Harrisburg Council discusses attorney hire, downtown development

January 17, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg City Council at tonight’s work session

Hiring an attorney is a top priority for Harrisburg City Council, which met tonight to talk about priorities and goals for 2018.

During council’s first work session of the year, President Wanda Williams said that she planned to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a contract attorney who would do legal work for council.

“We’ll issue an RFP to get that started,” she said, without specifying details such as expected timeframe or compensation.

Currently, the city’s law bureau does work for both council and the administration. Williams, however, has expressed dissatisfaction with the arrangement, criticizing the quality of communication between the bureau and council, as well as the timeliness of receiving ordinances, resolutions and other legal documents.

City Solicitor Neil Grover tonight said he supported council hiring its own part-time lawyer, a position that he held several years ago during the city’s financial crisis.

Besides hiring an attorney, council members listed numerous other goals for the coming year, including:

* better communication with the city’s small business community
* encouraging more minority-owned businesses
* fighting blight
* encouraging the development of more affordable housing
* renovating the city hall atrium
* making council meetings more efficient
* ensuring better communication between council members
* updating and improving the city’s sanitation processes and enforcement
* focusing more on improving and promoting Allison Hill

Council tonight also heard from Brad Jones, president and CEO of Harristown Enterprises, which wants to undertake two downtown projects.

The first project would convert a long-vacant, circa-1900 office building at 221 N. 2nd St. to an apartment building, with 10 one-bedroom units, two two-bedroom units and a small, 500-square-foot retail space on the ground floor.

If council approves Harristown’s land use plan, the $1.7 million project would begin by March and wrap up by August, Jones said.

For the second project, Harristown would construct a new, six-story office building at 21 S. 2nd St., with retail on the first floor. Harristown recently razed a dilapidated, three-story building in that spot that once housed the Coronet restaurant, which closed after a serious fire in 1994. Once constructed, the new building would be joined via interior connections to 17 S. 2nd St., home of the SkarlatosZonarich law firm.

The $7.1 million project would begin once Harristown secures an anchor tenant for the new building, Jones said.

Council is expected to vote on the land use plans for both of Harristown’s projects at its legislative session next week.

He’s Gone: Harrisburg mayoral advisor out after adverse court ruling.

January 15, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg city hall

A senior mayoral aide who was found liable in civil court for threatening an Allison Hill resident is no longer employed with the city, according to a Harrisburg official.

Communications Director Joyce Davis confirmed on Monday morning that Karl Singleton, former senior advisor to Mayor Eric Papenfuse, has not been employed with the city since Tuesday, Jan. 9 — the same day that Papenfuse learned about his court ruling from a Burg reporter. Davis could not say whether Singleton had resigned or been fired.

TheBurg reported last Tuesday that Singleton appeared before Magisterial District Justice David O’Leary on Dec. 19 for a hearing on a civil suit filed last July by Allison Hill resident Timothy Rowbottom. Rowbottom said in court that Singleton threatened his life during a heated argument on May 9, a week before the primary municipal elections, following a debate between mayoral primary candidates at the Hilton Harrisburg.

“I’m from Hall Manor, you should be scared of me,” Singleton allegedly told Rowbottom, referring to Harrisburg’s largest public housing complex, according to the court ruling. “I know where you live; I can have you taken out.”

Rowbottom, who campaigned for Papenfuse challenger Jennie Jenkins during the mayoral primary, allegedly made racist remarks to Singleton prior to the argument. He admitted to calling Singleton “a sorry excuse for a black man” and that he (Rowbottom) “is blacker than [Singleton] ever will be,” stated the court ruling.

In the ruling entered on Dec. 27, O’Leary found Singleton liable for making malicious threats. The judge also said that Singleton’s political position compounded his liability.

Since Rowbottom admitted in court that he was unapologetic for his racially inflammatory remarks and claimed he was unafraid of Singleton, O’Leary only awarded the plaintiff nominal damages.

On Monday morning, however, Rowbottom said that he did take Singleton’s threats seriously. He also said he’s even more afraid now that Singleton no longer holds a position in city hall.

“I had to take him straight,” Rowbottom said. “I’m more afraid now than before. I’m terrified for my life every day.”

