Not Another Necktie: Instead of traditional gift-giving, some decide to contribute to charity.

November 28, 2014 | by Rebecca Hanlon

It was November 2007, and Jenn Knepper started to dread the approaching cycle of shopping, gift wrapping and handing off another unneeded trinket in the spirit of Christmas.

The Hershey Medical Center nurse took a break from a long shift to browse the local newspaper when she read a story about a giving circle in Harrisburg. This small group of women would gather each holiday season to purchase items for charities in the name of a loved one.

“It seemed like the perfect way to give meaning to a holiday that had, sadly, started to lose that for me,” Knepper said.

She contacted the group, and, over the next several years, it soon would join forces with Gifts that Give Hope, an umbrella organization that provides the tools for people to organize gift fairs during the season.

Knepper’s desire to make the holidays more meaningful isn’t a new concept.

Nonprofit organizations throughout the region have been noticing a trend in charitable donations being made in place of the purchase of a physical gift.

“A lot of us feel like, ‘Oh, what do you get the person who has everything?’” Knepper said. “Your mom doesn’t need another sweater. Your dad doesn’t need another tie. My family is always telling me they don’t need more stuff.”

While the Gifts that Give Hope Fair is hosted in Lancaster County the week before Thanksgiving, there are still many opportunities for people to find local organizations to which they can contribute.

Hands-On Gifts

For people who want to do more than donate money, there are several organizations that ask people to be more hands-on.

Kat Prickett, 31, of Mount Joy has been a volunteer with Operation Christmas Child, a charity run by Samaritan’s Purse, since she was 11 years old. Her mom became a project leader at the family’s church, and, together, they’d fill shoeboxes with toothbrushes, school supplies and coloring pages to send to children in need.

Today, Operation Christmas Child has 19 drop-off locations in central Pennsylvania where people can take their stocked shoeboxes to be shipped to boys and girls around the world.

Last year, 31,571 boxes were collected in this area alone, said Prickett, who now works as an area spokesperson for the organization.

“Usually, the children who receive a box are getting the first gift they’ve ever received in their whole life,” she said. “For a child to know someone across the world is thinking of them, cares about them and loves them, that’s amazing.”

A lot of families make filling the boxes an annual tradition, getting their kids to buy items for children their own age and explaining how not everyone has the same comforts in life, Prickett said.

David LoBianco, children’s ministry director at Devonshire Church in Lower Paxton Township, has helped host a shoebox-packing party the past two years.

Stations are set up in the church for families to take part in the project, whether it’s wrapping the boxes in gift paper, sorting items based on age group or writing a note to the recipient.

“Part of the goal is showing God’s love in a tangible way,” LoBianco said. “We feel that we can reach people through actions, and that’s what this is about.”

The church put together 78 boxes last year and hoped to do the same in 2014.

“It shows our children that they can serve the community, or help people around the world, just by being little members of the church,” he said. “You can see how much it means to them to help out.”

Donating Directly

Those who want to see their donation dollars go directly to work in the local community can take part in a new holiday program offered by Harrisburg’s Habitat for Humanity.

Executive Director Bill Wood said the organization usually does a drive to ask for cash donations during the holiday season, but he came up with a different idea this year so that people can do so in the name of a loved one.

During November and December, those who wish to give to the Greater Harrisburg Area’s ReStore can make a cash donation or purchase a gift card for future construction items in honor of friends or family.

Donors of $25 or $50 are provided with a tile on which they can write the name of a loved one along with a brief message. ReStore will then collect the tiles and apply them to a backboard that will go on display within the store the third week of December.

Donors also can request a photo of the tile be posted on Facebook, so they can tag their loved one, Wood said.

Those who give $100 will be given a clean, 2-by-4-foot stud on which they can write a similar message. The stud will then be used in a new build or remodeled home in 2015. The larger of the three donation amounts also comes with a donor Facebook post, a Habitat for Humanity water bottle and a three-pack of mechanic’s gloves to use as a stocking stuffer.

Gifts cards to Lowe’s, Home Depot, Staples or other hardware or office supply stores also will be accepted, Wood added.

“Gift cards are awesome because they subsidize our budget,” Wood said. “We might be working on a home and find we need more trim. Being able to make a run to the hardware store to buy that, and not worry about where the money is coming from, is a huge help.”

Volunteering with the organization, either as a family or individual, is also a great way to do a service project in someone’s honor, he said.

“Many people don’t realize we have needs outside of construction work,” Wood said. “I’ve been looking for someone to come in here and hook up a fax machine. Sometimes, we have simple things like that, where someone with basic IT skills can come in and provide a big service to us.”

Wood hopes the display of tiles and construction studs in future projects will help encourage people to reach out to the community.

“It’s nice to see people who live in the Harrisburg area helping their neighbors,” Wood said. “Even if they can’t directly be on-site or physically do much for us, there’s satisfaction in doing whatever you can for the people around you.”

Student Scribes: “Changing the Caption”

November 28, 2014 | by Taylor Melhorn

Chemicals. Molecules. Experiments. The smile on my face broadened as I examined myself in the full-length mirror of my dorm room, trying on my brand-new, crisp-white lab coat. Just the thought of what the next five years would bring added to my excitement as I snapped a picture of myself to post on Facebook, along with the caption, “Chemist in the Making.”

