Yule of Yore: A Victorian Christmas touches down at Fort Hunter.

November 30, 2017 | by Gina Napoli

Christmas is a magical season, made even more charming with Victorian traditions.

It could be the Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” renditions played repeatedly on television, hearkening back to a simpler time. Perhaps it’s a holdover from Queen Victoria’s reign, proving that the colonists’ fascination with the royal family has deep roots.

Harrisburg’s Fort Hunter Mansion celebrates a Victorian-era Christmas with a full month of festivities, ending the day before Christmas Eve. Many of the activities overlap each other, immersing holiday season visitors into a bygone experience.

“If you like history and feel comfortable in it, this is a page out of a history book,” said Julia Hair, Fort Hunter’s park manager.

The annual Christmas season begins at Fort Hunter on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. In the Centennial Barn, the Keystone Model Railroad Historical Society arranges a large layout of rural communities in central Pennsylvania, with an HO gauge train running through the idyllic scenes. The display is large enough to fill the room, leaving just enough space to skirt the edges of the model.

That same weekend begins the “Festival of Trees,” co-sponsored by the Harrisburg Area Garden Center. Six different local garden clubs decorate a tree in the mansion with handmade ornaments. Then the trees are raffled off. It is held in the Tavern House on Saturdays and Sundays, although Hair asserted that there is no longer alcohol permitted on the premises.

Much of Fort Hunter’s seasonal magic centers on the mansion, which is decorated in Victorian style for most of December. The Harrisburg Garden Club adorns the rooms with fresh greens and dried flowers. Replicas of Victorian ornaments and decorations grace the fixtures.

“You can smell the evergreens and spices,” Hair said. “With no electric lights or modern conveniences, it turns us back to celebrate an earlier time.”

The first weekend in December breaks a long-standing rule for museum curators everywhere. They allow food in the mansion—not just food, but a Victorian tea party complete with music, “servants” in Victorian finery, sweets, savory items and sandwiches courtesy of Hummer’s Meats.

“It’s the only time we allow food in the mansion, so it’s a rare opportunity for visitors,” said Hair. “We see families return year after year. It’s quite an honor to be part of families’ holiday traditions.”

A wide variety of old-style activities for both children and adults take place on the grounds, beginning that same December weekend. Dauphin County Parks & Recreation partners with many other local organizations and sponsors to make visitors’ loads a little bit lighter.

“The holiday activities are gracious and low-key, without the usual stress of the season,” said Becky Boone, a member of the Friends of Fort Hunter.

In the Centennial Barn, a group of artisans called Craft Reunion will hold a show featuring traditional folk arts and crafts. The Friends of Fort Hunter will have its annual “Greens Sale,” consisting of handmade centerpieces, wreaths and swags made from natural elements. While the adults are busy, the kids can go shopping at the “Kids Only Holiday Shop.” Parents supply spending money, and Santa’s elves help the children shop, then wrap the presents for the children to take home and place under the tree.

Both children and adults can head to the stable for “Fort Couture.” Transforming the idea of a Christmas tree skirt, you can bring your own materials to decorate an antique seamstress’s mannequin. Hair has seen some inventive creations over the years.

“Some of them have themes,” she said. “We’ve seen snow angels, Christmas tree dresses, fans, pheasant feathers, harvest fruits. One little girl even used old wrapping paper that her grandma saved from unwrapping presents.”

Each annual Victorian Christmas event hosts an open-hearth cooking demonstration in the summer kitchen. Local artisan George Kopp will show visitors how to make traditional clear toy candy, a forgotten Pennsylvania German folk art that can be traced back to Victorian times.

“Hardly anybody makes clear toy candy anymore, so it’s important to preserve the tradition,” said Kopp.

During the December days that follow, the Saint Thomas Dulcimer Society will conduct a holiday sing-along, and an eight-piece brass ensemble will regale attendees with holiday music. Mrs. Santa and her reindeer will pay kids a special visit, too.

