Seeking Re-Dress: Why is she wearing the same outfit all week? Ask her.

March 31, 2017 | by Susan Ryder

The “little black dress” is often regarded as a staple of a woman’s wardrobe.

It can be worn to work, for a night out, to a social event.

But it also can stand as a symbol of need, and used as a way to raise funds, which underlies this month’s Little Black Dress Initiative by the Junior League of Harrisburg, an organization for community-minded women.

Organizers Rebecca Taylor and Rachel Jones explained that, while it’s named after the iconic dress, the initiative has little to do with fashion forwardness.

Different from the typical, brief 5K fundraiser or cost-prohibitive gala, the initiative involves participants wearing the same little black dress or outfit for five days straight while seeking funds to support the Junior League’s many community programs. Some don a pin that says, “Ask me about my dress.”

“It’s about the resources you need, that you might not have, to feel good about what you are doing—confidence to have the right attire,” said Jones, chair of the initiative. “Regardless of the type of position you have, you want to look good when you go to work. It gives you confidence, and that confidence propels you forward.”

Taylor, JLH’s president, participated last year.

“It served its purpose, because I found, as I was going through my daily routine, I was starting to realize the things that I take for granted every day,” she said. “I went to the dentist and filled a prescription. I didn’t have to worry about being able to afford the dentist. I didn’t have to worry about transportation to get my prescription from the pharmacy. I just take those things for granted, that I will be able to go and do them.”

Jones had a similar experience, but hers focused more on the challenges of relying on a single outfit all week.

“I had to come up with creative ways to keep my dress looking fresh,” she said.

She found some help in products like Febreze and Shout Wipes. Naturally, she could have taken her dress to the dry cleaner to be freshened up, but didn’t.

“Most of the community we are advocating for can’t do that,” she said.

As a physician recruiter for a local health system, Jones had to look professional daily and took special care to be more delicate with her clothing, especially during lunch, knowing that this was her outfit for the entire workweek.

Taylor explained that the fundraiser also offers an opportunity for conversation.

“When you show up to work or wherever you go every day for five days [wearing the same outfit], people start asking you why,” she said.

Participants love getting that question, because it gives them the opportunity to talk about the work of the Junior League. The group’s focus this year is “providing self-sufficiency skills to at-risk youth in the Harrisburg area,” said Taylor.

This is a new focus for JLH, which continually changes with the times to meet the evolving needs of the community.

“We need to make sure we are providing an impactful service and not just doing something because it makes the members feel good,” Taylor said.

Community partners have identified areas where JLH can “fill in the gap” of services for youth. These include implementing training in leadership, interviewing skills, budgeting, eating on a budget and the like.

The Junior League also is focused on building relationships within the community.

In March, JLH hosted “Prom Possible” at Boys and Girls Club of Harrisburg, a “pop-up boutique” where prom-aged students could purchase a prom dress and accessories at little or no cost. The league also hosted informational booths about topics such as peer pressure and drinking and driving.

Last year, the Little Black Dress initiative raised just under $15,000, exceeding its $7,500 goal. Most of the donations came in small amounts, under $25. This year, the goal is $11,000. Each participant has her own website, where she is encouraged to post about the week’s experience. Social media is a key component of the campaign, and participants use it to raise awareness and funds.

Anyone can join in, and participants will be invited to a launch event where they will receive information about the initiative, direction on creating their online presence and advice on managing a week in one dress.

“All of our members wearing the same dress for the whole week is not only a conversation piece but a symbol of solidarity within the league,” Jones said. “It shows that we are all in this together. We’re all in it to help the community.”

So, don’t hesitate to ask if you see a co-worker wearing the same outfit during the week of April 24. She wants to tell you about her little black dress.

Junior League of Harrisburg’s Little Black Dress Initiative runs April 24 to 28. For more information or to donate, visit www.jl-hbg.com.

Author: Susan Ryder

Burg Blog: Tax & Send

March 30, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

A dancer with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet

“Elections have consequences.”