It was really happening. This dream that I had been harboring since I was 6 years old was finally starting to come true. I was an undergrad at Drexel University, earning my bachelor’s degree in chemistry, and there was nothing that would prevent me from achieving my goals.

However, my plan did not unfold exactly as I had anticipated.

It started out perfectly. There I was in Philadelphia, excited as can be, ready to conduct experiments and write up lab reports. Even the mundane aspects of the field, such as balancing equations and calculating mole conversions, roused my interest. It wasn’t until my A’s morphed into C’s and I found myself constantly staying up all hours of the night that the fear set in and threatened to transform my lifelong dreams into distant memories. Then midterms rolled around, and I knew I was finished.

I spent the majority of that week in tears. Phone calls home were more frequent than ever. My mom was trying to make sense of the situation, my sister told me that all I needed to do was join a sorority and make friends, and my dad, being his usual quiet self, offered no help whatsoever. I was in full-on panic mode. I made rash decisions just to ease my anxiety, including returning home at the end of the semester to enroll in a two-year program at my local community college to become an assistant district attorney, just like Alex Cabot on “Law and Order: SVU.” My mother insisted that I finish the year at Drexel and stop watching so much television.

Despite what I thought was my better judgment, I relented and agreed to remain at Drexel until my final semester ended in June. I still didn’t have a plan, though, and that had me worried just as much as I had been for the previous three weeks. I knew I had to change my major, because there was no way I was going to take the next course in Chemistry, let alone Calculus II and Physics. The damage that would have caused to my GPA would have prevented me from getting accepted into Clown College.

Trying to figure out my future in a matter of days is no easy task, and I wasn’t having much success on my own. I enlisted the help of my family once again, and the vote was unanimous. I printed out the form online and took it directly to my advisor to change my major to English.

Being in the seventh week of 10-week long classes, there weren’t many courses with seats available for me to choose from for my second semester. I must have had a little bit of luck on my side, however, because I was able to enroll in five classes in the Humanities to begin after winter break. With that knowledge, I was finally able to focus on my current schedule and devote all of my strength and willpower to passing my final exams.

With my newfound success, I packed up my suitcases and left Philadelphia in the rearview mirror. My head was now clear enough to allow me to thoroughly think through a decision, and I enrolled in Penn State Harrisburg to finish my degree. Many factors contributed to my decision, including my change of major and the realization that I could save some much-needed cash if I stayed at home and commuted to school. I started my journey thinking that I needed Drexel to make my dreams come true; I am continuing it with the knowledge that the school doesn’t make me triumphant. I alone make that happen.

A year-and-a-half later, I’m preparing for finals once again. Even though I am no longer studying at Drexel, I am still working on a degree in English, and I am confident that I made the right choice. It was difficult for me to realize that the dream I had spent over a decade striving for was no longer a reality, and, although I have a new dream and new goals, I still sometimes wonder if I would have been able to push through and become the chemist that I always imagined myself to be. I try to push those thoughts out of my head. I know I can’t go back; I have to keep moving forward.

Standing in front of the mirror in my bathroom at home, I run my brush through my hair one more time and apply another coat of mascara to my eyelashes. I am not wearing a lab coat. I am not going to school today to dissect gaseous mixtures or combine ionic compounds. I’m dressed in jeans and a soft cotton tee shirt, and I decide I’m ready for another day of analyzing “The Maid’s Tragedy” and learning about ethics in creative writing. Before I head out the door, I take my cell phone out of my back pocket. I pull up the camera and aim it at the mirror. When the focus sharpens, I smile and press the circular icon on the touchscreen. I slip on a light jacket as I log onto my Facebook account, and I upload the picture I just took. I can no longer caption it with the phrase “Chemist in the Making,” so I come up with a better set of words.

When I arrive at school 20 minutes later, I tap the icon on my phone that is alerting me to the fact that there has been some activity on my profile. The information brings a smile to my face again. Seven people have “liked” the photo I posted, the photo with the caption, “Author in Progress.”

Taylor Melhorn is an English major at Penn State Harrisburg.

Student Scribes: “The People’s Bridge”

November 28, 2014 | by Alexander Clark

I served as crew on the Pride of the Susquehanna for three months in 2013. Never much a people person, I happily accepted the extra hours cleaning the engine room instead of serving in my proper capacity as water-bound customer service.

I spent days cleaning, often hanging from the I-beams comprising the ceiling until my inner ear had started to forget the right way round and my up and down began to run crooked to gravity, long after my fingers had gone numb.

Each day, I’d scour and clean and take my breaks on the top deck, enjoying the sweat and oil on my perforated “work” clothes as something so different from the clean white of my cruise uniform.

On one of the indeterminate nights of that fall, six hours after I’d left Capt. Richard with the paddleboat and biked home, past the mostly empty island and over the open grate bridge that used to scare me, I sat, still in those work clothes, staring at the bridge and the darkened outline of a tree that hid from me the lighted dock of the Pride but left the brighter outline of the bridge unobstructed.

Acrophobia not gone but subdued, crossing the bridge on my bike had taken less than a minute. It might have taken two if I’d been battling pedestrians.

City Island seems too close to Harrisburg proper to really be an island, the bridge too solid to allow one to overlook the connection between the two. The separation seems ineffable.

I’d learned, through inescapable repetitions of the Pride’s tour disc, that the mode depth of the river is 3.5 feet and that, save for a few deep spots that hit 8 or 12, even someone my height could walk from shore to shore.

