Tag Archives: Andrea Grove

A sigh of relief along North Street as water returns and businesses reopen

February 11, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, Business Administrator Marc Woolley and Treasurer Dan Miller share a cup of coffee to celebrate the reopening of Elementary Coffee Co. following a water main break.

At Elementary Coffee Co., the water came back on early today and, with it, the doors swung open for the Capitol neighborhood café.

Up and down North Street, there may have been no one happier than owner Andrea Grove.

“I’m so relieved, I’m so delighted,” Grove said. “And now people are hearing and coming back in.”

Elementary opened a few hours late, at 9 a.m. after Grove heard from her neighbor, restaurateur Qui Qui Musarra, that water service had returned to the block.

The businesses, including Mangia Qui, Rubicon, Elementary and Roxy’s Cafe, had been closed since the water stopped running on Sunday, following a break in the 82-year-old water main early Sunday morning on the cozy street of restaurants and residences.

This morning, these businesses reopened, though Capital Region Water maintained its boil water advisory for an area bounded by North, N. 3^rd, Forster and Front streets (see map). Tanya Dierolf, CRW spokeswoman, said that the advisory would remain in effect until further notice.

The East Shore YMCA planned to reopen at 11:30 a.m., though without drinking water from fountains. CRW said that it also will provide bottled water to impacted customers in the neighborhood today at the YMCA from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Grove said the greatest problem was not knowing when water would return and, thus, how long she would be closed.

“It was terrible not knowing,” she said.

Likewise, Staci Basore of Mangia Qui/Rubicon expressed delight at being able to open, especially since her restaurants are booked for the coming Valentine’s Day weekend. Her restaurants won’t be open today for lunch but will reopen today for dinner service.

“It’s good, good, good,” she said. “We were so worried about Valentine’s Day, but now everything seems to be getting back to normal.”

For the latest information on the boil water advisory, visit the CRW website.

Businesses close, residents told to boil water as downtown water main break enters second day

February 10, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Capital Region Water crews work to fix a water main break on North Street.

A water main break in downtown Harrisburg entered its second day today, closing businesses and affecting several hundred residents.

Tanya Dierolf, spokesperson for Capital Region Water, said that she couldn’t provide an estimate when the repair would be completed and when the boil water advisory would be lifted.

“CRW is still working to make the repair,” she said. “[Timing] will depend on trying to complete the repair.”

The break of the 16-inch water main was detected early yesterday, with torrents of water streaming down North Street. CRW crews have worked around the clock since to fix the circa-1938 pipe.

Some 200 properties are affected along a swath of downtown Harrisburg stretching from Front Street to North Street to N. 3^rd Street to Forster Street (see map).

This area includes such businesses as Mangia Qui/Rubicon and Elementary Coffee Co., which are closed today, as well as the East Shore YMCA.

Mangia Qui co-owner Staci Basore said that her restaurants had to close because they have no running water at all. They began serving brunch yesterday, but then had to turn away about 60 people once water pressure ceased. Now, she’s worried about this weekend, as her restaurants are fully booked for the Valentine’s Day weekend.

“Businesses need to make a living out of it,” she said. “I can bring in bottled water to drink, but I can’t operate without a toilet.”

Similarly, Elementary Coffee Co. is shut down until the water comes back on. Owner Andrea Grove said that she’s concerned because her shop just opened a few months ago and is still gaining traction.

“It’s a huge tragedy for us and everything that we’re trying to build up,” she said.

Both Basore and Grove mentioned that their anxiety has been worsened by not knowing when service will resume.

“No one can tell us anything with any degree of certainty,” Basore said.

The break occurred directly in front of the YMCA, which had to shut down and cancel all classes and its daycare. According to the Y, bottled water and portable toilets have been brought in for its residential population.

Dierolf said that different locations have differing issues. Some buildings in the advisory area have little or no water, while others seemingly have full pressure. Nonetheless, all customers in the area should boil water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth and washing dishes until further notice, she said.

Dierolf said that the repair has taken longer than first anticipated because a valve needed to be replaced. Once the repair is finished, CRW must perform a series of water tests to ensure safety, which likely will prolong the advisory even after work has finished and North Street, between N. 2^nd and Front streets, has reopened to traffic.

“We appreciate everybody’s patience,” she said. “We’ll give you updates when we can.”

For the latest information, visit the CRW website.

This story has been updated to include comments from business owners.

Bethesda Mission promotes caring, community through #iheartHBG campaign

December 30, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Starting today, you’ll see these coffee cup sleeves throughout the Harrisburg area.

Is the road to Harrisburg’s heart through its coffee?

For many in central PA, that just might be. So, for a fourth consecutive year, Bethesda Mission is launching its #iheartHBG campaign in coffee shops and cafes throughout the area.

The Harrisburg-based men’s shelter and community center today is distributing thousands of cup sleeves to 19 locations. The sleeves feature a heart and the #iheartHBG slogan with the goals of rallying community spirit during the long winter, raising funds and encouraging people to volunteer at Bethesda Mission.

“During the cold weather months in the ‘Burg,’ many of us seek a warm drink in a cozy setting,” said Scott Dunwoody, executive director of Bethesda Mission. “Local coffee shops offer this ambience, now with an added invitation to support Harrisburg and Bethesda Mission.”

Andrea Grove, owner of Elementary Coffee Co., said that she likes the dual purpose of supporting both the community and a good cause.

“I also like the collaborative aspect,” she said. “Very rarely do coffee shops collaborate in that way. So, it brings us together for this one month.”

Each location will have a designated jar for donations, which will be used to support the Women’s Mission Renewal Project, and for business cards in case patrons are interested in volunteering with Bethesda Mission.

Participating coffee shops include:

- 3J’s Coffee Shop, 901 E. Main St, Palmyra
- Brew Crumberland’s Best, 1903 Bridge St., New Cumberland
- Brew Crumberland’s Best, 4902 Louise Dr., Mechanicsburg
- Capital Joe, 416 Forster St., Harrisburg
- Capital Joe, 36 West Main St., Mechanicsburg
- Cornerstone Coffeehouse, 2133 Market St., Camp Hill
- Dalicia Bakery & Coffee Shop, 1419 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg
- Elementary Coffee Co., Broad Street Market, Harrisburg
- Elementary Coffee Co., 256 North St., Harrisburg
- Game Table Café, 4900 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg
- Little Amps, 1836 Green St., Harrisburg
- Little Amps, 133 State St., Harrisburg
- Little Amps, Strawberry Square, Harrisburg
- Mellow Minded Cafe, 5943 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg
- The Pennsylvania Bakery, 1713 Market St, Camp Hill
- St. Thomas Roasters, 5951 Linglestown Rd., Harrisburg
- Tomato Pie Café, 3950 Tecport Dr., Harrisburg
- Urban Churn, 1004 N. 3rd St, Harrisburg
- Yellow Bird Cafe, 1320 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg

Bethesda Mission also encourages coffee shop patrons to post pictures of themselves and their cups, along with supportive words for Harrisburg, on social media sites.

The campaign will continue through January or as long as the cup sleeves last, according to Bethesda Mission.

