Happenings: The April Calendar of Events

March 30, 2015 | by Admin

Museum & Art Spaces

AACA Museum
161 Museum Dr., Hershey
717-566-7100; aacamuseum.org

“Lotus: The Art of Lightness,” featuring Lotus road and racing cars, through April 26.

“Motorbikes for the Masses,” an exhibit dedicated to low-cost transportation including motorbikes, scooters and mopeds, through Oct. 11.

Art Association of Harrisburg
21 N. Front St., Harrisburg
717-236-1432; artassocofhbg.com

“The MakeSpace Arts Collective,” an exhibit featuring the artists of The MakeSpace in Harrisburg, April 3-May 7; reception, April 3, 5-8 p.m.

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

Artist of the Month: Clare Margaret

Gallery@Second
608 N. 2nd St., Harrisburg
galleryatsecond.com

Artwork by Beverly Spitzer and Michele Taber, through May 4.

The Hershey Story Museum
63 W. Chocolate Ave., Hershey
717-534-8939; hersheystory.org

“Chocolate Workers Wanted,” life in Hershey’s chocolate factory from 1905 to 1925, through spring 2016.

Landis House
67 N. 4^th St., Newport
www.perrycountyarts.org

“Landis Legacy: the Typical Tourist,” featuring memorabilia of the Landis family’s travels through Europe and Cuba, through April 3.

The MakeSpace
1916 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
hbgmakespace.com

Gallery exhibition and wall mural by MakeSpace resident artist Meisa Chase, through April 17.

Mangia Qui/Suba Tapas Bar
272 North St., Harrisburg
717-233-7358; mangiaqui.com

Works by Gianna Veno & Elide Hower, though April.

National Civil War Museum
One Lincoln Circle, Harrisburg
717-260-1861; nationalcivilwarmueum.org

“In the Hands of the Enemy: Captivity, Parole & Exchange of Prisoners in the Civil War,” through June 1.

“1865,” an exhibit highlighting the fifth year of the Civil War covering battles, strategies and civilian lives, through December.

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

The art of David Hughes, through May 30

“Abandoned America,” photography by Matthew Christopher, April 4-June 27

PCCA Gallery
Perry Country Council of the Arts
1 S. 2nd St., Newport
perrycountyarts.org

“Collection of Watercolors,” featuring works by Donna Berk Barlup and Debra Tritt Kreiger of Mechanicsburg and Linda Young of Carlisle, through April 4.

Natured-inspired paintings by Kathy Corr & Patty Toth, April 8-May 2; reception, April 10, 6-8:30 p.m.

“Teaching Artists,” works by professional artists who teach students through PCCA’s Arts-in-Education program, April 10-May 1; reception, April 10, 6-8:30 p.m.

Rose Lehrman Art Gallery
One HACC Drive, Harrisburg
717-780-2435; hacc.edu

“Images of Life,” prints from the Darlene K. Morris collection, through April 1.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North St., Harrisburg
717-787-4980; statemuseumpa.org

“UnCommon Modern: A Pennsylvania Glossary of Midcentury Architecture,” featuring photographs by Betsy Manning, through Apr. 26.

“A Fondness for Birds: Pennsylvania’s Alexander Wilson,” featuring bird prints and first-edition volumes of the 200-year-old “American Ornithology” series by Alexander Wilson, through Jan. 3, 2016.

Susquehanna Art Museum
1401 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg
717-233-8668; sqart.org

“Harry Bertoia: Four Decades of Drawing,” through April 12.

“Found in Transition,” a juried Doshi exhibit, opens April 21.

“Everyone Can Fly: Faith Ringgold’s Tar Beach & Regional Picture Book Illustrators,” through May 24.

Whitaker Center/The Curved Wall
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

“Art Instructor Exhibition,” works by the Art Center School and Galleries of Mechanicsburg, through April 3.

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

“Art in the Wild,” outdoor art exhibit, April 11-Oct. 31.

Yellow Bird Café
1320 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg
717-635-8991; yellowbird-cafe.com

The artwork of Amber Long, through April 15.

Art by Susan Kramer, April 17-May 13.

Yellow Wall Gallery/Midtown Scholar
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

“Literatur Trash Polka,” the art of David K., through April 15.

The artwork of Jamie Rice and Adrianne Rice Visnofsky, April 17-May 13; reception, April 17, 6 p.m.

Read, Make, Learn

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

April 10: Fantastic Fish and Sauces, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
April 15: Tuscan Food & Wine Pairing, 6-9 p.m.
April 29: Weekend Entrees in 30 Minutes or Less, 6-9 p.m.

