Ground Game: Harrisburg mayor makes pitch for new composting site.

September 21, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse last night led a discussion at the location he hopes will become the city’s new composting site.

City officials outnumbered residents at a meeting in Susquehanna Township last night, as Mayor Eric Papenfuse once again made the case for building a compost site on land in the township borders.

The meeting was held at 1850 Stanley Road, where the city wishes to build a five-acre facility to compost lawn and tree waste. Speaking to residents from the edge of the property, which is owned by the Harrisburg School District, Papenfuse sketched the boundaries of the proposed project and answered questions about its operation.

The proposed facility would consist of a macadam surface beneath piles of decomposing leaves. The only on-site equipment would be a wood chipper, which would process large trees and branches, and a wind turner, which would churn the leaf piles once a month to promote decomposition.

Papenfuse was joined by members of the city’s Public Works Department, who would drive the trucks used to transport waste from the city to the compost site. They promised to develop traffic patterns and operating hours that would have minimal impact on the nearby neighborhoods. Papenfuse also pointed out that the closest home to the facility was not in eyesight from the lot.

The site visit was the latest attempt by the city to win supporters for the composting project, which many township residents protested when it was first proposed in April.

Since then, city officials have tried to shift public opinion by hosting open meetings and appearing at the Susquehanna Township commissioners meeting.

Norvella Mosley, a Harrisburg resident who lives close to the Stanley Road site, said on Wednesday that she’s warmed to the proposal since getting more information from the city.

“At first, I wasn’t for it, but now I’m wavering,” Mosley said. “Now, I think it’ll be a good thing.”

Mosley did say that the project shouldn’t exceed five acres. She and other residents want a clause in the final permit that will prevent future administrations from expanding it.

Papenfuse addressed concerns about the facility growing over time, saying that any expansion to the site would require a new permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection. He reiterated the city’s willingness to enter a 30-year memorandum of understanding with Susquehanna Township, expressing their shared intent not to expand the facility beyond five acres.

On Thursday, Papenfuse said that attitudes toward the project seem to be softening.

“I’d say we started out with 90 percent of people against the facility, and we’re closer to 50/50 now,” he said.

The city will organize a field trip to the Swatara Township compost site on Sept. 30, which will allow residents to see a lawn and leaf compost facility in action. After that, there will be another round of meetings before the city begins drafting a permit application.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

September 21, 2017 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

Did you know that September is one of the busiest months of the year, festival-wise? Likely because the weather is (typically) so nice. What this all means is another busy weekend. Here are my picks:

Tonight: ZerØday hosts Boozy Bingo. Have you tried their latest creation, When Did We Get A Dog?

Swing by downtown Camp Hill Saturday morning and do a little shopping for the Borough’s Harvest Hop. The businesses are loaded with specials, deals and refreshments all day long!

Then, drop by Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg (these two locations are like, 5 minutes apart from another — not different time zones) for the first-ever Harrisburg VeggieFest! We have a great lineup planned for you. PLUS – park for FREE for up to 4 hours when you download the ParkMobile app and use the code: LUVHBG.

Guys, on Sunday — football in my own house, watching my own team, hoping my Fantasy teams don’t fall apart (plus, I gotta beat Andy in one league — fingers crossed!)

What are you doing this weekend?

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Campus Debate: Eastern U makes pitch to locate inside city hall.

September 20, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

Part of the basement of Harrisburg city hall, where Eastern University wants to establish a satellite campus.

There’s no denying that the proposal from a faith-based university to renovate and rent space in Harrisburg city hall is an unusual one. But just how unconventional is it in the realm of public-private partnerships?

“We’re out on the edge here,” said city Solicitor Neil Grover on Wednesday night, as City Council debated a proposed agreement with Eastern University, a Christian college based in St. Davids, Pa.

Council devoted its entire workshop session tonight to discussing the proposal from Eastern, which wishes to move a satellite campus from Lower Paxton Township to the basement of city hall. University officials are offering to foot $600,000 in renovation costs to make the vacant space functional.