Though the Christmas season lasts only one month at Fort Hunter, almost 50 staff and volunteers collaborate for months to bring the event to the public. Boone said the team tries to maintain the beauty and grace of an old-fashioned Christmas, while bringing new events to the celebration.

“Christmas at Fort Hunter transports you back to a simpler time, a more traditional time,” said Michelle Hornberger, assistant program director for Dauphin County Parks & Recreation. “You and your family can put the brakes on your busy lives and enjoy the slower pace.”

Fort Hunter Mansion and Park is located at 5300 N. Front St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.forthunter.org.

A Fort Hunter Holiday

Nov. 25 to Dec 17

Saturdays and Sundays

Festival of Trees

12:30 to 4:30 p.m., Tavern House, free

Nov. 25 to Dec 17

Saturdays and Sundays

Toy Train Exhibit

12:30 to 4:30 p.m., Centennial Barn, free

Dec. 1 to 23

Christmas at Fort Hunter

Decorated for the season

10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday

12 to 4:30 p.m., Sunday

Fort Hunter Mansion, regular admission

Dec. 1 to 3

Craft Reunion

Traditional craft show

Friday, 12 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Centennial Barn, free

Dec. 2 to 3

Greens Sale

Featuring ornamental, handmade greens

Saturday, 11a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. until sold out

Centennial Barn, free

Dec. 2 to 17

Saturdays and Sundays

Fort Couture: Christmas Tree Dresses

Dress forms decorated like Christmas trees

12:30 to 4:30 p.m., stable, free

Dec. 2 to 17

Saturdays and Sundays

Kids Only Holiday Shop

Holiday shopping for kids, 12 and under

12:30 to 4:30 p.m., Centennial Barn

Parents provide spending money

Dec. 3

Victorian Tea

Traditional Victorian tea and a clear toy candy demonstration

1 to 4 p.m., Fort Hunter Mansion

$10 per person

Dec. 6

Saint Thomas Dulcimer Society in Concert

Holiday and traditional dulcimer music and a sing-a-long
7 p.m., Centennial Barn, free

Dec. 9

Santa’s Reindeer and Mrs. Santa

Visit with Santa’s reindeer and Mrs. Claus

12:30 to 2:30 p.m., Centennial Barn, free

Dec. 17

Triumphant Brass Concert

Sounds of the season with eight-piece brass ensemble

2 p.m., Centennial Barn, free

Author: Gina Napoli

Circular Motion: Settled in a new facility, the Circle School continues its educational mission.

November 30, 2017 | by Susan Ryder

Yellow buses line the cul–de-sac to usher students home after a long day of learning at the Circle School. Though the building resembles other public schools, the students at this private institution experience a very different kind of school day.

They are engaged in “self-directed” learning, in charge of their own education. The school is also democratic, in that all students participate in its rules and how it operates.

“It’s a scaled-down version of the real world,” said Jim Rietmulder, one of four founders.

The Circle School—and its distinctive approach to education—has been around for 33 years. This year, however, has been particularly special, as the school moved to a new location, the eight-acre “Meadow Campus” just outside of Harrisburg in Susquehanna Township.

The new, $2.7 million facility, the third building in its history, was needed to accommodate growing enrollment, as the school had outgrown its prior spot at the circa-1931, former Harrisburg Children’s Home Infirmary in Swatara Township, Rietmulder said.

The move was the culmination of years of fundraising and site searches, including the donation of land by the George M. Leader Family Corp.

The new campus was specifically designed with the Circle School’s mission and methods in mind. The 9,000 square feet of space includes a centrally located reception area, Judicial Hearing Room and large commons area, as well as a mud room, play room, music and drum rooms, library, art and science rooms, multiple activity rooms, administrative space, kitchen, records office and storage.

“Academics are an important part of life— but they are just a part of life,” Rietmulder said. “We want to help kids cultivate themselves in a whole host of ways, many of which go beyond academics.”

