Tag Archives: Harrisburg City Council

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg.

September 20, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Stop signs were back in the news this week in Harrisburg.

Harrisburg City Council held its first legislative session of the season, which offered a healthy chunk of city news this week. Find out what’s happening around town both inside and outside of city hall with our weekly news recap.

Artsfest will go on next year, as Harrisburg plans to take the three-day, arts-focused celebration in-house. The city plans to run the event after the former organizer, Jump Street, ceased operations. Check out how the city plans to make this happen.

CEO Charlotte Katzenmoyer is stressing Capital Region Water’s commitment to environmental action and progress. In a letter to the editor, she addresses criticisms leveled by an environmental nonprofit and defends a proposed stormwater fee. Read her entire letter here.

Harrisburg will interview at least two companies that may be interested in acquiring the city’s water/sewer system. Mayor Eric Papenfuse stressed that this was a preliminary step and did not mean that the city will definitely sell the asset. Read the story here.

Harrisburg Area Roller Derby (HARD) is more than a sports team. Sure, these women love the sport, but they also have forged close personal connections that belie the stereotype of roller derby. Our feature story offers insight into the team and some of the players.

Harrisburg University this weekend hosts the HUE Invitational, its second annual e-sports tournament. Teams from around the country will compete for cash prizes and honors in three video games. Learn what this is all about.

Harrisburg’s Urban Meadow may get extended, as the city has applied for a state grant to fund the project. If built, the walkway extension would run to N. 6^th Street, near the new federal courthouse. Read the details here.

Julissa Morales is just 16 years old, but already a veteran activist, especially in defense of immigrant issues and rights. Our feature story tells you about this impressive young Harrisburg resident.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that his administration would retain two of the four stop signs along N. 3^rd Street that had been targeted for removal. Eventually, Harrisburg City Council will make the final decision on whether to retain or remove the signs. Find out more about the decision here.

Nate Foster is likely a familiar face if you’ve attended a class at the Art Association of Harrisburg in recent years. He teaches illustration, and our fine arts writer offers a short profile of the man beneath the cap.

Rodrigo y Gabriela, a world-renowned acoustic duo, is making a stop in town as part of Harrisburg University’s music series. Find out how to attend the show here.

Sara Bozich has the cure for the boring blues, with more than 100 things to do this weekend. See what’s on her agenda by visiting her weekly blog of events in and around Harrisburg.

Simplicity is the theme of month for our food columnist, Rosemary. That philosophy has taken her to dishes that are short on time, but big on flavor. Read what’s cooking in Rosemary’s kitchen.

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

Walk This Way: Harrisburg hopes to extend “urban meadow” to new courthouse area

September 19, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

The urban meadow in Midtown Harrisburg

Harrisburg hopes to extend an existing walkway by two blocks, offering a landscaped pedestrian link between the new federal courthouse and the heart of Midtown Harrisburg.

The city has applied for a $75,430 grant to PA WalkWorks, a program of the state Department of Health, to extend the “urban meadow” to N. 6^th Street from its current terminus at Fulton Street.

“With the courthouse being built, we would like to see this extension,” confirmed Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

About a decade ago, three blocks of Boyd Street, from N. 3^rd to Fulton streets, were transformed from a street alley into a pleasant walkway and bike path with the installation of pavers and native plants.

The project was part of a larger master plan to revitalize the area. In the early 2000s, the city acquired and cleared several blocks of blighted houses and commercial buildings along the 300- and 400-blocks of Reily Street.

The Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority eventually sold these blocks to GreenWorks Development and HACC, and they’re now surface parking lots. Recently, GreenWorks received a $2 million state grant to help fund a $26 million, 135-unit apartment and retail building planned for the 300-block of Reily.

The current urban meadow runs in back of these parcels.

Harrisburg wants to extend the urban meadow from its current terminus at Fulton Street (seen here) up Boyd Street to N. 6th Street, where a construction crane for the new federal courthouse can be seen in the background.

If received, the grant would pay for design work for the two-block extension up Boyd Street to N. 6^th Street, making the walkway nearly ¼-mile in total. Papenfuse said the city also is applying for a Dauphin County gaming grant, which would help fund the remainder of the project, including construction.

City Council must ratify the application to PA WalkWorks, though the city has already submitted the application in order to meet an Aug. 30 deadline.

Harrisburg plans to organize, run Artsfest for 2020 event

September 18, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

A colorful scene at Artsfest this past May

When Jump Street announced it was shutting down, many Harrisburg residents wondered who would run the city’s beloved Artsfest celebration.

Now we know, as the city has opted to take the event in-house.

For 2020, Megan Roby, the city’s director of special events, will take the lead in organizing Artsfest, the long-running, three-day, arts-focused celebration along the city waterfront, said Mayor Eric Papenfuse.

“The city is taking on Artsfest for next year because no one else has stepped up,” he said.

Artsfest takes place in Riverfront Park each Memorial Day weekend, attracting more than 200 art exhibitors and vendors, as well as thousands of visitors. Several years ago, the nonprofit arts group, Jump Street, took over the event from long-time organizer, the Greater Harrisburg Arts Council. However, Jump Street now is dissolving.

Papenfuse said that adopting Artsfest, in its 53rd year, wasn’t his preferred option, but that he feared that the event wouldn’t happen otherwise.

“We can’t let Artsfest disappear,” he said. “It’s too valuable to the city.”

For one year, the city hopes to hire Melissa Snyder, the long-time executive director of Jump Street, as a consultant. To that end, City Council introduced a resolution on Tuesday night that, if approved, would pay Snyder $10,000 to help transition the event from Jump Street to the city. That amount breaks down to $50 per hour for an expected 200 hours of work.

“It’s a small consulting contract so that we have the institutional knowledge we need,” Papenfuse said.

Council is expected to discuss the resolution at a future work session before voting on the contract.

Papenfuse estimates the total cost of Artsfest to be about $100,000. In the end, he expects the city to break even from sponsorships and other event revenue.

The city already organizes the two other big summer events in Riverfront Park—the July 4 Food Truck Festival & Fireworks and the three-day Kipona festival over Labor Day. It also puts on such events as the Fire & Ice Festival in March, the holiday parade in November and the downtown New Year’s Eve celebration.

Harrisburg mayor says at least 2 companies express interest in water/sewer system

September 17, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

The Susquehanna River at Harrisburg

Harrisburg has received interest from at least two companies that have responded to a request for information, as the city ponders privatizing its water and sewer system.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse on Tuesday night said that, as of last week, two companies, which he declined to name, had responded to the city’s notice, meant to gauge possible interest in purchasing the system.

Interviews with those companies—and any others that met the Sept. 16 deadline—now will be scheduled, he said.

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Papenfuse reiterated that this step was preliminary and that no decision had been reached on whether to privatize the system, which serves 20,300 water customers and a 17,000-connection wastewater system.

“We’re just in information-gathering, due diligence mode,” he said. “We’re not recommending or even close to recommending that we should explore the path to a sale. If that’s the path we go on, we would have many public meetings. It’s not even close to that time.”