So said a rather resigned Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, speaking to a few reporters following Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

Papenfuse may have used an old political cliché, but his point was well taken. If the Trump administration gets its way on the federal budget, the city soon may run out of money to complete the remediation of a sinkhole-ravaged block of south Harrisburg, as those funds largely originate from federal programs targeted for cuts and elimination.

Papenfuse was making the point that the loss of federal funding locally is no longer theoretical—it’s real. So, a voter probably never thought about the sinkholes on S. 14^th Street when casting a ballot for president last November. However, as the mayor said, elections have consequences, and an abandoned, half-done sinkhole project—leaving behind a street of empty, rotting houses that invite crime and blight—may be one of those consequences.

The Trump administration also has targeted for elimination the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Nearly every major arts organization in central PA receives funding that originates from these sources, including such regionally important groups as Jump Street, the Central PA Youth Ballet, the Harrisburg Symphony, Gamut Theatre, Open Stage, the Susquehanna Art Museum and the Susquehanna Folk Music Society. The area’s public broadcaster, WITF, would be especially hard hit, facing the loss of 10 percent of its annual budget, about $1 million.

But perhaps you’re no fan of high culture, folk music, youth programs or “Morning Edition.” Maybe you really don’t care about the people who live in houses on what turned out to be dangerously porous ground on Allison Hill. Then I’ll make another argument, an economic one.

The cuts would harm not just the people directly affected—the artists, the kids, the beleaguered residents of S. 14 Street. Each year, those federal funds set in motion a virtuous cycle that pulses through the local economy: the folks who sell tickets to shows, who run nearby restaurants, who build the stunning sets, who supply labor and materials, who do engineering and construction work for housing projects. They then take their pay and purchase groceries, get their hair done, have their cars serviced, fix their houses and buy a thousand other things in and around central PA.

If the Trump administration has its way, this money will still get spent—it’s not going for deficit reduction—but spent elsewhere, for other things. It will be sent far out of the area, to giant concrete and construction firms in Texas and California, for instance, or to the likes of enormous military contractors like Lockheed Martin or Northrup Grumman, both based outside of Washington, D.C. These are the administration’s priorities.

Money once used to help house people and enrich our civic lives may go instead to Bechtel (San Francisco) or Martin Marietta (Raleigh, N.C.) or even to Houston-based Cemex, ironically the U.S. subsidiary of a Mexican materials giant, to pay for a few square meters of a $21 billion border wall of questionable utility (Mexico, it seems, won’t be paying for it after all) or to help finance upper-class tax cuts, another Trump priority.

Due to gerrymandering by the state legislature, six Republican-controlled congressional districts sit within about 20 miles of Harrisburg, including two that run right through our small city. We call on those members—Reps. Scott Perry, Lou Barletta, Tom Marino, Ryan Costello, Charlie Dent and Lloyd Smucker—to choose the interests of our people, our cultural assets and our economy over those of corporate behemoths located hundreds or thousands of miles away, many foreign-owned.

Our tax money should stay in central Pennsylvania, dedicated to good and necessary causes, then recycled throughout the local economy, over and over again. A benefit would accrue to us all, even if you don’t know a sinkhole from a black hole, whether you own your own opera glasses or can’t tell an arabesque from a plié.

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

March 30, 2017 | by Sara Bozich

And just like that, March is gone. Out like a lamb? Mm, lamb.

Tonight I’m with the GK Visual crew at the Brewers of Pennsylvania’s Meeting of the Malts! We’ll be shooting, so if you’re around, stop and say hi. We’ll also be promoting our upcoming film, Poured in Pa.

The weekend is busy for me, compared to much of the last month. I’ve got a few shopping trips planned (hey, Stash, welcome back!), and on Sunday, we’re shooting our first interview for Poured.

What are you doing this weekend?

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Sinkhole Solution Nears: City fronts costs for project’s first phase as it waits to receive national grants.

March 29, 2017 | by Danielle Roth

orange road closed sign hanging in middle of street. Can see colorful, newer row homes.

Sinkholes badly damaged these 53 homes on the 1400-block of S. 14th Street in 2014.

Harrisburg will move forward with purchasing houses devastated by sinkholes, even though the city hasn’t yet received the funds into its coffers.

