Forster Street in Harrisburg
Advisory Committee Amendments Pass
A proposed Harrisburg police advisory committee inched closer to a final vote last month, after several amendments to the bill were passed by City Council.
Most significantly, council approved a change giving administrative subpoena power to the committee, something that many community members asked for repeatedly at town hall and council meetings.
In addition, the statement of general intent of the bill was amended to better communicate the board’s role in exercising accountability over the Harrisburg Police Bureau rather than serving as a liaison between the police and community.
Council member Ausha Green also proposed removing the police commissioner and the chair of council’s public safety committee as non-voting members of the board. They would be replaced with two voting members from the city at large. The nine committee members would serve three-year terms, she added. Both of these amendments passed.
Council voted in favor of requiring that all board members undergo orientation by the city’s law bureau within six months of their appointment. The bill previously required members to be trained at the city’s police academy and complete a police ride-along.
Among other amendments was one to encourage police compliance with requests from the advisory committee for information. If the police bureau doesn’t provide the information within 14 days of a request for information—or if the response is deemed unsatisfactory—the board can recommend that City Council suspend funding for hiring new officers.
Council ended up taking no action on another proposal, changing the name of the body from an “advisory committee” to a “review board.” City Solicitor Neil Grover said that Harrisburg doesn’t have the authority to create a review board under state legislation.
Improvements for Forster Street
Pedestrian-friendly changes are afoot for Forster Street, as the city announced that it will receive a federal grant to remake a stretch of the dangerous road.
Mayor Eric Papenfuse said the city will receive $832,437 to reduce the width of Forster Street between the Harvey Taylor Bridge and N. 2nd Street, among other changes.
He said that the Harrisburg Area Transportation Study (HATS), a regional transportation planning body, voted to fund the project construction, which will take place next year.
The actual cost of the project is nearly $1.1 million. In its 2021 budget, the city will provide its 20-percent match of $245,818 by taking on the pre-construction design and inspection process, Papenfuse said.
“There will be a reduction in the amount of distance in which pedestrians have to go in crossing the street,” he said.
Besides narrowing the road, the project will create new pedestrian crossings, replace curbs, build bump-outs and install landscaping.
The city applied in June for the money, which originates with federal Department of Transportation funds. At the time, city Engineer Wayne Martin said he was optimistic about receiving the grant because prior HATS studies already had identified the area as currently unsafe for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. It also is a regional connector between the city and suburbs, as well as a major commuter route.
According to city data, the Front and Forster area is the most dangerous roadway in Harrisburg, with 47 vehicle crashes recorded between 2015 and 2018 within 250 feet of the intersection.
Earlier this year, the city received word that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation had agreed to substantial improvements to another dangerous commuter route—State Street on Allison Hill.
“Both of those projects are now going to be able to move to construction,” Papenfuse said. “Indeed, we’ll have construction completed in 2021.”
These projects both align with the city’s “Vision Zero” program to eliminate pedestrian fatalities.
In addition, the city plans to begin work in the spring on returning N. 2nd Street to two-way traffic between Forster and Division streets, as well as work to improve N. 7th Street. Both of those projects should extend into 2022.
“There’s going to be a lot of Harrisburg under construction for sure next year in 2021,” Papenfuse said.
Greenhouse Plans Advance
The Reservoir Park Greenhouse Project continues to blossom in Harrisburg, as the working group steering the restoration seeks community input and participation.
Last month, members of the project held a town hall to discuss plans for the greenhouse and to update the public.
“We want to make sure we are doing things that people in the city agree with,” said Christopher Nafe, the city’s sustainability manager.
The project includes the restoration of a 1,500-square-foot greenhouse built in 1929 and about a half-acre of garden space surrounding it. This area on the south side of Reservoir Park sits just off Whitehall Street.
The Reservoir Park Greenhouse Project is an initiative of the Harrisburg Parks Foundation, a project of the Foundation for Enhancing Communities. They are working to make it function again, after it sat idle for 20 years.
“A lot of people are excited to see something being done,” said Rafiyqa Muhammad, a member of the City’s Environmental Advisory Council and the owner of Sustainable Human Environment, who has been a member of the greenhouse renovation working group since its inception. “It’s an educational site, and we will always learn something when we come up there.”
