Tag Archives: Harrisburg Public Works Department

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

October 23, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Conley

Students from the Nativity School of Harrisburg at Thursday’s ribbon-cutting for their new school.

The local news scene continued its busy autumn this past week, as we tackled government, business and cultural stories. In case you missed any of our coverage, we have it all listed and linked below in our weekly summary.

COVID-19 cases continued to climb in Pennsylvania since hitting a low early last month, according to the commonwealth. We have the latest facts and figures in our weekly update.

Dauphin County distributed some $17 million in CARES Act grants to local governments, businesses and nonprofits last week. Our online story has additional details and a link to all grant recipients.

Gamut Theatre Group continues its run this weekend of “The Zoo Story,” a two-person show. In our magazine story, find out how Gamut staged a fall season, despite pandemic-related restrictions.

Harrisburg is on the verge of settling a longstanding lawsuit over the site of the city’s public works facility. The opposing sides have agreed to a negotiated settlement that should resolve claims over a lease agreement, according to our news story.

Harrisburg City Council received an extensive briefing last week on the city’s draft comprehensive plan. Residents are now free to comment on the plan, says our online story.

Midtown Harrisburg may soon be home to two small apartment buildings. Our online story summarizes the sudden flurry of development proposals around the Reily Street corridor.

Murals are back following a pandemic-induced hiatus earlier in the year. This fall, Harrisburg streets have gotten five new big, public works of art, detailed in our online story.

Nativity School of Harrisburg started a new chapter this past week, cutting the ribbon on its Uptown facility. It’s a dream come true for staff, board members and students, states our news story.

Sara Bozich is fully committed to seasonal activities in her weekly list of things to do around Harrisburg. Check out all the fall fun up her sweater sleeve.

Steve Reed was Harrisburg’s mayor for 28 years and a lifelong collector of art and memorabilia. His estate will now go to auction next month, with many of his collectibles up for bid, says our online news story.

Vivi on Verbeke stole our art blogger’s heart after he stopped in during October’s 3^rd in the Burg. Read what Bob had to say about the art and the inhabitants.

Waldo’s & Co. is a bastion of creative spirit in the heart of Gettysburg. Read the unlikely story of how it came to be and how it got its catchy name in our magazine feature.

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Harrisburg, Brenner agree to settle dispute over Public Works facility

October 21, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg’s Public Works Department site on Paxton Street

A years-long disagreement over a Public Works facility lease appears to be coming to a close, as the parties have agreed to settle their disputed issues.

At a work session on Tuesday night, city Solicitor Neil Grover told Harrisburg City Council that the city had reached an agreement to pay $725,000 to MEB Partners and Brenner Motors to settle outstanding rent, tax and repair issues arising from a three-year lease of the Public Works Department site on Paxton Street.

“We never disputed that we owed some rent and that we owed taxes related to a reimbursement, ” Grover told council members at the end of the four-hour work session. “It really was just a question of the amount that we had in dispute with each other. So, this is a fair resolution to a long problem that arose from a lease that was negotiated very quickly.”

For many years, the city’s Public Works Department was located on the site of the city incinerator in South Harrisburg. The department had to relocate quickly after the incinerator was sold in 2013 to the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority.

The city eventually opted for the former home of Brenner Motors on the 1800-block of Paxton Street, signing a three-year lease with the expectation that it likely would purchase the property.

However, the city stopped paying its $16,000-a-month rent in 2017 after negotiations to buy the property stalled over price. MEB and Brenner then sued the city, and the case eventually went to mediation.

Council still must approve the agreement, which may happen during next week’s legislative session. Grover said that he was awaiting some “final language” from the opposing side.

Reached by phone, Brenner attorney Adam Klein said that his client looked forward to resolving the issue.

“I think both sides are happy to put this behind us,” he said.

The agreement announced on Tuesday night solves only the outstanding issues related to the lease. It does not resolve the continuing disagreement over the fair value of the land.

In 2018, the city initiated eminent domain proceedings, taking the property a year later. It paid $2.2 million, which, following an appraisal, the city deemed to be fair compensation. The city and Brenner, however, remain at odds over the price.

“There is a dispute in the court about the just compensation for the eminent domain, which is separate,” Grover said.

