A Tomato Tutorial: Key to terrific soup–fresh pomodori.

February 28, 2014 | by Rosemary Ruggieri Baer

Screenshot 2014-02-28 08.39.52 In my first column for TheBurg back in January 2009, I wrote about what I love best (I mean other than my family): my spaghetti sauce.

I explained that I used large cans of crushed tomatoes (Tuttarosa), fresh pork and lots of onions, parsley and basil. Taking advantage of crushed tomatoes canned in thick puree, I discovered, along the way, there was no need for adding tomato paste and putting whole plum tomatoes through a food mill like I watched my mother do so many times. (Contadina was her brand.)

But, after 45 years of making my own spaghetti sauce, I have found an absolute treasure: POMI tomatoes. Again, I must thank Peggy Harder of Peggy’s Silver Spoon at the West Shore Farmer’s Market for introducing me to something new. Packaged in a neat little box, POMI tomatoes taste like fresh. Who knew?

I learned recently that yet another substance in our food world is thought to be dangerous to our health: BPA, a chemical contained in the white lining of canned goods. POMI tomatoes are free of BPA and also have no added salt, water, citric acid or other preservatives. If you are used to regular canned tomatoes, crushed or otherwise, you will find you’ll likely need to add some salt to your recipes. Other than that, these tomatoes are nearly perfect. The ingredient list contains one item only: “tomatoes.”

POMI tomatoes are sold chopped or strained for use in soups and sauces. They also make Alfredo sauce, marinara sauce and pizza sauce, all ready to eat. These varieties are much harder to find, but I suspect could be ordered online.

So, it is still winter. March seems to drag on with its grayness and damp chill. Soup is a wonderful way to warm up, so this month I’m providing a recipe for an Italian classic: pappa al pomodoro, a Tuscan tomato and bread soup beautifully made with chopped POMI tomatoes and day-old country bread.

PAPPA al POMODORO

In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté 1 chopped onion (sweet onions are good) and 2 celery stalks, also chopped, in 2 tablespoons olive oil for about 7 minutes.
Add 2 minced garlic cloves and sauté for 2 minutes longer,
Add 2 pounds (32 ounces) of POMI chopped tomatoes and 4 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cook gently, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Simmer is the key—do not burn with too-high heat.
Put the entire contents of the saucepan in a blender or food processor and puree until fairly smooth. Do this in batches and be careful with the hot liquid. If you have an immersion blender, try it. (One of those is next on my wish list.)
If you like a soup with more texture, only puree slightly.
Return the tomato mixture to the pan and add:
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 crust-less slices of country bread torn into pieces
- A handful of chopped fresh basil
- Cook the soup for an additional 10 minutes until the bread is soft. You can add a little water if it becomes too thick or if you prefer a thinner soup.

Spoon the soup into serving bowls and drizzle a little green olive oil over each serving. This soup is actually more flavorful when served warm rather than piping hot. You will appreciate the flavors of the sweet tomatoes and basil at a more moderate temperature.

I suppose this soup needs no additional bread, but toasted baguette slices, rubbed with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese and dried oregano, make for a really nice accompaniment. Pair with a salad, and you can face any cold March evening.

And, if you are a fan of whipping up a quick marinara sauce on a busy work night, these tomatoes are for you. Sauté some chopped onion and garlic along with ground sausage, ground beef, shrimp or pancetta, cook for a few minutes, and you are done.

I hope you have the opportunity to try POMI tomatoes and find many uses for them as I have. Peggy at Peggy’s Silver Spoon will be happy to sell you some, and many Giant supermarkets carry them now, as well. I know my dear mother would love them too.

February News Digest

February 27, 2014 | by Lawrance Binda

Council Cuts Salaries

City Council last month cut the proposed salaries of top members of the Papenfuse administration, redirecting that money to a diversity officer position.

Council voted 6-1 to OK a new spending plan that replaced the one passed in December under then-Mayor Linda Thompson.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse hoped to increase the salaries of his senior managers, providing raises that ranged from about $5,000 to $9,500 compared to similar positions under Thompson. With cuts to other areas of the budget, Papenfuse made the raises revenue-neutral.

Nonetheless, council voiced objections, saying it needed to hold the line on spending, just like it did under Thompson. It then reduced the salaries back to Thompson-era levels.

“We must make concessions,” said Council President Wanda Williams.

Council members, though, then took the savings to fund the new position of diversity officer. Papenfuse objected, arguing futilely that the responsibility was not a full-time job and already was covered by another position, meaning that council essentially had created a second diversity officer.

Moreover, council nixed the new position of sustainability officer, who would have overseen Harrisburg’s environmental initiatives and recycling efforts. That position would have been funded by the city’s “host fee,” more than $200,000 it receives each year because the incinerator sits within the city and accepts trash from outside its borders.

Firefighters OK Concessions

The Harrisburg chapter of the International Association of Firefighters agreed last month to a new labor agreement.

The agreement, which the union approved by a 38 to 15 vote, includes reductions in scheduled salary increases, an increase in employee health care contributions and salary cuts for new hires. It also represents the final concession from the city’s labor unions required as part of the state-appointed receiver’s recovery plan.