Harrisburg Improv Theatre
1633 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
hbgimprov.com

March 22: Free Intro to Improv workshop

The LBGT Center of Central PA
1306 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-920-9534; centralpalgbtcenter.org

April 2, 9, 16, 23: Aging with Pride Lunchtime Discussion, 12-2 p.m.
April 5, 12, 19, 26: Alcoholics Anonymous, 12-1 p.m.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Cafe
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

April 1, 15, 22, 29: Midtown Chess Club, 11 a.m.
April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel, 7 p.m.
April 3, 10: Nathaniel Gadsden’s Spoken Word Café, 7 p.m.
April 6: Swing Dance at the Scholar, 6 p.m.
April 11: Snacks & Storybooks w/Gamut Theatre, 2:30 p.m.
April 19: Book Talk w/Richard Sommers
April 21: Book Talk & Signing w/Jeff Oppenheimer
April 25: Storytime w/Peter Sirotin

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

April 7, 21, 28: Abstract Weekly Class
April 24: Encaustic Workshop

Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
176 Water Company Rd., Millersburg
717-692-3699; nedsmithcenter.org

April 11: “Cruisin’ the Cosmos: Spring Star Party,” 7 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
April 12 & 19: “Sundays in the Gallery” Series, 3 p.m.
April 25: Spring Bird Walk, 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

The Perfect 5th Musical Arts Center
6240 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg
717-691-9100; theperfect5th.com

April 13: QuickStart Guitar, 6:30 p.m.

Untitled: A Storytelling Project
untitledhbg.com

April 9: Theme: “End of the Line,” 7 p.m. (at Midtown Scholar)

Wildwood Park
100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg
717-221-0292; wildwoodlake.org

April 1: Bird Walk: Early Migration, 8-10 a.m.
April 1: Preschool Storytime, 10 a.m.
April 8: Stress Relief Walk, 6-7:30 p.m.
April 9: Art in the Wild Lecture, “Nature as the Client,” 7-8:30 p.m.
April 11: Art in the Wild Workshop w/Paul Nagle, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
April 11: Clean Up Your Earth Day, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
April 12: Flower Walk: Dutchman’s Breeches and Trout Lilies, 1:30-3 p.m.
April 19: Creature Feature: Spring Peepers, 1-2 p.m.

Live Music Around Harrisburg

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster
717-397-7700; amtshows.com

April 18: Cesar Millan
April 24: The Temptations & Four Tops
April 26: Pat Benator & Neil Giraldo
April 30: Vince Gill

Appalachian Brewing Co./Abbey Bar
50 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg
717-221-1083; abcbrew.com

April 3: The Alchemystics
April 9: Still Hand String Band & the Wallace Bros.
April 12: Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry
April 17: Tsunami Experiment
April 19: Eilen Jewell
April 23: Jimkata
April 24: JT & the Mild Heat and Manian and the Monumentals
April 26: The Stray Birds

Broad Street Market
1233 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg
broadstreetmarket.org

April 3: The Coalishun
April 25: The Coalishun

Carley’s Ristorante and Piano Bar
204 Locust St., Harrisburg
717-909-9191; carleysristorante.com

April 1: Marcus Spreecher
April 2, 12, 26, 30: Anthony Haubert
April 3, 17, 18: Chris Emkey
April 4, 10: Noel Gevers
April 7: Daniel Sheehan
April 8: Julie Moffitt
April 9, 22, 29: Jessica Cook
April 11, 25: Ted Ansel
April 14, 24: Roy Lefever
April 15: Andrea Britton
April 16, 23: Giovanni Triano
April 21: Deborah Anderson
April 28: Maria Battista

Central PA Friends of Jazz
www.friendsofjazz.org

April 12: Chris Bacas & Voyage West (Wyndridge Farm, Dallastown)

Chameleon Club
223 N. Water St., Lancaster
717-299-9684; chameleonclub.net

April 1: The Ghost Inside
April 12: Chance & Fort Washington School of Rock
April 18: Charm City Devils
April 19: Between the Buried and Me
April 20: Taylor Caniff
April 21: Dopapod
April 22: Yellowcard
April 24: Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime
April 25: (Hed) P.E. & Alien Ant Farm
April 30: The Devil Wears Prada

The Cornerstone Coffeehouse
2133 Market St., Camp Hill
717-737-5026; thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com

April 3: Hank Imhof
April 4: Soul Release
April 10: Antonio Andrade
April 11: Ed Horan
April 12: Jason Barshinger
April 17: Kevin Kline
April 18: Dale Stipes
April 19: Colette and Kristin
April 24: Jeanine and Friends
April 25: Doug Morris
April 26: Kristin Rebecca

The Garlic Poet
148 Sheraton Dr., New Cumberland
717-774-5435; garlicpoet.com

April 2: Shea Quinn
April 9: Hexbelt Duo
April 16: Eli Charleston
April 23: Shotgun Ragtime Band
April 30: Corty Byron

Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
The Forum at 5th and Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-545-5527; harrisburgsymphony.org

April 18-19: “Brahms’ Requiem”

Hershey Theatre
15 E. Caracas Ave., Hershey
717-534-3405; hersheytheatre.com

April 13-14: Brit Floyd
April 17: Hershey Symphony
April 19: Celtic Thunder
April 24: Primus
April 29: 2Cellos

HMAC/Stage on Herr
1110 N. 3rd St./268 Herr St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

April 3: First Friday Dance Party w/Vetour Productions
April 9: Strangest of Places
April 17: Terry Reid w/The Split Squad
April 18: The Whiskey Shivers
April 25: Adam Ezra Band
Every Wednesday, Open Mic w/Mike Banks