Last night, City Council voted unanimously to move forward with the purchase of 53 of S. 14^th Street properties while it still waits to officially receive federal and state grants.

At the meeting, council President Wanda Williams announced that the city received two letters yesterday from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), which said that the city soon will receive two grants, one for $2.5 million and the other for $600,000, for the sinkhole project.

“You will soon receive one copy of the grant agreement for this buy-out project,” read the letters from Stephen Bekanich, director of PEMA’s Bureau of Recovery and Mitigation.

The city received this letter from FEMA in September.

Acting on a letter, rather than a grant agreement, means that the city will front the $2.2-million project cost before a May 31 deadline while it waits to be reimbursed by PEMA and the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), which are acting as conduits for federal grants.

“We are doing this based on a letter, not a grant agreement,” Mayor Eric Papenfuse said, describing the risk involved.

He said the city is still waiting for the official agreement from the state, which both parties must sign.

“The city is not sitting on any money,” Papenfuse said. “We do not have a grant agreement.”

In September, the city received a letter from PEMA, which approved $2.2 million of federal and state funds for the sinkhole mitigation project. The city must spend this money by a May 31 deadline in order to be reimbursed for up to $2.2 million.

With the upcoming deadline, the city likely won’t be able spend, and be reimbursed for, the full $2.2 million on both phase 1 and 2 of the project, which covers the acquisition and demolition of these properties.

Federal Housing and Urban Development Agency funds for phase two, which would cover the demolition of the 14^th Street houses, hang in limbo as the Trump administration has targeted the grant program in its draft budget.

“This is an example of a national election

The city received these letters from PEMA on March 27.

affecting local municipalities,” Papenfuse said.

DCED, the state agency that distributes HUD grants, acted under certain assumptions with grant funds under the Obama administration, said city Budget and Finance Director Bruce Weber.

“Those assumptions have changed,” Weber said.

In the worst-case scenario, the city would end up owning an empty city block without being able to demolish it, Papenfuse said. Council considered this risk before voting to move forward with this project tonight, he said.

“Basically, [this is] a promise we made to these folks,” he said.

At last night’s meeting, Papenfuse also discussed with reporters a new contract with the city’s Bureau of Police.

This contract, approved by the rank and file on Friday by an 89-7 vote, includes salary increases for all officers. In six months, officers will receive .5-percent increase. Six months after that, officers will see another .5-percent raise. Then officers will receive a 1-percent annual raise for the next four years, Papenfuse said.

The new contract also gives $1,500 bonuses for current officers as a “thank you for sticking with the city,” Papenfuse said.

“They have been working short-staffed for years, and they’ve suffered for that,” he said.

The bonuses come from 2016 funds slated for officer positions that were left unfilled, Weber said.

Under the contact, officers also will receive a day off for their birthday, which was “important symbolically,” Papenfuse said.

The contact also includes incentives for young police officers to stay with the force, Papenfuse said.

If a police officer leaves the bureau for another police department, he or she will have to give back training costs to the city. This “clawback” comes at $1,000 per year for up to five years, Papenfuse said.

Young police officers can more easily climb experienced-based salary jumps with this new contract, as well. The contract eliminated one rung of a five-part ladder to a top-level position, Papenfuse said.

A top-level patrol officer receives $62,591 while a trainee receives $46,943, according to the city budget.

These two items aim to prevent young officers from receiving training in the city then leaving for high-paying officer positions in the rest of the state, Papenfuse said.

This contract, if approved by council, means “four years of labor peace with the Police Bureau,” Papenfuse said.

“[This is a] clear sign there is more confidence in the future direction of our city,” Papenfuse said, adding that the city and labor union negotiated the contract without help from the state.

Also last night, City Council approved an insurance reimbursement for two pistols stolen from the National Civil War Museum. The city transferred the $175,000 received from the insurance company into a fund slated for Reservoir Park.

“This will be a nest egg we can use when they release the Reservoir Park master plan,” Papenfuse said, adding that the funds could be used to obtain matching grant funds.