Papenfuse added that he invited officials with the city’s current municipal utility, Capital Region Water, to sit in on the interviews. He said he wasn’t certain if they had decided to attend.

As in other recent meetings, several council members reacted skeptically to the possibility of privatizing the water/sewer system.

“I still have a lot of faith in the job that Capital Region Water is doing and concerns over a sale,” said Councilman Westburn Majors.

Recently, Harrisburg and CRW have taken heat over a report by a Washington, D.C.-based organization called the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), which said it measured E.coli bacteria levels in the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg that exceeded the level believed to be safe by as much as 10 times.

The likely culprit, it said, is the city’s combined sewer system, which often exceeds capacity and dumps raw sewage into the river during rainstorms.

“I’m committed to getting us a plan that works for cleaning up the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay,” Papenfuse said.

For its part, CRW today stated that some of the elevated levels measured by EIP are unlikely to originate from its sewage system, especially the reading at City Island. EIP recorded the highest E.coli levels at City Island beach, which, CRW said, is out of reach of the wastewater that flows from its Harrisburg pipes.

“There is little correlation between bacteria concentrations at City Island, rainfall events, and combined sewer overflow (CSO) activity within Capital Region Water’s service territory,” according to CRW. “The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) assessment of Susquehanna River water quality, summarized in the 2016 Pennsylvania Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report, concludes that the shallow and wide physical characteristics of the Susquehanna River in the vicinity of Harrisburg limit mixing across the river.”

CRW is currently under a partial consent decree with the federal Environmental Protection Agency to fix the combined flow problem, which is common in cities with old sewer infrastructure. CRW expects to spend some $315 million over the next two decades to address it.

“As we all know, this is [the result of] decades of neglect to the infrastructure,” Majors said.

Papenfuse also has been critical of CRW for its proposed stormwater fee, which would pay for some of the infrastructure fixes, and other issues, such as the long-delayed Front Street interceptor project.

These issues, in part, led to the exploration of a sale, he said.

Papenfuse added that he would hold public meetings if the city continues to consider selling the system. He also said that he’d like to hold a public meeting on the proposed stormwater fee, which CRW wants to implement beginning Jan.1.

“I would strongly support a public meeting to discuss the stormwater fee and other issues,” Papenfuse said. “I think it would be appropriate for council to organize one. It’s a very important and complicated conversation. I’m all for it.”

CRW today said it “is receptive” to a city-arranged meeting on the wastewater fee. It already has been holding numerous meetings around Harrisburg to explain its position to residents.

Click here to read the report, “Sewage Overflows in Pennsylvania’s Capital,” from the Environmental Integrity Project.

This story has been updated to include responses from Capital Region Water.

August News Digest

August 30, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg Changes Funds Process

Harrisburg agreed last month to switch up the process of how it distributes its annual allocation of federal housing funds.

City Council unanimously passed ordinances that will substantially change how nonprofit organizations apply for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.

Previously, community groups—called “sub-recipients”—applied for grants that were individually approved by council.

Now, the sub-recipients will have to respond to a “request for proposals” that is being issued by the city. All interested applicants then will have to attend a mandatory workshop on Sept. 10 at the city Public Works building and submit their final applications by Sept. 20.

Moreover, organizations will have to apply from two separate funding buckets.

Of the $1.94 million in total CDBG funding, the city is setting aside $100,000 for “public service activities,” which includes most programming activities. It then has allocated another $407,261 for “public improvement/public facilities,” which includes most facility and building projects.

In the past, funds for these activities had been combined into a single application process and source of funds. However, HUD recently instructed the city to separate operational projects from infrastructure projects.

“The primary reason for this change is so we can get those dollars separated properly,” said Franchon Dickinson, director of the city’s Building and Housing Department. “Nonprofits can apply for both public services and public facilities dollars, but have to apply separately.”

The city will favor applications that show that a service is new or has demonstrated a quantifiable increase in a level of service over the last 12 months, said Dickinson. In addition, she said that HUD prefers to fund senior enrichment programs or programs geared towards special needs populations.

Dickinson said that a scoring matrix will be used to judge applications and determine who will receive funding. City Council then will approve the contracts with the sub-recipients, said city Business Administrator Marc Woolley.

Other CDBG allotments included:

$593,423 for debt service, as the city continues to pay down a federal loan it guaranteed under former Mayor Steve Reed for the disastrous Capitol View Commerce Center project
$387,670 for grant administration
$250,000 for homeowner rehabilitation
$200,000 for emergency demolition

Dickinson said that the city is now conducting a reconciliation of disbursals in recent years, matching allocations with expenditures. It’s possible, she said, that additional funds could be available following the results of that reconciliation.

Residents Criticize Proposed Water System Sale

Harrisburg City Council is considering holding one or more meetings on the proposed privatization of the city’s water and sewer system.

Last month, council President Wanda Williams told a crowd attending a legislative session that she planned to schedule public meetings on the city’s proposal to sell the system to a private operator.

“We probably won’t just have one meeting,” she said. “We’ll probably have two or three.”

Her statement came following numerous public comments criticizing the proposed sale.

Harrisburg is currently asking qualified, private entities to respond to a “request for information” (RFI) to gauge interest in acquiring the system. Companies have until Sept. 16 to submit responses, with interviews slated for the following week.

At the council meeting, about a half-dozen residents spoke, uniformly saying that they opposed privatizing the water/sewer system, which would eliminate the current operator, the municipal authority Capital Region Water (CRW).

“I just wanted to speak out early and often against the idea of privatizing the city water authority, with the understanding that this is the first step to that potential process,” said one Green Street resident. “I’m categorically against the idea of privatizing the water authority.”

Both city Engineer Wayne Martin and Business Administrator Marc Woolley told council members that the request for information was a preliminary step and did not mean that city has decided to privatize the system.

“The information that we’re gathering is just that—gathering information—about the water system and any potential disposition of assets,” Woolley said. “But we have not decided what we’re going to do.”

Stop Sign Removals Cause Concern

Should Harrisburg proceed with a plan to remove stop signs at two intersections on N. 3rd Street?

At two City Council meetings last month, numerous residents spoke out against the planned removal of signs at the corners of Boyd, Harris, Kelker and Emerald streets.

“There are multiple playgrounds there,” said 3rd Street resident Laura Harding. “I see kids running across the street every day, multiple times a day without checking both ways.”

Currently, the intersections stop traffic in all directions. The planned removals are only for 3rd Street. The stop signs halting traffic traveling on the side streets would remain.

Residents’ remarks echoed similar concerns voiced on local social media pages, and council members said residents also had contacted them.

In early August, residents began to notice a second sign attached to several stop sign poles, notifying people that the signs would be eliminated, prompting concerns about safety at those intersections.

Some social media posts also posited a theory that the sign removals were part of the planned conversion of much of N. 2nd Street to two-way traffic, presumably because traffic displaced from 2nd Street would flow faster along the 3rd Street corridor.

