Tag Archives: harrisburg

Dozens of projects funded as Dauphin County announces 2019 gaming grants

February 27, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

This aerial view of Hamilton Health Center shows the adjacent site where contaminated soil is to be removed.

The Dauphin County commissioners today allotted $6.4 million to some 60 projects in its annual allocation of gaming funds.

Locally, Harrisburg city will receive $203,000 to upgrade its phone system and create an off-site backup storage facility for data such as crime, property, tax and codes information.

Elsewhere in Harrisburg, Hamilton Health Center will receive $115,000 to remove contaminated soil in an adjacent lot to prepare for a planned facility expansion.

“We’ve run out of exam room space, and we want to expand our medical and behavioral health services,” said Jeannine Peterson, Hamilton’s CEO.

Funding for the $6.4 million in projects comes from the county’s share of gaming revenue generated from Hollywood Casino at Penn National in East Hanover Township.

The Dauphin County Gaming Advisory Board reviews project requests before sending its recommendations to the commissioners for approval. While 62 projects were funded, another 37 were denied funding.

Other notable projects in the immediate Harrisburg area that were funded include:

D&H Distributing for a new and expanded training center: $160,000
Tri-County HDC to help fund a $1.4 million project to build 12 townhomes on Adams Street in Steelton: $125,000
Steelton Borough for Phase 2 of the Skate Park and Fire Department gear and equipment: $94,394
Jewish Home of Greater Harrisburg for generator purchase: $70,000
The Salvation Army for security system installation: $53,000
Camp Curtin YMCA for affordable housing construction project: $50,000
Dauphin County Library System for computer equipment: $50,000
Penbrook Borough for sewer interceptor replacement: $50,000
Harrisburg Scottish Rite Masonic Theatre for auditorium media upgrades: $47,780
Cameron Street Boxing Club for facility renovation and equipment: $35,000
Breaking the Chainz Inc. for a van: $29,411
Harrisburg University for HUE Festival security services: $25,000
Theatre Harrisburg for seating and platforms purchase: $25,000
Stephens Episcopal School for safety and security improvements: $8,230

Under state law, the county must use the grant funds for projects that help human services, improve local infrastructure, enhance transportation, address health and safety needs, assist with emergency services and further public interest initiatives.

A complete list of grants follows:

Host & Contiguous

East Hanover Township (Public Works Building debt reduction; Culvert replacement and various roads; and Fire engine debt) – $750,000
South Hanover Township ($100,000 Municipal Complex debt reduction; $107,000 New emergency response support vehicle; $26,000 Salt Storage expansion and miscellaneous improvements; and $10,000 AACA Museum HVAC system) – $243,000
Derry Township ($250,000 Fire Station construction debt reduction; and $38,000 Senior Citizens Council of Derry Township van) – $288,000
Middle Paxton Township ($124,000 Potato Valley Road Bridge; $100,000 Blue Mountain Parkway resurfacing; and $30,000 Dauphin Area Senior Transit van) – $254,000
West Hanover Township (Houck Manor/Holiday Park public sewer extension project) – $275,000