Bethesda Mission Men’s Shelter is located at 611 Reily St., Harrisburg, and their Community Center is located at 1438 Herr St., Harrisburg. For more information about the program, visit BethesdaMission.org/event/i-heart-hbg.

Warm & Welcoming: On North Street, a stunning restoration, an enticing cup.

November 29, 2019 | by Norah Griffiths Johnson

If you haven’t been to Harrisburg in awhile, you may do a double take as you walk up historic North Street near the Capitol.

Where once there was a graffiti-pocked, tumbledown ruin, there is now a fully restored building and, inside, awaiting you, a delicious cup of coffee.

In October, Elementary Coffee Co. opened there, inside a light-filled, first-floor space with a full view of turning leaves glistening in the sparkling sunshine.

At the helm of Elementary’s operations is Andrea Grove, who founded the business out of a desire to showcase the best parts of the craft coffee movement.

“Craft coffee is beautiful and worthy of existing because it’s delicious, but also because it gives significant payment to the farmers, and it’s honest in all its spheres,” she said. “At least it should be, if you’re doing it correctly.”

She paused, thinking.

“There’s a way to do that but still make it accessible to everyone—to make it warm and welcoming.”

Grove has a certain kindness about her and an authenticity that is evident from the moment you meet her. These qualities carry throughout every aspect of Elementary’s operations—from a commitment to transparent business practices to fair wages for everyone, from the growers of the beans she roasts to her barista team.

Five years ago, Grove began selling coffee at her Broad Street Market stand, and, as she expanded, wanted to do it just as thoughtfully as she had navigating the company’s founding years.

This included her approach to choosing a shop location.

“I firmly believe that the right thing will come along if you’re willing to wait,” she explained.

There were several possibilities along the way, but, once the opportunity arose to locate on picturesque North Street, a stone’s throw from the state Capitol building, she knew she’d found the right spot.

The only hiccup? That right spot was a historic building in need of extensive restoration to make it habitable. Since its last occupant—a French restaurant called Coventry—closed its doors in 1990, the building slowly fell apart, complete with a generally moldering exterior, broken windows and a crumbling roof.

Last year, Harrisburg attorney Matthew Krupp and a business partner bought the property and mounted a basement-to-roof restoration, with apartments upstairs and, now, Elementary Coffee on the first floor.

To build out her space, Grove enlisted Chris Dawson Architects, which developed a custom design. Then, working alongside local carpentry expert Misha Kaschock, who served as project manager, Grove played the role of general contractor.

Priority lay in ensuring that the shop design effectively conveyed Elementary’s brand.

“Hence, all the windows so people can literally see in here,” Grove said. “Hopefully, there’s a transparency and honesty to what’s going on behind the glass.”

Grove and Kaschock worked closely throughout the project.

“When you get Misha, you also get someone who’s extremely dedicated to the product and becomes a friend,” she said.

Raw materials quickly became a focus.

“I do believe that, whether or not people know it, they can feel that a space is real,” Grove said.

The end result is a quietly beautiful testament to the company that Grove and her team have worked so hard to build.

The milky walls and rustic slate floor provide counterpoints to the softer details. Lustrous, hand-hewn, live-edged wood is prominent throughout the space. Bar seating against a wall of windows invites a wave from passersby and frames North Street for customers as they enjoy a drink. A large workspace of inky granite provides ample room for the Elementary team to craft beverages.

For Kaschock’s part, he worked to infuse the shop’s design with touches emblematic of Grove’s personality and the brand’s ethos.

“There’s kind of an elemental theatrically to the natural aspects of the space,” he said. “They’ll change with time and help make it something that can be lived in and broken-in over time.”

Ultimately, the full build-out took a little more than a year, which wasn’t what Grove expected.

“I was fully convinced that we’d announce the shop in January and be open by April,” she said, with a laugh.

She’s okay with having had to wait a bit.

“I think, nowadays, people expect a certain type of speed,” she said. “This has been a good lesson for us to slow down and remember that good things are worth waiting for.

In addition to the aesthetics, there are standout environmental components to the shop, such as composting and recycling containers for waste and a permeable surface out back to help prevent run-off during a hard rain. Less evident are the energy efficient hot water heater, coffee roaster and zoned HVAC.

And in an effort to cut down on single-use packaging, once on-site roasting is in full swing, customers will be able to bring in their own containers when purchasing beans.

As for bells and whistles, for now, Grove and her team are focused on establishing a day-to-day rhythm and setting up on-site roasting. Looking ahead, she reeled off a list of offerings she can envision at the space, ranging from live music to political rallies, skill shares, poetry writing and, of course, coffee cuppings.

“That’s one of the really cool things—the possibilities are endless here,” she said.

For the holidays, Elementary will offer a signature winter blend dubbed the “Abominable Snowman,” complete with a branded sticker by local artist and Elementary team member Ryan Spahr.

Be sure to stop in for a cup. After all, as Grove noted, “Conversations happen so easily over a beverage.”

Elementary Coffee Co. is located at 256 North St., and at the Broad Street Market, 1233 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.elementarycoffee.co or the Facebook page.

Silver Cup: Special merch, celebrations and a collab brew mark Cornerstone’s 25th anniversary.

November 29, 2019 | by Karen Hendricks

Sue Pera

Sue Pera lives by the motto, “Strong women drink strong coffee.”

The co-owner of Camp Hill’s Cornerstone Coffeehouse even offers T-shirts for sale bearing that sentiment.

This holiday season, thanks to an all-female coffee collaboration, Cornerstone customers can also enjoy a limited-edition cup of 25th anniversary blend coffee crafted by another strong woman in the business, Andrea Grove of Harrisburg’s Elementary Coffee Co.

It was Cornerstone manager Nicole Miller’s idea.

“Nicole came to me and said, ‘We’re women-owned, Elementary is women-owned, and wouldn’t it be great to collaborate with Andrea?’” Pera said. “I thought it was a great idea.”

Vital Asset

With independent coffee shops sprinkled throughout central Pennsylvania, it’s a much different scene today compared to 1994 when Cornerstone opened its doors.

Sue and Al Pera believe that Cornerstone was the first, and, therefore, the oldest dedicated coffeehouse in the capital region. They purchased the business from its original female founders and have operated it for more than 20 years. That’s more than half of their 37 married years.

The couple has “tweaked” everything over the years, adding a lunch menu, cooking school, catering and private dinner parties. A full breakfast and lunch menu features everything from biscotti to tuna melts, teas and smoothies, vegan treats, salads, plus Jack and Jill Ice Cream.

There are two items that have never changed, which Sue calls “retro recipes”—oat bars with a fruit filling and “peanut butter dreams,” a low-fat brownie with no refined sugar.

But the cornerstone of the menu, pun intended, is the coffee.

Cornerstone’s famous breakfast blend has always hailed from Lancaster’s College Coffee Roasters, espresso comes from Golden Valley Farms Coffee Roasters of West Chester, Sumatran is roasted by Tally Ho Coffee of West Chester, and flavored coffees come from Kaffé Magnum Opus of New Jersey. The one thing it all has in common? All coffee products are organic and fair trade.