However, according to city Business Administrator Marc Woolley, that is not the case. He said that the decision to remove those stop signs was made back in 2016 when the final design for the 3rd Street multimodal project was approved and that it had nothing to do with 2nd Street.

The city, he said, decided that those stop signs would no longer be necessary because the 3rd Street redesign, which includes numerous bump-outs at intersections, would have enough of a calming effect on through-traffic. And that, he said, has happened.

“It was determined that these were overused stop signs,” he said. “The bump-outs did
work.”

At the second council meeting concerning the issue, council members said they were exploring ways to retain the stop signs.

HMAC Plans Improvements

The Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (H*MAC) has offered details of its newest phase of construction, which will include a basement dance club and a new restaurant concept.

Co-owner Chris Werner said that some construction has already begun to improve the 34,000-square-foot venue’s façade and roof, but that most work on the project will take place over the coming months.

“We’re really excited to finally complete this unique project, which has been in the works for decades, and serve it up the community for its enjoyment,” he said.

In May, Werner, along with co-owners Chuck London and Javier Diaz, bought the mixed-used entertainment and restaurant space and the business from owners Bartlett, Traynor & London LLC for $6 million. Last year, the prior owners declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which former co-owner John Traynor blamed partly on a social media firestorm aimed at the venue.

Werner said that the first major change will be renovations and rebranding at The Kitchen & Gallery Bar, which has been renamed The Green Room. He said that a Philadelphia-based restaurant consultant, JT Hearn, will lead a culinary team that will roll out a new food and drink menu that will focus on “innovative” and locally sourced items. In addition, the restaurant and bar space will include new furniture and décor.

The two existing entertainment spaces will also see significant changes, Werner said.

Stage on Herr, which was H*MAC’s original venue when it opened in 2009, will be redesigned and rebranded as Stage Right. The 350-person nightclub and gallery will feature a wider stage, stadium seating and sound system upgrades.

Upstairs, the Capitol Room will include a new balcony, two new bars and new bathrooms, as well as new green rooms and other amenities for performers, Werner said. Above that, H*MAC plans to finish the rooftop, building out a beer garden.

The most significant change will be in the basement, which was built as an indoor pool when H*MAC served as the Harrisburg Jewish Community Center then, later, as the Harrisburg Police Athletic League.

According to Werner, the pool room will be converted to a “psychedelic” dance club dubbed “The Deep End.” Artists will be able to create installations inside the pool area, viewable from holes above it.

“It will be a throwback to the days of dance clubs, while bringing the best of EDM and dance music to Harrisburg,” Werner said.

In late 2017, H*MAC received a $1 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant, which will finance much of the work, Werner said.

Broad Street Market Seeks “Friends”

Do you consider yourself a “friend” of the Broad Street Market?

If so, Josh Heilman wants to hear from you.

Heilman is the market’s new executive director, and, as one of his first major initiatives, he has launched a long-planned “Friends of the Market” program.

The new initiative allows residents to help the market through a yearly donation or by volunteering for certain events and activities. The goal of the program is to bring additional revenue to the Broad Street Market for renovations, events, merchandise and more.

“We’re looking to get monetary donations and volunteer time,” Heilman said. “The market kind of needs some work. So, we’re looking for some extra sources of revenue.”

The immediate donations are going toward two different projects: installation of banners that will surround the market and replacing the string roof lights on each building, which have been out for some 20 years.

Volunteers, also called “market ambassadors,” will be asked to help with landscaping, painting and any special events. According to Heilman, the market is planning to roll out a merchandise table by Christmas, which the volunteers will also help run. They’ll sell tote bags and eventually T-shirts and answer any questions people have about the market.

Members get an exclusive Broad Street Market tote bag, which serves as a member ID, access to special market events such as their upcoming barbeque in September, and discounts to certain stands in the market. Right now, Sweet 717 and R.G Hummer Meats & Cheese are offering 10 percent off to all members.

For more information on how you can become a “Friend of the Market,” visit broadstreetmarket.org/friends.

Sales Data Mixed

Home prices edged up, while the number of units sold dipped, according to July data from the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR).

GHAR reported that, for July, 694 housing units sold in Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties compared to 743 units in July 2018, while the median sales price rose slightly to $190,000 from $187,500.

In Dauphin County, the number of units sold was nearly flat at 335, as was the median sales price at almost $175,000. In Cumberland County, 330 units sold compared to 362 in the year-ago period, while the median price rose to $213,450 from $205,690 last year.

Perry County sales fell to 29 units versus 44 in July 2018. However, the median price rose to $164,000 compared to $156,450 a year earlier.

So Noted

Broad Street Market in Harrisburg has been named a “Great Public Space” by the PA Chapter of the American Planning Association. The association’s “Great Places” program also singled out Ligonier Diamond Park in Westmoreland County and Main Street Bethlehem for recognition.

Harrisburg School District started the 2019-20 academic year last month, the first under newly appointed district Receiver Dr. Janet Samuels and her recovery team. In an address to faculty and staff, Samuels pledged competence, kindness and a renewed focus on student academic achievement.

Harrisburg School District last month approved a resolution to re-start the nonrenewal process for Premier Arts and Science Charter School. In 2018, the previous administration started the process to deny the school a new charter, but never completed it. The current administration plans to begin public hearings “as soon as possible,” as a step to deny Premier another five-year charter.

Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra has initiated a national search for a new executive director after Jeff Woodruff announced his retirement. Woodruff plans to retire at the end of the 2019-20 season following 17 years at the helm of Harrisburg’s professional orchestra.

UPMC Pinnacle last month opened the doors of its new UPMC Memorial hospital at 1701 Innovation Dr. in west York. In so doing, it closed its former facility 325 S. Belmont St., York. The new hospital is a five-level, 102-bed facility. The 220,000-square-foot hospital provides acute and emergency medical care, maternity services, cardiology and vascular services, chronic disease management and surgical services.

Vintage Vault Gallery has opened at 300 Bridge St., New Cumberland, offering furniture, apparel and other items, with an emphasis on mid-century design. It’s the second location for owner David Morrison, who also runs the Vintage Vault Gallery in Middletown.

Wakeen Enterprise, a Harrisburg-based business consultancy and marketing company, last month announced the acquisition of Lancaster-based The Premise Studio. The acquisition will help Wakeen expand its creative and branding capabilities, according to the company.