On the bridge, I’d looked straight and over my handlebars, slightly down to 10 feet in front of me, peripheral vision handling the farther off. The rails of the bridge didn’t call me toward the air and the water below as much as they had once, but, even after 22 years of living within 60 feet of one of the East coast’s largest rivers, 464 miles long and nearly a mile wide, I couldn’t swim.

The horse crap from the previous week had finally washed through the bridge’s walkway. The horses really needed diapers or the waste catches like the carriages in Philadelphia and New York have. Every time the Pride passed under while riders went over, I expected to hear a splash followed by screaming and disgusted passengers.

The river was still low, but not as low as it was before the rain. The pylons of Walnut Street, the over-river portion, this bridge, were really exposed, like the teeth of an overzealous brusher. The rain washed away most of the logs built up against the steel prow bar caps on the upriver side, so no broccoli in the braces or further dental analogies available.

No cruise that day. No horses that last cruise. It had been safe to stand on the foredeck and really look at the bridge. Giant brown stones, black-painted and comfortably rusted I-beams, same blackened grating. This was the cleanest of the bridges we passed under, its design such that it got a wash every time it rained, while the others just formed silt and filth stalactites.

The eroding roots of the intermediate supports still firmly anchored through the mud into the underlying river-bottom stone. One wonders why, when looking up at the bridge from below, he doesn’t get the same fear sense of height as when he looks down on the spot from above.

Eight hours since the engine room.

The problem is always how to tell time passing when you know the reader doesn’t take so long to turn a page.

My fingers still stink. The bridge is different in the dark. From here, from my window, it’s an inverse outline, pretty lights dotting the frame of a prosaic and antiquated pass. Quaint and calm. Solid like a memorial, never mind that half out of view, the half that would connect the far side of the island to the farther shore washed away 15 years ago. From here, it’s just a frame.

It was always just a frame. The bridge doesn’t make me afraid of heights or want to jump, doesn’t tease me with the fantasy of scandalized and be-scatted Pride passengers. The bridge is a quarter-mile span of steel and stone on which to hang memories accrued through 20 years of Harrisburg citizenship. Something to give boundary to my self-reflections. A sedentary place for transient thought.

Alexander Clark is an English major at Penn State Harrisburg.

Community Corner: Notable December Events

November 28, 2014 | by Admin

Kids Only Christmas Shop

Dec. 1-14: Shoppers 12 and under can do their holiday shopping with assistance from Santa’s helpers at Fort Hunter in the Centennial Barn on Saturdays and Sundays, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. All items $10 and under. Visit forthunter.org.

Wreath Auction

Dec. 1-19: Perry County Council of the Arts will hold a silent auction featuring cleverly crafted, artistic holiday wreaths and decorations, as well as matted prints from the 2015 Perry County Photography Calendar showcasing shots of local birds and animals. Bidding ends Dec. 19. Visit perrycountyarts.org.

Festival of Trees

Dec. 1-21: View Christmas trees decorated by local garden clubs using handmade ornaments at Fort Hunter Tavern House on Saturdays and Sundays, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Trees available for raffle. Ornaments for sale. Visit forthunter.org.

Catalyst Awards Presentation

Dec. 4: Join the Harrisburg Regional Chamber at Whitaker Center for a black-tie optional event to present the Catalyst Awards. Reception begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets $100. Members $75. Contact Nicole Keiner at [email protected].

Craft Reunion

Dec. 5-7: This annual tradition at Fort Hunter brings unique, handmade works to craft lovers. Browsers and buyers can see and purchase one-of-a-kind creations from Pennsylvania artisans. Visit forthunter.org.

Greens Sale

Dec. 5-7: Holiday greenery such as topiaries, centerpieces, swags, as well as hand-painted ornaments, will be for sale at this annual event at Fort Hunter. Go to forthunter.org.

Polar Express Pajama Party

Dec. 5: Celebrate the holiday in unique fashion at the Polar Express Pajama Party, 6 to 9 p.m., at the AACA Museum in Hershey. After being greeted by a railroad conductor, visitors can tour the museum and the Polar Express model train display. Information is at aacamuseum.org.

Elegant Progressions

Dec. 5-6: The black tie progressive dinner, presented by Historic Harrisburg Association and the Kidney Foundation of Central Pennsylvania, features dining in three landmark private homes. For more information, visit historicharrisburg.com.

Holiday Music

Dec. 5-7: Help the Harrisburg Singers ring in the holiday at their traditional concert of carols. Three performances: Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. at Faith Presbyterian Church in Colonial Park; Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Camp Hill; and Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. at Mechanicsburg Presbyterian Church. More information is at harrisburgsingers.org.

Holiday Fun

Dec. 6: Perry County Council of the Arts will host its annual holiday shopping and music extravaganza in downtown Newport, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.perrycountyarts.org or call 717-567-7023.

Whig National Convention Celebration

Dec. 6: The Dauphin County Historical Society and Zion Lutheran Church will hold a commemoration of the 175^th anniversary of the Whig National Convention at Zion Lutheran Church, 15 S. 4^th St., Harrisburg, starting at 2 p.m. Visit zionharrisburg.org.

Community Bible Church Musical

Dec. 6: Hear the sounds of the 1940s and watch the story of a family and a nation on the brink of World War II preparing to celebrate Christmas. Musical starts at 7 p.m. at David’s Community Bible Church, Millersburg. Light refreshments provided. Call 757-5903 or email [email protected].