Little Amps Coffee Roasters, Downtown
133 State St., Harrisburg
717-635-9870; littleampscoffee.com

April 3: Casey Buckley
April 10: Rivers w/Shawan Rice
April 17: Hot Jam Factory w/The Shackletons & Spiderglass
April 24: Dentist w/Dead Lizard

Little Amps Coffee Roasters, Uptown
1836 Green St., Harrisburg
717-695-4882; littleampscoffee.com

April 19: Robert Sarazin Blake & Catamt Coyote

Luhrs Performing Arts Center
1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg
717-477-7469; luhrscenter.com

April 12: Shippensburg University Concert Band
April 18: The Hit Men
April 23: Jackie Evancho
April 26: Shippensburg University Community Orchestra

Market Square Concerts
www.marketsquareconcerts.org

April 25: Amernet String Quartet (at Temple Ohev Sholom)

Midtown Scholar Bookstore- Cafe
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

April 10: Emily Long
April 11: Ellyot H. Ray
April 17: Randy Niles
April 18: “Music Together”
April 23: Over the Rhine
April 29: Trez School of Music

The Millworks
340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg
717-695-4888; millworksharrisburg.com

April 17: The Album Leaf

Rose Lehrman Art Center
One HACC Drive, Harrisburg
717-231-ROSE; hacc.edu/RLAC

April 25: The Brubeck Brothers Quartet

River City Blues Club
819 S. Cameron St., Harrisburg
rivercityhbg.com

April 1: Acoustic Stew Open Jam
April 2: Mark Santanna Electric Jam
April 3: Carlos Elliot & the Cornlickers
April 4: Cedric Lawson’s Life Force Band
April 8: Blue Elephant Open Jam
April 9: Mark Santanna Electric Jam
April 10: Marissa Elise and the Groove
April 11: Robert Frahm Trio
April 15: Nate Myers Trio Open Jam
April 16: Mark Santanna Electric Jam

Stock’s on 2^nd
211 N. 2^nd Street, Harrisburg
717-233-6699; stocksonsecond.com

April 3: Wally DeWall
April 4: Mitch Gregory
April 10: Keith Goldstein
April 11: Up Pops the Devil
April 17: Wally DeWall
April 18: Songsmith
April 24: Scott Rivers
April 25: Shea Quinn & Steve Swisher

Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; mystrandcapitol.org

April 14: The Wood Brothers
April 18: Four Bitchin’ Babes
April 19: York Junior Symphony Orchestra
April 25: Jeff Beck
April 25: Richard Thompson
April 28: Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt

Suba Tapas Bar
272 North St., Harrisburg
717-233-7358; mangiaqui.com

April 3: Sean Farley
April 4: The Wild Hymns
April 10: Nate Myers & the Aces
April 11: Erin & the Project
April 17: Scott Peoples
April 18: Tim Wolfe
April 24: Kris Kehr
April 25: Up Pops the Devil

The Susquehanna Folk Music Society
717-745-6577; sfmfolk.org

April 11: Spring Coffeehouse (at Fort Hunter Barn)
April 12: April Jam Session (at Fort Hunter Barn)
April 12: Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry (at Abbey Bar)
April 24: John McCutcheon (at UUCY, York)

The Stage Door

Appalachian Brewing Co./Abbey Bar
50 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg
717-221-1083; abcbrew.com

April 12: Oxymorons

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre
510 Centerville Rd., Lancaster
717-898-1900; DutchApple.com

Through May 2: “Funny Girl”

Gamut Theatre Group
3^rd Floor, Strawberry Square, Harrisburg
717-238-4111; www.gamutplays.org

April 1-18: “The Three Billy Goats” (Popcorn Hat)
April 18: TMI Comedy Troupe

Harrisburg Improv Theatre
1633 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
hbgimprov.com

April 4, 11, 18, 25: Improv Comedy
April 11: Forte Largo featuring Chuck Britton

HMAC/Stage on Herr
1110 N. 3rd St./268 Herr St., Harrisburg
717-441-7506; harrisburgarts.com

April 10-12: “The Vagina Monologues”
April 23: Improv 101

Hershey Theatre
15 E. Caracas Ave., Hershey
717-534-3405; hersheytheatre.com

April 7: “The Great Gatsby”
April 11: Chinese Cultural & Arts Institute

Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg
915 S. York St., Mechanicsburg
717-766-0535; ltmonline.net

April 24-May 10: “There Goes the Bride”

Luhrs Performing Arts Center
1871 Old Main Dr., Shippensburg
717-477-7469; luhrscenter.com

April 9: “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”
April 16: Pilobus

Majestic Theater
25 Carlisle St., Gettysburg
717-337-8200; gettysburgmajestic.org

April 19: “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court”

Midtown Scholar Bookstore- Cafe
1302 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
717-236-1680; midtownscholar.com

April 17: TMI Improv
April 17: Comedy Night at the Scholar

Open Stage of Harrisburg
223 Walnut St., Harrisburg
717-232-OPEN; openstagehbg.com

April 17-May 3: “Talley’s Folly”

Oyster Mill Playhouse
1001 Oyster Mill Road, Camp Hill
717-737-6768; www.oystermill.com

April 10-26: “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged”

Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center
50 N. George St., York
717-846-1111; mystrandcapitol.org

April 2: “Buddy—The Buddy Holly Story”
April 10: David Sedaris
April 17: Popovich Comedy Pet Theater

Whitaker Center
222 Market St., Harrisburg
717-214-ARTS; whitakercenter.org

April 18-19: “Cinderella”

March News Digest

March 30, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

12 Run for Council

A dozen residents handed in petitions last month to run in the May primary for seats on Harrisburg City Council.