The arrangement would net the city a new press room and emergency operations center, two amenities it can’t afford to build itself. City hall employees also would be permitted use of Eastern’s lounge area and bathrooms. Since the university would only offer classes in city hall from 6 to 10 p.m., there would be little overlap between students and city employees.

Eastern would pay a nominal fee for a 10-year lease, since the value of the rental agreement would come from the cost of renovations.

Council members expressed skepticism about the arrangement at the July 6 meeting where the proposal was first considered. Namely, some worried that a faith-based institution operating within city property would render that space exclusionary, particularly for members of the city’s LGBT population. That concern was reprised tonight, along with questions about parking and tuition discounts.

Councilman Ben Allatt pressed Eastern University representatives on their commitment to Harrisburg’s non-discrimination ordinance, which prohibits discrimination against LGBT people in areas of employment, housing and public accommodations. Allatt wanted confirmation that these protections, which are not codified at a state level, would be upheld in Eastern’s hiring and admissions practices.

“I can assure you that Eastern University is committed to standing against discrimination,” said Provost Kenton Sparks. “You can trust Eastern University to protect the dignity of every single student.”

Allatt asked the Eastern officials if they would affirm their values of inclusivity in writing. Grover, however, pointed out that there are limits to what a government can demand in a contract with a private entity.

Councilwoman Shamaine Daniels asked city officials why they were not letting other organizations compete for a partnership with the city. She said that the city should request proposals from other businesses that may be open to a renovations-for-rent agreement. Grover and Mayor Eric Papenfuse demurred, saying that nobody else had approached the city with a proposal and that the city has no plans to solicit any.

Councilman Cornelius Johnson pointed out that the cost of Eastern’s renovations would not come close to the value of fair market rent. He said that even if the city charged just $5 per square foot for the space, Eastern’s rent payments would total more than $1 million for a 10-year lease.

“We’ll still be subsidizing the cost of them being in city hall,” Johnson said.

Eastern has offered to give Harrisburg residents a 25 percent tuition discount as a term of their agreement with the city. Johnson asked them to consider increasing the discount to 35 percent.

Eastern officials agreed to reconsider the tuition discount before council’s Oct. 10 legislative session, when the resolution will come up for debate and a vote. They also said that they would come to that meeting with more detailed plans for student parking and a response to council’s concerns about the city non-discrimination ordinance.

Playgrounds, rain gardens in the pipeline for water authority

September 19, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

The empty playground at the corner of Penn and Sayford streets will get new play equipment and storm water management systems as part of Capital Region Water’s City Beautiful H20 program.

Capital Region Water (CRW) will renovate four public playgrounds and one city street next spring, continuing its effort to beautify Harrisburg while alleviating strain on its aging sewer system.

CRW is currently accepting contractor bids for the projects and hopes to break ground in spring 2018. Both are considered early-action items in CRW’s City Beautiful H20 campaign, which aims to use green landscape architecture to reduce storm water runoff into city sewers.

The playground renovation project will outfit four city playgrounds with rain gardens, drainage structures and catch basins. The playgrounds, which are located at Penn and Sayford streets, Royal Terrace, Norwood and Holly streets, and Cloverly Heights, will also receive new equipment.

CRW’s work on the playgrounds will be in partnership with the City of Harrisburg. Renovations and equipment will be funded by $775,000 in grant money from the state Department of Community and Economic Development, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Impact Harrisburg. CRW will contribute $250,000 to finance the storm water management systems.

The second project will turn vacant lots into rain gardens and create community gathering spaces on Bailey Street in Harrisburg’s Summit Terrace neighborhood. The $400,000 undertaking be funded by CRW ratepayer money.

Claire Mulhardt, project manager at CRW, said that the neighborhood was an ideal location to pilot storm water projects. Its entire sewage system was replaced in 2016 after years of deferred maintenance, and Mulhardt believes it can be a case study for sustainable storm water management solutions.