And they go through a ton of it—well maybe not exactly a ton—but 200 pounds of coffee and 40 pounds of espresso weekly. In a typical month, that calculates to 11,500 steaming hot beverages.

“Every town needs a coffeehouse—it’s essential to living, a great place to communicate,” said Mary Beth Brath, director of the Downtown Camp Hill Association. “It’s so important now, in our age of technology, that people get out and have person-to-person conversations.”

There are about 100 businesses in Camp Hill’s downtown district, Brath said, and Cornerstone “is a vital asset, a meeting place and downtown hub, for all those businesses, especially as a walkable community.”

Throughout the day, people of all ages gather, from retirees in coffee klatches to moms with toddlers enjoying ice cream treats. The parking lot, like a good cup of coffee, is almost always filled to the brim.

“So many people tell us, ‘I had my first date here,’ sweet stories, as well as stories about businesses that started with their first meetings here,” Miller said. “It’s been a cornerstone for a lot of people.”

Anniversary celebrations kick off with a community launch party on Nov. 30, Small Business Saturday, with many former baristas returning. Commemorative merchandise, which coincides with the holiday season, includes a T-shirt bearing an ink sketch of the coffeehouse created by local artist Jonathan Frazier and bagged 25th anniversary blend coffee.

Homage

The collaboration with Elementary Coffee will be a major part of the anniversary celebration.

Pera likes the fact that, right across the river, great coffee is being produced—and by a woman-owned and run business.

Much like area brewery collabs, “the coffee industry is becoming more collaborative rather than competitive,” Grove said. “Taking this step was huge for both of us, and it proves what similar industries can do together.”

On what proved to be one of the hottest days of the summer, with temperatures soaring to 105 degrees, the collaborators gathered for a “cupping,” or tasting, at the Broad Street Market, where Elementary’s roasting operations were located.

Grove prepared several unique blends, and surprisingly, both Sue and her co-owner husband Al agreed on the same coffee—perhaps because it’s the perfect union of their tastes in coffee.

“It’s a cute homage to their relationship,” Grove said, “Because it blends Ethiopian, which is Sue’s favorite, and Sumatran, which is Al’s favorite.”

Grove describes the banner blend as a combination of warm, fruity Ethiopian coffee notes and Sumatra’s mellow, chocolatey and earthy tones.

“When we met, I immediately liked Andrea,” said Sue. “I have such respect for her. She’s an all-around great person, so smart.”

That abides well with the coffeehouse’s own recipe for success, said Miller, who has managed Cornerstone for nine years.

“People say they need coffee to survive, but they choose to come here,” she said. “It might sound cheesy to say, but everyone here is kind-hearted, and coffee served with kindness tastes better.”

Cornerstone Coffeehouse is located at 2133 Market St., Camp Hill. For more information, visit www.thecornerstonecoffeehouse.com.

October News Digest

October 31, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Stormwater Fee Debated

Capital Region Water took its case for a stormwater fee to Harrisburg City Council last month, explaining how and why the utility expects to implement the new fee starting Jan. 1.

At the beginning of a 2½-hour meeting, Charlotte Katzenmoyer, CEO of Capital Region Water (CRW), explained the proposed fee to council members, which she said was necessary to pay some of the cost of improving the city’s obsolete sewer infrastructure.

“We have to upgrade our system and reduce stormwater flows,” she said. “There is a lot of deferred maintenance, so we have a lot of catching up to do.”

In June, the CRW board launched a process that may culminate with a separate stormwater fee at the beginning of 2020. Under the plan, most residential customers would pay $74 a year, or $6.15 with each monthly bill, though larger residential and commercial property owners would pay more, depending on the amount of impervious surface on their land.

Currently, stormwater costs are included in the wastewater portion of a customer’s monthly bill. CRW officials have said that, with a separate stormwater fee, wastewater rates should rise more slowly than they have in recent years.

CRW is under a partial consent agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce the flow of pollution into area waterways. Much of the problem is due to the city’s obsolete combined sewer system, which discharges untreated wastewater into streams and the Susquehanna River during moderate and heavy rainfalls.

To help address the issue, CRW plans to spend $315 million to upgrade the sewer system and implement green infrastructure over the next 20 years.

CRW officials told council members that the stormwater fee, which will raise $5.2 million a year under the proposed rate structure, was a more equitable way to pay for system upgrades than through the wastewater portion of the bill, as owners with more impervious surfaces on their properties would pay a greater amount.

Following CRW’s presentation, Mayor Eric Papenfuse criticized CRW for proposing a stormwater fee absent a final agreement with the EPA. He said that the proposed fee might not cover the improvements mandated by the federal environmental agency.

“We’re spending $315 million on a plan because that’s what we can afford, but it doesn’t solve the problem,” Papenfuse said. “If we want to get to 95-percent compliance, or whatever the EPA mandates, we don’t have a plan that works for us, by your own admission.”

Katzenmoyer said that the $315 million investment would reduce wastewater flows into the Susquehanna River by 82 percent. She projected a total cost of $600 million to be in full compliance, with a timeframe of 65 years to achieve that.

CRW board Chairman Marc Kurowski said that discussions with the EPA indicate that the federal agency is aware that Harrisburg is a relatively poor city and needs a lengthy time period to achieve a 95-percent compliance rate. He also said that CRW didn’t want to wait for a final agreement with the EPA due to years of deferred maintenance to the system.

“To wait to implement the fee until the consent decree says this is what you need to do, it’s too late,” he said.

Papenfuse further said that he believes that too much of the burden will fall on Harrisburg’s lower-income residents, especially renters, since landlords presumably would pass on the fee to their tenants.

Katzenmoyer said that CRW plans to offer larger property owners, such as apartment building owners, credits for reducing the amount of impervious surfaces on their land, which could lower their overall burden.

Hanging over the meeting was a notice that the city issued in late July asking private water companies to respond to a request for information, which led to interviews with four respondents. Papenfuse has repeatedly stated that the meetings are “preliminary” and don’t mean that the city intends to sell the water/sewer system.

Polling Places Change

Many Harrisburg voters will need to cast their ballots in a new polling place this month, as Dauphin County had made numerous location changes to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

For the Nov. 5 general election, voters in seven Harrisburg polling stations will have new locations, said Gerald Feaser, director of the county’s Bureau of Elections and Voter Registration.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice surveyed a portion of the county’s polling stations, finding “many” to be difficult to access for people with disabilities. Then, last year, the county and the department reached an agreement meant to increase accessibility. As a result, the following polling stations are changing:

Harrisburg 1-1
Old: Comfort Inn/Passage to India, 525 S. Front St.
New: UPMC Pinnacle/Life Team Facility, 1000 Paxton St.

Harrisburg 4
Old: St. Michael Evangelical Lutheran Church, 118 State St.
New: MLK Jr. City Government Building, 10 N. 2nd St.

Harrisburg 7-2
Old: Capital Presbyterian Church, 1401 Cumberland St.
New: Downey Elementary School, 1313 Monroe St.