Muhammad said the gardens and greenhouse will provide access to healthy fruits and vegetables for residents in the surrounding Allison Hill community, as well as teach them how to grow their own food.
“The Black community really deserves a state-of-the-art greenhouse,” she said.
The project will focus on landscaping, preparing garden beds and planting seeds first, with work on the greenhouse to follow, Muhammad explained. Eventually, the group hopes to renovate the Brownstone Building near the greenhouse for use as a food demonstration kitchen, Nafe said.
Homegrown Harrisburg Community Gardens Network, Tri-County Community Action, Messiah University Center for Sustainability, Harrisburg Young Professionals of Color, Sustainable Human Environment, LLC, and Harrisburg Urban Growers are some of the organizations in the Greenhouse Working Group.
Funds for the project are already coming in through private donors like the Whitt Family Foundation, which has given $50,000, and the Rotary Club of Harrisburg, which donated $5,000.
Nafe said they are looking into applying for grants, as well. They have already received a $25,000 “Better Food, Better Access, Better Together” grant from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.
While planting won’t begin until spring, Muhammad and Nafe said that they will be hosting community workshops on topics like composting.
Urban Meadow Expansion Eyed
A strip of green space in Midtown Harrisburg would be lengthened under a plan to extend the “Urban Meadow” to the new federal courthouse area.
City Council recently approved a resolution allowing the submission of a grant application for up to $3 million to the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s Multimodal Transportation Fund Program.
If the grant is received, half of the funds would go to the Urban Meadow extension construction and the other half to area streetscape improvements. The project also includes adding about 50 angled parking spaces on Reily Street between Logan and Fulton streets.
A Dauphin County gaming grant already has fully paid for about $75,000 worth of design fees for the project.
The current Urban Meadow runs along Boyd Street from N. 3rd to Fulton Street. The new project would extend pavers from Fulton to N. 6th Street, said city Engineer Wayne Martin.
“As the name indicates, it is kind of an oasis in the city,” said Harrisburg project manager Ambrose Buck.
The path extension would be a dedicated pedestrian and bicycle route, including lighting and landscaping. It would connect the federal courthouse currently under construction on N. 6th Street to the Midtown area, Martin said.
He said that, with the forthcoming courthouse requiring about 400 to 800 parking spaces, the city is looking to increase transportation options.
“The goal is economic development through multimodal transportation,” he said.
If the grant is received, construction on the Urban Meadow is expected for early 2021, Martin said.
Harrisburg also plans to add sidewalks and new bus stops on N. 6th Street by the courthouse.
New Hires for Fire Bureau
The Harrisburg Fire Bureau last month swore in new firefighters, setting a record high for the number of personnel in over a decade, Chief Brian Enterline said.
At the bureau’s virtual 2020 Awards Ceremony, 10 new hires joined the ranks, bringing the total number of officers in the bureau to 88.
“That represents the real, true growth for the Harrisburg Fire Bureau,” Mayor Eric Papenfuse said. “We have brought this bureau back, and now we are growing again.”
The new firefighters include Timothy Wolcott, Nicholas Hurst, Austin Howard, Nathaniel Barbolish, Brayden Byers, Jared Day, Justin Barnes, Cody Durham, Joseph Kuhn and Conner Davis.
Hurst, Kuhn and Wolcott previously served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The 10 new firefighters underwent much of their training through online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Enterline said.
“They remained committed and flexible even though that may not have been a popular choice on any given day,” he said.
“Reverse” Holiday Parade Planned
Harrisburg last month announced big changes to its annual Holiday Parade. The show will still go on, just in reverse.
In this year’s format, participants in the parade will remain stationary, while spectators will drive by in their vehicles to watch. It also will take place on City Island, as opposed to the streets of downtown.
“We wanted to do something where we could still keep the holiday spirit alive for the community, but in a safe way,” said Megan Roby, marketing and events manager for Harrisburg.
Although it’s a different format, Roby said there will still be decorated floats, candy and, of course, Santa. The parade takes place Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. People must arrive before noon to participate in the drive-through.