Victorian Tea

Dec. 7: Enjoy Victorian elegance, tasty tea sandwiches and spiced tea at this holiday tradition at Fort Hunter, 1 to 4 p.m. Visit forthunter.org.

“This Christmastide”

Dec. 7: Hershey Community Chorus will perform both sacred and secular holiday music during two concerts, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., at the AACA Museum in Hershey. The second concert includes the option of a holiday buffet dinner starting at 6 p.m. Visit aacamuseum.org.

Sounds of the Season

Dec. 7: Central PA Symphony will ring in the holiday season with the Derry Handbell Choir at the Palm Lutheran Church in Palmyra. The concert begins at 6 p.m. For more information, visit centralpasymphony.org.

Fredricksen Reads

Dec. 9: Join the discussion of “Unwritten,” a novel by Charles Martin at the Fredicksen Library. You must have read or listened to the book to attend. Call 761-3900 or visit fredrickensenlibrary.org.

Dickens Celebration

Dec. 9: Historical Society of Dauphin County will hold its annual fundraiser at the Harris-Cameron Mansion, Harrisburg, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The evening will include music by Joe Trojack, drinks, heavy hors d’oeuvres and desserts. For tickets and information, call 233-3462 or email [email protected].

Chamber Award Winners

Dec. 9: West Shore Chamber’s Annual Meeting & Luncheon will feature addresses by the board and an awards presentation to four local business leaders. Event takes place at the Radisson Hotel Harrisburg, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Members only. Tickets $35. Visit wschamber.org.

Railway Historical Society Talk

Dec. 9: “Streamliners to Spencer, NC” will be the topic of an illustrated talk by Mark S. Eyer, vice president of operations of Carlisle-based Daily Express, at Hoss’s Restaurant in Enola at 7 p.m. Meal available as early as 5 pm. Call 238-2131 or email [email protected].

Sing Me to Winter

Dec. 12: The Cumberland Singers will celebrate the holiday season at the Enola Emmanuel United Methodist Church at 8 p.m. The singers will feature holiday favorites, as well as fresh approaches to music. Call 367-8030 or visit cumberlandsingers.org.

Holiday Mansion Tour

Dec. 13: Historical Society of Dauphin County and Pennsylvania National Fire Museum will present a holiday tour of the beautifully decorated Harris-Cameron mansion in Harrisburg at 10 a.m. The tour then heads to the museum, which will feature a display of toy trains. Admission $5. Space limited. Call 233-3462.

Santa’s Reindeer

Dec. 13: Kids will have an opportunity to meet and take pictures with Santa’s reindeer and Mrs. Claus in a Christmas wonderland at Fort Hunter, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Visit forthunter.org.

Meet the Monks

Dec. 14: Enjoy a 30-minute mini-Reiki session and a blessing from monks of the Drepung Gomang Monastery at the Reiki Space & Learning Place, 2793 Old Post Rd., Harrisburg, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Refreshments, door prizes and suggested $30 donation to benefit the monks. Call 599-2299 or visit reikibyrickie.com.

Cancer Support Group

Dec. 14: Penn State Hershey Medical Center will host a head and neck cancer support group at the University Conference Center in Hershey for patients to connect with and receive support from other patients and caregivers. Call 531-4728 or email [email protected].

Christmas at the Mansion

Dec. 14: Visit with Santa and tour the beautifully decorated Harris-Cameron Mansion in Harrisburg, 1 to 4 p.m. Light refreshments will be served, and holiday crafts will be available for purchase. $5 suggested donation. Information at dauphincountyhistory.org.

Candlelight Tour

Dec. 14: Join Historic Harrisburg Association for its 41^st annual Candlelight House Tour, which this year features homes in the Bellevue Park neighborhood. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the tour, which runs 1 to 6 p.m. Visit historicharrisburg.com.

Harps and Handbells Concert

Dec. 15: Get into the holiday spirit with a relaxing evening of carols and holiday music at the Fredricksen Library at 7 p.m. Light refreshments provided. Call 761-3900 or visit fredricksenlibrary.org.

Little Buffalo Christmas Trail

Dec. 17-23: In this annual holiday celebration, children can meet Santa, see thousands of lights and enjoy handcrafted wooden figures. The free event takes place 6 to 9 p.m. in the park’s East Picnic area. Contact the park at 717-567-9255 or email [email protected].

Business After Hours

Dec. 18: Mix and mingle with business professionals at the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC for its December networking event at BDO USA, 945 E. Park Dr., Suite 103, Harrisburg. Visit harrisburgregionalchamber.org.

3^rd in The Burg

Dec. 19: Enjoy the best of Harrisburg during 3^rd in The Burg, the monthly arts event at galleries, restaurants and art spaces throughout downtown and Midtown. For more information, visit thirdintheburg.org.

Christmas Music

Dec. 21: Enjoy a free holiday concert by the 11-member brass group Brass Triumphant at Fort Hunter, 2-3 p.m. More information is at forthunter.org.

“Christmas Celebration”

Dec. 21: Harrisburg Choral Society will perform holiday favorites, as well as lesser-known works, at 3 p.m. at the Grace Milliman Pollock Performing Arts Center, 340 N. 21^st St., Camp Hill. More information is at harrisburgchoralsociety.org.