Davis said she was unaware of any plans to replace Singleton, whose position was incidentally reduced to part-time in January. Papenfuse said during budget hearings in December that the recent addition of a full-time business advisor to his cabinet reduced the need for a full-time aide.

Both Singleton and Papenfuse declined to comment this morning.

TheBurg Podcast: “Unsalvageable” Edition

January 12, 2018 | by TheBurg Staff

We’re devoting this week’s discussion to one topic: Harrisburg’s comprehensive plan. Burg editor in chief Larry Binda and city reporter Lizzy Hardison follow the years-long project from its auspicious beginning to acrimonious end. What caused the project to sour? Who shares blame for the breakdown between the city and its contractor? And what does the plan even say, anyway? They cover all these questions and more in this week’s episode of TheBurg Podcast.

Update: Since this podcast was recorded, we learned that Karl Singleton, the mayoral advisor who Lizzy mentions at the end of the podcast, is no longer employed with the city. Read our coverage here.

Stream the episode on Soundcloud or download it in the Apple or Android podcast apps.

Read our coverage of the comprehensive plan on TheBurgNews.com:

Harrisburg Architect To Steer City’s Comprehensive Plan

What’s the Plan? After scores of meetings and tons of input, Harrisburg’s comprehensive plan process enters the final stretch.

After much delay, city officials lay out timeline to complete comprehensive plan

Plan of Action: Progress finally made on Harrisburg’s comprehensive plan.

It’s Here: Harrisburg’s draft comprehensive plan released

Harrisburg’s comprehensive plan is “unworkable,” say mayor, business leaders.

Comprehensive Jam: Harrisburg spent $200k on a planning project that the Mayor now recommends trashing. What went wrong, and what could the plan mean for the city?

TheBurg Podcast is released biweekly by TheBurg Magazine. It is recorded in the offices of StartUp Harrisburg and produced by Lizzy Hardison. Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music.

Harrisburg’s comprehensive plan is “unworkable,” say mayor, business leaders.

January 11, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Joyce Gamble addresses the Planning Commission during the Jan. 10 public hearing on the city’s comprehensive plan.

Harrisburg’s draft comprehensive plan faced a cool reception from business leaders and city administrators last night, as the city Planning Commission hosted its first hearing on the document following a months-long dispute between the city and the plan’s author.

During a three-hour hearing in City Council chambers, members of the business and development community said the plan stepped on the toes of property owners and private developers. They feared that the proposals it laid out in its land use chapter would restrict investment in the city.

Private citizens and representatives from neighborhood associations were more supportive of the plan. Those who spoke out favorably commended its goals to connect parks and neighborhoods and to redesign roadways for pedestrians and cyclists.

The plan, developed by the Harrisburg-based Office of Planning and Architecture, aims to guide development and urban planning in the city for the next 20 years. The project was delayed more than a year after OPA’s principal, Bret Peters, feuded with the city about compensation and proposals in the plan.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse, who has not shied away from criticism of Peters and his plan, wants the Planning Commission to discard the consultant’s draft entirely and adopt a new draft written by the city’s Planning Bureau. He said their in-house plan includes many of the best ideas from Peters’ draft, but is less specific and ideological.

“[Peters’] plan is a recipe for disaster. It’s unworkable and unsalvageable,” Papenfuse said. “It’s unreadable, redundant, disorganized and not ready for prime time.”

Other business professionals in attendance offered more specific criticisms.

Attorney Charles Courtney spoke on behalf of his client Adam Meinstein, who owns the former U.S. Postal Service building at 813 Market St. The draft comprehensive plan recommends dividing that property between commercial, residential and business uses. Courtney said that the specificity of the plan limited his client’s discretion for how to develop the property.

“We need to have a broader view,” Courtney said. “If and when that property is developed, all the stakeholders will want to work together and not have it hamstrung by language in the comprehensive plan.”

Kevin Kulp, president of the Harrisburg Senators, said that the plan would be catastrophic for businesses on City Island. It calls for the elimination of all surface parking on City Island and for parking to be relocated to a garage on the island and overflow lots in downtown Harrisburg.