In place of the typical candy tossed for children, the first 150 cars will receive free goodie bags at the end of the parade route.
Roby expects around 40 to 50 entrants in the parade. There will be something fun around each turn on the route, she said.
The event is free to the public, and spectators are also encouraged to join the fun by decorating their cars.
The theme of the parade is “Hometown Holiday,” inspired by the months of quarantining and staying at home, Roby said.
Entrants will receive scores from a panel of local celebrity judges, with the highest score winning a $100 Amazon gift card.
The Reverse Holiday Parade is sponsored by Visit Hershey & Harrisburg, Explore HBG and the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District.
Home Sales, Prices Rise
Home sales and prices rose strongly in the Harrisburg area in September, continuing a months-long trend.
For the three-county capital region, residential sales shot up to 799 units compared to 672 units in September 2019, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR). The median sales price also increased substantially—to $200,000 from $180,000 last year, GHAR said.
In Dauphin County, sales totaled 373 units in September versus 333 in the year-ago period, while the median price rose to $178,000 from $166,000, according to GHAR.
Cumberland County saw sales of 376 homes compared to 309 last year, as the median price increased to $226,250 from $209,950. In Perry County, 50 houses sold last month versus 30 in September 2019, as the median price jumped to $180,000 from $149,900, GHAR said.
Meanwhile, houses took an average of 33 days to sell, compared to 44 for the prior September, according to GHAR.
In the Harrisburg area, home sales data has been strong nearly every month since pandemic-related restrictions were lifted on the industry in late spring.
So Noted
Civic Club of Harrisburg last month received the 2020 Stewardship Award from Preservation Pennsylvania for its century-long history of community work and its efforts to preserve “Overlook,” the Civic Club’s stately home on the Susquehanna River.
Dyan McAlister has been named chief financial officer of Dillsburg-based Presbyterian Senior Living. McAlister has been with the not-for-profit since 1998, most recently serving as vice president of finance. She replaces Jeff Davis, who retired last month.
Good Brotha’s Book Café expects to open this month along the 1400-block of N. 3rd Street in Midtown Harrisburg. The café will be the second recent business venture for owner Stefan Hawkins, along with his fiancé Laquana Barber, the first being the House of Vegans restaurant directly across the street.
Harrisburg last month announced it had received a $70,000 grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help the health office enhance its operations. The funds will be used to increase the number and types of food establishment inspections and help provide safe, healthy and affordable food in the community, according to the city.
M&T Bank last month named Nora Habig as president of its central and western Pennsylvania region, which includes 10 counties from Dauphin through Allegheny. Habig, a Carlisle resident, has been with the bank since 1990. She replaces Stephen A. Foreman, who retired earlier in the month.
R.G. Hummer Quality Meats opened last month in the West Shore Farmers Market in Lemoyne. It’s the second location for fifth-generation butcher Ryan Hummer, who will retain his longstanding stand inside the brick building of the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg.
UPMC Pinnacle, along with the Peyton Walker Foundation, last month donated 18 automated external defibrillators to the Harrisburg Police Bureau. The units, valued at about $40,500, are designed to help save the lives of people suffering sudden cardiac arrest.
UPMC Pinnacle Harrisburg is slated to open its comprehensive inpatient pediatric unit this month. The unit is a 26-bed unit, including 11 new, private rooms, with each new room designed for universal use, meaning children stay in one room throughout their hospital stay.