Harrisburg 9-4
Old: Bellevue Community Center, Briarcliff & Oakwood Rds.
New: John Harris High School Field House, 2451 Market St.

Harrisburg 10-1
Old: Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, 2121 N. 3rd St.
New: Goodwin Memorial Baptist Church, Family Life Center, 2430 N. 3rd St.

Harrisburg 10-3
Old: Hadee Mosque, 245 Division St.
New: Scottish Rite Cathedral, 2701 N. 3rd St.

Harrisburg 10-4
Old: Teamsters Local #776, 2552 Jefferson St.
New: Scottish Rite Cathedral, 2701 N. 3rd St.

In addition, for Harrisburg 6 (Susquehanna Art Museum) and Harrisburg 9-3 (Edison Village), the building will remain the same, but the polling location in the building will change.

Council Rejects Housing Director Choice

Harrisburg City Council last month rejected a top administration appointment, with the mayor stating that the decision imperils key city housing programs.

By a 4-2 vote, council turned down the appointment of Franchon Dickinson as the city’s new director of building and housing, the second time this year council members had refused to confirm her appointment.

Following the vote, Dickinson, who was serving as interim department director, resigned her job with the city.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse railed against the vote, saying that Dickinson’s departure endangers two critical housing programs—the annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the city’s Lead Hazard Reduction Program.

“There is no way this can be understood as anything other than pure dysfunction on the part of City Council,” he said, following the meeting.

Council members Ben Allatt, Ausha Green, Danielle Bowers and Dave Madsen voted against the appointment, while council President Wanda Williams and Councilman Westburn Majors voted in favor. Councilwoman Shamaine Daniels was absent from the meeting.

In June, council voted 4-3 against the appointment.

Just hours earlier, Dickinson had hosted a city hall ceremony, in which she accepted a check for $5.6 million from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to continue the city’s lead abatement program for five years.

Papenfuse said that Dickinson was fundamental in securing both CDBG funds and the federal lead abatement grant and that, without her leadership, both programs were at risk.

“This puts our HUD funding in jeopardy,” he said.

PennDOT May Consider I-83 Changes

The PA Department of Transportation might consider making changes to its design for the widening of I-83 that would reduce the project’s impact on the community, Harrisburg’s mayor said last month.

At a City Council legislative session, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that PennDOT officials seemed receptive to the preliminary findings of the city’s transportation consultants, Kittelson & Associates, during a Sept. 16 meeting.

“It was a robust discussion of Kittelson’s findings,” Papenfuse told council members.

In June, the city hired the company for $72,500 to conduct a traffic and community impact study of the commonwealth’s proposal to double the number of lanes running through the city.

The study analyzes PennDOT’s widening plan, which envisions as many as 12 lanes and new interchanges, and is determining whether alternatives exist to reduce the project’s footprint and the impact on the community.

Kittelson is expected to release its final report in December, but shared its preliminary findings during the September meeting with PennDOT, Papenfuse said.

Kittelson believes that the footprint of the project can be reduced to lessen the impact on numerous homes and businesses in south Harrisburg threatened by the expansion, and PennDOT seemed receptive to the firm’s ideas, the mayor said.

City Engineer Wayne Martin later explained that Kittelson is recommending reducing the size of the project from 12 to 10 lanes by eliminating two collector/distributor lanes, which are lanes that parallel and connect to the main travel lanes.

Other recommendations include redesigning the proposed 19th Street and Paxton Street ramps to further reduce the impact on the neighborhood.

“PennDOT is committed to doing what it can to minimize the footprint,” Papenfuse said. “It seems encouraging at this point.”

More Downtown Apartments

A plan for a downtown Harrisburg office building has evolved and now will consist of two separate projects—one residential and one office.

Harristown Enterprises has decided to split a Market Square project into two pieces, said CEO Brad Jones.

The first building, an existing, century-old office building at 17 S. 2nd St., now will become a 30-unit, market-rate apartment building with a mix of one- and two-bedroom units, with retail or restaurant space on the first floor, Jones said. That six-story project will go before the city’s Planning Commission this month.

The neighboring building, new construction at 21 S. 2nd St., still will become an office building, Jones said.

Originally, Harrisburg-based Harristown had planned one large, interconnected office building spanning both sites, but hasn’t been able to secure an anchor tenant for it.

“We had a number of prospects, but didn’t find the right deal on that,” Jones said.

In 2017, Harristown acquired 21 S. 2nd St. and later knocked down the small, dilapidated building on that site, which now is an empty lot. Last year, it bought the building next door, 17 S. 2nd St., most recently the home of the Skarlatos & Zonarich law firm, which has relocated to Strawberry Square.

Jones said that he didn’t want 17 S. 2nd St. to sit empty, possibly for years, while his company searched for a large anchor tenant for the office complex, nor could Harristown build it on spec. So, they decided to convert that existing building into apartments, as demand has been strong for other downtown residential projects.

Over the past few years, Harristown has built—or is building—about 150 apartment units in downtown Harrisburg, mostly conversions from aging office buildings. Its largest project, two attached, mid-century buildings on the 100-block of Pine Street, will deliver 74 units early next year.

Meanwhile, Harristown continues to search for an anchor office tenant for 21 S. 2nd St. Jones said that he envisions that new building to be four to six stories tall, with 10,000 to 15,000 square feet of new office space. Harristown would like to break ground on it in 2021, but timing depends on interest, he said.

2nd Street Design Chosen

Median strips have triumphed over a dedicated bike lane, as Harrisburg last month announced the winning design for its two-way 2nd Street conversion.

The city administration stated that residents overwhelmingly preferred “concept 1,” which features a center left-turn lane, along with partial median strips, along the two-mile stretch from Forster to Division streets.

“The public feedback greatly favored Concept 1, and so the city is ready to move forward with next steps towards its implementation,” according to a press release.

The competing design, “concept 2,” included a protected bike lane, but no center lane.

“That’s the main difference,” Mayor Eric Papenfuse told TheBurg previously. “Do you want a center lane with medians, or do you want a bike lane? We can’t accommodate both.”

The winning design also would sacrifice fewer parking spaces. The design would mean the loss of 70 spaces, as opposed to 83 under concept 2, yielding a total of 550 street parking spaces on N. 2nd from Forster to Division streets.

The design itself is not primarily responsible for the parking loss. Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, the city must make intersections ADA-compliant whenever it undertakes significant roadwork, which then reduces parking capacity.

The city said that 65 percent of respondents, who voted both in person and online, preferred concept 1 and that 87 percent of respondents wanted the street returned to two-way traffic through Midtown and Uptown Harrisburg.

In the 1950s, 2nd Street was made into a three-lane mini-highway to accommodate commuters and has remained that way since. Papenfuse has said that he expects the $5.7 million project to begin next year and be completed in 2021.

Harrisburg Finances Stable

The first six months of Harrisburg’s financials are in the books, and what’s the verdict?

Steady as she goes, according to the city’s finance and budget officials, who gave an update last month to City Council.

City Budget Manager Erika Regalado said that, for the first two quarters of 2019, revenues came in about on budget. Property tax revenue was flat, but local income taxes came in stronger than expected, indicating a robust local employment picture.