In meetings with the firefighters, he said that he had tried to convey that, without contract modifications, “the budget would not be balanced and the city would stay mired in the financial difficulties that had gotten us first into Act 47 and then into receivership.”

The mayor’s proposed budget for 2014 already included the expected savings under the new agreement, projected to be around $1.6 million or around $20,000 for each of the 79 bargaining-unit positions in the fire department.

Some of the savings are achieved through the elimination of scheduled pay raises, previously set under a contract extension signed by former Mayor Stephen Reed. The raises, which had been set at 3 percent per year beginning in 2013, will be zeroed out in 2013 and 2014 and replaced with a 1-percent raise in 2015.

A sizeable portion of the projected savings—around $485,000 per year, according to Susan B. Friedman, a lawyer for the receiver—will come from a change in firefighters’ health care plans. Formerly, the majority of firefighters contributed nothing to the cost of coverage beyond their co-pays. Under the new agreement, their health care plans will now include partial contributions from each paycheck, at a rate of $40 for individuals and $90 for family care, as well as deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums and a change in co-payments for prescriptions.

The largest chunk of the savings, around $520,000, is expected to come from a reduction in numbers manning each shift, from 16 to 14 firefighters.

Rehab to Close Mulberry Street Bridge

The historic Mulberry Street Bridge will close later this month or in early April to start a major rehabilitation of the century-old structure.

The state Department of Transportation expects the bridge to be closed to traffic for about one year after work begins. In January, PENNDOT announced that Neshaminy Constructors of Feasterville, Pa., had submitted the lowest construction bid of $12.2 million.

The project involves placing a new deck over the original one; substructure and superstructure repairs; a new concrete barrier between the roadway and the sidewalk; new pedestrian railing; new railroad protective fence; and new bridge lighting and drainage.

Work will continue throughout much of 2015, even after the bridge re-opens to traffic. The bridge connects Allison Hill with downtown, spanning Cameron Street, Paxton Creek and several railroad tracks.

The 1,600-foot-long concrete arch bridge was originally built in 1909 and was rehabbed in both 1957 and 1982. Netting was placed beneath the bridge in 2008 to catch falling concrete from the deteriorating structure.

County Awards Gaming Grants

Dauphin County last month announced the recipients of $7.5 million in gaming grants, the county’s share of revenue from Hollywood Casino.

County commissioners approved grants for 66 projects, including:

$545,841 to Harrisburg for a new fire tower engine and police records management.
$250,000 to Susquehanna Township for expansion of the public safety building.
$100,000 to Steelton for Adams Street storm water improvements.
$182,479 to Swatara Township for bridge replacement and fire apparatus debt reduction.
$250,000 to Middletown for a streetscape and improvement project.
$270,000 to Hummelstown for a new municipal complex.
$156,138 to Highspire for road improvements.
$126,329 to Lower Swatara Township for a new fire boat, trailer and truck.
$89,000 to PinnacleHealth System for a new ambulance.
$250,000 to the Greenbelt/Dauphin County Parks & Recreation for a Wildwood to Fort Hunter extension.
$60,000 to Capital Area Transit for Market Square improvements.
$55,000 to the Community Action Commission for an Allison Hill parking lot project.
$100,000 to Whitaker Center for facility improvements.
$100,000 to the Boys & Girls Club for lighting of a public field.
$25,000 to State Street Improvement Association for streetscape improvements.
$185,000 to Dauphin County Parks & Recreation for capital improvement projects.
$50,000 for the Harrisburg Stampede.

The grant amount was substantially less than the $9.8 million available last year due to lower gaming revenue at the casino.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2430: PA Deals LLC to S. Hill, $68,400

Barkley Ln., 2517: PA Deals LLC to S. Hill, $85,000

Benton St., 609: M. Jones to J. Gillespie, $70,000

Berryhill St., 2247: S. Newsome to S. Burner, $32,000

Cameron St., 600, 1000: Cameron Real Estate LP to Cameron Street Investments LLC, $250,000

Croyden Rd., 2870: R. Hanna to A. Menghesha & S. Abebe, $57,000

Cumberland St., 1322: Fannie Mae to D. & D. Oswandel, $51,000

Derry St., 2020: Tang & Perkins PR to S. Mohammed, $84,000

Duke St., 2452: U.S. Bank National Assoc. Trustee & Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC to PA Deals LLC, $38,299

Green St., 1703: PA Deals LLC to G. & J. Modi, $147,000

Hale Ave., 420: S. & H. Walter to V. Ly, $45,000

Herr St., 308: J. Wierman to M. Woodring, $89,900

Hudson St., 1152: C. Pietzsch to PA Deals LLC, $32,500

Hudson St., 1256: Lemoyne Land Corp. Inc. to M. Shatto, $86,500

Kensington St., 2028: P. Parise Jr. to Kerlason LLC, $36,000

Kensington St., 2437: G., J. & T. Keller to V. Osorno, $73,000

Magnolia Dr., 2319: D. Shue to J. & E. High, $132,750

Market St., 2464: Bayview Loan Servicing LLC to G. & J. Trump, $95,000

North St., 2022: T. & C. Rine to FBTB Group LLC, $57,500

N. 2^nd St., 803: T., J. & J. Harbilas to McClellan Development Group LLC, $200,000

N. 2^nd St., 3307: J. Hole to C. Myers, $216,500

N. 3^rd St., 608: PNL Penn Properties LP & T. Trite to P. & S. Kumar, $95,000

N. 5^th St., 1901; 1929, 1941, 1943 & 1945 N. 6^th St.; 601A, 603, 605, 607 & 609 Peffer St.: Buonarroti Trust to Home for the Friendless, $221,464