Changing Hands
Adrian St., 2418: R. Ivey to H. Brown, $30,000
Allison St., 1505: M. Turner to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $40,000
Bellevue Rd., 1907: D. Boyle to C. & M. Diaz, $30,000
Bellevue Rd., 2306 & 2318: M. Kerrigan to J. Winand & T. Walton, $295,000
Benton St., 543: L. Shoffner & T. Samsel to V. Towindo, $84,900
Berryhill St., 1212: S. Little to Parcview 135 Corp., $35,000
Berryhill St., 2140: PA Deals LLC to A. Matthews, $76,900
Berryhill St., 2144: H. Alcantara & M. Wilson to M. de Munoz, $71,500
Berryhill St., 2330: C. Zheng to J. Solis Corps, $75,000
Boas St., 215: J. Barnaby to L. Davis, $90,000
Boas St., 426: N. Spence to Z. & M. Zook, $190,000
Brookwood St., 2433: M. Osevala to A. Hanson, $65,000
Camp St., 525: J. & D. Carroll to A. Rashid, $45,000
Camp St., 535: E. Prunty to Easymyth Real Estate Developments LLC, $40,000
Chestnut St., 1846: R. Wagner & T. Christopher to Dreams2Reality Services LLC, $30,000
Conoy St., 108: D. Noll to D. Wendling Jr., $156,000
Cumberland St., 256: A. & L. Kanagy to S. & J. Toole, $105,000
Derry St., 1248: M. Murphy to Jackson Investment Properties LLC, $37,200
Derry St., 2143: 4880 East Prospect LLC to J. & D. Holland, $55,000
Emerald Ct., 2456: PA Deals LLC to J. Seelbinder, $114,900
Emerald St., 214: K. Petroski to J. Maneri, $90,172
Emerald St., 216: R. Jones & A. Hohnson to J. Knesis, $106,000
Emerald St., 245: D. & C. Aquino to SPG Capital LLC, $42,000
Fulton St., 1621: J. & C. Mondschean to R. & F. Hamid, $132,000
Girard St., 739: H. Hughes to M. & T. Fickett, $80,000
Green St., 1108 & 228 Herr St.: C. Peguese & D. Hoffman to L. Mills Jr., $312,000
Green St., 1309: L. Oberly to E. Hower & R. Musarra, $129,300
Green St., 1509: A. & K. Tyson to W. Hughes & I. Wright, $172,500
Green St., 1518: J. Bowser to M. Pfautz, $130,000
Green St., 1709: Mussani & Co. LP to Fratelli Property Investments LLC, $115,000
Green St., 1828: W. Peffley Jr. to M. Vaccarella, $80,000
Harris St., 342: D. Shelley to N. Dreikorn, $139,900
Hoffman St., 3130: R. Louer to Equity Trust Co., $36,000
Holly St., 2017: Y. Patterson to V. Belliard & L. Quintanilla, $40,000
Hummel St., 357: J. Vogelsong to C&P Property Management Inc., $37,000
James St., 1329: J. & M. Walker to V. Paredes, $30,000
Jefferson St., 2720: RJ IBA LLC to S. & T. Jefferson, $62,500
Kelker St., 622: C. Moon to A. Bakare & A. Allen, $65,000
Kensington St., 2238: J. & A. Sullivan to N. Matthews, $45,500
Kensington St., 2248: J. & A. Sullivan to N. Matthews, $45,500
Lexington St., 2754: L. Hammer to A. Kohl, $80,000
Lewis St., 235: G. & C. Williams to D. Borowsky, $195,500
Logan St., 1619: C. Grim to W. McKelvey, $125,000
Logan St., 1713: C. Enright to J. George, $139,000
Logan St., 2226: CR Property Group LLC to PA Property Rental LLC, $105,000
Market St., 1021: S. Pearlman to Great Scott Productions LLC, $425,000
Market St., 1907: KBH Properties LLC to J. Alvarado, $60,000
Moore St., 2113: Blue Door Management LLC to J. Mercedes, $70,000
Muench St., 271: C. Halpert to C. & S. Roe, $120,100
Mulberry St., 1807: G. & A. Rucker to R. Bobb, $90,000
N. 2nd St., 1301: H. Rothrock to E. Rothrock, $131,000
N. 2nd St., 2615: E. Smith & H. Williams to B. Clark, $213,900
N. 2nd St., 2727: W. Stabler to J. Jayamohan, $256,000
N. 2nd St., 3108: B. Lock to N. & D. Leppo, $219,500
N. 3rd St., 1014: O’Sullivan Realty to Kaysay Management LLC, $675,000
N. 3rd St., 1111: M. Bernas to S. Goodyear, $148,000
N. 3rd St., 1126: BCG Holdings LLC to WCI Partners LP, $582,450