“The economy is steady, and it’s growing, and unemployment is low,” she said.

Her presentation echoed the one that Bruce Weber, director of the city’s Bureau of Financial Management, offered a week earlier to the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, a state-appointed body tasked with approving a five-year financial plan for the city.

Weber said that he expected current trends to continue through the rest of the year.

The city’s 2019 budget totals nearly $110 million, which includes a $70.8 million general fund, a $20.6 million neighborhood services fund and a $9.8 million debt service fund.

CRW Receives State Loan

Capital Region Water is in line to receive a multi-million-dollar state loan that should provide a boost to its ongoing battle against stormwater runoff.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced last month that CRW would receive a $13-million, low-interest loan for green infrastructure projects in several Harrisburg neighborhoods, including South Allison Hill and Uptown.

CRW’s loan from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) constituted a fair chunk of the $98 million in water infrastructure funding announced by Wolf’s office. In all, 11 counties received funding for a variety of drinking water and wastewater projects.

In Harrisburg, the loan, which carries an interest rate of 1 percent, will allow CRW to initiate two major projects next year, said Tanya Dierolf, CRW sustainability and strategic projects manager.

The first project will take place in the heart of Allison Hill around the intersections of Derry, 14th and 15th streets. CRW will install a variety of green infrastructure, including tree trenches, planter boxes and catch basins, along with new, ADA-compliant ramps, Dierolf said.

The second project planned for 2020 will take place Uptown near the Camp Curtin YMCA. That project will include planters, bumpouts, inlets and catch basins, as well as new ADA-compliant ramps, Dierolf said.

From 2021-24, the loan will fund additional stormwater projects in Uptown Harrisburg and near Paxton Creek, she said.

CRW is under a partial consent decree with the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection to slash pollutant levels flowing into area waterways. Much of the problem lies with Harrisburg’s obsolete combined sewer system, which allows untreated stormwater and wastewater to flow into the Susquehanna River during moderate and heavy rainfalls.

CRW plans to invest $315 million over the next 20 years to upgrade its sewer system and install green infrastructure, which is a major part of its plan to reduce stormwater flows through its system.

Rezoning Gets Approval

A Harrisburg builder is a step closer to developing in a Midtown neighborhood, as the city Planning Commission has approved a zoning change that would allow a denser, more mixed-use neighborhood.

Seven Bridges Development received approval last month to rezone about 14 city blocks just north of the Broad Street Market. The zoning change from “residential medium neighborhood” to “commercial neighborhood” would permit greater height, density and mix of uses in the Marketplace townhouse neighborhood.

“The idea is take vacant parcels and give Midtown more opportunities for residential and commercial,” said Seven Bridges attorney Christopher Rice of the Carlisle-based Martson Law Offices.

In late 2005, the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority sold 71 individual lots to State College-based S&A Homes for $1 apiece. S&A built a handful of houses then stopped, causing the authority recently to buy back the undeveloped parcels. In late April, the authority designated Seven Bridges as the potential developer of the remaining 60 lots in the Marketplace neighborhood,

City Planning Director Geoffrey Knight said that Seven Bridges would need to return to the planning commission to get its land use plans approved for individual projects, regardless of whether the zoning change is made.

“It will allow more development to occur by right, but it won’t exempt any new project from going through the land development process,” he said.

In the end, the planning commission voted 4-2 in favor of the change, with commissioners Anne Marek and Ausha Green dissenting.

Harrisburg City Council now must approve the proposed zoning amendment.

Downtown Office Building Planned

Harristown Development and Select Capital Commercial Properties are teaming to build a new, mixed-use building in the center of the 300-block of Market Street, directly across from Strawberry Square.

“This is the last area on Market Street in the core of downtown that needs redevelopment,” said Harristown CEO Brad Jones. “This is the final piece.”

The developers envision a 10- to 12-story, 100,000-plus-square-foot office and retail building at 307 to 313 Market St. The building, called 311 Market Street, also would have several floors of parking and might include residential space.

For the past few years, Harristown has been purchasing properties to assemble the site. Recently, the company closed on the final, and largest, piece, buying the former Rite Aid drug store from the Camp Hill-based company for just over $1 million.

Jones said that plans are to demolish the existing structures, probably next year. In the meantime, the developers hope to recruit an anchor tenant.

If construction is delayed following demolition, the developers would turn the site into a “pocket park” in the interim, a space that could be used for events, Jones said.

“We would have a nice transitional use,” he said.

Harristown this year applied for a state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant in the amount of $5 million for the project, which is estimated to cost $25 to $40 million in all. It didn’t receive the funds, but will apply again next year, Jones said.

Home Sales, Prices Up

Harrisburg area home sales jumped in September and prices also rose thanks to a drop in mortgage rates, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR).

In the three-county region, home sales increased to 607 units, a jump of 18.1 percent over September 2018, while the median home sales price rose 5.1 percent to $181,000, GHAR said last month.

In Dauphin County, 292 housing units sold versus 254 in the year-ago period, and the median sales price increased to $167,500 compared to $164,900. Cumberland County saw home sales increase to 286 units from 233, while the median price rose to $209,950 from $189,000 in September 2018.

In Perry County, home sales increased by two units, to 29, while the median price was unchanged at $149,900, compared to the year-ago period, according to GHAR.

Overall, sales inventory was down by about 10 percent compared to September 2018, GHAR said.

“The sharp drop in mortgage rates over the past year has created additional demand,” said GHAR, in a press release.

So Noted

Amma Johnson has been named Harrisburg’s new director of the Department of Community and Economic Development. Johnson also owns her own boutique, AMMA JO, in Strawberry Square. The city administration last month also appointed Jamal Jones as the new director of business development and LERTA administrator.

Anna Pantalone has joined Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania as a new staff member. Pantalone is a licensed occupational therapist specializing in assisting people who are blind or visually impaired.

David Schankweiler has resigned from the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, the state-appointed board formed to approve and oversee Harrisburg’s five-year financial plan. Shankweiler was replaced by vice-chair Audry Carter.

Doggie Delights debuted last month in the Broad Street Market, offering a line of home-baked dog treats, as well as packaged dog snacks. It’s the second location for owners Donnie and Kelly Farner, who also have a stand in the West Shore Farmers Market.

Eric Darr, president of Harrisburg University, will receive the 2019 Catalyst Award from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC. Other Catalyst winners include Claudia Williams of the Human Zone, Todd Snovel of the PA Commission on LGBTQ+ Affairs, Blake Lynch of the Harrisburg Police Bureau, state Rep. Sheryl Delozier, the creative services company Triscari, Sylvia Hepler of Launching Lives and UGI Utilities.

Elementary Coffee Co. opened its first standalone shop last month at 256 North St. in Harrisburg, with a grand opening planned for this month’s 3rd in the Burg on Nov. 15. Owner Andrea Grove started her coffee business with a stand in the Broad Street Market, which she will retain. The shop is located in a once-derelict and abandoned building that has been nearly completely rebuilt, featuring the first-floor retail shop and roaster, with two apartment units upstairs.