Four seats are up for grabs this year. Three hold four-year terms, while a fourth is a two-year seat to fill the unexpired term of Councilwoman Eugenia Smith, who died last year. Councilwomen Susan Brown-Wilson and Sandra Reid decided not to seek re-election.

The candidates, all Democrats, who filed for the four-year seats are:

Jeff Baltimore (incumbent) *
Jeremiah Chamberlin *
Ron Chapel *
Cornelius Johnson
Alan Kennedy-Shaffer
Brad Koplinski (incumbent)
Koscina Lowe *
Westburn Majors
Rhonda Mays
Ellis R. “Rick” Roy *

Two Democratic candidates filed exclusively for the two-year seat:

Destini Hodges
Pat Stringer

The primary is slated for May 19. No Republicans filed to run in the election.

* Also filed for the two-year council seat.

Treasurer, School Board Candidates File

Harrisburg will have competitive races this year for the Democratic nomination for both city treasurer and school board.

In the race for treasurer, challenger Brian Ostella will face off against incumbent Tyrell Spradley. Spradley has been in the office since November following his appointment by City Council. The seat was open after former Treasurer John Campbell was arrested last summer and resigned. No Republicans are running in the primary.

Six candidates filed for the Democratic nomination for five, four-year seats on the school board:

Monica L. Blackston-Bailey (incumbent)
Lionel Gonzalez
Matthew Krupp
Daunessy Penn
Jennifer Smallwood (incumbent)
Melvin Wilson Jr.

Krupp also filed for the Republican nomination, the only candidate to do so.

Two Democratic candidates filed for the sole, two-year term on the school board:

LaTasha Frye (incumbent)
Judd R. Pittman

No Republicans filed for the two-year seat. The primary will be held May 19.

2^nd Street Plan Gets Boost

Harrisburg’s plan to return N. 2^nd Street to two-way traffic received a key endorsement last month as the state Department of Transportation gave its preliminary approval.

Following a study, PennDOT concluded that the conversion of N. 2^nd Street from one-way to two-way traffic between Forster and Division streets is feasible. However, it “must be supported by a number of improvements on Second Street as well as other area roadways in order to safely accommodate redistributed traffic.”

Most importantly, N. 7^th Street north of Maclay Street must be converted from two-way traffic to one-way traffic northbound to Division Street. Moreover, improvements would have to be made at the intersections of Division and N. 7^th streets and Forster and N. 2^nd streets.

Finally, PennDOT urged additional study on the impact of the change before final planning for the conversion.

N. 2^nd Street was made one-way in 1956 to speed traffic flow out of the city. Since then, many have blamed the fast-moving, three-lane street for a number of ills, including decreased property values, blight and lessening the quality of life for some city residents.

Market Building to Stay Open

The Broad Street Market’s stone building will remain open, reversing an earlier decision to close it.

The market’s board of directors last month said it needed the space due to a flurry of applications by potential market vendors. In addition, some in the community opposed closing the building.

In late February, the board announced it would shutter the 150-year-old stone building temporarily and relocate the prepared food vendors there to the renovated brick building. The board now says it will try to make improvements to the stone building while keeping it open.

“There has been an influx of interest from new potential market businesses and, in order to house the increasing number of vendors, we are going to have to hold onto that space and figure out a way to renovate while doing business,” said board President Jonathan Bowser.

The market is still looking for new, food-oriented businesses. To apply, visit www.broadstreetmarket.org.

Reid Pleads Guilty

Harrisburg Councilwoman Sandra Reid pleaded guilty last month to a summary charge of disorderly conduct following an incident in November at a city service station.

The district attorney’s office charged Reid for allegedly interfering with an arrest at City Gas & Diesel in the 1500-block of State Street. She was ordered to pay $253 in a fine and court costs.

Following her arrest, Reid missed numerous council meetings and decided not to run for re-election.