N. 5^th St., 2515: Welcome Home Rentals LLC to 2013 M&M Real Estate Fund LLC, $50,000

N. 6^th St., 1919 & 1923; 1920 & 1922 Wallace St.: Buonarroti Trust to Home for the Friendless, $56,048

N. 6^th St., 2647: S. O’Hara to D. & D. Silbaugh, $100,000

N. 7^th St., 2300: Pennsylvania Bronze & Co. & C.O. Lacy Foundries to McNelis Gutter Cleaning Inc., $86,000

N. 16^th St., 1306: J. & S. Taylor to M. Bailey, $85,900

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 504: R. Davis Jr. to J. Brown, $215,000

Penn St., 1510: S. Boshinakov to M. Staub & S. Hyser, $129,000

Penwood Rd., 3214: J. & D. Wells to 360 Home Services LLC, $78,000

Radnor St., 408: Harrisburg Rentals LLC & Norman’s Realty Services to H. Lee, $75,000

S. 13^th St., 932: 932 South 13^th Street Assoc. & Brimmer’s License Service Inc. to South 13^th Street Properties LLC, $545,000

S. 19^th St., 9: Freddie Mac to Wofford Enterprises Ltd., $39,000

S. 19^th St., 11: Freddie Mac to F. Wofford, $34,000

S. 19^th St., 1238: D. & S. Pinci to A. Sierra, $49,900

State St., 106: 106 St. St. LP & N. Katz to J. Dorbian, $209,000

Swatara St., 2249: P. & F. Corbin to J. Hill, $89,000

Vineyard Rd., 214: M. Bower to V. Grodner, $140,000

Walnut St., 210: Walnut Court Associates to 210 Walnut LLC, $325,000

Yale St., 229: J. & J. Rosa to W. Arevalo & Y. Russ, $60,000

Harrisburg property sales for January 2014, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

Changing Hands is sponsored by RE/MAX Realtor Ray Davis.

As Receiver Departs Harrisburg, Key Issues Remain

February 26, 2014 | by Paul Barker

Harrisburg’s Receiver William Lynch and Mayor Eric Papenfuse at the advisory committee meeting Wednesday morning, Feb. 26.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett will appear in Harrisburg’s city hall Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. to announce the end of receivership, the period of direct state oversight of city finances that began in December of 2011.

Judge Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter, of the Commonwealth Court, issued the termination order on Feb. 25, following a petition from the state on Jan. 16 and a concurring answer from the city on Feb. 4.

The termination, which is effective March 1, will transfer oversight of the city to a coordinator under Pennsylvania’s Act 47, the law governing state intervention in distressed municipalities. Harrisburg’s coordinator will initially be Fred Reddig, of the state Department of Community and Economic Development. Reddig has worked closely with the office of the receiver since its inception, making regular appearances on behalf of DCED, including at the receiver’s early-morning advisory meetings in Harrisburg’s city hall.

On Wednesday morning, during the last of such meetings under receivership, Reddig made a final presentation on the progress of the recovery plan, dubbed the Harrisburg Strong Plan upon its filing in September. He concluded his report by thanking Lynch, whom he described as a “very effective negotiator with key creditors,” for his “superb guidance and direction” in the 21 months since his appointment.

Before that, though, Reddig detailed the ongoing efforts in the city’s recovery, among them the filling of several city positions and relocation of the public works depot from the grounds of the incinerator. His presentation, and the public comment that followed, also raised critical issues facing Harrisburg in the next phase of recovery.

Among the remaining issues are:

1. Cash Flow.

Harrisburg must make a number of significant payments before March 15, including two payroll check-runs of around $1 million each and close to $5 million in debt service. The city has about $4.4 million cash on hand, and could transfer $700,000 in hotel taxes for debt payment, according to Bruce Weber, the budget and finance director. But the timing and size of the impending payments has led City Council, under the recommendation of the receiver’s office, to authorize a $2 million tax and revenue anticipation note, or TRAN—a short-term line of credit, expiring in June, that the city could draw upon if necessary to cover any budget shortfalls.

TRANs are a routine form of borrowing in many municipalities, which often face cash-flow problems in the weeks before real estate taxes start rolling in. Harrisburg typically receives the bulk of real estate taxes before March 31, when the window for early payment, which comes with the incentive of a 2-percent discount for property owners, closes. The city’s debt service payment, meanwhile, is due March 15. Reddig said Wednesday that the receiver sees the TRAN, which will be issued by Metro Bank, as “critical” to ensuring stable cash flow.

If none of the TRAN funds wind up being used, the total cost of the borrowing will be $15,000, which includes $10,000 in fees for Metro Bank and $5,000 in lawyers’ fees. If the city does draw upon some portion of the $2 million, it will also owe interest on whatever it spends, at an effective annual rate of 3.67 percent.