Children’s New Year

Dec. 31: Join the Popcorn Hat Players as they count down to noon during their annual New Year’s Eve Party for children. Admission includes a Hawaiian lei, noisemakers, a party hat and admission to a performance of “The Three Little Pigs.” Visit gamutplays.org.

New Year’s Celebration

Dec. 31: Hear music, enjoy live performances and watch the strawberry drop at midnight in Market Square during Harrisburg’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration. For more information, visit stayandplayhbg.com.

November News Digest

November 27, 2014 | by Lawrance Binda

Spradley Appointed Treasurer

Tyrell Spradley was named Harrisburg’s treasurer last month, ending a search that spanned more than two months.

A divided City Council selected Spradley following four rounds of voting, which included two other candidates—attorney Karen Balaban and former city councilman and controller Dan Miller.

Following his appointment, Spradley, 30, said he was eager to learn about and take on the part-time position, which pays $20,000 per year.

Harrisburg needed to name a new treasurer following the arrest in August of then-city treasurer John Campbell, who has been charged with theft from two organizations where he also served as treasurer.

Council first appointed accountant Timothy East to serve as Campbell’s replacement, but East withdrew his name after a personal bankruptcy came to light.

Spradley’s own eligibility was briefly called into question last month over issue involving his residency and the lack of a business license for an accounting company he owns. City officials later indicated those issues had been resolved.

Spradley will serve the remainder of Campbell’s four-year term, which runs until the end of next year.

Sinkhole Money Available

Some Harrisburg residents may benefit from a decision last month that allows federal assistance to be used to buy out homes endangered by sinkholes.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency ruled that municipalities could apply for aid to acquire sinkhole-prone structures.

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse said the city immediately would apply for a grant to provide relief for homeowners along the 1400-block of S. 14^th St., which has been devastated by sinkholes. There is no guarantee that Harrisburg will receive the money, as fierce competition is expected around the country for the grants.

Separately, Camp Hill-based Gannett Fleming last month issued more results of its sinkhole study in South Harrisburg.

The engineering firm told City Council that it had two options. The city could either buy out 27 houses in the middle of the most affected block or it could inject a substance beneath the surface to help stabilize the ground and prevent future sinkhole formation. Either option, both of which would include extensive road repair and relocating of residents, would cost about $4 million.

FEMA has put a cap of $3 million per project on its disaster allowance for sinkholes.

Schools Fail to Meet Performance Goals

Harrisburg public schools failed by a wide margin to meet academic standards set by the state-appointed chief recovery officer, according to state academic performance measures released last month.

None of Harrisburg’s schools met the academic goals for the 2013-14 school year set forth by Chief Recovery Officer Gene Veno in an April 2014 amendment to his recovery plan for the district.

The state’s “Building Level Academic Score” uses a 100-point scale to measure school performance. Much like a student report card, a score above 90 is considered excellent, while a score below 70 is deemed poor.

The following list shows each school’s performance, followed by a bracketed number that includes Veno’s goals for each school for the 2013-14 academic year.

Math Science Academy: 75.9 [94.2]
Harrisburg High School SciTech Campus: 63.8 [72.3]
Foose School: 57.8 [59.8]
Scott School: 57 [62.4]
Melrose School: 53.1 [69.7]
Downey School: 49.4 [67.5]
Benjamin Franklin School: 44.6 [63.5]
Marshall School: 44.4 [61.4]
Rowland School: 42.6 [56.5]
Harrisburg High School: 39.7 [57.6]
Camp Curtin School: 39.6 [60.3]

Scores were based upon several measures, including students’ performance on state standardized tests, improvement since the previous year, graduation and attendance rates and, in the case of high school students, SAT and ACT scores.

Lighting Grant Approved

Harrisburg’s plan to upgrade its streetlights took a step forward last month, as the city announced that it had received a $500,000 grant for its LED streetlight project.

Several months ago, the Papenfuse administration applied for the Pennsylvania Energy Department Authority grant, which City Council then approved.

In related matters, the administration last month asked council to approve the hiring of Doylestown-based Suburban Lighting Consultants to provide engineering services for the LED project. It also asked council to OK the engagement of Pittsburgh-based The Efficiency Network, which would conduct an inventory of existing streetlights, as well as an audit of streetlight and exterior light utility bills.

Green Infrastructure Grant Received

Capital Region Water has been awarded a $125,000 state grant to develop a Green Stormwater Infrastructure Plan for Harrisburg.

The grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) will allow Capital Region Water to evaluate using green infrastructure to reduce the impacts of runoff on the Harrisburg community, the Susquehanna River and Paxton Creek, and the underground infrastructure it operates, according to Andrew Bliss, Capital Region Water’s community outreach manager.

Green infrastructure is a broad term for trees, gardens and other ways to help reduce runoff by absorbing rainwater.

Last month, Capital Region Water also marked the one-year anniversary of its takeover of city water and sewer operations.

In addition to the DCNR grant, Bliss said, the year included several other achievements, including a “Top 5” designation for best drinking water in the country; a bond refinancing that will save the authority $4 million over two years; progress on a comprehensive GIS mapping project; and the beginning of a $50 million upgrade to the wastewater treatment facility.

Midtown Distillery Proposed

Two city residents announced plans last month to open a small-batch distillery in Midtown Harrisburg in the blighted, historic “Carpets and Draperies” building.