Changing Hands

Bellevue Rd., 2034: J. & D. Weidler to F. & C. Ramirez, $88,000

Bigelow Dr., 12: W. Portzline to S. Adamson, $60,000

Calder St., 207: PA Deals LLC to J. Manzella, $73,000

Calder St., 208: MTM Property Group LLC to J. Martin, $58,500

Cumberland St., 270: W. Fritz Jr. to PA Deals LLC, $68,750

Fulton St., 1719: Sovereign Bank NA to PA Deals LLC, $67,000

Green St., 1120: P. & H. Jackson to N. Foote, $128,500

Green St., 1307: T. McNew to J. & D. Ruggiero, $89,900

Green St., 1309: Leasing Solutions LLC to L. Oberly, $100,000

Manada St., 2010: B. & S. Dean to N. Etter, $36,000

Naudain St., 1630: R. Eisner et al to R. Murphy III, $37,500

N. 2^nd St., 403: WCI Hotel Partners LP to 401 Hotel Partners LP, $482,709

N. 2^nd St., 2146: R. & W. Shoop to D&F Realty Holdings LP, $130,000

N. 2^nd St., 2530: B. MacDonald & M. Connolly to K. Dillon & D. Smyler, $106,000

N. 3^rd St., 608: P. Kumar & S. Sharma to 608 N. Third LLC, $177,500

N. 3^rd St., 2532: M. Hogan to D. Tamang & P. Moti, $125,000

N. 7^th St., 3101: PT Properties LLC & Realty Management Inc. to Conewago Contractors Inc., $1,378,000

N. 12^th St., 1500: Math Inc. to Greenworks Auto Recycling LLC, $250,000

Norwood St., 938: C. Weller to Edwin L. Heim Co., $70,000

Reily St., 225: M. Bitsko to M. Fickes, $99,000

Rumson Dr., 330: A. Pastula to G. Di Bosco, $41,500

S. 16^th St., 334: Tri County HDC Ltd. to M. Espada, $99,900

State St., 1839: G. & M. Robinson to M. Tiedrebeogo, $50,000

TheBurg Podcast, March 27, 2015

March 27, 2015 | by Admin

Welcome to TheBurg Podcast, a weekly roundup of news in and around Harrisburg.

March 27, 2015: This week, Larry and Paul talk about the mayor’s outside-the-box effort to reduce parking prices, the outsiders vs. insiders mindset coming back to council chambers and drawing primary ballot challengers out of the shadows.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme. You can listen to his podcast, the PRC Show, on SoundCloud and in the iTunes store.

TheBurg Podcast can be downloaded by clicking on the date above or by visiting the iTunes store. You can also access the podcast via its host page, here.

Park Place

March 27, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

Cars parked along State Street in downtown Harrisburg.

Not infrequently, a Harrisburg resident comes up to the public microphone during a City Council meeting and complains about–you guessed it–parking.

You read the same types of things in the comment section of PennLive or hear them just by talking with someone on the street or in a bar. Too expensive, aggressive enforcement, not friendly, no room for error.

And, every time, I think to myself: “Haven’t these people been paying attention?”

The deal is done, the cake baked, the horse outta the barn. The mayor and council can’t do anything because the city, drowning in red ink, signed off on an insanely complicated deal that privatized the parking system to pay off a big chunk of its overwhelming debt.

Game over. Get used to it.

And then, it turned out, I was wrong.

Over the past week, Mayor Eric Papenfuse announced a series of changes to the parking system that required creativity, boldness and no small measure of salesmanship.

It meant intervening in an area where he had no real power or authority. It required believing that, despite abundant evidence to the contrary, obstinate, invisible Park Harrisburg might be open to change–change it contractually did not have to make. It mandated putting together a series of improvements to the parking system, finding the money to fund some of them, and selling the package to all the parties (the operator, the manager, the state, City Council, Pango).

The cynics might look at the result and see small potatoes. Starting April 1, the “happy hour” rate from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. will be reduced by $1 per hour. Motorists can park for free for four hours on Saturday but only if they use the Pango mobile app. Beginning in May, they can park during lunchtime for just $3 total, but must use the River Street garage. Park Harrisburg has promised a five-minute grace period before issuing tickets and says its enforcement officers will be retrained as “ambassadors” who will engage the public, not alienate it.

To cover any lost revenue to Park Harrisburg, Papenfuse has pledged $285,000 in “hotel tax” funds left over from last year, money earmarked for marketing the city. He believes that getting more people downtown is a good use of the city’s marketing dollars.

I agree.

For the past year, Harrisburg has found itself the victim of what I would call an anti-marketing campaign. People have been put off by aggressive enforcement, pricey tickets and a distant, uncaring operator. Local media have piled on, so that, day after day, week after week, people have heard a single message: Stay out of Harrisburg!

Papenfuse’s actions helped change the tenor of the conversation. Sure, some people will always regard free parking as a birthright. Others, however, may believe that it’s worth a couple of bucks after work to get easy, walkable access from McGrath’s to Stock’s, from Cafe Fresco to Federal Taphouse, from Cork & Fork to Suba–among a dozen other places downtown. These are the people who are reachable, who might be lured back by a little good news, by a cheaper rate, by a few free hours on Saturday.

Is there a risk for Harrisburg? Yes. Papenfuse’s move is a gamble, though, like a good gambler, he has limited his downside. The city can’t lose more than the $285,000 in hotel tax funds, money that, by design, is intended to bring outsiders in. And that’s a worst-case scenario. Assuming some people respond positively to the changes, the city might lose far less, maybe nothing.

Meanwhile, Papenfuse has maximized his upside. He’s out to prove to Park Harrisburg that lower rates will actually increase their business and boost their revenues. If he’s right, the parking operator may see the value in lower rates permanently, and downtown businesses may recover lost customers. Meanwhile, unlike most marketing campaigns, the results will be directly measurable and some, perhaps all, of the money may remain unspent, available for another initiative down the road.