“We don’t have enough parking as it is, and we need every bit of it,” Kulp said.

The plan also drew strong criticism from Brian Davis, executive director of the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority, and Jackie Parker, the city’s director of Community and Economic Development.

Geoffrey Knight, director of the city’s Planning Bureau, said that the plan Harrisburg adopts needs to guide development, not direct it. He said that implementing the current draft could lead the city into thorny territory with property owners. If an owner did not want to develop a property according to a mandate in the comprehensive plan, Knight said, the owner would have to seek a waiver from the Planning Commission, which is the first body to consider land use proposals.

Some residents came out in support of the plan. Joyce Gamble, leader of Camp Curtin Community Neighbors United, said her organization supported the plan and hoped to work with the city to shepherd it to approval. Zach Monnier, a North Street resident, said he appreciated proposals that would localize property ownership and make renters stakeholders in their neighborhoods.

Peters, who was the chief author of the plan, only spoke once during the meeting to clarify his data collection methods. During a phone call today, he rejected the charge that he did not prioritize private business interests in his draft. Raising the aggregate real estate values in Harrisburg is central to the plan, he said, and will benefit property owners as well as residents. He also said that Harrisburg needed the kind of specific planning that made many attendees at Wednesday’s meeting balk.

“Laissez faire real estate and planning have been practiced in this city for 50 years, and it hasn’t worked,” Peters said.

Planning Commission members will consider the input from Wednesday’s meeting when they next convene on Feb. 5. They will then decide if and how they want to amend Peters’ draft document. They may also consider the separate plan submitted by the city’s Planning Bureau, which the Planning Commission already reviewed and rejected over the summer.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

January 11, 2018 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

How ’bout I totally thought my out of office message was still on, and I just realized the other day that it isn’t. Oh well, I gotta get back to it sometime, right? This weekend will be — shocker — low key. It’s about football, baby. Playoff football. #HereWeGo

What are you doing this weekend?

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Judge finds mayor’s aide liable for threatening resident.

January 10, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

A senior aide to the mayor has been found liable in civil court for threatening a Harrisburg resident after a mayoral debate in May, according to court documents and individuals involved in the case.

Karl Singleton, senior advisor to Mayor Eric Papenfuse, appeared before Magisterial District Justice David O’Leary on Dec. 19 for a hearing on a civil suit filed by Timothy Rowbottom in July 2017. Rowbottom alleged that Singleton threatened his life during a heated argument on May 9, a week before the primary election, following a debate between primary candidates at the Hilton Harrisburg.

Due to statements Rowbottom made during the argument and in court, however, O’Leary only fined Singelton nominal damages.

Rowbottom, who campaigned for mayoral primary candidate Jennie Jenkins in the spring, said on Tuesday that members of Papenfuse’s administration have impeded his business projects in the city. He owns and hopes to develop a parcel of land on S. 18^th Street in Allison Hill.

The judicial ruling, which was issued by O’Leary on Dec. 27, affirmed that Rowbottom was “unhappy” with his treatment by the city administration, particularly Singleton, who publicly mocked him by blowing him kisses and calling him “cutie.”

The ruling goes on to detail the argument that took place at the Hilton on the night of May 9.

“I’m from Hall Manor, you should be scared of me,” Singleton allegedly said, referring to Harrisburg’s largest public housing complex.

When Rowbottom told Singleton he was not afraid, the mayor’s advisor allegedly responded with a threat.

“I know where you live, I can have you taken out,” Singleton allegedly said.

According to the ruling, Rowbottom, who is white, admitted that he has called Singleton a “sorry excuse for a black man” and said that he (Rowbottom) is “blacker than [Singleton] ever will be.”

O’Leary said that Singleton clearly threatened Rowbottom in a malicious way, and that his political role compounded his liability.

“If there is anything a politician, or an aide to a politician, should not do, it’s making thinly veiled threats of violence to a political opponent on the eve of an election,” O’Leary wrote. “This is the United States, not the People’s Republic of Harrisburg.”