Alan Kennedy-Shaffer and Stanley Gruen are due to appear this month before the city’s Planning Commission and Zoning Hearing Board in an effort to get a variance for the site at 1507 N. 3^rd St., which is not zoned for industrial use.

The partners plan a full renovation of the century-old building, which has sat empty for more than a decade. Their plan includes a bar and tasting room, in addition to a craft distillery that would make such spirits as whiskey, vodka, gin and rye.

If all goes well, they hope to open in mid-2015.

Parking Ordinances Updated

Motorists are on the hook to pay their parking fines, as the Harrisburg City Council last month updated its parking ordinances to conform to the city’s financial recovery plan.

Council needed to make technical changes to the city code to give operator Standard Parking the legal authority to enforce penalties. It also changed language to increase fines and allow non-currency forms of payment, such as credit and debit cards.

Standard Parking took over the city’s parking system in January, but council did not immediately update the city code. As a result, Harrisburg will receive about $200,000 less in parking revenue than anticipated this year.

The city said it expects to receive as much as $2.5 million in parking revenue next year.

Playground Safety Grant

Harrisburg has received a grant that could lead to improved safety at five of the city’s playgrounds.

The $10,000 grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program will fund an inspection and safety audit of the Cloverly Heights and Royal Terrace playgrounds, as well as playgrounds at Norwood and Hollywood streets; N. 4^th and Dauphin streets; and Penn and Sayford streets.

The grant also will fund the creation of a routine playground maintenance and safety program and the training of city staff on program implementation.

Kim Re-Elected to 103^rd

Incumbent Rep. Patty Kim will serve a second term in the state legislature, as voters returned her to office last month in an uncontested race.

Kim ran unopposed in the general election for the 103^rd legislative district after beating challenger Gina Roberson in the Democratic primary in May.

In other election news, former Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson lost in her bid to unseat incumbent Republican Scott Perry to represent the 4^th House district in Congress.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2423: B. Bisbano to C. Warble, $49,300

Benton St., 527: R. & A. Della Croce to S. Rea & M. Urgiles, $98,500

Berryhill St., 1954: C. Frater to M. Frater, $65,000

Cumberland St., 119: JB Buy Rite LP to S. Pritchard, $73,500

Duke St., 2614: PI Capital LLC to W. & A. Rivera, $88,900

Fulton St., 1710: N. Culver to Cartus Financial Corp., $107,000

Green St., 1615: R. & S. Aulakh to J. Scott, $92,500

Green St., 1902: WCI Partners LP to B. Garner, $180,000

Green St., 2024: Fulton Bank NA to J. Workman & J. Arawj, $139,000

Harris St., 213: J. Counterman to 8219 Ventures, $52,000

Herr St., 215: R. & E. Simons to Crested Enterprises LLC, $77,500

Hoffman St., 3206: Secretary of Veterans Affairs to Skynet Property Management LP, $43,000

Holly St., 1840: Tassia Corp. to Capital Properties LLC, $40,000

Kensington St., 2422: PA Deals LLC to C. & S. Feggins, $68,000

Mulberry St., 1936: C. Doran & A. Burnett to I. Peredo, $64,900

N. 2^nd St., 513: T. & J. Male to Cricket Real Estate Enterprises LLC, $165,000

N. 2^nd St., 2527: N. Myers to S. & A. Andrus, $193,500

N. 3^rd St., 2304: Harrisburg Ventures LLC to FD Harrisburg Holdings LLC, $2,213,700

N. 4^th St., 1733: PI Capitol LLC to G. Laudenslager, $100,000

N. 4^th St., 2336: S&T Renovations LLC to A. & A. Barras, $58,000

N. 4^th St., 2400 & 2402: M. Reed to E&K Homes LLC, $57,000

N. 4^th St., 2547: PA Deals LLC to J. Tucker, $61,000

N. 4^th St., 3228: A. Wlazlak to J. Tyson, $105,000

N. 4^th St., 3231: J. Crutchfield to J. Grant, $79,900

N. 7^th St., 2324 & 2350; 655 Seneca St.; 648 Curtin St.: M. Spangler to DAP 7 Curtin LP, $260,000

N. 16^th St., 1205: D. Griffin to C. & B. Orellana, $35,000

N. 17^th St., 817: G. Andrews to J. Jacob & T. Byrd, $120,000

N. 20^th St., 14: Kirsch & Burns LLC to LMK Properties LLC, $32,000

N. Cameron St., 1914: D. Marino to J. Pagliaro, $72,000

Norwood St., 916: M. Flickinger to Crist Holdings LLC, $38,000

Penn St., 1509: D. & D. Dreher to D. Walker, $127,000

Penn St., 1703: B. Houtz to L. Colestock, $155,000

Penn St., 1921: S. Vanscoyc to H. Elliot, $123,000

S. 3^rd St., 27: E. & R. Shore to Dewberry LLC, $190,000

S. 17^th St., 38: S. Ledesma & M. Figueroa to J. Renteria & C. Figueroa, $30,000

S. 25^th St., 713: S. Mosley to Kirsch & Burns LLC, $30,000

S. Front St., 595; 106 Tuscarora St. & 601 Showers St.: J. Barton to Dunkin & Associates LP, $250,000

State St., 231, Unit 202: LUX 1 LP to M. Abuel Jr., $134,900

Tuscarora St., 104: R. Rammouni & Touch of Color to J. Jones, $182,500

Verbeke St., 112: PA Deals LLC to M. & G. Modi, $125,000

Walnut St., 126: Pennsylvania Tourism & Lodging Assoc. to 126 Walnut Street LLC, $75,000

Walnut St., 128: Pennsylvania Tourism & Lodging Assoc. to 126 Walnut Street LLC, $75,000

Walnut St., 1854, 1856, 1858 & 1860: T. Vu & T. Tran to T. Van et al, $145,000

TheBurg Podcast, Nov. 28, 2014

November 26, 2014 | by Admin

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

Nov. 28, 2014: Larry and Paul discuss the proposed 2015 budget for Harrisburg government, a hike in water rates, and various and sundry items at City Council’s legislation session Tuesday night.