2. Accountability.

During public comment, Bill Cluck, a local environmental attorney and citizen activist, strongly urged the Act 47 coordinator to continue the forensic investigation of the debt deals that led to Harrisburg’s fiscal emergency. The Strong Plan, he said, promised residents that professionals and former officials who created Harrisburg’s historic incinerator debt would be held accountable. He added that the state attorney general, who announced a criminal investigation into the debt deals last fall, should “at a minimum” issue a public report about its findings. “Tell people what really happened,” Cluck said.

The possibility of civil claims related to the incinerator received a treatment of just under two pages in the 65-page Strong Plan. The plan cited the forensic report, commissioned by the Harrisburg Authority and released in January 2012, that “raised myriad concerns” about the incinerator financings. “The public expects that there be a means to obtain redress for these ill-fated decisions if there is evidence to support the allegation that highly imprudent actions were taken by those charged with protecting the City and its taxpayers against these very types of circumstances,” the receiver wrote at the time.

The plan also acknowledges, however, that any financial redress would likely be small. It also acknowledges the possibility that such claims would take longer than the receiver’s term of office to resolve, in which case oversight of the claims would be passed to the Act 47 coordinator or to someone else specially authorized by the court to pursue them. Neither Reddig nor Lynch brought up the topic of civil claims during Wednesday’s meeting, though Lynch did conclude public comment by saying he “agree[d] with all the sentiments expressed.”

3. Floods.

Cluck also raised the topic of flood insurance rates, which have already begun to climb under the terms of the federal Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. The higher rates, he said, threaten property values, tax revenues and neighborhood stability, not just in Harrisburg but across Pennsylvania.

Cluck lauded the recent efforts of elected officials, including the Dauphin County commissioners, to bring attention to the issue. He then asked Lynch to talk to Gov. Tom Corbett about taking a stance, in an unofficial post-receivership position of “lobbyist to the governor on flood insurance” for the city. “If we don’t repeal this law,” Cluck said, referring to Biggert-Waters, “the Harrisburg Strong Plan fails.”

Not Convenient

February 26, 2014 | by Lawrance Binda

The currently unoccupied corner store at Green and Kelker streets in Harrisburg.

When I was a kid, my family had a set of clothbound encyclopedias that sat on a large, metal, industrial-looking bookshelf in our basement.

This was pre-Internet, before the accumulated knowledge of human beings could be accessed in mere seconds via a Web browser. So, I sat for untold hours on the cold, concrete floor, leafing through the many volumes, even after the cellar’s constant dampness began to mold and eat away at the covers and pages.

I don’t remember much detail of the entries I read on topics as diverse as ancient Rome and dog breeds, but I do clearly recall the phrase imprinted on the spine of each book–the ancient proverb, “Knowledge Is Power.”

That phrase rang through my brain on Monday night as I stood (yes, stood, as all the seats were taken by the time I got there) in the meeting room of the Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board in City Hall. There were only two items on the agenda, and nearly everyone who had packed into the room was there for the first case: a petition to locate a convenience store at the corner of Green and Kelker streets in Midtown.

Some residents had been agitated for weeks, ever since the city’s Bureau of Planning had posted a yellow cardboard placard on the front door of the building announcing that Mohamed Ahmed Ahrar had filed for two special exceptions (one to waive parking requirements, the other to allow his planned business) so he could open a convenience store at the site. Dozens of neighbors felt so strongly that they signed a petition objecting to the plan, saying they feared litter, noise and parking problems amidst the mostly residential area.

Less spoken, but palpably felt, was the even greater concern that the convenience store would create a nuisance, a place where people would congregate, hang out and possibly engage in illegal activity. In fact, the building’s previous tenant, a barbershop, lost its lease after years of neighborhood complaints.

Conversely, as expressed on TheBurg’s Facebook page, was an opinion that opposing the convenience store was racist or classist, that it was the latest effort to gentrify the neighborhood, that the would-be entrepreneur should be able to open a business of his choosing, as long as it was legitimate.

I respect and see value in both points of view, but I find them almost beside the point. To me, the most significant factor in the dust-up over the convenience store did not come down to menace or crime or lottery tickets or sugary drinks or race or class but to the simple matter of knowledge.

Several weeks ago, after the convenience store plan became public–and it was clear that opposition was organizing against it–I was asked whether I felt the store would get city permission to locate there. I quickly responded, “No, I don’t.”

I felt confident to make this prediction not because I’m a good guesser or because I had some inside information. I made it because I’ve sat inside that hearing room many times and have seen how and why the powerful zoning board rules as it does.

The board, rightly, believes that a new development or business profoundly impacts the people who live near it. So, it will do everything it can to approve a project if it feels it will serve the community and is supported by it. The opposite also is true. If a project may negatively impact a community and, especially, if it has significant opposition, the board will find a reason to deny it. End of story.

The petitioner–and, most of all, the property manager (who did most of the talking at the hearing)–should have known this.

They should have better understood the neighborhood where they hoped to locate.