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Dispensary resolution, zoning change introduced by Harrisburg City Council

October 22, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg City Council on Tuesday night

Two significant land use issues—one for a medical marijuana dispensary and another for a Midtown zoning change—were introduced on Tuesday night, as Harrisburg City Council held a brief legislative session.

For the former, a company called WH RE LLC wants to build a 3,000-square-foot medical marijuana facility on an empty lot at 137 S. 17^th St., on Allison Hill.

Last December, the PA Department of Health awarded a dispensary license to a company called Local Dispensaries LLC, though PennLive later gave the name of the recipient as Standard Farms. All three of these entities are registered with the state at the same address in Center Valley, Pa.

Earlier this month , the city Planning Commission gave its approval to the $1.6 million construction project by a 5-1 vote, with Commissioner Ausha Green, who also is a city council member, dissenting.

The resolution for the land use plan was forwarded to council’s Administration Committee for further discussion at a forthcoming workshop session.

Council also forwarded into committee a proposed ordinance that would change zoning for a swath of Midtown Harrisburg.

Harrisburg-based Seven Bridges Development is asking the city to rezone 14 blocks in the “Marketplace” neighborhood just north of the Broad Street Market.

In April, the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority designated the company as the potential developer of 60 lots in the neighborhood, which the authority later bought back from State College-based S&A Homes.

In early October, a split Planning Commission approved the change in zoning from “residential medium neighborhood” to “commercial neighborhood,” which Seven Bridges officials say is necessary before they will agree to build in the neighborhood.

Lastly, council approved a resolution that offers short-term dumpster rentals to property owners and contractors for building projects in the city.

Under the resolution, builders now can contact the city Public Works Department to have dumpsters delivered and picked up and construction waste hauled away. Ten-day rentals run $500 to $600, plus delivery/pickup and disposal fees.

Harrisburg approves eminent domain to acquire Public Works facility

August 28, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

image of Public Works Department building, located at former Brenner autodealership

The Harrisburg Public Works Department on Paxton Street.

Harrisburg plans to force the sale of the land that houses its Public Works Department, as the city has not been able to reach a purchase agreement with the owner.

City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to begin the eminent domain process for the large tract at 1812-1820 Paxton St., the former site of a Brenner car dealership. The Allison Hill property actually includes eight separate parcels owned by MEB Partners and Brenner Motors.

“We were unable to reach a mutually agreeable price with Mr. Brenner,” Mayor Eric Papenfuse said following the council meeting.

Papenfuse would not disclose the price that the city offered or how much the owners wanted for the property. However, he said that the two sides were far apart.

“I don’t think we came close enough to be in the neighborhood,” Papenfuse said.

In its 2017 municipal budget, the city had allocated $2.5 million to obtain a public works facility.

Harrisburg moved its Public Works Department to the site in 2014. It long had been located on the grounds of the city incinerator in South Harrisburg, but had to relocate following the sale of the incinerator to the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority.

Papenfuse said that negotiations for the land broke down last year, after which the city stopped paying rent. The city will compensate the owner for back rent as part of the final sales process, he said.

Harrisburg now has a year to complete the eminent domain process. The city, Papenfuse said, has the authority to take the property, but a Dauphin County judge will determine the final sales price based on an official appraisal, assuming the city and the property owner still are unable reach an agreement in the interim.

Papenfuse said the city would have preferred not to exercise eminent domain, but that the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement, and there was no other suitable site in the city for the department.

“It’s the perfect site for the city,” he said. “It needs to be outside of the flood plain and large enough to handle our entire fleet.”

In other city land news, council on Tuesday introduced a resolution to approve the land use plan for the proposed state Archives building at Harris, Hamilton, N. 6^th and N. 7^th streets. Council next will hold a hearing on the plan before voting on it.

A graphic of the planned state Archives building on N. 6th and Hamilton streets.

The state is seeking to build a new facility after running out of room at its iconic mid-century Archives tower on Forster Street. It plans to break ground on the project next year, with a two-year construction period expected.

Changes to Sanitation Code, Billing Weighed by Harrisburg Council

May 1, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg’s existing rules governing trash collection may soon get canned.