Theme music by Paul Cooley, host of the PRC Show podcast.

For Harrisburg Water Customers, Higher Bills, System Upgrades Ahead

November 26, 2014 | by Paul Barker

Capital Region Water CEO Shannon Williams.

Harrisburg water and sewer customers will see higher bills in 2015, following a unanimous vote to increase water rates Tuesday afternoon by the board of Capital Region Water, the city’s water and sewer authority.

Under the hike, the current water consumption charge of $6.61 per 1,000 gallons will increase by 57 cents to $7.18, while an additional “ready to serve” fee, currently $5.22, will increase by 45 cents to $5.67.

The effect on the average customer’s monthly bill will be an increase of $3.29, according to a company press release, which based its calculation on an average consumption rate of 5,000 gallons per month.

Harrisburg sewer rates, meanwhile, will remain at $6.05 per 1,000 gallons consumed, the same as last year.

Those billing rates will provide the necessary revenues for the authority’s 2015 budget, also adopted at Tuesday’s meeting.

The $48 million budget sets aside $10 million for capital improvements, $13 million for debt service and $20 million for operations and maintenance.

It also provides for the hiring of 21 new employees, a number that board chairman Marc Kurowski said he found excessive during Tuesday’s meeting.

“Nobody is expanding at that rate,” Kurowski said, noting that the refashioned authority, which took over water and sewer operations from the city last year, is effectively a new company. “We gotta walk before we can run,” he said.

But CEO Shannon Williams said that staffing levels were still low relative to the authority’s workload. “We’re not big enough for what we need to get done,” she said.

Also on Tuesday, Williams announced an agreement with federal and state regulators that provides a timeline for reaching compliance with laws governing pollution of local streams.

The agreement begins to address a number of violations that the Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection discovered during inspections in 2010 and 2012.

Among those violations were dry-weather overflows of the city’s combined sewer and stormwater system and failure to adhere to certain permits and long-term plans related to the system’s discharges into Paxton Creek and the Susquehanna River.

The agreement, known as a partial consent decree, sets forth some initial steps for bringing the system into compliance, and is primarily focused on gathering information, Williams said.

A future agreement will set out tangible steps the authority can take to comply fully with regulations, a process which Williams said could take upwards of 20 years.

The current agreement, which the Capital Region Water board is scheduled to discuss and vote on at a public meeting on Dec. 17, does not include any civil penalties for the authority. Williams emphasized that the absence of such penalties meant that any increase in billing rates would be put towards improvements in the water and sewer system, rather than towards fines.

Michelle Price-Faye, the chief of the enforcement branch of the EPA’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System for the mid-Atlantic region, said Wednesday that although penalties are not part of the current agreement, they can still be assessed at a later date.

Harrisburg’s recent near-bankruptcy was a consideration in the agreement, Price-Faye said, although she added that the financial circumstances of the regulated party are always considered during the negotiation of such agreements.

In explaining the violations Tuesday, Williams referred to a long history of deferred maintenance on the water and sewer systems, as revenues from ratepayers were siphoned off to fund other city expenses.

As part of their inquiry, regulators asked for records of routine maintenance of the system, but Williams said the authority was unable to locate them.

“I don’t believe they exist,” she said.

Mayor Previews 2015 Spending Plan: Balanced Budget, No Tax Hike, More Police and Firefighters

November 25, 2014 | by Paul Barker

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse. (File photo.)

Mayor Eric Papenfuse plans to propose a balanced 2015 budget that will include a $2 million investment in sanitation, nearly $250,000 in staff raises and the hiring of 14 additional public safety personnel, but no tax increases, according to remarks the mayor made during a “sneak peek” of the budget this afternoon.

The budget, which Papenfuse will present to City Council tonight at 6 p.m., projects general fund revenues of $59,370,699 and general fund expenditures of $59,359,748, a decrease of about $100,000 each from last year’s respective totals.

The 2015 budget, Papenfuse said, contains “no gimmicks,” a reference to a multimillion-dollar “plug” that was used to balance the 2014 budget without cutting certain unfunded, though vacant, positions.

The budget also commits the city to greater transparency, he said, by replacing several hundreds of thousands of dollars in off-book discretionary accounts with dedicated funds subject to oversight by City Council.

Papenfuse will also propose hiring 14 new public safety personnel: five firefighters and nine police officers. After the hires, the total number of city firefighters will be 81, up from 76 last year and 62 in 2013, including one secretarial post that will be changed from a uniformed to a non-uniformed position.

The police department hires will bring the city’s force to 147 officers, up from 138 last year and 129 in 2013. Five of the nine proposed police hires, however, are not scheduled to occur until the middle of the year, when they will enable the city to dedicate five school resource officers, or SROs, to protecting students in city schools.