Changing Hands

Bellevue Rd., 1932: Demara Properties LLC to C. Nsiah, $35,000

Berryhill St., 2242: G. & M. Toro to M. Giambanco & A. Lebron, $64,000

Boas St., 404: M. Riley to R. Stanley, $70,000

Briggs St., 1617: M. Lewis to Amos Financial LLC, $31,000

Crescent St., 302: Penn Home LLC to SG Homes of PA LLC, $30,000

Derry St., 1312: Keystone Community Development Corp. to E. Roberts LLC & I Am That I Am, $120,000

Derry St., 1531: Z. Mohammad to E. Cortes, $30,000

Derry St., 2428A: General Electrical SVC CO Inc. to 101 S. 17th Street LLC, $62,000

Derry St., 2811: Crist Holdings LLC to A. Banton, $75,000

Division St., 240: Stephen Weinberger Trustee & Bette Weinberger Trustee to J. & A. Jones, $200,000

Emerald St., 236: HHTP1 LLC to R. Picado, $64,900

Emerald St., 237: M. Fannie to M. Freeman, $35,000

Fulton St., 1939: Wells Fargo Bank NA to P. Sisemore & K. Hugo, $43,000

Green St., 1121: T. McLaughlin to S. Urban & R. Capellaro Jr., $128,500

Green St., 1415: D. Shreve to V. Schmidt, $132,000

Green St., 1607; C. Frater to Fratelli Property Investments LLC, $110,000

Green St., 1712: S. Jusufovic to M. Silver & H. Glaser, $220,000

Green St., 1900: J. Bovender & J. Van Horn to A. & S. Lowry, $203,000

Green St., 2012: T. & B. Alton to E. Lane, $159,000

Green St., 3116: S. Quigley to J. Laumer, $106,000

Greenwood St., 2516: KMM Development LLC to M. Smith, $105,000

Hamilton St., 334: Harrisburg Homes Investment LLC to PA Deals LLC, $67,500

Harris St., 234: Big Leaf Properties LLC to K. Rhett, $219,000

Hoffman St., 3225: L. Cappellano to S. Feltman & J. Beck, $129,900

Hummel St., 245: Tri County HDC LTD to J. Soberanis, $79,900

Jefferson St., 2662: Dobson Family Partnership to H. Rhodes, $69,900

Kelker St., 218: C. Proctor & J. Mesa Cruz to A. Czopek, $175,500

Kensington St., 2035: J. Stoltzfus to C. Rameau, $35,900

Kensington St., 2216: S. Roland to R. & C. Murphy, $60,250

Kensington St., 2318: RDR Property Management LLC to G. Yolov, $60,000

Maclay St., 1017: J. Pagliaro Estate & S. Pagliaro to PEG Commercial LLC, $850,000

Market St., 1000: Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to 812 Market Inc. PMI, $200,000

Muench St., 220: Q. Vandermeersch to M. Marzzacco & A. Godfrey, $199,900

Mulberry St., 1954: S. & E. Schwartz to E. Guider, $91,500

Naudain St., 1642: Wells Fargo NA to Moxie Properties LLC, $30,000

North St., 1613: JustGeoff Partners LLC to Y. Refae, $35,000

N. 2nd St., 29: C. Yi to L & C Holdings LLC, $297,000

N. 2nd St., 1825: CPenn Properties Old Uptwon LLC to E. Chattah, $67,000

N. 2nd St., 1913: C. Hanshaw to Lansanah Home Services Group, $78,000

N. 2nd St., 3005: H. Sharifi to F. Ramirez, $35,000

N. 2nd St., 3011: R. Finkel to Central Pennsylvania Home Buyers LLC, $105,000

N. 3rd St., 904: J. & S. Tang to Ramsden & Ramsden LLC, $215,000

N. 3rd St., 1904: Green Street Properties LP to A. & A. Hughes, $178,000

N. 4th St., 1320: Harrisburg Homes Investment LLC to PA Deals LLC, $65,000

N. 4th St., 2703: K. Shenk to S. Gonzalez, $99,000

N. 4th St., 3116: G. & J. Desgres to T. Keller, $102,000

N. 4th St., 3215: W. Prough to G. & S. Erdman, $50,000

N. 5th St., 1734: R. Rohlif to 4JL LLC, $112,500

N. 5th St., 2510: M. & D. Blount to R. Diaz, $45,000

N. 5th St., 2623: SL Realty to E. Mendoza, $46,000

N. 5th St., 3014 & 3016: L. Powell to L. Busko, $100,000

N. 6th St., 3153: PA Deals LLC to D. Borelli, $69,900

N. 7th St., 2612: V. Galasso to R. Martinez & R. Rasmussen, $58,000

N. 16th St., 814: Bretland Enterprises LLC to D. Boyle, $30,000

N. Cameron St., 100: D. Deitchman, L. Hatter & Brickbox Enterprises LTD to Hatzlucha LLC, $4,650,000

N. Front St., 27: W. & R. Balaban to Dauphin County Library System & McCormick Riverfront Library, $295,000

N. Front St., 305: P1-30, P32-50, P52-59, P65-68, P97-101, P110-119, P260-270, P280-300, P302, P16A, P33A, P294A, P298A, UT400, UT500 & UT600: Harrisburg Riverfront Development & Cumberland Property to 305 Front Street Investors LLC, $7,800,000

Penn St., 1107: J. Musselman to B. Mathers, $155,000

Penn St., 1308: Adonis Real Estate LLC to Invigaron LLC, $280,000

Penn St., 1506: R. Miller to J. Owens, $130,000

Penn St., 1914: L. Maurer to S. Desai Sturgis & J. Sturgis Jr., $168,500

Penn St., 2935: R. Solano to M. Kanpol, $134,900

Penn St., 2441: M. Frater to S. & T. Johnson, $46,000

Race St., 558: Cash Now LLC to M. Kramer, $114,900

Reily St., 223: J. Chadwick to W. & A. Adams, $166,500

Reily St., 265: A. Kost & E. Morrison to R. Wodele, $132,000

Seneca St., 230: Members 1^st Federal Credit Union to M. Temba, $50,000

Showers St., 611: NP Ventures LLC to K. & P. Steele, $150,200

S. 13th St., 445: H. Yap to R. Smolsky, $75,000

S. 13th St., 1541: L. Clemente to Y. Refae & H. Esmaeil, $35,000

S. 14th St., 229: P. Watson to Citibank NA Trustee, $94,500

S. 18th St., 1125: Midfirst Bank to HT Properties LLC, $39,500

S. 19th St., 411: Midatlantic IRA & Niall Harry IRA to Q. & T. Forbes, $59,900

S. 27th St., 724: Freedom Mortgage Corporation to W. Zhang, $45,140

State St., 1626: Harrisburg Homes Investment LLC to America’s Choice Remodeling of HBG LLC, $60,000

State St., 1817: A. Marshall to F. Mora, $64,000

Susquehanna St., 1701: R. Covington & T. Pean to I. Preston, $156,000

Susquehanna St., 1912: N. Carter to C. Mincemoyer, $156,000

Swatara St., 2047: Building LLC to Sr Homes LLC, $44,000

Swatara St., 2230: R. & J. Woll to H. Marca & M. Alvarez, $78,000

Valley Rd., 2308: Bean Charlotte Spence GST Trust II to A. & E. Hendrickson, $220,000

Vineyard Rd., 216: J. & W. Legaspi to R. & M. Loucas, $169,500

Watson St., 2817: E. Hurlock to LJ Realty Trust, $37,500

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

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

August 23, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

An artist’s rendering of the new entrance at Open Stage of Harrisburg.

Given all the vacationing, the news cycle is supposed to take a break in mid-August. However, that wasn’t the case around Harrisburg this past week as several of the city’s elected bodies met and development news arrived at a rapid clip.