Other Awards

Dauphin Co. Parks & Recreation Department ($75,000 Fort Hunter Station adaptive reuse; $30,000 Wildwood Lake restoration design and permitting; and $25,000 Civil War Grave care) – $130,000
Penbrook Borough (Sewer Interceptor replacement) – $50,000
Swatara Township (Police Motor Carrier Safety Administration Program conditioned upon Township creating and maintaining a permanent officer MCSAP position) – $130,347
Heroes Fund, Inc. (Phase 3 improvements and playground renovation) – $45,000
Jackson Township/ Fisherville Vol. Fire Co. (Fire Station addition construction debt) – $37,000
Pillow Borough Authority (Install two generators and Cold Spring control system) – $50,000
Millersburg Borough (Center Street flood and erosion control measures conditioned upon obtaining Dauphin Co. Infrastructure Bank loan for $183,713) – $161,121
Millersburg Area School District (Security and accessibility upgrades at schools) – $51,000
Steelton Borough/Steelton Vol. Fire Dept. ($30,000 Phase II Skate Park; $64,394.43 Fire Department personal protective gear and mobile equipment and lighting) – $94,394
Cameron Street Boxing Club (Renovate and equip new facility) – $35,000
The Salvation Army (Security system installation) – $53,000
Dauphin Co. Library System (Public and staff computer replacements) – $50,000
Keystone Service Systems, Inc. (Purchase building to provide Pre-K services conditioned upon closing on property within one year) – $30,000
Londonderry Township (Replacement of Lauffer Road Bridge) – $150,000
Harrisburg Rugby Football Club (Design and construction of rugby fields with lights) – $25,000
Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania (Infrastructure improvements and security upgrades at headquarters) – $44,823
D&H Distributing (Construction of new and expanded training center) – $160,000
Washington Township (Municipal building improvements, building addition and upgrades) – $100,000
Elizabethville Area Authority (Replacement of Smith Avenue Wastewater Pump Station) – $100,000
Elizabethville Area Community Alliance (Park and pool pump, filter, electrical and other repairs and improvements) – $40,000
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 143 (HVAC system revamp and classroom materials) – $100,000
Lower Paxton Township ($110,000 Rehabilitation of Friendship Center waterslide; $22,400 Koons Memorial Park Swim Club paint project; $15,750 Penn Colonial Swim Club pump and filter housing units) – $148,150
Dauphin County General Authority (Replace irrigation system and develop new water source at Dauphin Highlands) – $120,000
Cherry Orchard Place LLC (Construction of new 49-unit affordable housing for seniors) – $200,000
Dauphin County Redevelopment Authority (Demolition and clean-up of Old Lykens School site for future development) – $140,000
Lykens Borough ($80,000 Lykens Borough replacement of water distribution system; $19,479 Liberty Hose Co. mobile radio upgrades) – $99,479
Hamilton Health Center (Land acquisition and soil remediation of adjacent property) – $115,000
The Campus of the Jewish Home of Greater Harrisburg (Purchase generator for all-hazards emergency plan) – $70,000
Middletown Area Interfaith Housing (Commercial building repairs to generate funds to benefit youth programs and services) – $10,000
Lower Swatara Township (Debt service on bridge replacement projects and Act 537 sewage facilities plan updates) – $181,276
Tri-County HDC (Redevelopment of vacant and former blighted property) – $125,000
Susquehanna Township ($150,000 Debt service for uptown infrastructure improvements; $50,000 debt reduction on Squad 32 vehicle) – $200,000
Theatre Harrisburg (Theater seating and platforms purchase) – $25,000
Upper Paxton Township (Reconstruction and improvement of West Pearl Street conditioned upon receiving CDBG or raising full funding) – $100,000
Gratz Borough (Pump replacement and installation of generator and control system) – $36,200
Reed Township (Contribution to debt payment on aerial fire apparatus) – $40,000
Pop’s House (Reduction of debt incurred for acquisition of veterans center) – $30,000
The Vista School (Safety and security improvements) – $30,000
Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (Purchase mini-pumper for Harrisburg International Airport Fire Department) – $100,000
Middletown Volunteer Fire Department (Pumper Truck replacement project) – $125,000
Linden Centre, LLC (Curbing, paving, site utilities and storm water BMPS conditioned upon this being the last funding request for the project) – $125,000
City of Harrisburg (Redundant data center and telecommunications modernization) – $203,000
Camp Curtin YMCA (Affordable Housing construction project conditioned upon securing remaining funding within three years) – $50,000
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School (Safety and security improvements) – $8,230
Berrysburg Municipal Authority (Sewage Treatment Plant system replacement and clarifier conversion) – $40,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region (Conversion of IT operations) – $22,000
Capital Region Literacy Council (Purchase children’s books for reading program) – $17,875
Court Administration for Magisterial District Judges (Debt reduction on construction of new MDJ offices) – $200,000
Halifax Borough (Electrical, HVAC and accessibility renovations to Halifax Historical Society) – $50,000
Harrisburg Scottish Rite Masonic Theatre (Auditorium media upgrades) – $47,780
Harrisburg University (HUE Festival security services) – $25,000
Hummelstown Borough (Debt reduction on new municipal/public safety building) – $50,496
Loyal Order of the Moose Family Center #59 (Family Center ADA improvements) – $12,000
Oasis Community/Living Water Church (Park and playground project installation) – $30,000
The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (Dauphin County Court Appointed Special Advocate Program for youth conditioned upon the funds not being contributed to salary or other personnel costs) – $15,000
Wiconisco Fire Engine Co. (Debt reduction on new fire rescue and equipment) – $40,000
Wiconisco Township (Municipal building debt reduction) – $40,000
Breaking the Chainz, Inc. (Van for community restoration centers) – $29,411
Phase 4 Learning Center, Inc. (Curriculum and software for diploma retrieval, job training/preparation program) – $20,000
American Literacy Corp. (Dauphin Co. Reading Initiative promotion) – $4,500
Life Esteem (Holistic Health Wellness Center marketing and program materials) – $3,500
Dauphin County Industrial Development Authority (Administration) – $550,000

Always Giving Back: Kristal Turner-Childs–a force in the community.

January 31, 2019 | by Phyllis Zimmerman

Burg in Focus: Trooper Kristal Turner-Childs from GK Visual on Vimeo.