They should have known that the zoning board would look skeptically on a convenience store, run by a guy from Mechanicsburg who, by his own testimony, planned to make a buck peddling yet more chips, soda and cigarettes in the city.

They should have considered that there are similar places one block and three blocks and four blocks away.

They should have known that, just months ago, the zoning board had denied another application for a convenience store just a couple streets up.

They should have known that the neighbors were relieved to be rid of the barbershop, as well as a particularly notorious convenience store a block in the other direction that closed down a few years ago.

They should have expected opposition, tried to get the neighborhood on board and even made adjustments to their plan based on feedback from the community.

At Monday night’s hearing, Terry Lawson, the property manager, increasingly frustrated, said that Ahrar’s convenience store was the best of several proposed businesses that wanted to move into the snug, 650-square-foot space. To prove his point, he said, with a slight laugh, that he had rejected both a skateboard shop and a tattoo parlor.

That comment set the crowded room abuzz, and several people blurted out, “We would support that!” when he mentioned the skate shop. Even the tattoo parlor had some supporters. Several residents said they would enthusiastically welcome a business owned by responsible people who truly wanted to serve and be a part of the Engleton/Olde Uptown community, increasingly populated by middle-class professionals.

Lawson and Ahrar would have known all this had they engaged the community instead of trying to jam in yet another unpopular corner store.

But they didn’t–and I wondered whether the thought had even occurred to them. And so, after about an hour of testimony, Zoning Hearing Board Chairwoman Marian Frankston banged the gavel and declared, “Your application has been denied.”

One can hope, as I do, that this decision–along with several others like it recently–will serve as a signal to property and business owners that they need to consider the impact of their proposals on the community. In fact, with a little thought, creativity and engagement, potential shop owners may discover an unfilled need that the community will support and patronize, as opposed to the same old, tired concept. Harrisburg is changing, and the business community must change with it, not immediately default to the lowest-common denominator, the dismal stereotype of a dark, crowded store packed with soda, chips and cigarettes, overseen by a weary, unhappy, suspicious owner.

Likewise, I hope that Harrisburg residents in other neighborhoods understand that they have a powerful tool in their hands. It’s called organization and involvement, and they should use it.

If they do, there is at least one public body that will listen. In cases that come before it, the zoning hearing board has shown again and again that it takes community concerns very seriously, often placing the impact on the neighborhood above the wishes of an individual property or business owner. Harrisburg residents who want to improve the quality of their lives and their communities have an ally, assuming they’re willing to track what’s going on around them, gain some knowledge and then show up in force to a meeting on a cold Monday night.

A Bracing, Heartfelt Drama: “The Dresser” at Gamut Theatre

February 25, 2014 | by Cassandra Clarhaut

David Newhouse (left) as Norman/The Dresser and Clark Nicholson as Sir in Gamut Theatre’s production of “The Dresser.” Photo by Brianna Dow.

Behind Shakespeare’s scenes stand a dwindling crew of actors, a stage director and an under-appreciated dresser.

Set in England in 1942, Ronald Hardwood’s “The Dresser” incorporates fast-paced comedy with an unsettling look at Sir, a mentally deteriorating actor. Gamut Theatre Group’s founder and Artistic Director J. Clark Nicholson stars as the sophisticated, yet senile Sir, and David Newhouse animatedly performs as his faithful dresser, Norman.

The pair’s banter, coupled with gripping delusional moments from both characters, leaves the audience torn between love and hate for Sir as his character continually grapples with line recollection before his 227^th performance of Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”

“The Dresser” recounts World War II and the air raids over England with plane and bomb sound effects that intensify scenes. Each cast member speaks in a clean Received Pronunciation English accent that authenticates the play’s feel. The cast takes advantage of the dynamic set, a dressing room behind and below the stage on which “King Lear” is performed, offering the audience a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at this Shakespeare troop’s volatile relations. Amanda Owens, mainstage costume designer at Messiah College in the 2013-14 season, flawlessly fits each of Gamut’s characters down to the smallest details, like back-seamed hosiery and sleeve and sock garters.

Newhouse’s spastic gestures exude his frustration and dedication to Sir; Norman’s impassioned, sycophantic relationship to the actor coincides with hilarious line delivery. Each of Newhouse’s vivid facial expressions, erratic movements and gusty vocal animations encourage laughter, yet are believable enough to be taken seriously.

Similarly vying for Sir’s attention is Irene (Amber Mann), the young stagehand who longs to act with the troupe. Despite Mann’s considerable theatrical acting experience, she renders natural as the timid and inexperienced assistant.

An uncomfortable scene turns comical as Sir gropes Irene while he lusts after her youth, but, more importantly, her weight. Tired of holding his wife, Her Ladyship (Cynthia Charles), on stage as Cordelia in the second act of “King Lear,” Sir carries Irene in his arms wistfully yet triumphantly, then weakly falls to the ground, dropping the tension with Irene. Upon her quick exit from the dressing room, she encounters Norman.

Here, we see the height of Newhouse’s engrossing rage and hasty discourse with the weak Irene; Norman responds jealously and fires Irene in an attempt to keep peace within the troupe, each member in his or her place, and Sir’s world not upset so that the show may “go on.”