Briana Pierce, whose two daughters attend The Circle School, couldn’t agree more.

“Life is about learning to communicate, it’s about learning to problem-solve, and learning skills you need as an adult, a citizen, as a human being,” she said. “That’s what the Circle School does better than anywhere I’ve ever seen.”

Pierce began looking for a school alternative for her daughter Celina who has Asperger syndrome, a developmental disorder on the autism spectrum. Pierce was sold immediately on the ideals of the Circle School, but her 15-year-old daughter, Caitlyn, was skeptical. That skepticism melted away, and both girls are now thriving, said Pierce. Caitlyn is pursuing her interest in music, German, geometry and preparing for the SATs. She receives help from teachers when she desires it, but is creating her own path.

In the real world, each day can be very different depending on how a person decides to spend it. The same applies to the Circle School. Of course, students are required to attend school, but how they spend their school day is mostly up to them. If they love reading, they can read all day. If they enjoy science, they can spend their entire day in the science room.

“There is never a time when we will sit a child down and say, ‘Now it’s time to learn math,’ or any other subject,” Rietmulder said.

While the school follows this self-directed model, it is not free-for-all. There are many rules that the students need to follow, an entire binder of them, created by the students themselves. Students establish and amend rules by taking their suggestions to “School Meeting.”

Rule-breakers are seen by the Judicial Committee, a group of students and teachers who handle complaints. The group meets two hours a day to hear grievances. On this particular day, a student filed a complaint against Keena because she “keeps running inside and taking Adrianna’s Minnie Mouse.” Consequences for such an offense could include BSRT (walking in baby steps for the rest of the day), or for serial offenders, the next day, also.

The school offers what Rietmulder thinks is imperative for children— less adult-directed time.

“Many kids have just zero opportunities in their lives for time that isn’t adult-directed and yet that is extremely rich, valuable time to be able to explore the world,” he said.

How does this type of education play out after graduation? Very well, says Rietmulder. A 2015 Circle School study showed that, of students who spent the last eight years of their schooling there (affectionately known as “lifers”), 91 percent went on to college, while 84 percent of those who spent their last four years there headed to higher education. He added that Circle School graduates hold more degrees at all levels than their counterparts.

This isn’t because the school woos only the most academically capable and wealthy students. Of the 82-person student body, 55 percent come from families earning less than $50,000 a year. Also, the school has an open admissions policy, welcoming students at all learning levels.

Finding their own direction, following their aspirations, and directing their own education seems to develop grit, said Rietmulder.

“Got a challenge you have to meet, OK, go ahead just do it, make it happen,” he said. “That’s what Circle School students are like.”

The Circle School is located at 727 Wilhelm Rd., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.circleschool.org or their Facebook page.

HBG Budget: 2018 plan shows growing revenues, no new tax hikes.

November 28, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse and Budget and Finance Director Bruce Weber tonight presented the proposed 2018 municipal budget to City Council.

Touting healthy cash reserves and rising revenue, Harrisburg’s mayor this evening made his annual budget presentation to City Council, calling for the creation of new salaried positions and millions of dollars in capital investments for 2018.

The budget that Mayor Eric Papenfuse proposed would not raise city tax rates. Instead, it leverages higher revenue from a growing tax base to increase the city’s operating budget from $61 million this year to $65 million in 2018.

Papenfuse said his plan would allow Harrisburg to pay down debt while hiring more city workers and investing in capital improvements. He added that the city’s growing tax revenue this year, which is $2 million more than what was projected in the 2017 budget, shows rising employment, more valuable property stock and increasing incomes.

“The city is showing improving fiscal health, and we’re in a better position than we were a few years ago,” he said.

Papenfuse said that the city expects to balance its budget this year for the fourth consecutive year. It’s on track to meet or exceed all of its revenue projections for 2017, with property, earned income tax and local services tax revenues all greater than expected. The exception is parking and lease revenues as both categories fell roughly $200,000 short of their $1.8 million and $1.2 million projections, respectively.