Kristal Turner-Childs’ dedication to serving others was sparked by an incident that happened when she was just 10 years old.

It happened the day a young man in her Allison Hill neighborhood fell and struck his head on asphalt during a street fight. As the victim’s blood streamed across the pavement, it was young Kristal who broke through a circle of dazed bystanders and dashed inside. Instinctively, she grabbed a phone and dialed 911 for help.

Her actions were said to have saved the man’s life.

That day, Turner-Childs felt “10 feet tall,” she recently recalled. She felt powerful knowing that it was her own quick actions that prevented the incident from ending in tragedy. She later heard that the injured young man made a full recovery.

With that, Turner-Childs decided to become a police officer, a goal she later was to achieve with great passion and much success. In fact, last October, she became just the second African American woman in the history of the Pennsylvania State Police to achieve the rank of major.

Before that, she was the commanding officer of Troop L in Reading, making her the first African American women in state police history to serve as a troop commander.

Then there’s the row of gleaming awards that line her office bookshelf at the state police headquarters in Susquehanna Township. Her most recent honor was the Catalyst Award from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, which she received at a ceremony at Whitaker Center in December.

That award honors “those making a difference in our communities, creating more opportunities for businesses, and building a brighter future for our region,” according to the chamber. Turner-Childs said she was “shocked” when told she’d won it.

“I was like, ‘What?’” she recalled with a laugh. “I was speechless. What a great honor!”

Other notable recognitions include the Citizen of the Year Award and the Women of Influence Award.

Turner-Childs also is founder and CEO of Eyes Wide Open, LLC, Harrisburg, where she serves as a fitness guru and motivational speaker for women. The venue’s website lists its mission as “attempting to empower women to take charge of not only their physical health, but their mental and spiritual health.”

Eyes Wide Open achieves this goal by offering workshops on self-esteem, goal-setting, healthy relationships, professional networking and more.

“I try to get to the heart of people in a way that speaks to them,” she explained. “What people need is someone who’s there for them. I don’t want you just to tell me you that you’re fine and to keep going. I want to know your soul. I want to know people from the inside out.”

Friends don’t appear surprised by her far-reaching success. In fact, they probably would have been surprised if it didn’t happen.

“Major Turner-Childs is truly an amazingly empathic, selfless woman,” said Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Kelly E. Lentz, who works across the hall from her. “Whether she is on duty in uniform or off duty within the community where she lives, she is always there to lend a hand and put others’ needs before her own.”

Carmen Henry-Harris has known Turner-Childs for 22 years.

They met as members of the Harrisburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, one of the largest African American sororities in the United States. The sorority is involved with other nonprofit groups and focuses on professional development, mentoring and helping local students by providing scholarships.

Turner-Childs, she said, is very involved with the community and, especially, with young people.

“She’s always available to speak to young people, people in need, or anyone, really,” Henry-Harris said. “Kristal always gives back.”

January News Digest

January 31, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda and Lizzy Hardison

AutoZone Veto Overturned

Harrisburg City Council last month rejected the wishes of the city’s mayor, unanimously overturning a veto that will allow an auto parts store to proceed with plans to locate in Harrisburg.

By a vote of 7-0, council affirmed its December vote to let AutoZone, a Memphis-based car parts store, advance in the city planning process as it seeks to build a store at N. 7th and Maclay streets.

Their vote vacated several unused “paper streets” on the lot owned by Susquehanna Township-based Vartan Group, which wants to sell the property to AutoZone.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse vetoed the measure, arguing that the city could use its discretion in approving street vacations to ask developers to abide by community standards, including the creation of affordable housing and job opportunities for minority and women laborers.

For example, council could withhold approval for a street vacation until a developer agrees to set aside affordable units in a housing project or employ local laborers—particularly minorities—on job sites.

“I think there is an opportunity for City Council to establish a review criteria for street vacations linked to the land development process that will help the city achieve some of its goals with regard to contracting and affordable housing,” Papenfuse said.

Council members, though, bristled at what they said was a new rationale for controlling a development project.

“The mayor has not sent down any legislation to address affordable housing or [minority business] participation,” Councilwoman Shamaine Daniels said. “So, I really I find this administration’s position just to be really artifice and not anything of much substance.”

Budget Dispute Resolved

Harrisburg City Council and the administration agreed to resolve a 2019 budget dispute without changing the original spending plan.

The approved, $70.8 million municipal budget contained flat spending compared to the prior year and no tax increases.

After a one-week delay, council members did not amend the mayor’s proposed budget, but they did attach two conditions to their approval. First, the mayor must provide written justification for awarding salary increases greater than 5 percent, and, secondly, must provide council with quarterly reports of unused salary funds.

Council also amended the 2019 budget to re-institute the director of community and economic development position, a role that was omitted from the city’s organizational chart as part of Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s proposed reorganization of city departments.