Storm water refers to any water from precipitation or snow melt that enters the city’s sewers through storm drains. Like many old cities, Harrisburg has a combined sewer system, or CSO, where the storm drains connect to same sewer system as toilets and showers.

When it’s not raining, all the contents of the sewer system flow to a treatment plant on Cameron Street, where they are cleaned and then discharged into the Susquehanna River. But heavy rain can cause the system to overflow, sending untreated water into the river and Paxton Creek.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleged in a 2015 lawsuit that levels of runoff in Harrisburg violated the Clean Water Act and PA Clean Streams Law. After a year of negotiations, the EPA agreed to spare the city financial penalties, as long as CRW agreed to update of its long-term plan for the city’s sewer system.

City Beautiful H20 is the first step of that long-term plan. It uses green space as a storm water management technique, since greenery can absorb storm water during a deluge and slow its flow into the sewer system. It can also divert water away from sewers by encouraging infiltration into the earth’s subgrade.

Mulhardt said that green spaces are also appealing to city residents, whose input is essential to sustain projects.

“We want to come up with solutions that people want in their neighborhoods,” Mulhardt said. “These won’t be successful if we plop something into the ground but nobody in the neighborhood has been part of the process.”

CRW hosted public meetings and launched a “Community Ambassadors Program” to solicit public feedback throughout the City Beautiful H20 planning process.

Brian Humphrey represented the Summit Terrace neighborhood in the Community Ambassadors Program. He traveled with CRW to Lancaster and Philadelphia to see storm water management systems at work, which helped him see the potential to implement similar fixes at home.

“I explained to my community how storm water management worked in other places, and we figured we could use our open space to make a rain garden,” Humphreys said.

He added that his neighborhood association also will partner with CRW to make a pre-existing community garden a storm water runoff area.

CRW also recently installed new combined sewer overflow warning signs to comply with EPA orders. The signs, located City Island boat launch, and along the riverfront at Tuscarora Street, Hamilton Street, and Lewis Street, alert the public to avoid contact with water nearby or downstream due to high levels of pollutant runoff during storms.

Author: Lizzy Hardison

Going Up: Building permit revenue rises sharply in Harrisburg.

September 15, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

Construction is underway on a two-story expansion to the Alex Grass Building on the PinnacleHealth Harrisburg Campus on 2nd St. The project will expand the hospital’s maternity ward.

Revenue from building permits in Harrisburg has far exceeded projections for the 2017 fiscal year, a trend that city officials attribute to a stabilizing business climate and a few large projects.

Harrisburg met nearly 300 percent of its projected building permit revenue for the 2017 fiscal year by the end of August. The city budgeted $290,000 in revenue from building permits for the entire year, said City Finance Director Bruce Weber, but so far has collected $856,723 from 671 permits.

According to city codes administrator David Patton, the city netted $423,566 from 881 permits in all of 2016.

Weber conceded that permit revenue accounts for a very small percent of the city’s annual budget. Almost 90 percent of the city’s revenue comes from taxes, including those on local services, earned income and real estate. However, he said that the building permit revenues raised eyebrows during the city’s mid-year budget assessment.

“Generally, building permit revenue doesn’t vary much, but that changed this year,” Weber said.

He reported that the city had met 200 percent of its expected building permit revenue by June 30, the mid-point of the fiscal year.

Patton said that the cost of a building permit depends on the value of the building project. For example, a $2.5 million parking lot project at Harrisburg Area Community College carried a permitting fee of $23,023, and the permit for a $28-million expansion at PinnacleHealth brought in $214,273.

Though permit revenue contributes to the city’s bottom line, building projects do not necessarily indicate a growing real estate tax base in the long term. Some projects, such as the PinnacleHealth facility, operate as non-profits and do not pay real estate taxes to the city. In addition, many building and renovation projects can qualify for a LERTA tax abatement, which holds property taxes steady for a period of up to 10 years.