Broad Street Market has launched a “Friends of the Market” program so that community members can help support various market initiatives. Click here to find out the perks of membership and how you can sign up.

Dauphin County Library System has bought one of Harrisburg’s most historic buildings, the Haldeman Haly House, right next to the McCormick Riverfront Library. Plans are to renovate the building and move the DCLS administrative staff into space there. Find out all the details.

Football players LeSean and LeRon McCoy have big plans for the 1000-block of N. 6^th Street. Several buildings on the block are undergoing renovation after being blighted and boarded up for decades. Read our feature story about the brothers’ plans and other happenings on the block.

Harrisburg City Council listened intently for more than three hours this past Tuesday as the city explained why stop signs should be removed along a few N. 3^rd Street intersections and most residents said why they shouldn’t. At the end of the night, the issue remained unresolved, though council may take action.

Harrisburg school district held a pep rally for faculty and staff this past week, as they reported back to work for the 2019-20 school year. A sense of optimism pervaded the auditorium of Harrisburg High School under new district leadership. Read the details here.

Janet Samuels, the Harrisburg school district’s receiver, took action last week to deny a charter renewal to one charter school and to challenge another charter school’s application in court. Read the details here on the actions against both Premier Charter School and the proposed PA STEAM Academy.

Open Stage of Harrisburg will have an entirely new look when it opens its 2019-20 season, as the downtown Harrisburg theater is undergoing a complete renovation. Click here for the full story.

Pennsylvania Department of General Services announced this week that it would construct a new building on the long-time D&H Distributing site in Uptown Harrisburg, eventually moving some 900 workers there. Read the details here.

Sara Bozich has about 100 things for you to do this weekend, which is supposed to feature gorgeous summer weather. Find out what’s going on around town.

Sculpt Pilates has opened in Uptown Harrisburg, offering various Pilates workouts and some extras in their new studio. Read how this new fitness facility came to be.

Verbeke Street in Harrisburg got some love last week from TheBurg’s fine arts columnist, as he strolled the street during 3^rd in the Burg. He found lots to do and see along the Midtown hub.

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

Harrisburg Council may decide on 3rd Street sign removals after residents urge action

August 20, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

The stop sign at N. 3rd and Kelker streets

Harrisburg City Council likely will have the final word on whether to retain or remove stop signs along N. 3rd Street.

That was the main takeaway from a lengthy meeting tonight, which was called specifically to discuss the proposed removal of stop signs at four N. 3^rd Street intersections--at Boyd, Harris, Kelker and Emerald streets.

“I serve at the pleasure of City Council,” said city Engineer Wayne Martin. “I hope to get guidance from City Council.”

Martin’s assertion came near the end of a three-hour-plus meeting, which was attended by about 40 residents, many of whom spoke out against the planned removals.

Council President Wanda Williams then said that, before any action could be considered by council, she had to confer with city Solicitor Neil Grover, who was not present at the meeting, as action may necessitate changes to the city’s traffic control map. She said that council may schedule another special meeting on the issue before the next regular legislative session on Sept. 17.

The meeting began with a presentation by Martin, who explained that the stop signs were no longer needed at those intersections. The ongoing 3^rd Street multimodal project, he said, would calm traffic along the street due to the project’s numerous curb extensions and bump-outs.

In addition, he said that, with the changes to 3^rd Street, the intersections do not warrant stop signs. Per federal and state guidelines, stop signs should be used to control traffic, not slow it down, he said, adding that, in the past, the signs only served to assist sight distance.

“Going back in time, the only warrant that was met was sight distance,” he said. “We installed bump outs to improve sight distance, so there are no sight distance issues.”

Martin also said that stop signs can actually create more dangerous intersections where they’re not warranted.

“Leaving those stop signs in there when they’re not warranted will cause more crashes,” he said.

Despite Martin’s presentation, dozens of residents urged the city to retain the stop signs at those intersections, almost uniformly saying that removing them would create a more dangerous street.

“Everyone understands what stop means,” said Angela Johnson, a Green Street resident. “You have people who are afraid for their safety, who are afraid for their children, who are afraid for their pets.”

The signs were due to be removed on Friday. But, according to Martin, the removal has been rescheduled because the 3^rd Street repaving project was delayed due to rain.

Former council President Gloria Martin-Roberts, an Uptown resident, advocated for retaining the stop signs and for greater traffic enforcement at the intersections, as the signs are routinely disregarded currently, she said.

“I’m telling you this is a bad idea,” she said. “If you remove the stop signs, pedestrians will be harmed. This is very, very, very serious.”

In their comments, most council members seemed to side with the residents who objected to removing the signs.

Councilman Dave Madsen said that he helped circulate a petition both online and in person objecting to removal of the signs.

“I can tell you there was overwhelming support among residents for keeping the signs at Kelker and Harris streets,” he said.

Councilman Ben Allatt preached taking a long-term view. He said that, even if 3^rd Street does not warrant stop signs today, it may in the near future, given the proposal to return much of N. 2^nd Street to two-way traffic, increased development in the area and more people moving into Midtown.

“I think it’s really quite premature to go ahead with the removal of stop signs until we find out what traffic patterns will be in place in the near future and the far future,” he said.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

August 16, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg residents unfurled this sign at last week’s City Council meeting.

Harrisburg City Council interrupted its summer recess to hold a special session this past week, and residents had a lot to tell their elected representatives. Other stories, features and arts rounded out an unusually active mid-August news week.

1000-block of N. 6^th Street in Harrisburg has long been an eyesore with several dilapidated buildings. But suddenly the boards are coming off the buildings and restoration work has begun, which may yield dozens of new apartments. Read our feature story for the details.

Carlisle Arts Learning Center opened its latest exhibit last weekend, featuring a photographer and a potter, both from Cumberland County. Read the reaction from our arts columnist.

Circle School founder Jim Rietmulder is out with a new book, “When Kids Rule the School,” which discusses “democratic education.” Our feature story discusses his book and this unique approach to educating children.

Filmmaker Michael Kacey would like to finish up his documentary that tells a bleak story about American radio culture. To do so, he’s holding an upcoming fundraiser. Find out more about his project.

Harrisburg City Council passed ordinances last week that changed up the way the city disburses federal housing funds. Applicants will now have to respond to an RFP and attend a workshop. Click here for the details.

Harrisburg residents showed up in force to protest the proposed privatization of the city’s water and sewer system. Numerous residents told City Council not to sell the system and even made a sign to emphasize their point. Read about it here.

Mountain biking is no longer just for weekend warriors. With the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, high school students engage in league competition, with numerous teams in central PA. Read our feature story from this month’s magazine.

Ninja warriors live among us. Learn about a local gym that caters to athletes who train in this multi-faceted sport and competition—some even have TV ambitions.

“Over the Edge” returns this year for the daring who have Spiderman dreams and want to support a good cause. In the October event, you can rappel down the Market Square Plaza building and raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Read the details here.

Sara Bozich has more than 100 great ideas for things to do this weekend. There’s still time to squeeze in a few. Check out all the great events here.