Expenditures in 2018 would increase in two main categories: personnel and capital projects.

On the personnel front, the city would budget for $32.5 million in salaries compared to $31 million in 2017. That figure, which excludes healthcare costs, would create seven new management positions and two new sanitation positions. The budget would permit the Fire Bureau to make five hires and the Police Bureau to recruit 20 new officers.

The additional personnel funds would also increase salaries for two positions in the law bureau and award raises to sanitation workers represented by the AFSCME union.

Papenfuse also wants the city to spend some of the $20 million in cash that has built up in its general fund. He proposes withdrawing $2 million to make an early debt payment and $6.5 million to spend on capital projects.

The city defines a capital project as any expenditure exceeding $5,000. In 2018, proposed capital projects include $1 million on new radios and patrol cars for police, $700,000 for work on the 15^th street police substation and $80,000 for police body cameras. About $450,000 would go towards renovating city playgrounds, and projects to renovate Reservoir Park would receive $285,000 in funding.

The Public Works Department would have a $1.5 million capital project budget, which would fund ADA ramp renovations and allow the city to match grant money for paving projects.

The $6.5 million budget for capital improvements would bring the city’s total general fund for 2018 to $72 million.

Tonight’s presentation was the first step in a weeks-long budgeting process. Council members will have until Dec. 5 to review the mayor’s presentation and submit questions to the city clerk. Public budget hearings will be held on Dec. 12 and 13, and council is expected to approve a budget by Dec. 19.

Council President Wanda Williams and finance committee chair Ben Allatt declined to comment on the presentation on Tuesday night, saying they needed time to review the budget and prepare questions.

Peace in Our Time: City, Civil War Museum finalize accord over artifacts, rent.

November 28, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg Councilman Ben Allatt speaks to TV reporters following tonight’s legislative session.

Harrisburg’s years-long battle with the National Civil War Museum reached a permanent peace tonight, as City Council approved an agreement that should allow the museum to own its own artifacts and begin paying rent to the city.

Council unanimously OK’d a deal that will sell the city-owned permanent collection to the museum for $5.25 million. The museum now has five years to raise the money to pay for the purchase of the 25,000-plus artifacts.

“I think this is an important step forward,” said Councilman Dave Madsen in announcing his support for the deal.

The agreement ends a longstanding feud between the city and the museum board.

After entering office in 2014, Mayor Eric Papenfuse strongly objected to deals reached under former Mayor Steve Reed that allowed the museum to display the artifacts at no cost and that charged the museum just $1 in yearly rent to use the city-owned building, even as the city remained on the hook for building maintenance and repair.

The new agreement addresses both those issues.

First, the city will sell the artifacts to the museum for $5.25 million. In turn, the city will put $1 million into a reserve fund to pay for capital improvements to the building, which the city will continue to own. The other $4 million will pay for improvements to Reservoir Park, where the museum is located.

Under the deal, the museum has five years to raise the money to purchase the artifacts. If it fails to raise the money within that time, the city would be allowed to sell 20 percent of the museum’s collection.

“I think this is tremendously positive for the city,” said Papenfuse, emphasizing that most of the improvements envisioned as part of the Reservoir Park master plan would be funded from the museum’s purchase of the artifacts.

Papenfuse previously acknowledged that $5.25 million is below the retail value of the artifacts, which were not appraised for purposes of the agreement. But he said that he believed the price was in the best overall interest of both parties.

The agreement also outlines a graduated schedule for the payment of rent.

For the first three years, the museum will pay the city $45,000 per year in rent. The rent then increases incrementally, capping off at $100,000 per year for 10 years starting in 2029.

However, no money will change hands for the first five years, as the cumulative amount over that period almost equals the amount of money that the museum claims it is owed by the city for unreimbursed building maintenance and repair costs dating back to 2009.