City Council is considering a new, more comprehensive sanitation ordinance that would usher in stronger enforcement tools and more efficient billing for its trash collection services and lay out clearer rules for city recycling programs, Mayor Eric Papenfuse announced tonight.

It would also waive annual trash fees for the owners of vacant lots and properties, eliminating an intensely unpopular provision of the current ordinance, Papenfuse said.

The revised sanitation code aims to curb the city’s perennial problems of illegal dumping and excessive trash accumulation. It would grant the city stronger enforcement powers by creating two categories of offenses and a new fine structure.

Under the proposed ordinance, serious offenses – including illegal dumping, accumulation of trash exceeding 1,000 pounds, improper waste disposal and failure to register as a private trash hauler – would be considered category 1 violations punishable by a $1,000 fine or up to 90 days in jail.

Category 2 violations are more minor acts that are likely to recur without deterrence, Papenfuse said. These violations, which include failure to bag waste, obstruction of streets and sidewalks or interference with enforcement, would be met with fines starting at $100. Fines would increase up to $500 for each subsequent offense.

The ordinance would also permit the Public Works Department to designate enforcement officers to patrol public streets for violations. It also would authorize police officers to issue citations and enforce the ordinance.

Papenfuse said that the new legislation also would codify the city’s free and mandatory recycling services, including its new glass recycling program.

“This will bring us into the new century in regard to recycling,” Papenfuse said. “We’ve more than tripled recycling in the last few years but very little is laid out in existing code.”

One of the most significant changes in the proposed ordinance is an annual billing structure designed to save money for the city and its residents.

Harrisburg residents currently make monthly payments for trash services. Under the new ordinance, the city treasurer’s office would include trash fees in property tax bills. The separate charges would appear on the same invoice and would be subject to the same due date and discount period.

Residents may opt out of once-yearly billing in favor of monthly direct deposit payments. However, those who pay their trash fees within 60 days of billing would receive a 2-percent discount.

City Treasurer Dan Miller said that streamlined bills would save the city $100,000 in mailing and labor costs each year. He also hopes it will increase the city’s collection rate and improve early-year cash flow.

Miller said that the city has a 98-percent collection rate for its real estate tax, with 70 percent of that revenue coming in during the 60-day discount period.

“We assume trash will be the same, which would increase cash flow and generate more interest for us throughout the year,” he said.

The city will host a series of public meetings to hear input and answer questions about the proposed ordinance. The first will be held on May 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Public Works building on Paxton Street.

Council tonight also heard from members of the Harrisburg Police Bureau, who are asking for an additional $165,000 to construct a substation on S. 15^th Street.

That sum represents a 13-percent increase over the project’s $817,000 budget.

City engineer Wayne Martin said that bids for the project came in above early estimates and insisted that the added cost was “not an unusual” margin for error in publicly bid projects.

Several council members lamented the fact that the project’s timeline has lagged as its costs increased.

“Three years ago, we planned a $300,000 precinct with a turnaround of three to six months,” Councilman Cornelius Johnson said. “Now, it’s more expensive, and it’s only a substation.”

Public Safety Commissioner Thomas Carter said that early plans to retrofit a facility at S. 15^th Street became impossible once it was found to be structurally unsound. That structure was razed in December to make way for a new modular building.

Police officials say they don’t have enough manpower to staff a full-time precinct, but they still think a substation would benefit officers and residents. Carter reported that increased police presence in South Allison Hill has helped drive down homicides there this year.

“The cost is what it is, but I know that, since we’ve been concentrating on that area, we have not had homicides,” Carter said.

December News Digest

December 29, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda and Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg Finalizes Budget

Harrisburg last month passed a 2018 budget did not raise city tax rates, but added a number of new salaried positions and approved millions of dollars in capital investments.

The final budget did not differ much from that proposed by Mayor Eric Papenfuse in late November, which leveraged higher revenue from a growing tax base to increase the city’s operating budget from $61 million last year to $65 million in 2018. The city will also spend $9.2 million from its cash reserves, which will cover a $2 million debt payment and $7.2 million in capital improvement projects.

Expenditures in 2018 will increase in two main categories: personnel and capital projects.

On the personnel front, the city budgeted for $32.5 million in salaries compared to $31 million in 2017. That figure, which excludes healthcare costs, will create seven new management positions and two new sanitation positions. The budget permits the Fire Bureau to make five hires and the Police Bureau to recruit 20 new officers.