Rowbottom’s initial suit asked for $12,000 in damages, the maximum that is allowed in MDJ court. O’Leary said that he only found Singleton liable for $100 in damages, plus $190 in court costs, since Rowbottom said in court that he was unafraid of Singleton’s remarks and unapologetic for his racially inflammatory comments.

Papenfuse said he could not comment on Tuesday about whether the court ruling would affect Singleton’s employment with the city.

“This is the first I’ve heard about the ruling,” Papenfuse said. “I’ll have to look into it.”

Singleton’s position in city hall was incidentally reduced to part-time this month. During budget hearings in December, Papenfuse said that the recent appointment of a full-time business administrator, Marc Woolley, reduced the need for a full-time advisor. Singleton currently works for the city three days a week.

Singleton did not deny any of the events described in the judge’s ruling, but did suggest that O’Leary’s decision was unjust.

“It’s white supremacy at its finest,” Singleton said.

Rowbottom appeared at City Council on Tuesday evening to present materials related to his alleged mistreatment by city administrators. He alleges that the city wrongfully denied his business permit applications and is responsible for code violations.

Papenfuse said after the council meeting that the allegations have no merit, adding that Rowbottom failed to meet the city’s criteria for obtaining a business permit.

Update, Monday, Jan. 15: Since this report was published, Karl Singleton left his post in the mayor’s office. Learn more here.

Harrisburg Police Bureau gains new officers but still struggles to grow its ranks.

January 4, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Mayor Eric Papenfuse swears in four of the nine new police officers to the Harrisburg Police Bureau in a ceremony held at the State Museum on Thursday morning.

Nine new officers were sworn into the Harrisburg Police Bureau this morning and two top officers were promoted, but police officials are already revising their hiring goals for 2018 to keep up with attrition.

The new hires bring the police ranks to 143 officers, said police Commissioner Thomas Carter.

The bureau initially planned to hire 20 new officers in 2018, but Carter said today that the number will need to be higher. He reported that two officers have resigned this week to take positions in other cities, and he expects additional retirements in months to come.

The bureau employed 142 officers as of October 2017. A police official told a Burg reporter the same month that the city’s full complement is 152 officers.

Carter, who previously served as police chief, was sworn in as commissioner this morning. Mayor Eric Papenfuse said his new title will not change his duties, but more accurately reflects his role as an ambassador to the community. Capt. Derric Moody was sworn in as deputy chief.

Both men said at city budget hearings in December that they hoped to bolster the bureau’s ranks in the new year.

“We’re trying our best,” Carter said about the bureau’s recruitment efforts.

He said that recruiters have attended local job fairs at military bases, colleges and, recently, the state Farm Show Complex.

In recent years, the bureau has pledged to increase its ranks of female and minority officers. PennLive’s Christine Vendel reported that, in 2014, African Americans make up 52 percent of Harrisburg’s population but only 11 percent of its police force. The next year, the bureau changed its hiring practices to give less preference to military veterans, which they hoped would eliminate a hurdle for minority candidates.

Carter said that the bureau has hired two African American officers and three Hispanic officers since changing its hiring practices in 2015. He could not offer current data about the bureau’s demographics, but said he is still committed to hiring minority candidates.

Of the officers sworn in this morning, one of the eight men is African American. The sole woman, who is of Middle Eastern descent, is the bureau’s first Arabic-speaking officer, Carter said.

“We hired the best class we could,” Carter said of the new officers.

In his remarks during the ceremony, he said their diverse skills and professional experiences would enrich the police force.

The nine officers sworn in this morning included three military veterans, one Capitol Police veteran, and one officer who has already served with police forces in New Jersey, Virginia and Pennsylvania. The new officers hold among them college degrees in nursing, criminal justice and automotive collision repair and refinishing.

The new recruits will complete almost eight months of training at the Police Academy and with the bureau before they can patrol the streets independently. The bureau plans to hire another class of at least 11 officers in July, Carter said.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

January 4, 2018 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

It’s this post-holiday season when events become a bit sparse — though I only suspect it’ll last a weekend or two. Bombogenesis aside, snowy conditions are standard for Farm Show Week, which kicks off when the Food Court opens tomorrow. I’m headed to the First Taste today, so be sure you’re following me on social (@sarabozich everywhere) for a preview!