Nicholson, gray-haired but bright-eyed, is confusion embodied as Sir, though, in “The Dresser,” that is a good thing. Absent stares and blubbering hysteria make way for the focused repertoire that Nicholson’s husky voice commands. His laughable application of King Lear’s make-up in the first act helps develop Sir’s character and gains audience respect for caking on the paint each night. Lear may have posed a challenge for Sir, but Sir certainly poses no challenge for Nicholson.

Ronald Hardwood’s “The Dresser” runs through March 9, on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in Strawberry Square, Harrisburg. For more information, visit https://www.gamutplays.org or call 717-238-4111.

Gamut Theatre Group includes the company of Popcorn Hat Players Children’s Theater and of the Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival. Its move to former The First Church of God, located “across the street” at 15 N. 4^th St., hopefully for the 2014-15 season, will well suit Gamut, a talented range of actors showcased in “The Dresser.”

Convenience Store Application Denied

February 25, 2014 | by Lawrance Binda

A convenience store will not locate in Midtown Harrisburg after its application was struck down tonight by the city’s Zoning Hearing Board.

About two dozen neighbors packed into the hearing room to object to an application filed by Mohamed Ahmed Ahrar of Mechanicsburg, who wanted to open a store at the corner of Green and Kelker streets.

“I’m not at all convinced that another place to buy prepackaged food, if you want to call it that, will help our neighborhood in any way,” said Mike Banks, one of numerous area residents and property owners to testify against the plan.

The hearing began when Zoning Hearing Board Chairwoman Marian Frankston asked Ahrar what he expected to sell from the snug, 650-square-foot space. He responded by saying “soda, chips,” with Frankston adding that his application also mentioned cigarette sales.

Ahrar then said little, as Terry Lawson, manager for property owner Michael Goldberg Properties, testified on his behalf. Lawson mentioned that, over more than a century, the property has housed many businesses, including a tea shop, drugstores and several “cut-rate” or convenience stores.

A few nearby residents testified that that the neighborhood breathed a sigh of relief after the most recent tenant, a barbershop, closed last April, saying that it had attracted loitering and alleged drug activity. Banks said he had called the police many times due to possible criminal activity in front of the shop.

“We finally have gotten some sense of safety and quiet after a decade,” he said. “We finally got it. I’m not sure my neighbors want to roll the dice again.”

In denying the application, the zoning board went against the vote of the city’s Planning Commission, which last week recommended approving the application, which sought a special exception from parking requirements and another to allow a convenience store to operate at the site.

About half-a-dozen other residents voiced objections to the application on such grounds as noise, parking and littering concerns. No residents spoke in support of the application.

Lawson said that the store would add to, not subtract from, the renaissance of the area, which sits at the border of the Engleton and Olde Uptown neighborhoods in Midtown. He added that the convenience store was the best use for the property compared to other applications his company had received, including for a skate shop and a tattoo parlor.

“We’re not being out of line with what we want to put there,” he said. “We’re being in line.”

Nonetheless, several residents said they feared a repeat of the disruption caused both by the barbershop and by a former convenience store long located at the corner of Green and Muench streets. Others said the neighborhood already has several other convenience stores within blocks of the site.

“I personally do not think it’s needed in the area,” said David Alexander of Kelker Street.

This is the second proposed convenience store in Midtown shot down recently by the zoning board. Several months ago, the board denied a store proposed for the corner of N. 3rd and Hamilton streets following similar objections by neighbors.

Residents Vent Fears, Frustrations at Parking Advisory Meeting

February 20, 2014 | by Paul Barker

Ashia Richardson, owner of Hair at the Square salon in downtown Harrisburg, has started keeping a “notation system” in a notebook to keep track of when her clients need to feed the meter.

The hardship on low-income residents and the fear that visitors will be driven away by higher rates were among the concerns expressed at the first meeting of Harrisburg’s parking advisory committee, which took place Thursday morning at the Crowne Plaza hotel downtown.

While committee members sat around tables in the second-floor ballroom, supplied with microphones, pitchers of ice water and bowls of mints, a total of 16 members of the public stepped forward to voice their concerns about what the parking changes would do to the city. Among their number were a pastor, a deacon, a City Council member, a salon owner, a hardware store owner, the director of a theater group, numerous residents, property owners and landlords, and a disabled man.

Their comments struck a universal theme: that the expansion of meter hours and the increased meter prices and fines will hurt an already fragile economy and prevent people from shopping or locating in Harrisburg.

But each speaker added his or her own variation. Church representatives, for example, were particularly concerned about parking for funerals and weddings on Saturdays, and about the possibility that reduced parishioner contributions would impede their ability to provide services for the needy. Walter David Prediger, a deacon at Salem United Church of Christ, on the corner of Chestnut and S. 3^rdStreet, worried about the volunteers who drive in to help with a Saturday clothing giveaway, and park from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. “That’d be $15 for one car,” Prediger said.

Business owners feared that the prices would simply drive customers away. Ashia Richardson, who opened her salon, Hair at the Square, across from Strawberry Square last year, said her clientele was “really taking a hit” since the introduction of the new rates. “The cost of service now includes $15 to park,” she said. “Our clients aren’t coming because they simply can’t afford parking.”