Jeremy Stahl has joined Harrisburg-based FMA Advisory. Stahl brings more than 20 years of industry experience that includes public finance, tailored investment portfolio construction and equity valuation.

Manal El Harrak has been appointed chief executive officer by the board of directors of Carlisle-based Sadler Health Center. El Harrak, who joined Sadler in March 2015, served as the interim CEO after spending several years as chief operating officer.

Penn State Health and Geisinger announced last month the signing of a letter of intent to transfer ownership of Holy Spirit Health System to Penn State Health. Target date for completion of the transaction is by June 30. The intent is for the two organizations to enter into a member substitution agreement for Penn State Health to replace Geisinger as the sole corporate member of Holy Spirit Health System.

Recycle Bicycle has found a new home at 1722 Chestnut St. on Allison Hill, said founder Ross Willard. Volunteers have been clearing out the 9,000-square-foot, circa-1940 building, which will be used to store bikes until it can be fully occupied, probably in early spring, Willard said.

Steelton has sold its water system for $21.75 million to Hershey-based Pennsylvania American Water, one of the largest private water companies in the state. PA American Water is also one of four companies interviewed by Harrisburg recently as it ponders whether to privatize its water/sewer system.

In Memoriam

Rev. Rick Hawtrey, Jr., the owner of Capital Joe Coffee, died last month after a brief illness. A native of Milwaukee, Hawtrey, 43, lived in Mechanicsburg and operated Harrisburg-based Hawtrey Inc., an IT training company. Several years ago, he opened his first coffee shop on Forster Street in Harrisburg then opened a second shop in downtown Mechanicsburg. He was a licensed minister in the United Pentecostal Church and a member and minister of the Apostolic Faith Church in Mechanicsburg. He also helped start the first PA campus of Purpose Institute. Rick was a friend of TheBurg, and our staff would like to express our condolences to his loved ones.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2446: P. & L. Norton to C. Grant & M. Rinaldi, $64,000

Barkley Lane, 2510: Nish Properties to D. Lugaro Jr., $62,000

Berryhill St., 2217: Nationstar HECM Acquisition Trust 2018 1 to R. Castro, $61,000

Berryhill St., 2244: T. Valinoto, M. Ciccone & G. Valino to Ranck Investments LLC, $69,000

Berryhill St., 2307: W. Birtle to D. Everett & R. White, $170,000

Boas St., 229: D. Carmelite to JVC Investments LLC, $115,000

Calder St., 205: Equity Trust Co. Custodian Paul J. Kirsch Jr. to Capozzi & Ehring Realty LLC, $105,000

Calder St., 206: Sage Policy Group Inc. to J. Knapp, $108,450

Crescent St., 352: D. & S. Zimmerman to T. Doughty, $48,000

Curtin St., 523: Urban Living Properties LLC to SR Homes LLC, $33,000

Duke St., 2622: J. Conjar to A. Cowan, $146,250

Emerald St., 221: Federal National Mortgage Assoc. to M. Horgan, $40,000

Fillmore St., 606: D. Halstead to C. Austin, $59,000

Forster St., 224: H. Bossert to S. De Freitas, $100,000

Green St., 1211 & 1213: J. & S. Bircher to D. Lehman, $210,000

Green St., 1310: Panda Real Estate LLC to A. Johnson, $156,000

Green St., 1708: M. Stevens to S. Jusufovic, $118,000

Green St., 1820: Jhonleo Home Renovations LLC to K. Hawkesworth, $217,000

Green St., 1925: B. & A. Christensen to M. Carson & R. Finkel, $206,000

Green St., 2013: M. Didone to C. Palmer, $232,500

Green St., 2218: F. Wilson to A. DeLeon, $41,750

Green St., 3117: B. Joyner to E. Bailey, $188,000

Green St., 3214: D. Bartels to J. Graf, $130,000

Hale Ave., 202: D. & P. Schulder to R. Kreitzer Jr., $110,000

Herr St., 121: Anderson & Spencer Rentals to M. & C. Freeman, $71,500

Herr St., 269: M. Berlin to B. Gordon & P. Keville, $154,900

Herr St., 403: C. Kotlarski to S. Nieves, $123,000

Kensington St., 2416: D. Truong to MRG Homes LLC, $55,000

Maclay St., 243: A. Apa Sr. to Trip Aces 243 LLC, $94,000

Manada St., 2016: D. Reinhart to A. Harrison, $105,000

Market St., 309 & 311: Rite Aid of Pennsylvania to Market Street Quad LLC, $1,045,000

Muench St., 429: Y. & K. Han to R. Wijaya, $63,000

Muench St., 639: P. Dobson to G. & E. Elledge, $44,900

Mulberry St., 1001: Mumma Realty Associates Property Management to D&F. Mulberry LP, $425,000

Mulberry St., 1815: Crystal Palms LLC to K. Kabeer, $55,000

North St., 1506, 1508 & 1512 & 1509 Primrose St.: F. Metzler to J. Ringley, $97,000

N. 2nd St., 2101: SMKP Properties to KALM Holdings LLC, $275,000

N. 2nd St., 2313: D. Lehman to B. VanFleet, $119,900

N. 2nd St., 2619: D. Skerpon & C. Baldridge to R. & J. Shovlin, $219,000

N. 2nd St., 2838: Diamond Real Estate Solutions Inc. to S. Gallagher, $245,000

N. 3rd St., 906 & 912: Nish Properties LLC to KALM Holdings LLC, $285,000

N. 3rd St., 1205: A. & J. Carper to S. & D. Rooney, $119,900

N. 4th St., 1727: B. & E. Holler to R. Moss & J. Stark, $153,500

N. 4th St., 1918: Rose of Sharon Baptist Church to Xtreme Management LLC, $135,600

N. 4th St., 2338: Penn Home LLC to M. Aramburu, $47,900

N. 5th St., 1945 & 521 Peffer St.: Church of the MC Lamb Memorial to Home for the Friendless Homeland Center, $390,000

N. 5th St., 2548: M. Roberts to B. Horn, $59,900

N. 6th St., 2245: J. Ward to N. Dessalegn, $44,000

N. 6th St., 2257: C. Yunga to I. Landi, $40,000

N. 15th St., 1503: KMABC Properties to A. Laboy, $46,000

N. 15th St., 1523: Tassia Corp. to K. Braddock, $35,000

N. 17th St., 1014: Truemac Homes 401K Trust to N. & R. Jeffries, $99,500

N. 21st St., 902: B. Garra to R. Womack, $63,000

N. Front St., 2843: M. & A. Saracino to Accession Holdings LLC, $328,200

Peffer St., 317: D. Berhe to CWJK Holdings LLC, $91,000

Penn St., 1619: H. Brown to T. Gross, $45,000

Penn St., 2419: M. & J. Miller to A. Demmel, $40,000

River St., 304: M. Della Porta & I. Smith to V. Murzin, $150,000

Seneca St., 245: CPenn Properties Old Uptown LLC to J. Ehring, $75,000

Seneca St., 250: PA Deals LLC to A. Nix, $69,900

South St., 122: FA Realty to J. Charles Realty LLC, $134,000

S. 16th St., 8: M. Hicks to D. & J. Portilla, $30,000

S. 19th St., 229: Water People Entertainment LLC to M. Reyes, $35,000

S. 25th St., 626: X. Shi to H. McCleave, $70,500

State St., 213: Legion Premier Properties LLC to H. Fang & K. Zhu, $319,000

State St., 231, Unit 506: LUX 1 LP to T. Huong, $124,900

State St., 231, Unit 802: LUX 1 LP to T. Huong, $169,900

Swatara St., 2405: L. & S. Snowden to K. Thai & K. Pham, $159,900

Valley Rd., 202: D. Benny to K. Caesar, $219,900

Vernon St., 1417 & 1419: Tang & Perkins Property Management LLC to Greenbrook Enterprises LLC, $180,000

Harrisburg property sales for September 2019, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

It’s Elementary: Harrisburg roaster debuts coffee shop, remarkable renovation in Capitol district

October 28, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Andrea Grove, owner of Elementary Coffee Co., in her new shop in downtown Harrisburg.