Stop signs on N. 3^rd Street are slated to come down next week, prompting some Harrisburg residents to protest their removal to Harrisburg City Council. As a result, council has scheduled a meeting for this Tuesday to further discuss the issue. Click here to read our story.

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

Harrisburg council pledges public meetings after residents condemn possible water system sale

August 15, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Several Harrisburg residents brought a homemade sign, “Keep H2O Public,” to Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Harrisburg City Council is considering holding one or more meetings on the proposed privatization of the city’s water and sewer system.

On Tuesday night, council President Wanda Williams told a crowd attending the legislative session that she planned to schedule public meetings on the city’s proposal to sell the system to a private operator.

“We probably won’t just have one meeting,” she said. “We’ll probably have two or three.”

Her statement came following numerous public comments criticizing the proposed sale, a story broken by TheBurg on July 26.

At Tuesday’s meeting, about a half-dozen residents spoke, uniformly saying that they opposed privatizing the water/sewer system, which would eliminate the current operator, the municipal authority Capital Region Water (CRW).

Mayor Eric Papenfuse, who is on vacation and so missed Tuesday’s meeting, has also insisted that the city is simply testing the market with the RFI notice. He recently has forcefully criticized CRW, especially after it announced plans to impose a stormwater fee beginning in January.

Residents also denounced what they perceived as a lack of communication about the proposed sale. Several said they learned about it first in the press, as did a few council members.

“How does a city government make a determination that it should explore the possibility of selling a valuable asset like water and sewer and not bother to inform the people we elect to make a decision as to whether that is or is not a good idea and is in our best interest?” asked Melanie Cook, a 3rd Street resident.

Williams said that Papenfuse had discussed the RFI with her, but that he went public with the information before she could inform all other members of council. Councilwoman Shamaine Daniels, for one, said that she was not told of the RFI before it went public.

“I wasn’t aware of that,” she said. “I found out through the newspaper. I did not know about this.”

Several residents said they were less concerned about issues of timing and communication and simply want to see the sales process stopped.

“What we’re saying is that there isn’t an amount high enough for us to sell such a wonderful asset to Harrisburg off to a private corporation,” said Kathryn Lally, a 3rd Street resident. “I don’t think we even need to see what those offers are.”

July News Digest

July 31, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

2-Way 2nd Street Designs Unveiled

Do you prefer a bike lane or a center lane?

That was the big decision last month for Harrisburg residents, who attended the final community meeting for the planned conversion of N. 2nd Street to two-way traffic.

At the meeting, the city unveiled its two final design concepts for the street.

The first design features a left-hand-turn lane, along with partial median strips, along the two-mile stretch of N. 2nd from Forster to Division streets. The second includes a dedicated, “parking protected” bike lane, meaning it would be protected from traffic.

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

A 40-minute presentation kicked off the meeting. Afterwards, attendees broke off into groups to study the concepts in detail, block by block, and offer input.

Both designs include roundabouts at certain busy intersections, such as at N. 2nd and Verbeke streets and N. 2nd and Reily streets.

Notably, most traffic signals would be removed under both concepts and, like with the current construction along the 3rd Street corridor, intersections would be improved to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Signals would remain at the busy intersections at Forster, Maclay and Division streets.

Papenfuse expects construction to begin next year, wrapping up at the end of 2021. The cost of the $5.6 million project is being split between the city, the state Department of Transportation and Impact Harrisburg, a nonprofit set up in the wake of the city’s financial crisis.

Both concepts reduce the total amount of parking along 2nd Street, mostly because of the ADA-mandated intersection improvements.

Currently, there are 620 street parking spaces on N. 2nd from Forster to Division streets. Concept 1, which includes the turning lanes, would reduce parking to 550 spaces, while concept 2, which includes the bike lane, would reduce street parking to 537 spaces.

“It is genuine to say that I see the benefits of both,” Papenfuse said. “We could go with either and be very pleased as a city. They’re both transformative and safer and better for the neighborhood.”

AutoZone Passes Hurdle

The Harrisburg Planning Commission last month approved the land development plan for an Uptown auto parts store, despite a continuing disagreement over the design of the project.

By a 3-1 vote, the commission gave its OK to an AutoZone store on long-vacant land at the corner of Maclay and N. 7th streets, but the approval requires the company to tweak its design to address several city concerns.

Commission members agreed with the city’s planning bureau that AutoZone needed to make modifications to its plan—namely, reorienting the 6,816-square-foot building to bring it closer to Maclay Street and eliminating access from busy N. 7th Street.

“I don’t want to have people coming into the city greeted by a parking lot and a set-back building, just like you see in the surrounding suburbs,” said commissioner Zac Monnier.

City officials have long complained that the proposed AutoZone design was too generic and better suited for a suburban strip mall, not a city block. They have especially disliked that AutoZone’s original proposal set the store back from Maclay Street, with parking in the front.

David Tshudy of Pepper Hamilton, the law firm representing AutoZone, repeatedly pushed back on the requested changes to the company’s design, saying that city planners have no role in design decisions based on Harrisburg’s current land use ordinances.

“There’s nothing in the ordinance that requires the building to be situated any differently than what is shown on the plan,” Tshudy said. “The building is best where it is shown on the plan.”

The two sides also had a heated disagreement about AutoZone’s desire for a driveway to the site from N. 7th Street.

In April, the two sides held a meeting to iron out their differences. Tshudy said that he left that meeting believing they had agreed to retain the access point, but only for right turns in and out. City officials disagreed.

“At no time did we indicate that this was a design that the planning bureau would support or thought was a good design for this particular site,” said Geoffrey Knight, director of the city’s planning department.

Now that it’s passed the Planning Commission, the land development plan must be approved by City Council.

City Changes CDBG Process

Harrisburg plans to shake up the yearly process of doling out federal housing dollars under its “Annual Action Plan” unveiled last month.

Franchon Dickinson, director of the city’s Department of Building and Housing, told City Council that the administration wants to tighten requirements for Harrisburg-based social service agencies seeking funding under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

“If we want to effectuate change, we’re going to need to change the way we do business,” she said.

In recent years, council has doled out relatively small amounts of CDBG money to a dozen or so specific service agencies. HUD, however, recently has questioned the way Harrisburg has distributed some of those funds, said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. Therefore, the city needs to make certain it strictly follows HUD guidelines, he said.

Specifically, agencies must show that a service is new or must demonstrate a “quantifiable increase in the level of service in the last 12 months,” said Dickinson. In addition, she said that HUD prefers to fund “senior enrichment programs or special needs populations.”

Moreover, the administration wants to change the funding structure for CDBG, which, this year, will total nearly $1.94 million, down from last year’s $2 million.

Under the current proposal, just $100,000 will be set aside for social service programming, down from about $240,000 last year. However, for facilities projects, agencies will be able to apply for money from a second bucket, one reserved for “public improvement/public facilities,” which totals $407,261, Dickinson said.

Papenfuse said that HUD didn’t like that, in the past, Harrisburg permitted facility improvements with money meant for “public service activities,” funds that were supposed be reserved for programming and other service activities.