Residents expressed a variety of concerns, from how the rates would affect their own ability to park to what an exodus of frustrated drivers might mean for their city. John Mank, who lives in the Grayco apartment building downtown, said he found charging Saturday visitors “inexcusable.” “These people make this city live,” he said. “You’re doing more harm than good.” Mank, who had started with a quip that got a big laugh—“I’m gonna make this short, I’m at the meter right now”—concluded on the same note. “I gotta go and feed the meter so I’ll see you all later.”

The parking advisory committee was formed as part of the long-term lease of the city’s parking assets, a deal that closed on Dec. 24 and was a major component of the state-appointed receiver’s recovery plan for Harrisburg. Though it has no power to adjust rates or hours, the nine-member committee can approve recommendations to management, and its meetings provide a public forum for updates on the system’s operations.

The advisory committee includes representatives from just about every entity involved in the ongoing management of the lease—including the asset manager, PK Harris Advisors, Inc., an affiliate of Trimont Real Estate; the new operator, Standard Parking; the Dauphin County commissioners and Assured Guaranty Municipal, who both provided security for the $294 million bond issue associated with the lease; and the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority, or PEDFA, which issued the tax-exempt bonds.

The committee also includes a representative from the mayor’s office and a representative from council, though, for now, it includes no direct representative for downtown residents or for downtown businesses. Bruce Weber, the city’s budget and finance director and the mayor’s representative on the committee, tried to change that Thursday morning with a motion to add two seats to the table. But no one seconded the motion, and the proposal did not come to a vote.

During public comment, committee members listened without responding. “Public comment is not a question-and-answer session,” John Gass, the representative for PK Harris Advisors, had reminded members before he opened the floor. Instead, he said, the committee would take note of public concerns and address them later.

Before concluding the meeting, however, Gass did offer a few remarks about the “perspective from the working end.” “I don’t know one issue brought up today that hasn’t been discussed by our working group,” he said. He explained that the 60 days since the parking transaction closed had seen a “tremendous amount of activity” on a “very challenging project.” “We’d appreciate if you could give us the ability to try to work on your comments,” he concluded. “We’re dealing with many issues.”

Among those issues is the parking system’s tight budget this year, with projected revenues only just covering the many obligations under the parking lease, including debt payments, operating expenses and payments to the city. (To see TheBurg’s visual breakdown of the system’s financial obligations in 2014, click here.) That budget includes combined revenues from on-street meters and enforcement of around $5.5 million—a much smaller figure than the $16.6 million expected from garages, but an amount still critical to the system’s bottom line.

In the meantime, business owners like Richardson are feeling the pinch. Clients who once came to her salon every other week, she later explained, have reduced their appointments to once a month. Others have started coming after 7 p.m., when on-street parking is free, forcing her to work late into the evening.

“I had to walk one client to her car at 11:30 at night,” she said. To help customers avoid getting tickets, Richardson has even started a parking “notation system” in her salon, to keep track of when clients need to feed the meter. Nonetheless, three have already been ticketed, including Richardson herself.

“When I went to the office to pay the ticket, it was so dysfunctional,” she said. “They didn’t have receipt paper or cash for change. I had to wait 25 minutes in line while this woman wrote on a piece of scratch paper.”

For the parking system’s 2014 operating budget, or to see a visual breakdown of the sytem’s financial obligations this year, please click on the links below.

Park Harrisburg 2014 Operating Budget

Park Harrisburg 2014: Where the Money Goes

Proposed Convenience Store Gets First OK

February 20, 2014 | by Lawrance Binda

The Harrisburg Planning Commission tonight gave unanimous approval to a planned convenience store at the corner of Green and Kelker streets.

By a 4-0 vote, the commission recommended that a special exception be granted to allow a convenience store to operate at the site and to waive the four-vehicle off-street parking requirement. The commission only mandated that the property pass a health inspection and follow city-mandated rules for signage. Commission members also recommended that a trash receptacle be located outside the store, which is slated to operate from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Otherwise, the commission asked few questions of the applicant, Mohamed Ahmed Ahrar, or of the representative of property owner Michael Goldberg Properties. Despite some opposition in the Olde Uptown neighborhood to the proposal, not a single member of the public attended the meeting.

The commission did read a letter in opposition submitted by Historic Harrisburg Association, which claimed the proposed store was incompatible with the neighborhood, but quickly dismissed the reasoning.

The commission’s recommendation now goes to the city’s Zoning Hearing Board, which will meet on Monday to consider the application. The board has the final say over whether to grant the special exception.

The century-old property at 224 Kelker St. most recently housed a barbershop, though, over the years, has served many uses, including as a corner store, a drugstore and a tea shop.

Firefighters Agree to Cuts, Health Care Cost Sharing Under New Labor Contract

February 13, 2014 | by Paul Barker

Photo credit: Brian Bastinelli, BrianBastinelli.com.

The Harrisburg chapter of the International Association of Firefighters has agreed to a new labor agreement, Mayor Eric Papenfuse announced on Tuesday. The agreement, which the union approved by a 38 to 15 vote, includes reductions in scheduled salary increases, an increase in employee health care contributions and salary cuts for new hires. It also represents the final concession from the city’s labor unions required as part of the state-appointed receiver’s recovery plan.