Papenfuse said he has asked the school district to fund those five positions, including their cars and other equipment, in the amount of $1.4 million over the next three years. In the event the district does not come up with the funding, however, the city will seek outside grant money to pay for the positions, he said.

The budget also sets aside $2 million for investing in sanitation, to be spent on repairing and updating the city’s deteriorated fleet and adding equipment to provide more efficient service. The money will come from excess revenues from the disposal rates charged to customers, which were increased last year, although Papenfuse said he hopes to reduce them in the future.

Papenfuse said he hopes the investments in sanitation will allow the city to avoid privatizing the service, an option contemplated last year on the recommendation of the city’s state-appointed receiver. He said he hoped more consistent service from city employees would drive off competition from private haulers.

Papenfuse also promised a “major push” to increase rates of recycling.

The 2015 budget proposal will include raises for various city workers, beginning with a mandatory 1-percent raise for all union employees that will cost the city around $171,799 next year. Papenfuse also will propose $68,869 in raises for select management personnel.

During Tuesday’s preview, the mayor did not provide a complete list of management positions slated for raises, though he did say it would include increasing the police chief’s salary to $94,000 and the police captains’ salaries to $85,000 each, as promised during a council meeting on the subject earlier this fall.

Alongside these raises, Papenfuse said he would cut the salary of the arts, culture and tourism director, from $70,000 to $45,000.

The budget also recommends uses for the host fee, a $1-per-ton benefit that Harrisburg receives for trash delivered to its incinerator. The budget proposes spending $279,537 out of the host fee fund this year, broken down as follows:

-$124,537 for salaries of an arborist, recycling coordinator and planner;

-$50,000 for a recycling truck;

-$70,000 to pay for trash disposal after community cleanup events;

-$35,000 for grants to local environmental projects.

TheBurg Podcast, Nov. 14, 2014

November 14, 2014 | by Admin

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

Nov. 14, 2014: Where’s the proof? This week, Larry and Paul discuss a major drop in Harrisburg school scores, the selection (again) of a new city treasurer, getting over our parking problems and a proposed distillery in Midtown.

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music. Check out Paul’s own podcast, the PRC Show, available on iTunes.

Local Spirits: Distillery Proposed for Midtown

November 12, 2014 | by Lawrance Binda

Two Harrisburg residents hope to transform this dilapidated building into the city’s first distillery since Prohibition.

In 2015, a new brewery and beer garden are slated to open in Midtown Harrisburg. If two city residents have their way, a distillery will be added to the mix.

Business partners Alan Kennedy-Shaffer and Stanley Gruen plan to open Kennedy Spirits, a distillery that would produce liquors such as whiskey, vodka, gin and rye. If all goes well, they hope to open in the historic “Carpets and Draperies” building at 1507 N. 3rd St. in mid-2015.

“We hope to be the first distillery in Harrisburg and Dauphin County since Prohibition,” said Kennedy-Shaffer, a former attorney for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and founder of the community group Harrisburg Hope.

Next month, the city’s Planning Commission and Zoning Hearing Board will weigh in on the proposal, which will require a variance as that area is not zoned for industrial uses. In addition to the production facility, the plan for the distillery includes a fully renovated building with a tasting room and a bar.

Kennedy-Shaffer said he considered several options that would not have required a zoning variance, such as locating along the N. Cameron Street industrial corridor or in the suburbs. However, he said he rejected those ideas because he is committed to Harrisburg and to Midtown, where he lives. He also believes that a small-batch distillery would fit well into the continuing revitalization of the neighborhood.

“It’s in a perfect location,” he said. “There’s plenty of parking around, but a lot of people will just walk from Midtown or even downtown.”

The three-story industrial structure was built in 1910 as a factory that manufactured carpets, draperies and related products. The dilapidated building has sat empty for more than a dozen years, passing through a number of owners. It currently is owned by Mechanicsburg-based Mussani & Matz Co., which bought it in 2007 for $190,000, according to Dauphin County property records.

Sale of the building to Kennedy Spirits LLC will be contingent on the company receiving its zoning variance from the city, said Kennedy-Shaffer.

Kennedy-Shaffer and Gruen said they have several investors interested in the project, but hope to secure others as they expect the cost of the building renovation to exceed $1 million. They also are looking for qualified candidates to serve as their master distiller.

Both partners said they see synergy between their proposed distillery and other businesses that will open soon in the same neighborhood. Zeroday Brewing Co. (formerly Alter Ego Brewing Co.) expects to open early next year at the rear of Midtown Cinema at 250 Reily St., while the Susquehanna Art Museum will open a block away in January. The Millworks, which includes a farm-to-table restaurant, a beer garden and artist studios, also will debut early next year across from the Broad Street Market.

“So far, the community has been extremely supportive and encouraging,” said Kennedy-Shaffer. “Most people welcome the prospect of drinking spirits made right here in the city of Harrisburg.”

Currently, Kennedy-Shaffer and Gruen are collecting signatures from neighbors to demonstrate support for their business.

For the past five years, Midtown residents thought that a new federal courthouse at N. 6th and Reily streets might act as a catalyst for the neighborhood, said Gruen. But that project, he added, has been delayed indefinitely, necessitating new ideas to spur the local economy.

“We want to add to the neighborhood,” he said. “We hope this will bring life to the street.”

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