The additional personnel funds will also increase salaries for two positions in the law bureau and award raises to sanitation workers represented by the AFSCME union.

The city defines a capital project as any expenditure exceeding $5,000. In 2018, proposed capital projects include $1 million on new radios and patrol cars for police, $700,000 for work on the 15th Street police substation and $80,000 for police body cameras. About $450,000 will go towards renovating city playgrounds, and projects to renovate Reservoir Park will receive almost $1 million thanks to a last minute cash transfer by Council.

Composting Plan to Proceed

Harrisburg intends to move ahead with plans to build a composting facility in Susquehanna Township, despite continued opposition from some township residents.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that the city will apply for a facility permit with the state Department of Environmental Protection this month. If DEP grants the permit, which Papenfuse believes it will, the city will begin to convert the site to a compost facility.

City officials have campaigned to build a composting facility at 1850 Stanley Rd. since summer 2017. After they were met with fierce opposition from some residents in Susquehanna Township, they agreed to delay the permit application until they had more public support. Over the following months they hosted informational sessions and visits to comparable sites to teach residents about composting.

Papenfuse made his final pitch at a township board of commissioners meeting last month, at which several township residents expressed opposition. Nonetheless, he said he believes the project has won enough support in the community to proceed.

“There’s a handful of people from the neighborhood who oppose it, but it’s not overwhelming,” he said.

Papenfuse told the crowd that composting leaves and lawn waste—which essentially involves letting the material decompose into the ground—does not carry any risks to humans, soil or water sources.

Some residents claimed that the facility would create odors or mar neighborhood views. Others worried about noise from the machinery and increased traffic from the Public Works Department trucks that transport the waste.

Papenfuse assured residents that the site would be unobtrusive when it opens. Public Works vehicles will use mostly Harrisburg roads to get to the site, and employees will operate the machinery on a limited, set schedule.

Allison Hill Substation

The Harrisburg Police Bureau is on track to open a police substation in Allison Hill in late summer 2018, but officials said last month that it would not be open around the clock.

During a hearing on the 2018 budget, Police Chief Tom Carter and Capt. Derric Moody told City Council that the substation will not operate 24/7 or have civilian staff when it opens in August.

Police may expand operations at the substation as they grow their ranks. The city hopes to hire 20 new officers and a community policing coordinator next year.

“Our goal is to have full service there, but, realistically speaking, we can’t currently achieve that with the manpower we have,” Moody said.

The plan is to use the substation as a staging area for specialized police units and an outpost for officers responding to calls in Allison Hill. The 1,600-square-foot building on S. 15th Street will include a space for police trainings and community meetings, as well as a squad room, break room, equipment room and locker room with showers.

It will also have an area for a receptionist, though there are currently no plans to hire one. Members of the public will be able to enter the substation for public meetings or interviews with police officers, but will not have access the same administrative services as the Public Safety headquarters downtown.

“We’re trying to provide a central location for officers,” Moody said.

Act 47 to Continue

Harrisburg is likely to spend another three years in the state’s Act 47 program for financially distressed municipalities, according to a state advisor who oversees the city’s finances.

Marita Kelly, Harrisburg’s Act 47 coordinator for the state Department of Community and Economic Development, last month praised the city’s “many achievements” since it entered Act 47 in 2011.

However, she believes that the city will not be able to afford to exit the program at the end of 2018, when it becomes eligible. While it would regain independent financial oversight, it would stand to lose some $13 million in revenue without the extra taxing authority allowed under the program.

Kelly added that Harrisburg has avoided some of the problems that plague other third-class cities across the state, such as difficulty financing legacy payments—healthcare and benefit payments for current and retired employees.

Bruce Weber, the city’s budget and finance director, reported that two of the city’s pension accounts are fully funded, but a third fund for police pensions is causing some concern.

“We only have one that’s slightly in distress,” Weber said. “We are contributing to it every year.”

Kelly will make a formal recommendation for Harrisburg’s Act 47 status in March. The only condition that would enable the city to exit the program would be a change to the third-class city code or a set of special taxing provisions for the city approved by the state legislature.