“I think the important thing to note here today is that a tremendous number of sacrifices are being made by the members of the firefighters’ union in an effort to allow this city to move forward,” Papenfuse said. In meetings with the firefighters, he said, he had tried to convey that, without contract modifications, “the budget would not be balanced and the city would stay mired in the financial difficulties that had gotten us first into Act 47 and then into receivership.”

The mayor’s proposed budget for 2014 already included the expected savings under the new agreement, projected to be around $1.6 million, or around $20,000 for each of the 79 bargaining-unit positions in the fire department. This figure is somewhat misleading, however, as the direct effect on an individual firefighter depends on his or her time of hire, family size and consumption of health care.

The largest chunk of the savings, around $520,000, is expected to come from a reduction in numbers manning each shift, from 16 to 14 firefighters.

On Tuesday, Mayor Papenfuse attributed the union vote, in part, to a pair of “behind-closed-doors meetings” he held with firefighters in January, during which he tried to restore trust between the city and its public safety personnel. “We met right where they sleep, right inside their quarters,” he said. “I extended a hand of partnership, of trust, and I am pleased to say I was met with a hand from the other side.”

Glenn Sattizahn, the local union president, also acknowledged the mayor’s role in bringing the new agreement to a vote. “The turning point, I would venture to say, was after the meetings with the mayor,” Sattizahn said. “He’s quite persuasive.”

But, Sattizahn added, continued pressure from the receiver’s office, which could eventually compel the firefighters to comply through the courts, also played a role. “There wasn’t really a whole lot of compromise,” he said. “We were, for the most part, forced into this.”

Harrisburg Declares Snow Emergency

February 12, 2014 | by Admin

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse today declared a snow emergency for the city, beginning at midnight and requiring the removal of all vehicles from snow emergency routes. The full text of his statement is below.

MAYOR ERIC PAPENFUSE DECLARES SNOW EMERGENCY EFFECTIVE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT

HARRISBURG – Mayor Eric Papenfuse is declaring a snow emergency effective midnight tonight, requiring city residents to move their cars from emergency snow routes.

By special arrangement with Standard Parking, residents can park without charge at the Locust Street Garage. Free parking is also available on City Island, the Fire Museum at 1824 N. 4^th St., and at the Farm Show Complex (Maclay Street side near Front Entrance).

Through special arrangement with the Capital Area Transit (CAT), shuttle service from the Locust Street Garage, City Island and the Farm Show, will be extended until 8 p.m. Wednesday. The shuttles will resume at 6:45 a.m. Thursday, if weather permits.

Mayor Papenfuse is also urging people to voluntarily move cars parked on Penn, Allison and Zarker Streets to facilitate plowing, salting and access by emergency vehicles.

The National Weather Service is warning the winter storm could dump an estimated 8-12 inches of snow on the region.

To qualify for free parking in the Locust Street Garage, drivers will need proper ID or documentation. Residents may enter the garage from 4-10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb.12, 2014 or from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb.13, 2014 to qualify for free parking.

To gain access to the garage, residents will pull a ticket at the entrance. To exit residents will need to show a driver’s license with a Harrisburg address or proof of residency.

To help accommodate residents, garage hours have been extended three hours – to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12. After 10 p.m. vehicles in the garage will not be accessible until 8 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 13. The garage will then remain open and accessible to everyone until 7 p.m. Thursday.

Unless further notice is given, all residents will need to exit the Locust Street Garage by 6:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 14 to avoid being charged for parking in the garage during this period. Residents wishing to park their cars after 10 p.m. Wednesday should chose City Island, the Fire Museum or the Farm Show. Cars must be removed from the Farm Show parking lot by 6:30 a.m. Friday.

If poor conditions persist, free parking times may be extended. Please monitor www.parkharrisburg.com. www.harrisburgpa.gov or local media for communication of extended time.

SNOW EMERGENCY ROUTES INCLUDE:

· Division Street – Front Street to 7th

· Second Street – Paxton St. to Division St

· Maclay Street- Front to 7th St.

· Seventh Street – Division to Fisher Plaza St. (Fisher Plaza is between Forster and Walnut Streets at the Capitol Complex, to the immediate east of the Main Capitol Building. The city has no responsibility for streets within the Capitol Complex)

· Walnut Street – Fisher Plaza to Front St.

· Paxton Street – Cameron to City/Swatara Township line

· Derry Street- Mulberry Street Bridge to City/Paxtang Line

· Market Street – Cameron Street to 25^th St.

· State Street – Fisher Plaza to City/Susquehanna Twp. Line

· Herr Street – Cameron Street to city/Susquehanna Twp. Line

· Seventeenth Street – Sycamore Street to Arsenal Boulevard

On Thursday, Standard Parking will restrict their ticketing to cars parked on Snow Emergency Routes. The Mayor will hold a press briefing at noon Thursday to update the public on weather conditions. City Hall will remain open during the Snow Emergency, but city employees are being allowed liberal leave.

For more information, contact Joyce M. Davis at [email protected]; or call (717) 255-3015.

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like