Papenfuse has proven himself to be a creative problem-solver. He took something most people (myself included) thought was done, over, cooked. He revived it, sold it to multiple parties, and, starting Wednesday, parkers, businesses and the city will be the beneficiaries.

In the past, I’ve poked some fun at the mayor for his boundless enthusiasm. This achievement, though, is something he has every right to be excited about.

After Challenge, Candidate Seeks to Unmask His True Rival

March 27, 2015 | by Paul Barker

Every election season, the challenges appear, picking out every conceivable error on political candidates’ paperwork—some glaring, some subtle—in an attempt to knock them off the ballot before a vote even occurs.

It’s not always evident who’s behind the challenges. But in court Friday morning, Alan Kennedy-Shaffer, a Democratic candidate for Harrisburg City Council, named who he believed was behind his: James Pianka, a long-time operator in city politics, though one who usually works behind the scenes.

Two petitioners sought to strike the nomination of Kennedy-Shaffer on claims that he notarized a portion of his own paperwork. One, by David Smith, of the 2600-block of Lexington Street, has since been withdrawn. The other, by Jan Prosseda, of the 2800-block of N. 2^nd Street, was heard at Friday morning’s hearing.

Kennedy-Shaffer notarized the signatures of the people who circulated petitions on his behalf, allegedly a violation of state notary law, the challengers claimed.

There is nothing on the surface of either court challenge to indicate any connection to Pianka. Pianka, asked about the Prosseda challenge Thursday afternoon, distanced himself from it, though he would not explicitly deny involvement.

“Is my name on it?” he said, referring to the civil complaint, as he left a meeting at an office building uptown.

When Pianka was asked for an explicit denial, his son, James Matthew Pianka, who was with him, repeated his father’s question. “Is his name on it?” he said, as they walked towards their car.

But there are plenty of indications that the man whose name actually appears on the challenge isn’t behind it, either.

Reached by phone Thursday, Prosseda said he filed the petition “as a favor” for someone whose name he declined to mention.

Prosseda also said he was unaware of the scheduled hearing and did not appear in court Friday.

Timothy Brennan, Prosseda’s attorney, said he could not discuss conversations with his client. Asked about Pianka’s involvement, Brennan gave no comment, indicating only that Prosseda’s name was the one on the challenge.

Kennedy-Shaffer, an attorney and an employee at the state Department of Corrections, is one of 12 candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring for the four council seats up for grabs in this year’s election.

He believes Pianka filed the challenge in retaliation after the Dauphin County Democrats opted not to endorse any candidates in the council race.

Kennedy-Shaffer moved for an open primary at the committee’s March 14 meeting, cutting off an effort by Pianka to secure an endorsement for Brad Koplinski, Kennedy-Shaffer said.

Both Pianka and his son have circulated petitions for Koplinski, a current council member who failed in a recent bid for lieutenant governor.

But Alex Reber, the committee’s vice-chair, said he doubted the petition challenge had anything to do with the vote for an open primary, pointing out the committee has been opting not to endorse candidates in most city races for the past several years.

“I don’t think it was retaliation,” he said. “We’re happy there’s an open primary. We think it’s good for democracy.”

Of the 40 or so members from Harrisburg in attendance on March 14, two-thirds voted in favor of an open primary, said Rogette Harris, the committee chairwoman.

In Friday’s court hearing, before Judge Scott Evans, Kennedy-Shaffer’s attorney did not dispute that his client had notarized the petitions under question. He argued, however, that doing so was not a violation of the election code, and even if it was, it was an “amendable” error that should not result in removal from the ballot.

Brennan, representing Prosseda, argued to the contrary that Kennedy-Shaffer’s action showed “purposeful indifference” to what he should have known was a potential violation of the law.

As part of his case, Brennan brought testimony from Gerald Feaser, director of the county elections bureau, who said he had given general, non-legal advice to Kennedy-Shaffer and other potential candidates at a Feb. 9 informational meeting.

Feaser also had told Kennedy-Shaffer that notarizing his own paperwork was something he “wouldn’t advise,” Feaser testified, though he added that he was not an attorney and that he viewed his comments as “public relations” and not as legal advice.

Evans’ decision is not expected until next week, as Ron Clever, Kennedy-Shaffer’s attorney, got the judge’s permission to file a legal brief Monday morning.

In the meantime, whether or not he defeats his challengers in court, Kennedy-Shaffer has sought at least to unmask them.

“I’ve got a target on my back from Mr. Pianka and Mr. Koplinski,” Kennedy-Shaffer said during testimony.

Koplinski did not return multiple calls seeking comment.

This story has been updated with comments from Alex Reber, vice-chair of the Dauphin County Democratic Committee.

Parking Play: The mayor’s quarter-million-dollar bet on downtown parking.

March 25, 2015 | by Paul Barker

Mayor Eric Papenfuse, holding scissors, at a ribbon-cutting for Pango mobile parking app last year.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse, holding scissors, at a ribbon-cutting for the Pango mobile parking app last year.

Harrisburg motorists are about to be part of Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s grand parking gamble.

The wager? That reduced happy hour prices and free parking on Saturdays will draw more parkers downtown, offsetting the damage to local businesses from a rate hike that began last year.