Also tonight, council voted 6-1 to hire Maverick Strategies to represent the city in matters before the state legislature. The agreement retains the Harrisburg-based firm for $5,000 a month, for up to 12 months, to lobby the legislature as it tries to retain its extra taxing authority after it leaves Act 47.

The city also wants to make permanent the state’s annual payment to the city for emergency services. That payment currently is $5 million, but must be renewed as part of the state’s annual budget process, which places it in jeopardy each year. This year, for instance, the legislature twice stripped the payment from its proposed budget, only to reinsert it at the last minute.

“This is an important step for us to take,” said Councilman Ben Allatt. “I think this gives us a first foot forward to achieve these objectives.”

Allatt, in fact, has said that the state’s annual payment to Harrisburg should be even greater than $5 million.

Papenfuse said that, if Maverick is successful, there would be no need for a Home Rule charter, an extensive process that would give Harrisburg more leeway to set its own tax rates apart from those allowed in Pennsylvania’s third-class city code.

Councilwoman Shamaine Daniels was the lone vote against the agreement with Maverick.

Gone to Seed: Blighted Schell building set for demolition.

November 24, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

The 101-year-old Schell Seed building in Harrisburg is about to be razed.

Another piece of Harrisburg’s industrial past is set to disappear, as the century-old building at 10^th and Market streets will meet the wrecking ball next week.

On Monday, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) plans to begin demolition of the so-called Schell building at 1000 Market St., a long-blighted, vacant industrial structure.

“The building has been deteriorating,” said Brian Hudson, PHFA’s CEO and executive director. “The brick started to deteriorate, and there were health and safety concerns.”

The three-story, 28,000-square-foot building was originally constructed in 1916 as the Standard Baking Co., founded by the Graupner family, whose flagship brewery was located directly across the street. In 1920, it became the Schell Quality Seed Store after Walter S. Schell moved his quickly growing seed distribution and retailing business to that location from farther up Market Street.

The store, which also sold gardening supplies, lasted until 1972, when rains from Tropical Storm Agnes swelled nearby Paxton Creek, flooding the building and destroying the business.

The building later became home to Geiger & Loria court reporting service. After passing through several other owners, Susquehanna Township-based developer Moyer and Williams bought the building in 2007, planning to redevelop it as loft apartments with first-floor retail. PHFA financially backed the project, which never got off the ground, and then bought it out of foreclosure in 2016.

Hudson said that PHFA originally hoped to preserve the building, but that it had deteriorated too much, with trees even sprouting up from the roof. The condition is so bad that it threatens the building next door, an old bank branch now the headquarters of Pavone, an advertising and marketing agency, he said.

Hudson said there is some interest in new construction at the site.

“There are a number of partners interested in developing something on it,” he said.

Hudson declined to name any specific developers or projects but said that it could work as either a residential or office project.

David Morrison, executive director of Historic Harrisburg Association, said several members of the city’s preservationist community had contacted him over the last few days after learning that the building was about to be destroyed.

“It’s always a shame when a building can’t be rescued,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it would be impossible (to save it), but maybe it’s impractical from PHFA’s standpoint.”

The two-block stretch of Market Street between the railroad underpass and Cameron Street was once a thriving industrial and retail corridor. In addition to the brewery and the seed company, it was home to such diverse businesses as the Patriot-News, the city’s central post office, the state’s printing operation and A. Lane used furniture. Today, none survive, and empty buildings and surface parking lots line the corridor.

In 2011, Philadelphia-area developer Adam Meinstein bought the post office site, but that building remains underused. This past June, New York-based Twenty Lake Holdings, a commercial real estate company, purchased the sprawling former Patriot-News site for $644, 286—a fraction its original, 2010 list price of nearly $4 million—but has yet to state its intentions.

About a year ago, PennDOT unveiled concepts for a revitalized Market Street corridor, including the relocation of the city’s main bus depot from Market Square to either the site of the old post office or the Patriot-News building.