County Taxes Hold Steady

The Dauphin County commissioners last month passed a 2018 budget that keeps property taxes steady for a 13th consecutive year.

The three-person board passed a $241 million budget that contains no increase in the county portion of the property tax, which will remain unchanged at 6.876 mills.

The county does expect to spend more than it takes in for 2018, but plans to use as much as $12.5 million in reserve funds to make up the shortfall. The county stated that it still expects to have a reserve fund balance of about $25 million by the end of 2018.

Last year, Dauphin County also balanced its budget by dipping into its reserve fund. It estimated that it would spend $12.5 million in reserves, but will only spend about $5.2 million by year-end, according to current county estimates.

The county stated that it will add funds to the county coroner’s office in 2018 to deal with the rise in opioid-related deaths. Last year, there were 85 overdose deaths in the county, but the coroner expects more than 100 by Dec. 31.

Sewer Projects Begin

Capital Region Water began a new round of sewer replacement and improvements last moth, affecting several neighborhoods in Harrisburg.

Andrew Bliss, community outreach manager, said CRW is staggering the $700,000 project through the end of January. In all, CRW will repair more than 800 feet of aging and broken sewer mains and manholes at five locations.

The individual projects are:

– Mid-December to early January
S. 13^th Street, between Market Street and Howard Street
New manhole, 18 feet of new sewer pipe

– End of December to early January
Cameron and Market streets
Spray on concrete liner, 18-inch sewer pipe

– Early January to end of January
Magnolia Street between Cameron and 12^th streets
New manhole on Cameron Street, pipe lining

– Mid-January to end of January
Derry Street between 13^th and 14^th Streets
New manhole, 13 feet of pipe, pipe lining

– Mid-January to end of January
Fulton and Hamilton streets
New manhole connection

Potential impacts of the construction include street closures, parking restrictions, construction noise and temporary sewer service interruptions. When the pipe replacement is complete, the road will be temporarily patched until final street restoration is completed in the spring of 2018, Bliss said.

Customers with questions can contact Capital Region Water by phone at 888-510-0606 or by email at [email protected].

So Noted

Harrisburg School Board last month tabled a motion on whether to search for a new school district superintendent. The board is expected to revisit the issue again later this year, as Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney’s contract expires in June.

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology last month unveiled its new, expanded campus in central Philadelphia. HU is sharing the 38,000 square feet of space at 1500 Spring Garden St. with Hussian College.

Harrisburg Young Professionals last month selected Suzanne Patackis as president of the 2018 executive board, replacing outgoing President Joe Tertel. HYP also announced that Jeff Copus and Adeolu Bakare will serve as co-vice presidents, Brittany Brock as secretary and Jeremy Scheibelhut as treasurer.

UPMC Pinnacle last month named Dr. James Raczek as its new chief medical officer. In that role, Raczek leads quality and safety programs, medical education and medical staff relationships and contributes to strategic planning and implementation.

Changing Hands

Barkley Lane, 2502: US Bank National Assoc. to S. Vetock, $32,000

Barkley Lane, 2507: R.C. Medellin to R. Medellin, $48,000

Boas St., 406: A. Heisey to S. Higginbotham, $115,000

Briggs St., 270: M. Ennis to E. & A. Williams, $228,000

Brookwood St., 2435: R. House to I. & K. Mita, $56,000

Calder St., 262: J. Goldberg to R. Yaegle, $118,000

Calder St., 500: W. Tatar to S. Hoffman, $125,000

Conoy St., 115: A. & C. Stoudt to R. Rodino, $145,000

Conoy St., 121: A. Spisask to K. Russell, $92,500

Cumberland St., 214: D. & E. Zampogna to M. Santalucia, $141,000

Fulton St., 1709: J. Ganeva to C. Messner, $110,000

Green St., 1624: K. Lewis to P. & M. Rowan, $192,000

Green St., 1817: T. & L. Sopcak to B. Scelta, $129,000

Green St., 1826: D. & J. Kalbach to D. Ober, $165,000

Industrial Rd., 3300: Pennsylvania Terminals Corp. to 3300 Industrial Road Associates LP, $865,000