The application process also is changing.

This year, the city will not determine recipients before submitting its action plan to HUD in mid-August. Specific recipients will be determined later through a request for proposals (RFP) process, which will be issued in late August, and applications will be scored to make sure they meet HUD guidelines, Papenfuse said.

“It’s a change in procedure, but it’s a good one,” he said. “It makes sure that every dollar we spend will be spent wisely.”

Other proposed CDBG allotments include:

$593,423 for debt service, as the city continues to pay down a federal loan it guaranteed under former Mayor Steve Reed for the disastrous Capitol View Commerce Center project
$387,670 for grant administration
$250,000 for homeowner rehabilitation
$200,000 for emergency demolition

In addition to the CDBG ordinance, council introduced ordinances for the HUD Emergency Solutions Grant Program for $166,243, which mostly goes to the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness to fund emergency shelter and rehousing, and another for HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program for $432,187, which funds affordable housing solutions.

Council is expected to take a final vote on the ordinances on Aug. 13.

City Buys Back MarketPlace Lots

A stalled building project may have a new lease on life, as the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority has bought back dozens of undeveloped lots in the city’s MarketPlace Townhomes neighborhood.

In late June, the authority purchased 58 lots from S&A Homes, re-acquiring the Midtown properties it had given to the State College-based developer almost 14 years before.

“The Redevelopment Authority had to take back the properties because S&A was not going to develop them,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. “The Redevelopment Authority is now looking for a [development] partner for those lots.”

In the 1970s, the authority began acquiring parcels just south of N. 6th and Reily streets, which eventually included the Zommit Cleaners site, an industrial property that required soil decontamination.

By 1998, 38 single-family homes had been built in the MarketPlace neighborhood, named for its proximity to the Broad Street Market. In late 2005, the authority sold most of its remaining inventory—71 lots—to S&A for $1 apiece in an area bounded by N. 6th, James, Reily and Sayford streets.

Over the next three years, S&A built 13 houses, but stopped when the financial crisis hit in 2008. No homes have been constructed since, leaving numerous grassy, overgrown lots.

Papenfuse said that he regards the re-acquisition as a first step in getting the project back on track. The authority is eager to receive proposals from qualified developers, he said.

“By taking them back, HRA can find a new development partner,” he said.

School Audit Called “Clear Indictment”

The state’s recently released financial audit of the Harrisburg school district is a “clear indictment” of the practices of the former school administration, according to the district’s receiver.

Receiver Janet Samuels released a statement last month declining comment on specific audit findings, but that acknowledged the report’s findings.

“In my capacity as the court appointed Receiver, I acknowledge receipt of the audit which is a clear indictment of the accounting and Human Resources practices of the former school district administration,” she said.

In March, the state Department of Education hired Johnstown-based Wessel & Co. to perform the audit following a series of costly errors by the district, including continuing to pay health benefits to former employees.

The report, released in early July, looked at a year-three period, July 2015 to June 2018, and discovered more than $3.8 million in unsupported and questionable costs, more than 100 ex-employees who continued to receive healthcare benefits and huge deficits in cafeteria operations that had to be covered by the general fund. Other shortcomings included personnel records rife with errors, a lack of financial oversight and controls and a profoundly unqualified business manager.

“I am not going to comment on any of the specifics of the audit findings other than the fact that the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit plans to fully analyze all of the issues raised in the audit and establish best practices for the school district. These audit findings further justify the necessity of my June 27, 2019 action partnering with the MCIU to operate the district and my personnel actions taken on that date,” Samuels concluded.

At the urging of the state Department of Education, a Dauphin County judge appointed Samuels as the district’s receiver on June. 17. She then dismissed most of the district’s leadership and contracted with MCIU to help lead the district for the next three years.

Churches Put on Market

If you’ve ever been in the market for an old, stately church in the Harrisburg area, your time has arrived.

The Susquehanna United Methodist Conference has listed six of its churches for sale, part of a plan to cut costs and consolidate congregations. The churches cover numerous neighborhoods around Harrisburg and range in price from $169,000 to $325,000.

“I’ve shown all of these churches a number of times already,” said realtor Bill Gladstone of the Bill Gladstone Group, part of Wormleysburg-based NAI CIR, which is listing the properties. “The demand for these churches has been very high.”

Late last year, the conference, facing dwindling membership in the immediate Harrisburg area, decided to dispose of 10 of its buildings, several dating back a century or more.

Since then, one of the churches, historic Grace United Methodist Church on State Street, voted to maintain its congregation, said Shawn Gilgore, the conference’s director of communications. Another church, Rockville UMC, has become affiliated with Linglestown UMC, with both buildings in use, he said.

Six of the remaining churches currently are for sale:

Camp Curtin Memorial Mitchell UMC, 2221 N. 6^th St.: $195,000
First United Methodist, 269 Boas St.: $169,000
Riverside Methodist Church, 3200 N. 3^rd St.: $325,000
St. Mark’s UMC, 3985 N. 2^nd St (Susquehanna Township): $325,000
Trinity Penbrook Church, 5 N. 25^th St.: $255,000
Grace Penbrook Church, 25 S. 28^th St.: $265,000

Another church, Derry Street UMC on Allison Hill in Harrisburg, soon will be listed for sale, Gladstone said.

The final church in the group, Twenty Ninth Street UMC in Harrisburg, is the new home of The Journey Church, a combined congregation of Twenty Ninth Street UMC and the former Riverside Methodist Church.

Exchange Student Families Needed

ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE) is looking for local families to host boys and girls between the ages of 15 to 18 from a variety of countries, including Norway, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Japan.

Students are eager to practice their English and experience American culture, as well as share their own culture and language.

ASSE students are academically selected into the program, and host families can choose their student from a wide variety of backgrounds, countries and personal interests. ASSE students have full health, accident and liability insurance, as well as pocket money for personal expenses.

To become a host family or to find out how to become involved with ASSE in your community, call the ASSE Eastern Regional Office at 1-800-677-2773 or visit www.host.asse.com.

So Noted

Camp Curtin Community Preschool has relocated to Trinity Church in Midtown and changed its name to Trinity Preschool: Part of the Camp Curtin Learning Community. The preschool had to relocate following the closing of Camp Curtin Mitchell Memorial UMC, according to the school.

FireHouse Restaurant closed abruptly last month, and the property was later put on the market for $1.2 million, including the real estate, business and liquor license. The FireHouse, located in the historic Hope Fire Station building in downtown Harrisburg, was most recently co-owned by Dave Guy, who bought it from founder Donny Brown almost six years ago.

Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra last month named Gloria Giambalvo as its new director of sales and marketing. She most recently served as HSO’s director of annual and corporate giving.

Harrisburg University last month promoted Duane Maun to chief operating officer. Maun will continue to hold his previous title, chief financial officer, as well, according to the university.

Harrisburg University last month broke ground on its new, 17-story mixed-use building at S. 3rd and Chestnut streets in downtown Harrisburg. The $135 million building will house academic space, a 197-room hotel and a restaurant. Construction is expected to take two years.