Hudson said he hopes that PHFA can assist in that revitalization. To guard against future floods, he envisions a building with parking on the first floor and apartments or offices above.

“We’re going to take a look at what makes the most sense there,” he said. “Our whole issue is to revitalize that area.”

He also said that his agency has the ability to take on projects that other financial institutions avoid.

“We don’t mind being the first ones in,” he said. “We do that all the time.”

Dauphin County Update: No 2018 tax hike, Chardo poised to become D.A.

November 22, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Dauphin County courthouse

Dauphin County expects no property tax increase for a 13th consecutive year, but a change will be coming to the county district attorney’s office.

The county made two major announcements today.

First of all, the county unveiled a $241 million preliminary budget that contains no increase in the county portion of the property tax, which will remain unchanged at 6.876 mills.

The county does expect to spend more than it takes in for 2018, but plans to use as much as $12.5 million in reserve funds to make up the shortfall. The county stated that it still expects to have a reserve fund balance of about $25 million by the end of 2018.

Last year, Dauphin County also balanced its budget by dipping into its reserve fund. It estimated that it would spend $12.5 million in reserves, but will only spend about $5.2 million by year-end, according to current county estimates.

The county stated today that it will add one full-time and two part-time deputies in the county coroner’s office in 2018 to deal with the rise in opioid-related deaths. Last year, there were 85 overdose deaths in the county. So far this year, there have been 82, and the coroner expects more than 100 by Dec. 31.

“This board pledged to do all we can to improve the lives of our residents,” said board Chairman Jeff Haste in a statement. “Holding the line on taxes for 13 years and combatting the devastating opioid epidemic are part of that promise.”

The county commissioners are expected to pass the final 2018 budget at their Dec. 13 meeting.

The county also said today it expects First District Attorney Fran Chardo to be named the new district attorney.

Court of Common Pleas judges held a “straw vote” indicating that they would appoint Chardo. The straw vote was taken so that Chardo would be prepared to move into the position when the official vote is taken on Jan. 2.

“The straw vote allows for some level of preparation and transition to head an office that is staffed with 30 attorneys processing an annual case load of more than 7,000 new dockets,” according to President Judge Richard A. Lewis.

The position will become vacant in January as current District Attorney Ed Marsico recently was elected judge to the Court of Common Pleas. Chardo will serve the remainder of Marsico’s term.

City considers new amenities, pricing for public pools.

November 22, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

A rendering for the first option for Jackson Lick pool. which would include a six-lane lap pool, shallow swimming area, splash pad, climbing wall, water slide, and crossing activity.

Even as temperatures drop and the holidays draw near, Harrisburg officials have their eyes on the upcoming summer pool season.

Architects last night unveiled proposals for replacing public pools at the Hall Manor and Jackson Lick housing complexes, a process that may begin as early as next fall. The presentation came after a months-long audit of the aging pools, which concluded that both have exceeded their useful lifespans and do not have any salvageable components.

Project managers from Counsilman-Hunsaker, the aquatics consultancy firm that conducted the study, recommend that the city replace both pools entirely and gut-renovate the bathhouses. They also laid out a bevy of new aquatics amenities to include at each facility, as well as tentative budgets for each project.

Modern aquatics facilities favor dynamic amenities and play structures, according to George Deines, a Counsilman-Hunsaker project manager. As a result, all of the options they presented for Hall Manor and Jackson Lick would reduce the overall square footage of the pools to accommodate new features.

“We want a facility that will make people say, ‘Wow, look at that,'” Deines said.

The first option proposed for the Jackson Lick pool laid out a six-lane, 25-foot long competition pool with diving boards, a shallow area for fitness and swim lessons and a spray pad. The facility would also have a water slide, a climbing wall and a “crossing activity” – a monkey-bar-like structure above the water.

The cost for that project would be close to $5 million. A second, $6.25-million option would create a separate children’s area with a wading pool, play structure, and spray pad, along with an eight-lane competition pool. The pool would feature the same water slide, climbing wall and crossing activity as the first option.