Consultants are creating a master plan for the park’s future, which is slated to be released later this year, Papenfuse said.

The city purchased the two pistols that once belonged to President Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of War and Harrisburg native Simon Cameron in the 1990s for about $250,000, Papenfuse said. They were stolen from the museum about a year ago.

This story was updated at 12:30 p.m. to include details about a May 31 deadline for spending $2.2 million on phase 1 and 2 of the sinkhole project.

Author: Danielle Roth

Forcing the Sale: City Weighs Eminent Domain to Obtain Public Works Facility

March 23, 2017 | by Danielle Roth

image of Public Works Department building, located at former Brenner autodealership

The Public Works Department, which manages public infrastructure and waste collection, has operated out of this Paxton Street facility since 2014.

Harrisburg is considering using an age-old, if controversial, method to obtain a permanent public works facility: Eminent domain.

City Council introduced a resolution Tuesday that, if approved, would allow the city to force the sale of properties that the Department of Public Works currently uses as its facility.

The department has rented the facility at 1812-1820 Paxton St., formerly a Brenner auto dealership, since 2014, after moving from a location on the city incinerator grounds.

The lease expired last month, without the option to renew. The city now is renting the property on a month-to-month basis.

City Councilman Westburn Majors, public works committee chair, sees this resolution as a last resort.

“[The measure was introduced] just so we have the ability if we need to use eminent domain,” he said. “I don’t think we are looking to do any eminent domain proceedings anytime soon.”

The 11 properties on Paxton and N. 19^th streets, all zoned for commercial use, are currently owned by MEB Partners, LP; Brenner Motors, Inc.; Michael A. Brenner; Sam and Nancy Fulginiti; and Stephen M. Kozlosky, according to the resolution.

“The law bureau and the city are working with the owner to get a sale first, and if they can’t reach an agreement, then [eminent domain would be] a possibility,” Majors said.

The city’s 2017 budget, the first in many years to include a capital improvement budget, allocates $2.5 million to obtain a public works facility.

City Solicitor Neil Grover said using eminent domain, the government’s power to obtain private properties for public use, for a public works facility would be uncommon.

The city last used eminent domain powers three years ago when the city obtained pieces of properties to widen 7^th Street, he said.

“It’s sort of the ‘old school’ of what governments do, how they acquire property for an essential function,” Grover said.

Government typically uses this power in blighted neighborhoods for redevelopment projects, he said.

If City Council moves forward with using eminent domain, Grover alluded to a long process.

“It’s the beginning of a long-term thing,” he said.

Author: Danielle Roth

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

March 23, 2017 | by Sara Bozich

Thanks to everyone who came out for our Pop-Up Happy Hour at Strawberry Square last night! We had a great time with great vendors. Keep missing these? Get on my mailing list — we host every month!

I haven’t quite yet finalized my weekend plans (a Harrisburg Beer Week volunteer meeting kicks things off), but you know my usual market-gym plans stand. There may be fewer events happening this weekend than with the bustle of the last, but there are a lot of really great options, no matter what you’re in the mood for.

Look for: Midnight Angel bottle release from ZerØday – a late night party for this barrel-aged beauty. Also — if it’s not yet sold out already — The Art of Wine Pairing at The Vineyard at Hershey looks to be a great Sunday afternoon event.

What are you doing this weekend?

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“United Front of Community:” How to help families displaced by recent fires.

March 21, 2017 | by Danielle Roth

A fire broke out on the 2500-block of Lexington Street in Uptown Harrisburg.

Two separate fires on Lexington and Walnut streets broke out 10 days ago and displaced nine families, totaling more than 30 people.

These families, many without renter’s insurance, lost everything in the recent fires, City Councilman Cornelius Johnson said.

“When you start from nothing, there’s a lot of things that you need to rebuild again,” he said.

Johnson has been coordinating the collection of $25 Visa gift cards and basic items such as toiletries and clothing. So far, he said, he’s collected more than $3,000 in gift cards, which will be distributed evenly among the families on Friday.

“I’m just trying to make sure the resources are getting to the people,” he said.