The stakes? About $285,000 in public money.

That’s the amount the city will pledge, pending a City Council vote Wednesday night, to make up for lost revenues in the event reduced prices don’t attract more drivers.

“We’re going to experiment with a theory we have…which says that basically, if we lower rates, then maybe more people will come to park,” Papenfuse said. “And we certainly believe that that will hopefully be the case.”

The money for the experiment will be allocated from a city account holding unspent county hotel tax dollars from 2014. Hotel taxes, which come from a countywide 5-percent levy on overnight lodging, are split between the county, the city and the tourism bureau for the purpose of promoting regional tourism.

If council agrees to the allocation, happy hour parking prices, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, will be lowered from $3 to $2 per hour beginning April 1.

Additionally, drivers will be able to get four free hours of parking on Saturdays by using the promotional code “LUVHBG” on a mobile parking app, beginning April 4.

The city will sponsor the free hours for drivers using the Pango app, which allows people to purchase and renew parking remotely by phone for a small fee.

For drivers using the “LUVHBG” code, which can also be entered as the number 588424, Pango will waive the fee as well as validate the four hours of parking, making the hours “truly free,” Papenfuse said.

Papenfuse discussed the proposal at a press conference Wednesday morning in city hall, where he described the changes as a response to customer complaints about increased rates and longer hours.

“Why are we doing this? Because we have listened,” Papenfuse said.

Trimont Real Estate Advisors, the parking system’s new manager under a long-term lease signed in 2013, also announced several initiatives on Wednesday to improve customer experience and attract more parkers.

One is a “rebranding” of parking officers as “ambassadors,” under a program that Standard Parking, the parking operator under the lease, has employed in other cities.

The “ambassadors” will be specially trained with knowledge of city events and locations, will wear “Ask Me” buttons to encourage the public to approach them, and will carry city maps and other informational material for handing out to visitors.

The operators also plan to implement a five-minute grace period before officers will ticket a car whose time has expired. The grace period is currently being tested and should take effect in the next two weeks, said John Gass, a director at Trimont.

A third program is a lunchtime discount program at the River Street garage, where weekday drivers will be able to pay $3 for up to two hours of parking, as long as they enter the garage after 11:30 a.m. and leave by 1:30 p.m.

On weekends, the program will allow drivers to pay $3 for up to four hours of parking, as long as they enter after 11 a.m. and leave by 3 p.m.

The lunchtime pricing reflects a steep discount on usual rates, which at the River Street garage are normally $8 for two hours and $12 for four hours.

The program is planned to take effect by May, pending the installation of new automated exits and entrances.

The initiatives, which are the first of several to be implemented in the coming years, should help show the parking system is “responsive to public comments,” Gass said.

Harrisburg leased its parking system in late 2013 as part of a state-sponsored plan to pull city finances from the brink of bankruptcy.

The system saw worse-than-expected returns its first year, in part because a long winter led to delays in installing new meters. The fourth quarter saw a shortfall in projected revenues of about $750,000, according to unaudited 2014 financials.

The approved 2015 budget projects $22.5 million in total revenues, with a tiny surplus, around $75,000, left over after all expenses.

Partly for that reason, the city had to put up money to guarantee that any rate changes would not hurt revenues. Nonetheless, Papenfuse said Wednesday he was confident the lower rates would attract enough drivers to cover the city’s wager.

The $285,000 figure represents the city’s “total exposure,” he said, reflecting how much revenue the system would lose if the lower rates attracted no new drivers.

Gass agreed. “We think we have very conservative assumptions at this point,” he said. “The $285,000 is truly a worst-case number.”

Council Candidate Kennedy-Shaffer Faces Petition Challenge

March 20, 2015 | by Paul Barker

Alan Kennedy-Shaffer, left, with former Harrisburg receiver David Unkovic at a Harrisburg Hope forum at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore in 2011.

Harrisburg City Council candidate Alan Kennedy-Shaffer faces two challenges to his bid for office that, if successful, would strike him from the ballot in the May Democratic party primary.

The challengers filed their complaints with the Dauphin County court this week, alleging that Kennedy-Shaffer, a notary public, improperly certified his nominating petitions with his own notarial seal.

The challengers are David L. Smith, of the 2600-block of Lexington Street, and Jan Prosseda, of the 2800-block of N. 2^nd Street, both registered Democrats, according to court filings.

Candidate nominating petitions contain a section in which the person circulating the petition must attest to its legitimacy in the presence of a notary.

In their complaints, Smith and Prosseda claim that Kennedy-Shaffer acted as the notary on the affidavits for 11 of the 12 petitions he filed to get on the ballot.

Doing so, they allege, was a violation of state law, which states that a notary public cannot act in an official capacity on transactions in which he or she is “directly or pecuniarily interested.”

The challenged petitions contain a total of 243 signatures. A twelfth petition, which was stamped by a notary other than Kennedy-Shaffer, contains an additional six signatures. A candidate needs 100 signatures to get on the ballot.

Destini Hodges, a running mate of Kennedy-Shaffer’s, circulated some of the challenged petitions, as did Stanley Gruen, who recently applied unsuccessfully with Kennedy-Shaffer for a zoning variance to open a distillery in Midtown.