The consultants offered the same options for the Hall Manor pool, but project costs at that facility were slightly higher—$5.6 million for the first option and $7.1 million for the second. The Hall Manor facility would also include a concession stand and outdoor picnic area.

No matter which plans come to fruition, the new city pools will both be compliant with the American Disabilities Act—a federal standard that they currently do not meet.

Before they can break ground or even put the projects out for public bid, the city must secure millions of dollars in funding and decide which pool to tackle first. As Councilman Westburn Majors said, “renovating two pools at once would be a heavy lift for any city.”

To offset construction and maintenance costs, consultants recommended a modest increase to admission prices at each pool. Under the new pricing, daily passes would be $6 for adults and $4 for children and seniors. Season passes would cost $145 for a family, $50 for adults, $45 for children and $30 for seniors. Other possible revenue sources include swim lessons, a summer swim team, and facility rentals for private parties.

Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Sanders said his department will consider the options before them over the next few months. Once they develop firm proposals, they will pursue grant money, private gifts and capital improvement funding to finance the projects.

City officials and Counsilman-Hunsaker both hope the projects can be completed in the off-season. If crews break ground at the end of the swim season in 2018 and work through as much of the winter as they can, it is possible that a new pool would be open for business in the 2019 swimming season, said Deines.

Read on for full project descriptions and renderings from Counsilman-Hunsaker:

: Jackson Lick, Option 1

: Jackson Lick, Option 2

: Hall Manor, Option 1

: Hall Manor, Option 2

Faced with violent children, Harrisburg teachers say mental health services are lacking.

November 20, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

Elementary school teacher Samara Young addresses members of the school board at their November meeting on Monday.

Teachers from the Harrisburg School District tonight renewed their call for increased mental health services in elementary schools, citing a series of violent student outbursts that they say create a toxic learning environment.

More than 50 members of the Harrisburg Education Association appeared before the school board to support colleagues coping with violent and disruptive students. Teachers spoke about being hit, kicked, slapped and scratched by children, often as they tried to protect other students in their classes.

HEA president Jody Barksdale said that the problem of violent students is most prevalent in elementary schools, and she believes that normal teaching training does not prepare teachers for the mental health needs of their students.

“This is serious behavior and we’re not trained in how to deal with it,” Barksdale said. “The tools we have now are not enough.”

Echoing remarks made by other teachers, Barksdale said that children use violence as a way to cope with trauma.

“This isn’t kids wanting to fight, it’s a cry for help,” Barksdale said.

Johanna Brown, a first-grade teacher at Downey Elementary School, described a student who fears male teachers and will fly into a violent rage at a slight provocation. Brown said she’s been hit and kicked by the student and lifted her pant leg to show board members a large bruise she received last Friday.

“This student needs mental health assistance and counseling I cannot give her,” Brown said. “Other students see her rage every day.”

The district currently contracts with Pressley Ridge, a mental health services provider, to offer counseling in schools. Pressley Ridge also maintains one full-time clinic in Camp Curtin Elementary School. But Barksdale said that firm is overloaded with cases and added that some teachers do not even know the process for referring children for services.

Some teachers were hesitant to assign blame for the problem of violent students, but others called out school district administrators and principals for not taking teacher complaints seriously. In her remarks to the board, Barksdale said that nothing had been done since she furnished more than 100 letters from concerned teachers a year ago.

Barksdale also said that teachers who struggle with violent students have been criticized by principals in front of colleagues and students. This practice emboldens children to disrespect their teachers in classrooms, Barksdale said.

Barksdale also said that teachers have not received sufficient communication from administrators and board members, a claim corroborated by HEA executive member Michelle Rolko. Rolko said that HEA has received 21 grievances in the first three months of the school year, compared to 13 in all of the 2016-17 year. Each grievance represents an allegation of contractual violation by the district.

“We’ve had very little communication, and what we have had does not work,” Rolko said.