Market St., 1923: K. Griffith to D. Thomas, $70,000

Mercer St., 2430: PA Deals LLC to R. Buehner, $63,900

Mercer St., 2464: C. Hobbs to T. & J. Knaub, $60,000

North St., 232: E. Finkelstein to G. Kramer, $125,000

N. 2^nd St., 812: A. Meoli to Diocese of Harrisburg, $212,000

N. 2^nd St., 2234: Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. to C. Eisner, $43,200

N. 2^nd St., 2527: GRSW Stewart Real Estate Trust to K. & D. Maltzie, $174,000

N. 2^nd St., 3211: E. & J. Daschbach to K. McRae, $99,900

N. 3^rd St., 925: D. Bobinchek & 921 Home LLC to 921 Home LLC, $105,000

N. 3^rd St., 2340: T. Wadlinger to D. & S. Houck, $168,265

N. 5^th St., 2736: PA Deals LLC to MidAtlantic IR LLC & Jennifer Fernandes IRA, $63,000

N. 13^th St., 139: Falco Inc. to Round the Horn LLC, $45,000

N. 16^th St., 914: J. & H. Wilbur to JB2 Properties LLC, $59,900

N. 16^th St., 916: PA Deals LLC to Z. Kissinger, $69,900

N. 17^th St., 1122: MBHH RE LLC to S. Garcia, $31,000

Peffer St., 228: N. & L. Chohany to B. Matuszny, $173,000

Peffer St., 263: Members 1^st Federal Credit Union to E. Patry, $49,900

Penn St., 1715: S. Dunn to BencMarq Holdings LLC, $77,001

Pennwood Rd., 3160: J. & M. Bush to T. Wylie, $150,000

Rumson Dr., 2983: C. Shenk to J. Jones, $69,000

S. 14^th St., 314: J. Reichwein to E. & B. Katz, $62,000

S. 14^th St., 1415: D. Fahie to City of Harrisburg, $47,000

S. 14^th St., 1419: H. & C. Pollard to City of Harrisburg, $50,000

S. 14^th St., 1439: R. & S. Dighe to City of Harrisburg, $50,000

S. 16^th St., 435: M. Bui to L. DiGiacomo & M. Ganci, $48,000

S. 17^th St., 140: Allison Hill Partners LLC to Hamilton Health Center Inc., $250,000

S. River St., 304: D. Havior to D. Ogden & Pear Tree Revocable Trust, $40,000

State St., 1406: R. & A. Sharp to JRC Properties, $80,000

Susquehanna St., 1614: J. & S. DeMuro to S. Brandon & L. Fisher, $152,000

Susquehanna St., 1701: R. Ambrose to R. Covington & T. Pean, $137,000

Susquehanna St., 1711: Susquehanna Valley Properties to N. DeMuro, $113,000

Harrisburg property sales for November 2017, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate

Forcing the Sale: City Weighs Eminent Domain to Obtain Public Works Facility

March 23, 2017 | by Danielle Roth

The Public Works Department, which manages public infrastructure and waste collection, has operated out of this Paxton Street facility since 2014.

Harrisburg is considering using an age-old, if controversial, method to obtain a permanent public works facility: Eminent domain.

City Council introduced a resolution Tuesday that, if approved, would allow the city to force the sale of properties that the Department of Public Works currently uses as its facility.

The department has rented the facility at 1812-1820 Paxton St., formerly a Brenner auto dealership, since 2014, after moving from a location on the city incinerator grounds.

The lease expired last month, without the option to renew. The city now is renting the property on a month-to-month basis.

City Councilman Westburn Majors, public works committee chair, sees this resolution as a last resort.

“[The measure was introduced] just so we have the ability if we need to use eminent domain,” he said. “I don’t think we are looking to do any eminent domain proceedings anytime soon.”

The 11 properties on Paxton and N. 19^th streets, all zoned for commercial use, are currently owned by MEB Partners, LP; Brenner Motors, Inc.; Michael A. Brenner; Sam and Nancy Fulginiti; and Stephen M. Kozlosky, according to the resolution.

“The law bureau and the city are working with the owner to get a sale first, and if they can’t reach an agreement, then [eminent domain would be] a possibility,” Majors said.

The city’s 2017 budget, the first in many years to include a capital improvement budget, allocates $2.5 million to obtain a public works facility.

City Solicitor Neil Grover said using eminent domain, the government’s power to obtain private properties for public use, for a public works facility would be uncommon.