In a separate section of the petitions, called a “candidate’s affidavit,” Kennedy-Shaffer did obtain the seal of an independent notary.

A hearing on the petition challenges has been scheduled for Friday, March 27 before Judge Scott A. Evans.

Reached late Friday, Kennedy-Shaffer said he had not yet received copies of the challenges, but that he was aware of them and “optimistic Judge Evans will let the voters decide who will best represent them on City Council.”

Kennedy-Shaffer, an attorney and a former employee at the state Liquor Control Board, is one of 12 Democratic candidates running for City Council in this year’s primary.

He is the founder of Harrisburg Hope, a grassroots political organization that has hosted candidates’ nights, debates and other public events since early 2011. In 2014, he failed in a bid for chairman of the Dauphin County Democratic Committee.

The primary election is scheduled for May 19.

TheBurg Podcast, March 20, 2015

March 20, 2015 | by Admin

Welcome to TheBurg Podcast, a weekly roundup of news in and around Harrisburg.

March 20, 2015: This week, Larry and Paul talk about the faintest glimpse of a conclusion to the grand jury probe into the city’s incinerator debt fiasco, a challenge to a City Council candidate’s run for office, a bid for a blighted Midtown building and council’s eyes for independent legal advice.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme. You can find his podcast, the PRC Show, on SoundCloud and in the iTunes store.

TheBurg Podcast can be downloaded by clicking on the date above or by visiting the iTunes store. You can also access the podcast via its host page, here.

Mixed Use Proposed for Historic Moose Lodge

March 17, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

WCI Partners may be interested in converting the historic Moose Lodge into a mixed use project.

WCI Partners may be interested in restoring and repurposing the historic Moose Lodge in Midtown Harrisburg.

WCI Partners is eyeing the former Ronald H. Brown Charter School site, which it would like to restore and convert to a mix of commercial and residential space.

WCI President David Butcher confirmed that the Harrisburg-based developer is interested in the property, but would offer few additional details, saying that a plan had not been finalized.

“We are looking at a potential mixed-use project there and are currently doing our due diligence,” said Butcher.

The property consists of four individual parcels along the 900-block of N. 3^rd Street. It includes the 38,000-square-foot Moose Temple lodge at the corner of N. 3^rd and Boas streets and three much smaller, dilapidated townhouses. According to a legal notice in PennLive, the sales price is $900,000.

For-profit charter school company Mosaica Education bought the property group in 2000 for $6.6 million, contracting with Ronald Brown to run the school. The buildings have been empty since 2005, after the Harrisburg school district’s Board of Control refused to reauthorize Ronald Brown’s five-year charter.

In 2010, local businessman Phil Dobson bought the properties at judicial tax sale for $188,000, flipping them back to Mosaica a few months later for $320,000.

The property group originally included the old Boas School at the corner of Forster and Boas streets. That parcel was sold in 2009 and now houses an executive-style apartment building.

In October 2014, a federal judge placed Atlanta-based Mosaica in receivership after the company defaulted on $20 million in debt. The receiver is now disposing of some of Mosaica’s real estate holdings in an attempt to turn around the ailing chain of charter schools.

A hearing on whether to approve the sale of the properties to WCI is slated for March 25 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.

The Harrisburg Moose Temple lodge was built in 1924, designed in the Beaux Arts style by renowned Harrisburg architect Clayton J. Lappley.

Disclosure: Alex Hartzler, publisher of TheBurg, is a principal with WCI Partners LP.

Kane: Incinerator Probe Hoped To End Soon

March 17, 2015 | by Paul Barker

Former Harrisburg Mayor Steve Reed, left, and former Harrisburg Authority board member Fred Clark at a Senate hearing on the incinerator financings in 2012.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane briefly addressed the progress of the probe into Harrisburg’s incinerator financings Tuesday morning, saying her office hoped to bring the case to a conclusion “in the very near future.”

The remarks came at a budget hearing before the Senate appropriations committee in response to a question by Sen. Rob Teplitz, D-Dauphin, whose district includes Harrisburg.

Teplitz brought up the investigation as a prelude to a question about funding for a military and veterans affairs division in Kane’s office.

It was critical to his constituents, Teplitz said, to find out “whether that debacle was the result of criminal activity on the one hand or just bad government or bad lawyering on the other hand.”

In response, Kane said she understood the importance of coming to a conclusion, adding that “dedicated agents” had been working on the investigation “since its inception.”

“All people want is the truth,” she said. “We’re hoping to draw to a conclusion in the very near future. And we understand that no stone will be left unturned.”

Teplitz is also the Democratic chair of the Senate local government committee, which held hearings on the incinerator financings in the fall of 2012.

Those hearings sought to shed light on how a series of borrowings in the mid-2000s related to a retrofit of the city’s trash-burning facility had ballooned to a more than $350 million debt that pushed the capital nearly to bankruptcy.

A host of witnesses testified, including Harrisburg’s first receiver David Unkovic, former Mayor Stephen Reed, future Mayor Eric Papenfuse and a number of past board members from the municipal authority that approved the borrowings.

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