Mother’s Subs at 2^nd and Maclay streets reached out to Johnson to host a donation event tomorrow at 6 p.m. People can donate $25 Visa gift cards and clothing while enjoying free refreshments. They also can make cash donations that Mother’s Subs will use to purchase gift cards, Johnson said.

Mother’s Subs on 2nd and Maclay streets will host a donation drive on Wednesday evening.

In addition, donations can be dropped off at state Rep. Patty Kim’s Kline Village office from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If people are interested in donating money directly to the families, contact Johnson or Kim’s Kline Village office to coordinate with the families.

At last night’s school board meeting, district officials held a moment of silence to recognize the deaths of student Savannah Dominick and a student’s child, Ashanti Hughes. Those who wish assist Hughes’ funeral costs can contribute to the Major H. Winfield Funeral Home in Steelton.

“It’s a community effort where everyone is working to help as a united front of community,” Johnson said. “It’s not going to be one person, one organization, that’s going to be able to save all of these families.”

Here’s how to donate to families affected by recent fires:

Visit Mother’s Subs at 2101 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg, from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 22 to donate clothing or $25 Visa gift cards.
Give $25 Visa gift cards or donations of clothing, toiletries or other basic items to State Rep. Patty Kim’s office at 46 Kline Village, 25th and Market streets, Harrisburg.
Donate $25 Visa gift cards or donations of clothing, toiletries or basic items to City Councilman Cornelius Johnson by contacting him at [email protected] or 717-307-6977.
Donate cash or checks directly to the families by contacting Kim’s office at 717-772-3570 or by contacting Cornelius Johnson.
Support the funeral of fire victim Ashanti Hughes by contacting Major H. Winfield Funeral Home in Steelton at 717-939-3342.

Author: Danielle Roth

Idea Factory: Blackberry Technology Center Opens Downtown

March 21, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Harristown CEO Brad Jones, state Sen. John DiSanto, Mayor Eric Papenfuse and Harrisburg University President Eric Darr were among those cutting the ribbon today on the new Blackberry Technology Center.

At one time, downtown Harrisburg had a warren of narrow streets and alleys populated by small businesses, warehouses, bars and even homes.

Many of those snug streets are gone or have had their character destroyed by imposing buildings. However, tiny Blackberry Street remains, and today marked a new chapter in its 200-year history.

Officials from Harristown Enterprises, Harrisburg University and the city cut the ribbon on the newly christened Blackberry Technology Center, a fully renovated, three-story building that stood vacant for more than three decades.

“This is really incredible,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. “If you haven’t already realized it, we’re in the middle of a tech boom here in Harrisburg.”

First floor of the Blackberry Technology Center

The building is populated by three companies, one on each floor: Bio HiTech Global, which develops and deploys waste management technology, Harrisburg University’s Geospatial Technology Center, which focuses on unique mapping solutions, and high-tech startup MistIQ Technologies.

“This project further solidifies Harrisburg University’s role in creating technology-based companies in the city and the region as all three tenants in this building are a product of HU’s technology accelerator and incubator focus,” said HU President Eric Darr.

Second floor of the Blackberry Technology Center

For decades, the 4,500-square-foot brick building housed the Martz Hardware store, but has been vacant for about 30 years as the area fell into dilapidation. The redevelopment was undertaken by local developer Mayur Patel.

Third floor of the Blackberry Technology Center

“This city is open for business,” said Brad Jones, CEO of Harristown Enterprises, which has redeveloped surrounding blocks. “There’s one exciting project after another, and there are many more ribbon-cuttings to come.”

The Blackberry Technology Center is located at 316 Blackberry St., Harrisburg.

Author: Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg Schools Update: Board, Teachers Union Address Disruptive Student Behavior

March 21, 2017 | by Danielle Roth

Harrisburg Education Association President Jody Barksdale addressed the school board at last night’s meeting.

When a student has an outburst during class time, a teacher cannot continue a lesson plan. The teacher drops the plan to address the disruptive student while students who want to learn must wait.

A pilot program in Rowland Academy middle school will address situations like this, school board member Judd Pittman said after the board unanimously approved to implement this “innovative solution” last night.