Weber said that while the city’s real estate tax base hasn’t grown for the last 10 years, building projects still contribute to the positive economic momentum in the city.

“It’s good to have building,” Weber said. “It feels like entities want to reinvest in the city, and that had not happened here for a really long time. It shows that there is stability and confidence that I hope will continue to grow.”

Patton, whose office processes all building permit applications, agreed.

“The development that is occurring is at a phenomenal level, and one that is beyond my recollection in my 22-plus years as an administrator,” he said.

Encouraging as this year’s surge may be, Weber said that the city cannot count on matching the same revenue next year. He said that the city might increase its revenue projections for 2018, but only slightly – perhaps up to $350,000 from this year’s $290,000.

“I think they’ll be higher but not like this,” Weber said. “You don’t really know what’s really going to happen.”

Roundabouts to Rain Gardens: MulDer Square designs eyed, debated.

September 14, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

Attendees pondered designs for MulDer Square at tonight’s meeting on Allison Hill.

Residents from Allison Hill mulled over bike lanes, roundabouts and rain gardens at an open house on Thursday, as the city displayed plans to improve transportation in the area known as MulDer Square.

The purpose of the open house was to solicit public opinion on design proposals for a redevelopment project on Derry and Mulberry Streets in Allison Hill. The intersection of these streets is called MulDer square, and Harrisburg officials and residents hope that they can spur economic development there, in part, by improving pedestrian access and calming traffic.

The event, which was also attended by city officials and project consultants, was held at Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren on Hummel Street.

The city has proposed designs that include creating a linear park with bike lanes on Derry Street and a public gathering space at the intersection of Derry and Mulberry. The project managers are also considering two options for improving walkability at that intersection: a traffic roundabout or a traditionally signalized intersection with green space and large sidewalks.

Deborah Rodriguez, a resident on Sylvan Terrace in Allison Hill, was happy to see plans targeting pedestrians in her neighborhood.

“You see a lot of people walking over the bridge to work in the city, so I’m glad to see attention drawn to this area,” she said.

Rodriguez called the proposed projects “wonderful” but expressed concerns about their long-term upkeep.

“I want to know whose responsibility it will be to maintain it,” she said.

She suggested that school children or community organizations could have a stake in keeping the spaces clean and functional.

“These plans are beautiful as long as they have organized maintenance,” echoed Shirley Blanton, president of the South Allison Hill Homeowners Association.

Chris Eby, a software engineer who lives on Market Street in Allison Hill, comes into the MulDer Square area every week to volunteer at the church. He hopes that the city will look beyond its target area to maximize pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Eby pointed out that the areas receiving pedestrian improvements and bike lanes are not necessarily connected to other areas with the same amenities. For example, Mulberry Street meets Cameron Street at a busy intersection that is a frequent site of pedestrian accidents. And though the city is proposing a bike lane for Derry Street, it would not intersect with any other bike lanes in the area.

“We need to think about where pedestrians will go when they leave this area and where cyclists are coming from,” Eby said.

Residents who attended the open house were invited to complete comment sheets for the project planners. City Engineer Wayne Martin, who is the project manager, said that one quickly emerging theme was the neighborhood’s desire for public art.

“They want us to include art and murals,” Martin said.

He plans to provide a new mock-up of the Derry Street project that will include the Mulberry Bridge Mural, which was dismantled and put into storage when PennDOT renovated that bridge in 2014.

Martin remarked that the event turnout exceeded expectations and generated valuable input for his team. He expects that at least one more round of designs and public meetings will take place this year.

The city hopes to begin construction on the projects in March 2019, Martin said, and complete them by that fall.

Pre-K program in Allison Hill slated to grow with Hamilton Health expansion

September 14, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

Hamilton Health Center will expand its current campus, above, by adding a parking lot and 25,000-square foot building by next fall.