She added that some of the grievances came from teachers who claim they were belittled or publically criticized by administrators.

Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney issued a statement at the end of the meeting, in which she assured teachers that they had the support of the district administration. In remarks after the meeting, she rejected Barksdale’s claim about Pressley Ridge and said that teachers are well informed of the process for referring students for counseling.

Rolko said that 45 teachers had resigned from the school district since the beginning of the year. District spokesperson Kirsten Keys claimed the true number of resignations was lower, but could not offer a firm figure.

More Residential: HBG Zoning Board OKs apartments for Tracy Mansion, downtown.

November 20, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg’s zoning board tonight approved apartment conversions for this building downtown and at Tracy Mansion in Midtown.

Harrisburg is poised for more apartment conversions, as the city’s Zoning Hearing Board tonight gave the go-ahead to two projects.

The board voted unanimously to permit as many as 18 rental units in Tracy Mansion, which would complete the restoration of the historic Midtown building.

Owner Jack Kay of York-based Susquehanna Real Estate plans between 14 and 18 one-and two-bedroom units in the eastern portion of the century-old building at N. Front and Muench streets, space that has long sat empty.

“All of the existing architectural features will be restored and, if anything, enhanced,” Kay told board members.

Industrialist David Tracy built the 30-room mansion as a private residence in 1918. In 1951, it became an osteopathic hospital and eventually a mental health facility.

Kay bought the building in 2005 with plans to convert it to an office condominium, adding a new, seven-story building in the parking lot next door. He received zoning board approval two years later, but the project died after the recession hit in 2008.

In 2012, Kay sold the western part of the building to Char Magaro, who opened the restaurant, Char’s Tracy Mansion, there.

Kay said that he believes there now is a market in Harrisburg for upscale apartments, which motivated him to seek a special exception for that use. He said that his apartments will be “nice units” with such features as high-end finishes, river views and in-unit washers and dryers.

He said that he hopes to undertake the project next year, but that the timing depends upon securing financing, among other factors. He said that he had not yet determined rental rates, but that they would be competitive with recent projects by Harristown Enterprises and WCI Partners.

Tonight, the zoning board also unanimously granted a variance to Harristown for the conversion of a downtown office building to residential space.

Harristown plans to develop 12 one- and two-bedroom apartments from a worn-out, long-empty office building at the corner of N. 2^nd and Cranberry streets. It currently has the building under contract with the seller, Camp Hill-based CJ2 Group.

With Planning Commission and zoning board approvals, Harristown now must have its land use plan approved by Harrisburg City Council before it can begin the project.

Lastly, the zoning board tonight gave Downtown Daily Bread permission to open an emergency shelter over the winter. Starting Dec. 1, the facility on South Street, which operates as a soup kitchen and drop-in shelter, will take in as many as 30 men a night. The shelter will operate through March 31, opening at 7:30 p.m. and closing at 6 a.m.

TheBurg Podcast, Nov. 17: Raffles and High Rises Edition

November 17, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

Ring in the weekend with TheBurg Podcast!

TheBurg’s editor in chief Larry Binda sits down with city reporter Lizzy Hardison to rehash the past two weeks in Harrisburg news. They recap what the heck happened with that election day raffle, discuss the city’s new comprehensive plan, and imagine a skyline changed by Harrisburg University’s new building project.

A note to our listeners: We are working hard to bring you better audio quality! We’ve acquired new microphones and hope that you’ll see a marked improvement in sound quality in our next episode.

You can listen here on Soundcloud, or download the podcast in iTunes or the iPhone and Android podcast apps.

Read the stories mentioned in this week’s podcast:

Thousands of dollars later, campaign yields no finance report and one unhappy candidate.

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

Healthcare & a Hotel: HU plans mixed-use high-rise in downtown Harrisburg

Stream this week’s episode on SoundCloud. You can also download it in iTunes, or on the Apple and Android podcast apps.

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