saying all the criticism and rumors fall by the wayside when he focuses on his purpose.

He also talked about leadership.

“You’re not a leader by your title,” he said. “True leadership only comes when people follow you. I don’t believe people follow titles. People follow passion and courage.”

He went on to say that leadership is about working and earning other’s respect, which is what he is trying to do as he makes his way up the ranks of minor league baseball.

Tebow realizes that he’s received some criticism by transitioning from football to baseball. But, regardless of what others think, he said he considers himself an athlete foremost and that he feels good about the progress he is making.

It’s been said that one of the hardest things in all of professional sports is hitting a pitched ball thrown in excess of 90 miles per hour. To that end, Tebow said he put in a lot of off-season work into hitting, in hopes that he can improve his batting average, which stands at .242 so far this season.

So what about last night? Tebow batted eighth in the lineup, getting a roar from the stands with each bat. In the end, he went 1-for-4 with an RBI. It wasn’t quite enough to put his team into the win column. The Senators bested the Rumble Ponies 6-5 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth inning before a large crowd of 6,284, many of whom stayed for the end of the exciting game.

Fans have two more opportunities to get a glimpse of the former professional football player turned professional baseball player with a 6:30 p.m. game on Wednesday and noon on Thursday.

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What are you doing this weekend?

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