A planned expansion at Hamilton Health Center in Allison Hill will increase pre-K access for children in that neighborhood, while also providing additional parking for the facility’s patients and employees.

On Tuesday, Harrisburg City Council approved Hamilton Health’s application to add a new parking lot and a 25,000-squre-foot building to its facility on S. 17th Street. The building will house classrooms for Capital Area Head Start and another child care facility.

Jo Pepper, executive director of Capital Area Head Start, said that the Hamilton Health expansion will allow her organization to direct more resources to its highest-need area. They will increase Head Start enrollment in Allison Hill by 80 slots starting next year.

“Every year, one of our biggest problems is finding safe, age-appropriate facility space in our areas of need,” Pepper said. “We’ve been looking for additional space in Allison Hill for three to five years now.”

Capital Area Head Start will occupy five classrooms in the new Hamilton Health building, where 80 children will attend pre-K for six hours a day, five days a week.

Pepper said that the 17104 zip code, which encompasses Allison Hill, currently has a list of 224 children waiting for a spot in pre-K – the highest of any area served by Capital Area Head Start. Within that zip code, 391 children are currently enrolled in Head Start pre-K programs operating in public schools.

Capital Area Head Start obtained federal funding earlier this year to increase facility space and classroom hours across their programs, which serve Dauphin, Perry and Cumberland counties. They subsequently moved some enrollment slots from their low-need areas to high-need ones like Allison Hill.

Pepper said that the Hamilton Health project, which administrators hope to complete by fall 2018, was a major factor in deciding where to distribute future enrollment.

“It’s our highest-need area, and now we have great facility space,” Pepper said. “It can be difficult to apply for more funding if I don’t have appropriate facility space.”

Federal funding will also allow Capital Area Head Start to pay rent for the Hamilton Health space, which Pepper said meets fair market value. Their rental space will also house early Head Start programs and offices for home visit counselors.

Jeanine Peterson, CEO of Hamilton Health, said that her staff decided to pursue a building permit when Capital Area Head Start approached them in 2015 about renting space on their campus. At that time, the Hamilton Health facility was at full capacity, but Peterson believed a partnership would help parents access Hamilton Health’s services for children.

A third of Hamilton Health patients are children receiving health and dental care and school immunizations, said Peterson. Hamilton Health also houses a federally-sponsored Women Infants and Children (WIC) program that offers nutritional supplements for pregnant women and young children.

“We are a one-stop shop for families to access what they need,” Peterson said. “Co-locating with Head Start eliminates a lot of the barriers that a lot of families have in ensuring that their kids get quality health care.”

Pepper agrees that the new space will benefit programming at Head Start and Hamilton Health.

“I can’t wait to break ground,” she said. “We’re very excited about the opportunities and the initiatives that we’ll be able to develop by providing educational services on the campus of an important community health care provider.”

Peterson also said that the 30,000 patients who get treatment at Hamilton Health make the neighborhood a ripe spot for other business opportunities. She wishes that more investors would look past downtown development areas when choosing the sites for future projects.

“I think that a lot of attention is paid to the downtown and midtown areas, and we forget that there’s tremendous opportunity in the city in areas like Allison Hill,” Peterson said. “Getting other businesses to take a look at this corridor would be a major asset to entire city.”

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

September 14, 2017 | by Sara Bozich

Happy Weekend!

As you read this, I’m likely en route to our last round of Poured shoots, at least for a little bit. I’m home this weekend, though Andy’s not, that’s his loss because I’m going to the Chef’s Table at The Garlic Poet on Saturday.

Since I learned that the stupid CBS All Access app is not, in fact, all access (what the hell do I need an app for to play the same damn game that is on my television??), I’m going to a stupid bar to watch stupid football. THANKS ROGER GOODELL. Thankfully, next weekend I can finally watch from the comfort of my own couch. There will be nachos.

Of course, this is all after I hit up Next Step Performance and Broad Street Market Saturday morning. I might miss this routine the most.