When are you going to open?

Over the past year, Andrea Grove has been asked that question over and over, ever since word got out that Elementary Coffee Co. planned to open a standalone shop in a newly renovated building in Harrisburg’s Capitol district.

She finally has a definitive answer: today.

This morning, a steady line of customers streamed into the storefront at North and Susquehanna streets—many of whom had become friends with Grove and fans of her small-batch coffee over the past five years, since she opened a stand in the Broad Street Market.

“I’m so relieved,” Grove said, as she sat at the long counter that dominates the seating area. “It’s nice to finally be able to present something that we’re passionate about to the city of Harrisburg. It feels great.”

The exterior of the new shop.

Elementary sits at the seam of residential and official Harrisburg, and Grove expects to draw from both types of customers—neighborhood denizens and office workers.

She had been looking for a location in the area south of Forster Street for some time when, last year, two of the owners of Mangia Qui/Rubicon—Qui Qui Musarra and Elide Hower, drinking coffee at her market stand—told her that she should look into the building that was being renovated right by their restaurants.

“They were whispering to each other,” Grove said. “Then they said, ‘Andrea have you considered the space near us?’”

In early 2018, Harrisburg attorney Matt Krupp and a partner bought the tumbledown building that once had housed a French restaurant called the Coventry. It had been vacant for 25 years, its roof had caved in, and most people had long ago marked it for the wrecking ball.

Krupp, though, had other ideas, buying the building from the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority and mounting a 1½-year rebuilding project that yielded two upstairs apartments and the downstairs retail area now occupied by Elementary Coffee.

Grove loved the location, and soon the build-out began, led by architect Chris Dawson, contractor Misha Kaschock and a team of local craftspeople.

“Misha nailed it,” Grove said. “I think this space is such a testament to what he can do.”

Elementary’s Ryan Spahr takes an order from customer Jeff Johnson.

While Grove began serving coffee today, she has yet to begin roasting in the space, which should start soon. Until then, she’ll continue roasting at the Broad Street Market, and, market patrons–don’t fear–she is retaining her stand there, as well.

Otherwise, Grove wants to shape the new location into a true community space. From time to time, she will feature local music, local artists (first up, Katiie Reynolds) and participate in 3^rd in the Burg. In fact, her “grand opening” will be during the next 3^rd in the Burg on Nov. 15 and will feature cider from Gardners-based Big Hill Ciderworks and beer from Harrisburg’s Zeroday Brewing Co., which also is brewing a collaboration coffee beer with Elementary.

Soon, customers will have some delicious food options to go along with their coffee, including pastries from Harrisburg’s Raising the Bar and bagels from Lancaster-based Harvest Moon Bagel Co.

Due to its location, the shop is likely to become a popular place for meetings, and the folks at StartUp Harrisburg already were huddled around a table this morning, marking perhaps the first business meeting there.

“We’re thrilled to see Andrea’s hard work pay off in this beautiful space,” said StartUp co-owner Adam Porter. “Her focus has always been on serving others, and she can do that seven days a week now.”

In her new shop, Grove watched in real time as her long-held vision came true: people at tables sipping her coffee, patrons lined up at the counter, the Elementary team taking orders and her roasting equipment in back, waiting to get switched on.

“For us, this seemed like a very safe, secure and manageable location,” Grove said. “It is allowing us to realize our potential and hopes and dreams.”

Elementary Coffee Co. is located at 256 North St., Harrisburg. Hours are Monday to Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Elementary is also located in the brick building of the Broad Street Market during market hours. For more information, visit their website.

The Week that Was: A summary of news and events around Harrisburg

May 24, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

A polling place on primary day in Harrisburg

What happened around Harrisburg over the past week? Here’s a summary of news and events that you may have missed.

Art Association of Harrisburg debuted its latest exhibit, “International Juried Show,” at its Front Street gallery. Our art critic has the lowdown on the new show. Click here for the full story.

Artsfest takes place this weekend in Riverfront Park in Harrisburg. The annual juried art show also will feature food, music, vendors, a kid’s area and the annual Moviate film festival. Click here for the full story.

Cappy took a bow last week as the newest member of the state Capitol police force. She’s a pit bull mix and will serve as the department’s community service dog. Click here for the full story.

Elementary Coffee Co. was the site of a rally for pay equity and raising the minimum wage in Pennsylvania. State Rep. Patty Kim joined Elementary owner Andrea Grove and others in the push for fairer pay. Click here for the full story.

Fredricksen Library last week cut the ribbon a new entrance and a new business/career center. The Camp Hill library also plans a new outdoors plaza to finish up the improvement project. Click here for the full story.

Harrisburg ranks No. 4 in the nation among best cities for recent college grads, according to a new study. Realtor.com, a leading real estate website, commended the city for its many amenities, outdoors life and relatively low cost of living. Click here for the full story.

Harrisburg school board challengers swept the primary election last week, defeating four incumbents and capturing all five seats at stake. In the race for City Council, the opposite occurred, as all three incumbents prevailed. Click here for the full story.

HMAC (House of Music, Arts & Culture) sold for $6 million last week to a new controlling partnership, allowing it to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The new owners plan to begin immediately on another round of renovations and improvements. Click here for the full story.

Lower Dauphin School District students took on a mural project that will be hung in the adolescent wing of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute. You can contribute to it during this weekend’s Artsfest in Harrisburg. Click here for the full story.

Open Stage of Harrisburg debuts its newest production, “Ragtime,” this weekend. The intertwining stories of America at the turn of the 20th century runs through June 16. Click here for the full story.

Parking will be the topic of the evening on Tuesday when the Park Harrisburg Advisory Board meets in the Crowne Plaza Hotel downtown. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will feature both a review of the system and a public portion, where comments can be aired. Click here for the full story.

Sara Bozich has dozens of ideas for things to do this weekend—that is, when you’re not at Artsfest. Check out her “Weekend Roundup.”

TheBurg’s editor weighed in with his post-mortem on the race for Harrisburg school board, saying it was the third “change election” in Harrisburg over the past decade. Click here for the full blog post.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily email digest of news and events? If not, subscribe here!