N. 3rd St., 1200: Keuka LLC to WCI Partners LP, $1,182,550
N. 3rd St., 1617: T. & J. Hoy to PDI Properties LLC, $150,000
N. 3rd St., 2011: M. Goldberg to S. & K. Weinstock, $300,000
N. 4th St., 1410: Next Level Opportunity to A. Grant, $105,200
N. 4th St., 2430: T. Brown & M. Cvetko to E. Rodriguez, $67,000
N. 6th St., 2712: Goldstein Couriers LLC to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $52,500
N. 6th St., 3205 & 3209: SBN LLC to SMNHAS 1 LLC, $375,000
N. 14th St., 1305 & 1309 and 1311 Augusta St.: A. & A. McBarnett to J. & J. Stalker, $90,000
N. 15th St., 238: D. Whittaker to Dima Properties LLC, $47,000
N. 15th St., 1120: D. & D. Costanza to Top Notch Rentals LLC, $50,000
N. 15th St., 1609: T. & D. Yuncker to Top Notch Rentals LLC, $51,000
N. 16th St., 911: S. Sprinkle to Y. Alvarez, $102,000
N. 16th St., 1219: J. Cruz to C. Harvey, $109,900
N. 16th St., 1221: J. Alvarado to A. & M. Sattar, $105,000
N. 18th St., 64: A. Greenwood to HBK Properties 1 LLC, $53,000
N. Front St., 17: Harrisburg Building & Grounds Co. to State Street Holdings LLC, $895,000
N. Front St., 1525, unit 609: C. Yastishock to D. Lucas & S. Stinson, $185,000
Parkway Blvd., 2437: K. Davis & K. Prowell to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $60,000
Peffer St., 415: L. Blanton to S. & H. Westhafer, $84,000
Penn St., 1818: C. Schroll to A. Mione, $115,000
Penn St., 2113: Green Mosca Associates LLC to Gold Key Properties LLC, $48,000
Penn St., 2149: Three Dog Properties LLC to M. Spicher, $60,000
Race St., 604: A. Heinzel to K. Konkle, $170,000
Reel St., 2447: G. Henein & A. Habeeb to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $55,000
Rolleston St., 1244: P. Phillips to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC, $52,000
Rumson Dr., 290: M. & C. Parker and M. Richardson to T. & W. Baka, $63,000
Rumson Dr., 331: L. Taleb to J. Crespo, $99,501
Schuykill St., 331: Scarn LLC to Pork Chop Properties LLC, $139,500
S. 2nd St., 300: M. Trucco to B. Bose, $149,900
S. 13th St., 14: B. Crews to A. Hallagher & C. Barr, $71,000
S. 13th St., 441: C. Keyes to Shutter Real Estate LLC, $40,000
S. 13th St., 1462: L. Jack to C. & C. Abukari, $41,000
S. 15th St., 441: E. Prunty to RRMMM Real Estate LLC, $41,000
S. 17th St., 137: WH RE LLC to 137 South 17th Street LLC, $230,000
S. 19th St., H. & C. Thompson to J. Serrano, $90,000
S. 19th St., 1200: C. & J. Scott to M. Martinez, $105,000
S. 21st St., 738: D&L Development Group Inc. to J. & F. Cervantes, $61,000
S. 25th St., 614: L. Phuong to Landmark Holdings Group LLC, $43,000
S. 25th St., 640: D. Hoffman & J. Regalado to L. Stewart, $64,400
S. Front St., 623: G. Schwab to A. Yockin, $148,000
S. Front St., 703: H. Jones & T. Imslwiler to J. Barnaby, $165,000
State St., 217: D. & J. Ragland to 217 State Street LLC, $195,000
State St., 1925: T. Keefer to J. & A. Camacho, $80,500
Susquehanna St., 1212: Integrity First Home Buyers LLC to J. Tanzer, $82,000
Verbeke St., 217: A. Ackley to E. Heath, $154,900
Verbeke St., 219: T. Park to H. & L. Stuckey, $219,000
Walnut St., 1814: CR Property Group LLC to J. Meredith, $104,995
Walnut St., 1822: S. Jackson to E. Morales & A. Ayala, $48,000
Washington St., 105: PinnacleHealth System to BD Property Management LLC, $116,000
Yale St., 220: G. Domon to A. Gutierrez, $49,000
Harrisburg property sales for September 2020, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.
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