Meanwhile, Andy and I are headed out for our first baby-less dinner on Saturday night to celebrate our 7th anniversary. We’re finally visiting Luca in Lancaster. I can’t wait.

I’m also excited to see Alex Guaraneschelli at the Farm Show on Sunday! I’m Iron Chef/Chopped/Beat Bobby Flay-obsessed, so it’s a real treat to be able to see Alex live.

Fun fact: 10 years ago I wrote the first Weekend Roundup — how ’bout that! Did you know I was doing this that long?

https://www.sarabozich.com/2008/01/weekend-roundup-3/

What are you doing this weekend?

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Put Beer Here: Harristown issues RFP for brewpub, restaurant in Strawberry Square.

January 3, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Harristown is putting out a call for a restaurant in this empty space on Market Street in Harrisburg.

Have you always dreamt of running your own brewpub?

If so, you may want to give Harristown a call.

Harristown Enterprises last week issued a request for proposals (RFP) as it seeks a qualified entrepreneur to open a brewpub or full-service restaurant in a large space on Market Street long occupied by the Gingerbread Man.

CEO Brad Jones said Harristown went this route after several potential deals fell through for the space.

“We really want to get the word out,” Jones said. “We think there are a lot of people out there who will find this to be a really attractive deal.”

The 6,000-square-foot restaurant space, part of Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg, has been empty since the Gingerbread Man closed down in 2014.

The RFP lists several criteria:

Brewery or distillery with a full-service restaurant or a brewpub or restaurant with a liquor license
A lease of at least seven years
Operations seven days a week

Harristown plans to charge $10.50 per square foot of rentable space for the first year and is offering to help defray the cost of build-out.

If interested, Harristown requires a business plan, resumes and financial information by Feb. 5.

“We feel the downtown is underserved for breweries,” Jones said. “That’s the one thing we’re missing.”

Click here to see the full RFP: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – BrewPub Restaurant Dated Dec 28 2017 – Due Feb 5 2018

Progress Noted, Cooperation Pledged as Harrisburg Swears in City Officials

January 2, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

District Justice Hanif Johnson swears in Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse to a second term in office as Papenfuse’s wife, Catherine Lawrence, holds a Bible from the year 1560.

Harrisburg officials invoked a spirit of optimism and cooperation today, as the city swore in its returning mayor and most of City Council.

In city hall, newly inaugurated District Justice Hanif Johnson administered the oath of office to Mayor Eric Papenfuse, Treasurer Dan Miller and council members Wanda Williams, Shamaine Daniels, Ben Allatt, Dave Madsen and Ausha Green.

In November, Papenfuse, Williams, Daniels and Allatt all won re-election, while Miller, Madsen and Green will serve their first elected terms following mid-cycle appointments to their positions.

At the ceremony, Papenfuse was the lone official to address the crowd, citing the progress Harrisburg has made during his first term following the financial crisis that nearly bankrupted the city and sent it into state receivership.

“Today, Harrisburg is not a symbol of failure,” he said. “In Pennsylvania and throughout the nation, Harrisburg is a glowing symbol of renaissance and renewal.”

He credited his fellow elected officials, city workers and residents for “the optimism and hope that is so palpable on our streets today.”

“Yes, we have achieved a lot working together these past four years, but much work lies ahead,” he said.

Following the ceremony, City Council held a brief reorganization meeting, unanimously re-electing Williams as council president. Allatt took over as vice president by a 4-3 vote over Councilman Westburn Majors. Daniels, who served previously as vice president, was not re-nominated. All council committee assignments are unchanged.

Williams said that, for 2018, her principal goal is ensuring the construction of the police substation on Allison Hill. The city plans to raise a 1,600-square-foot building on S. 15^th Street, with a planned opening in the late summer.

Completion of the city’s comprehensive plan is another priority, she said. On Jan. 10, the Planning Commission will hold a meeting to present the draft plan to the public and get resident input.

Williams further said that she and Papenfuse will meet next week to review priorities for the year.

“I hope we can cooperate with the administration to move Harrisburg in a positive direction,” she said, as she heaped praise on her fellow council members as “the best council I’ve been on in the last 12 years.”

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