What are you doing this weekend?

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Back in the Groove: Justin Arawjo delivers soulful set at Little Amps.

September 13, 2017 | by Anne Long

Justin Arawjo as he played at Little Amps last week.

Justin Arawjo doesn’t wish to make music his career.

His day job as one half of Fennec Design keeps him plenty busy. But he does like to share his love of the guitar with an audience. So, last Friday, he set up inside Little Amps on State Street in Harrisburg, fingerpicking solo before sharing the stage with Congis Fizz.

Attesting that he “feels better in front of a crowd,” Arawjo executed his short set with the fluidity of a seasoned professional, despite the fact that he was just “getting back into the groove.” Seated in a single chair, under the dim lights, he plucked through tracks drawing from deep wells of inspiration.

In between verses, Arawjo’s fingers danced across the frets and fingerboard. I found myself watching them, mesmerized. His lyrics swept over me like a fall breeze, a night beneath the stars – cool and crisp.

Though Arawjo describes his music as “simple,” his lyrics are complex. I would describe both as soulful and authentic. I didn’t want the set to end, a feeling, I think, shared with the rest of the audience as no one spoke or made a sound except to follow each song with vigorous applause.

“I have no illusions about making this full time, being a full-time musician,” he told us.

Working as a studio artist at the Millworks, Arawjo said that music is just a part-time hobby. It’s one he’s always had but that he came back to with renewed vigor after the election. His music, however, is not political at all.

This concert was one of a few solo ventures for Arawjo. Although he’s been playing music for 15 years, mostly serving as guitarist for various bands, he’s only played solo for six or seven years. He re-released his album, “Ghostless Limbs,” on Bandcamp earlier this year with new art and design, but with the same songs he originally penned and recorded in 2008.

He had compact disc copies available for the audience. Arawjo donates the proceeds from his performances to various charities and relief efforts. He said that he planned on donating the money he made at Little Amps that night to hurricane relief efforts.

And, ultimately, that seems to be what motivates him.

For information about Justin Arawjo and his music, visit https://justinarawjo.bandcamp.com.

HBG Council Recap: Madsen sworn in, Hamilton expansion OK’d.

September 12, 2017 | by Lizzy Hardison

Dave Madsen was sworn in as a Harrisburg councilman just as tonight’s meeting started.

Harrisburg City Council swore in a new member and approved a major building project during a legislative session this evening.

Dave Madsen, a technician in the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, took the oath of office from Dauphin County Judge Lori Serratelli, officially assuming the seat formerly held by Jeffrey Baltimore.

Madsen was appointed to a four-month term on council last week, and, just two days later, nabbed the Democratic nomination to run for his seat in the November election. Since Madsen currently has no Republican challenger in that race, he will likely serve the remaining two years of Baltimore’s term. His seat has been empty since Baltimore’s resignation on Aug. 11.

After Madsen was sworn in, council voted on a number of resolutions awaiting final approval. Most significant among them was a building permit application by Hamilton Health Providers, which now has the green light to expand its facility on S. 17th Street to include additional parking spots, patient visiting rooms and classrooms for the Head Start pre-K program.

Council also brought to the floor two new resolutions, including one calling for the creation of a task force to explore community policing policies, law enforcement and training initiatives, and the creation of a civilian review board for the police bureau. Council agreed to consider such legislation as a condition of allocating $65,000 to the bureau for the purchase of new protective gear.

A resolution approving the city’s agreement with the National Civil War Museum was also brought to the floor tonight and moved to the Economic Development Committee. Mayor Eric Papenfuse announced the plan to resolve disputes with the museum in a press conference at city hall yesterday. The agreement, reached jointly by city officials and museum directors, will allow the museum to buy its collection of artifacts from the city for $5.25 million. In turn, the city will begin to charge the museum rent and will pay for some capital repairs to the museum building in Reservoir Park.

Council will discuss both of the new resolutions at its Sept. 19 work session.

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