Home Slice Pizza will open at the Crossroads at Walden in September, according to developer Charter Homes & Neighborhoods. Home Slice, which replaces K. Marie & Co., is a venture by Matt Flinchbaugh, the owner of the longstanding Flinchy’s restaurant in Lower Allen Township.

Jump Street announced last month that it would cease operations after 40 years of operating as an arts-based nonprofit. Over the years, Jump Street organized many popular programs and fundraisers, including Derby Day and Artsfest. It originally formed in 1978 as the People’s Place before changing its name to Metro Arts and then Jump Street.

Orrstown Bank has named Thomas Brugger as its executive vice president and chief financial officer, according to the Swatara Township-based company. In this role, he will be responsible for Orrstown’s financial plans, policies and financial compliance. He last served as CFO of Sun National Bank.

Pavone Marketing Group last month announced that it had acquired two companies: Philadelphia-based Netplus and Mechanicsburg-based Phalanx Digital. Harrisburg-based Pavone said the acquisitions would help it expand its digital marketing capabilities.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2237: D. Rickard to M. Wise & C. Bowling, $68,500

Bellevue Rd., 1933: Federal National Mortgage Association to R. Grullon, $32,000

Berryhill St., 2038: O. Brown to Najia Bouslama Property LLC, $32,500

Briggs St., 219: D. Skerpon to P. Earl Jr. & S. Banks, $185,000

Buckthorn St., 319: W. Martin to KGD Holdings LLC, $30,000

Chestnut St., 2025: L. Profitt to L. Profitt, $63,000

Croyden Rd., 2981: Leonard J Dobson Family Limited Partnership to S. Washington, $99,900

Dauphin St., 646: H. Dobson to D. & S. White, $42,000

Derry St., 1200: R. Andrews to D. Mota & L. Rodriguez, $32,000

Derry St., 2129 & 2118 Shellis St.: D. Murphy to B. Smith, $34,000

Derry St., 2457: Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC to PA Deals LLC, $41,800

Derry St., 2532 & 2534: D. & L. Lentz to K. & R. Gupta, $135,000

Emerald St., 229: Federal National Mortgage Association to M. Temba, $71,500

Fulton St., 1710: W. Fletcher to R. Peacock, $130,000

Green St., 909: TKP Schoolhouse Associates LLC to Schoolhouse 1 Holdings LLC, $3,000,000

Green St., 1006: D. Theoifanis to C. Wehrman, $119,000

Green St., 1019: K. & J. Lowe to S. & S. Schalles, $209,900

Green St., 1532: M. Frater to C. Bashore, $120,000

Green St., 1834: WCI Partners LP to C. DeColongon & A. Batista, $120,000

Green St., 1924: G. O Loughlin to J. & C. Claybaugh, $225,000

Green St., 2034: D. & L. Riley to P. & P. Gellerman, $202,400

Harris St., 232: J. & M. Slaboda to K. & J. Gazsi, $171,500

Hamilton St., 214: M. & L. Zieger to S. McMinn & J. Emery, $173,500

Herr St., 317: R. & B. Gillette to S. Robinson & A. Berg, $159,500

Herr St., 1737: Lehman Investments LLC to CBS Property Holdings Company,
$121,000

Hoffman St., 3229: B. Foor to D & F Realty Holdings LP, $59,000

Holly St., 1823: D. & S. Fenton & Harrisburg Property MGMT Group to S. Cain, $43,000

Hunter St., 1537: P. & F. Kehler to D. Porter, $44,800

Jefferson St., 2922 & 2940: Richard Lutz Trust to 2940 Jefferson Street Associates LLC, $290,000

Kensington St., 2131: N. Clory to Y. Salifu, $67,000

Muench St., 238: WCI Partners LP to A. Fortune, $143,625

Muench St., 307: KDR Investments LLP to K. Boatman, $45,000

Muench St., 626: Sheaffer & Sheaffer Properties LLC to Buonarroti Trust, $35,000

N. 2nd St., 3217: N. & L. Swett to J. O Berry, $110,000

N. 3rd St., 910: Mussani and Company LP to Balfour Street Investments LLC, $150,000

N. 3rd St., 925: 921 Home LLC to WCI Partners LP, $1,025,000

N. 3rd St., 2311: T. & C. Rine to 1 Step at a Time Support Services, $124,900

N. 3rd St., 3113: J. & L. Kincaid to L. Ravenel, $135,000

N. 5th St., 1715: Kirsch & Burns LLC to M. Fuentes & R. Irizarry, $102,000

N. 5th St., 2424: A. Obrien to J. & P. Williams, $30,000

N. 5th St., 3141: Federal National Mortgage Association to R. & R. Villarreal, $83,000

N. 7th St., 2300: McNelis Gutter Cleaning Inc. to D & F Realty Holdings LP, $135,000

N. 17th St., 1206: J. & D. Wallace to Three Bridges Holdings LLC, $30,000

N. 18th St., 910: Members 1^st Federal Credit Union to Fowler Investments LLC, $60,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 214: A. Jain to M. Cheatum, $96,500

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 307: K. Russell to P. Gitnik & G. Svrcek, $115,000

N. Front St., 1601: North Front Associates LLC to BBHQ LLC, $420,000

N. Front St., 2405: Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers to A. Hartzler, $198,860

Paxton St., 1718: T. & L. Stuckley to Y. Bouchanyata, $33,100

Paxton St., 1728: S. Brown to F. Yanez, $45,000

Penn St., 1920: C. Clabaugh to T., M. & T. Sneidman, $174,900

Rolleston St., 1246: Bigfoot Properties LLC to M. Foreman, $36,900

S. 14th St., 1432: J. Tonsel to City of Harrisburg, $52,000

S. 18th St., 1213: L. Stewart to L. Whittaker, $113,000

S. 23rd St., 627: L. Vansickle & E. Klitch to E. Klitch, $30,000

S 24th St., 516: R. Carazas & H. Gonzalez to Y. Griffin, $80,000

S 27th St., 669: R. & T. Borne & E. Hower to D. Williams, $149,900

S. 27th St., 728: H. Alcantara to J. Martinez, $77,000

S. 27th St., 734: Seneca Leandro View LLC to B. McCann, $85,000

S. Front St., 625: Redheads Helping Property LLC to J. Chumley, $132,000

S. Front St., 707: A. Patton to C. & J. Pierre, $210,100

Swatara St., 2237: E & T Enterprises LLC to K. & A. Sawyers, $67,500

Sycamore St., 1831: C. Spickler to J. Spickler, $90,000

Verbeke St., 221: K. & J. Gazsi to A. Smoot & C. Hogue, $132,000

Walnut St., 1504: MKTK Properties to MA Ambashakti LLC, $30,000

Wayne St., 1413 & 1415 & 1410 Sycamore St.: H. Papandrea to R. & A. Ortiz, $65,000

Wayne St., 1516: V. White to H. Hargrove, $119,900

Woodbine St., 240: Summit & Vickroy Inc. to T. Evans, $38,500

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

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