The city last used eminent domain powers three years ago when the city obtained pieces of properties to widen 7^th Street, he said.

“It’s sort of the ‘old school’ of what governments do, how they acquire property for an essential function,” Grover said.

Government typically uses this power in blighted neighborhoods for redevelopment projects, he said.

If City Council moves forward with using eminent domain, Grover alluded to a long process.

“It’s the beginning of a long-term thing,” he said.

Author: Danielle Roth

Harrisburg Hopes: A few simple things would improve life in this city in 2015.

December 30, 2014 | by Tara Leo Auchey

It’s a new year. With that come new expectations for the City of Harrisburg. Here are a few things I’m looking forward to, hoping for, and counting on in 2015.

A brighter city

It’s a top issue people have with the city—too many streetlights are burnt out, broken or missing.

It makes for a dark, sinister and scary public realm. Anyone who has travelled down one of the city’s darkened streets knows what I mean.

But that’s all supposed to change in 2015.

With grant money from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority to kick-start the project, Harrisburg is planning on inventorying, prioritizing, fixing and converting its 6,000 streetlights to LED technology. By the end of the year, most, if not all, of the city’s lights should be in good, energy-efficient, working order.

While this is set to happen, there’s a New Year’s resolution every resident and business should make to help the cause—turn on your lights.

If all residents turned on their porch lights, neighborhoods would instantly become safer and more attractive. If all businesses kept the outside of their buildings well lit, the city automatically would be more appealing.

It’s one of the simplest and most effective things each of us can do to add to the enlightenment of Harrisburg.

A cleaner city

Like the darkness of broken lights, the rubbish of Harrisburg is a tragic turnoff.

It’s one of the city’s most serious problems—trash. It’s everywhere. There are bags of ripped trash piled high along curbs. Trash cans overflow without tight-fitting lids, and that’s not the only city law people ignore. Televisions sit on the street. Mounds of furniture are put out. Even public trashcans spill junk onto the sidewalks.

Yes, there’s trash in any city, but I have to say, in general, Harrisburg is a mess. In fact, it verges on being filthy.

This is something also scheduled to change.

The city’s Public Works Department has proposed an ambitious strategy to overhaul the way it picks up trash. New trucks, new hires, new bins and new rules are all part of the plan for 2015.

However, that won’t be enough. It’s going to take more people properly pitching their garbage and picking up litter to help clean up this city.

It’s another thing for every resident, business, commuter and visitor to add to their lists of New Year’s resolutions. It’s time we all care more to keep Harrisburg clean.

A more unified city

The rich differences that make up Harrisburg are precisely what give this urban core its energy and vibe. Its diversity is what makes it a city.

However, those very differences can cause problems that hinder Harrisburg’s potential.

Around here, there’s a tendency to fall into an “us” and “them” mentality. The lines are drawn based on skin color, culture, ethnicity, income, how long you’ve lived here, where you’re from, who you know and who you don’t know.

In the past, this damaging fragmentation has been encouraged for a variety of reasons by a variety of people.

The fact is—disunity holds Harrisburg back.

Harrisburg’s success is dependent on teamwork and collaboration. The most important concept to impart is “partners.” No one person or group can do all that needs to be done to make this place better.

There’s a common call for more, but it will only happen if more of us work together.

A virtuous election

It’s a major election year in the city. Seats are up for city treasurer, four city councilors, six school directors and 10 district judges.

Harrisburg needs more people involved. Hopefully, this year, more residents will engage not only by running for offices but also by participating in the process.

In Greek, there is a word arete. In its most basic sense, it means to be the best one can be. It means striving for excellence and endeavoring to reach great human potential. Possessing arete means to find ways to overcome the difficulties of working with others and of working on projects in order to reach a common good that’s best for as many people as possible.

Having arete is to be informed, to be part of various social endeavors, to listen well, to find compromise, and to strive for shared goals.

It’s a trait expected of all citizens. A person who has arete recognizes civic duty and is an active part of the community.

Just what Harrisburg needs, especially in an election year.

Less gripe, more hype about the many good things in Harrisburg

Enough said.

Tara Leo Auchey is creator and editor of today’s the day Harrisburg. www.todaysthedayhbg.com

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