Coffee & Equity: Battle for fair wages taken to Broad Street Market

May 23, 2019 | by Maddie Conley

Owner Andrea Grove speaks with state Rep. Patty Kim at Elementary Coffee Co. in the Broad Street Market.

What gets you going in the morning? A strong cup of coffee? In Elementary Coffee Co.’s case, it’s strong coffee and fair wages.

Owner Andrea Grove today met with state Rep. Patty Kim (D-Harrisburg) at Elementary’s stand inside the Broad Street Market to discuss wage increases and the positive effects on small businesses.

Since opening 4½ years ago, Elementary has made pay equity a high priority, explained Grove. One of the main ways they do this is through paychecks that exceed the minimum wage.

“When Elementary makes more, our employees make more,” Grove said. “I’d really like people to make more than me.”

At first, Elementary started employees at $9 an hour, but now has increased pay on average to $12 to $13.50 per hour, Grove said, adding that, with tips, employees earn up to $18.20 an hour.

“[Grove] is putting higher minimum wage in a formula up front–it’s not an afterthought,” said Kim, a strong supporter of a Pennsylvania minimum wage increase. “That is the mental shift we need.”

Federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009. However, 30 states (including Washington, D.C.) currently have higher minimum wages, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

“People shouldn’t be working full-time and still have to be on public assistance programs,” said state Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller, who also attended the pay equity event at Elementary Coffee. “They should be able to afford housing and food and basic necessities.”

Advocates like Kim dream of seeing a $15 minimum wage.

While some businesses may struggle to increase wages, Kim sees it as a long-term investment. Small businesses can expect better employee retention with higher pay, she said.

Kim acknowledged that some job losses may result from an increased minimum wage. About 33,000 people will lose their jobs in Pennsylvania, she explained, but some 1 million people can expect pay a raise.

“We have to pick and choose our battles,” she said. “In the long run, it will be beneficial.”

The long run is exactly what Elementary has in mind as they look forward to opening a second location at 256 North St., Harrisburg, in July. Grove explained that, as workers take on full-time roles, Elementary will raise their wages yet again. They are also looking into providing health care coverage for employees.

Grove recognized that it takes time to gain enough stability to pay above minimum wage.

“It comes in steps,” she said. “One step at a time.”

Or, perhaps, one cup of coffee at a time.

Harrisburg Needs: A lot has been accomplished over the past decade. Let’s build on that.

March 29, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Illustration by Rich Hauck

Back on a chilly weeknight in mid-February, I sat among a few hundred others at the annual meeting of Harrisburg Young Professionals.

TheBurg was there in force because we had been nominated for one of HYP’s annual awards—namely, the “community engagement” award.

I bring this up neither to boast nor complain (we didn’t win) but because of what I saw around me.

Sitting in the auditorium of the State Museum, I felt delightfully ensconced in a type of ad hoc club—one that I definitely wanted to be a member of (sorry, Groucho).

I had tremendous respect for the people surrounding me because they’d accomplished so much.

Blake Lynch, who’s made it his mission to improve outreach between the community and the city’s police bureau, was in our category. So were the good people from Friends of Midtown, led by Annie and Andy Hughes, who spent two years organizing, raising funds for and building Harrisburg’s first public dog park.

Sitting right in front of me was Meghan Jones, co-founder of the HBG Flea, and, right in front of her, the young folks who organized HUE Fest, Harrisburg University’s block party and e-sports tourney. Off to the right sat Sara Bozich and her contingent from Harrisburg Beer Week, an event-rich celebration of local craft beer, and, in front of her, Andrea Grove and the people of Elementary Coffee Co.

All were nominees for various community and business awards.

Then, on the stage was keynote speaker Amma Johnson of the AMMA JO boutique and new HYP President Adam Porter, who has co-founded two city businesses, st@rtup Harrisburg and Provisions grocery store.

And sitting right next to me was TheBurg’s own Megan Caruso, a 2018 HYP award-winner for co-founding the Harrisburg Mural Festival.

Wow, what a group!

In recent years, these folks have helped transform Harrisburg with new events, new products, new businesses and a new energy. When TheBurg began, 10 years ago, none of this existed.

And 2019 promises more of the same. At least four Broad Street Market food vendors are expanding to storefronts on or near 3rd Street (Knead, Urban Churn, Elementary Coffee and Radish & Rye), and another HBG Mural Festival will paint the town for 10 days starting in late August.

But all this has at least one guy (me) wondering—what comes next? What other great ideas are out there? Harrisburg has come a long way in a short time, but there is still much to do to complete this city’s transformation from post-industrial poster child to shining city on a river (this time, apologies to Ronald Reagan).

When people talk to me about what Harrisburg most needs, the conversation often turns to better schools and more and better housing. I agree. However, those two issues seem so large, the problems so overwhelming, that they can be a formula for inaction. Since we, as individuals, can’t seem to do much about these, why not just crack open another beer and watch more “Judge Judy?”

No.

Individual action is exactly what’s needed. America’s cities have improved largely due to the cumulative effect of countless small actions by ordinary citizens, just like we’ve already seen here. And, just like in Harrisburg, many of these cities, unfortunately, still have huge housing problems and underperforming schools.

I’ll start the conversation.

Harrisburg needs retail. Duh, right? In Harrisburg’s hierarchy of needs, more and better retail often ranks right up there behind better schools and housing. Retail is a tough nut, but, heck, I’m a guy who started a print magazine—I never said it would be easy. Looking at other cities, specialty shops and boutiques seem to be the type of retail that can work in an urban environment, though stores typically need to be concentrated to create critical mass in an attractive, walk-able area.

Harrisburg needs community assets. The dog park is a perfect example of a community asset that people long said was needed—and then a few intrepid pooch-lovers made it happen. A farmers market on Allison Hill could be another great community project, and Riverside desperately needs a gathering place, such as a café. Speaking of gathering places, I would love for the city to do something useful with its warren of desolate alleys downtown. Many cities have created vibrant pedestrian zones, event spaces and shopping areas from underused, well-located alleys, just like those around 2nd Street.

Harrisburg needs attractions. The city can’t afford grand building projects, such as museums, nor would I ever suggest one. But smaller attractions (the HBG Flea, Beer Week, Mural Fest) have proven to be big winners. How about a multi-weekend Christmas market on City Island, more food-focused events or better, more frequent use of the plaza at the Broad Street Market? The state could even throw us a bone by opening up the old Archives building (once emptied) as an observation tower or encouraging better use of the vast, empty plaza behind the State Museum—talk about an underused asset.

Harrisburg needs people. Most of all, Harrisburg needs people. It needs more people to live here, visit here, shop here—bringing their checkbooks with them. This situation has improved immensely from 10 years back, when I often felt that I was the only person walking down 3rd street. Still, city businesses would benefit greatly from more foot traffic and more customers.

I would like to close out this column with a disclaimer. Naturally, these ideas are mine alone, a little spit-balling exercise to get the discussion started. What are yours? I would love to know. And, most importantly—like Amma and Annie and Meghan and Adam—are you ready to make them happen?

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

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