“This is generating a classroom space for students to de-escalate,” Pittman said. “They can go to that room, get a support team, maybe a mentor or school psychologist, and this allows them to de-escalate.”

The students in this temporary placement classroom would learn basic subjects such as math and language arts in addition to “character education” from one class period to several days, according to the meeting agenda.

“It’s a unique model that meets the needs of the students,” he said.

This $78,000 program, funded by a state Department of Education School Improvement Grant, will run through the end of the school year. If successful, the district will continue and expand the program, Pittman said.

By coincidence, unrelated to this agenda item, more than 15 blue-shirted members of the Harrisburg Education Association attended last night’s board meeting to say that the district needs to bring alternative education in-house.

About 15 members of the teachers union attended last night’s school board meeting.

HEA President Jody Barksdale said an in-house alternative education program, like a program that closed eight years ago, would better meet students’ emotional and academic needs.

Barksdale said the in-house program showed better test scores compared to the current three alternative education programs. She also anecdotally shared the success of her previous students, now adults.

“It was the first time they experienced success,” she told the board. “They have jobs. They’re productive citizens of our community.”

The current alternative education programs, offered by entities outside of the district, place caps on the number of students, Barksdale said.

“If that’s what [students] need, why not give it to them,” she said. “We can do it in-house, with the staff we currently have.”

Pittman, chair of the academic, instruction and student services committee, said access to information teachers collect on disruptive student behavior would help the board members make better decisions.

“With this data, we could look at when and where incidents happen and get at the root cause,” he said.

Teachers brought Pittman student behavior data, which helped his committee create the pilot program at Rowland Academy. Pittman said accessing this aggregated data otherwise is difficult.

“You make the request and hope that it happens,” he said. “I want quarterly reports so we can make data-informed decisions. That’s the panacea.”

Board member Melvin Wilson said more information on disruptive student behaviors would help the board make “informed decisions that empower students.”

“We could look at the larger picture, not just small fires,” he said. “If we have that information, we can address the cause.”

Wilson, chair of the policy and procedure committee, said he did not know the procedure for board members to obtain this district-wide data and doubted that such data existed.

“I’m not so sure the district even has baseline data. Look at what happened with the expulsions,” he said, referencing the board’s recent votes addressing a procedural error in the expulsions of more than 400 students.

The board approved the expulsions of three students last night. Technically deemed an expulsion, the school board votes actually placed students into alternative education programs, said board Solicitor Samuel Cooper.

Richard Soto, a Democrat running for school board, lambasted the board for the recent string of expulsions, misunderstanding the board’s actions.

“This is very sad, very sad,” he told the board. “[Students] should have had another option, like Cougar Academy, the cyber school.” He added that the board put “kids on the streets.”

Students who violate the student code of conduct by actions, such as bringing a weapon to school, warrant expulsion, Cooper said. Rather than getting kicked out of school entirely, as the word “expulsion” implies, the district places students in alternative education programs.

“These kids are not on the street,” Cooper said.

The school board also held a moment of silence for those who passed away in a fire last week in Uptown Harrisburg. This moment of silence recognized student Savannah Dominick and a student’s child, Ashanti Hughes. Those who wish assist with funeral costs for Hughes can contribute to Major H. Winfield Funeral Home in Steelton.

Author: Danielle Roth

Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

March 16, 2017 | by Sara Bozich

March Madness is here (and Matness, ask my husband). Brackets lock at NOON TODAY, so be sure to JOIN our FREE Bracket Madness and you could WIN free Wing for Year from Arooga’s!

I’m skipping the St. Paddy’s Day craziness this year, but see below — there’s plenty more where that comes from.

Tomorrow I’m planning to try Next Step Performance’s new Yoga class before hitting up some 3rd in the Burg gems. Saturday is my usual routine, then dinner with friends.

On Sunday, I’ll be guest-judging the 4th Annual Central PA Soup Cook-off at Appalachian Brewing Co. Tickets are just $10/advance; $12 at the door, so stop by for a good cause and some great soup — perfect to warm up on these final days of winter.

What are you doing this weekend?

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