The amendment does not carry any new funding, so the city’s 2019 spending plan is unchanged. Councilman Ben Allatt said that the council will seek grants in the new year to pay the salary for a new director.

As always, the city’s largest operating expenditure in 2019 — $32.7 million — will be for personnel. Debt service and healthcare will eat up $9.8 million and $11 million from the operating budget, respectively. The budget also allocates $6.8 million in capital improvement spending.

Even though personnel expenses increased by $500,000 from 2018, Papenfuse said a priority for the 2019 budget is to maintain Harrisburg’s current staff capacity, which his administration has rebuilt after years of austerity.

Rather than add new personnel in 2019, the mayor proposed reorganizing the city’s departments to more closely align with the city council committee structure.

The city’s new organizational chart creates seven city departments to correspond with the seven council committees. The chart dissolves the Department of Community of Economic Development and replaces it with the Department of Engineering and Development.

Body Camera RFP Issued

The Harrisburg Police Bureau is eyeing a late spring launch for its department-wide body camera program, according to city hall documents.

The police bureau last month issued a request for proposals (RFP) to potential vendors, inviting them to submit cost estimates and specifications for 100 body-worn police cameras and a video storage system.

Bidders must provide detailed descriptions of their camera equipment and IT services, as well as a budget narrative that includes a unit price for cameras and accessories, a price for cloud-based video storage, and a fixed yearly rate for maintenance and support.

The RFP does not state a budget for the new program. The bureau was given $150,000 in Harrisburg’s 2019 budget to purchase body camera equipment, a figure that included $80,000 in unspent funds from 2018.

City officials announced in September 2017 that they would equip the city’s uniformed patrol officers with body cameras the following year.

The program was delayed, however, as police officials tried to determine which specifications they needed in recording and video storage equipment.

Kline Plaza Sells

Harrisburg’s Kline Plaza has sold to a New York-based realty company, which hopes to bring new life to the aging shopping center.

Nassimi Realty LLC, based in Manhattan, bought the mid-20th century, low-slung retail and office complex for $8.7 million on Dec. 24, according to Dauphin County property records.

Kevin Nassimi, vice president of leasing, said that the family-run company was interested in the property because “this is what we do.”

“The agent for the seller brought us the opportunity, and it made sense for us,” he said.

The company specializes in multi-unit retail and currently owns 25 million square feet of shopping center space in the eastern United States, including four other properties in Pennsylvania, Nassimi said.

Kline Village, located near the city line with Penbrook, is anchored by Giant Food, which recently signed a 10-year lease extension, and includes a Fine Wine and Good Spirits store, a Rent-a-Center and a Family Dollar, in addition to several other stores, a gas station and a state Department of Health walk-in location.

Nassimi purchased the property for about half the price of the last sale. According to Dauphin County, KOP Kline Plaza LLC, another New York-based realty investment group, bought the complex for $17.3 million in 2004.

Kevin Nassimi attributed the much lower sales price to 10 current vacancies in the 240,000-square-foot complex, including two office tenants that recently left.

“That’s a big hit financially,” he said. “That’s a tall task.”

Commissioners Seek Re-Election

Long-time incumbents Jeff Haste, Mike Pries and George Hartwick last month announced their intention to run for re-election for four-year terms as Dauphin County commissioners.

Republicans Haste and Pries have served on the three-member board since 2002 and 2010, respectively. Hartwick, a Democrat, was first elected in 2003.

In their re-election announcements, all three incumbents cited 14 years without a county property tax increase as a significant accomplishment.

Diane Bowman, a former Susquehanna Township commissioner, will join Hartwick as his running mate on the Democratic side.

This year, the primary election is slated for May 21, with the general election on Nov. 5.

So Noted

Barley Snyder last month announced that attorney Sarah C. Yerger had joined its Harrisburg office as part of the law firm’s employment practice group. Yerger worked for more than 13 years in the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office, moving to the private sector in 2013.

Elementary Coffee Co. announced last month plans to open a new roastery and coffee shop at 256 North St., Harrisburg. Owner Andrea Grove said that she expects to open this spring inside the newly renovated building, but will retain her stand in the Broad Street Market.

Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC boards of directors last month named Barb Bowker of PSECU as chair of the chamber and Jeannine Peterson of Hamilton Health Center as chair of CREDC for 2019. Other Chamber officers for 2019 include Tom Sposito of S&T Bank, Merone Yemane of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Greg Gunn of Gunn-Mowery, Karen Gunnison of Capital Blue Cross and Zachary Khuri of First National Bank. Other CREDC officers for 2019 include Ben Dunlap of Nauman Smith, Mayur Patel of Laughner Patel Developers, Mike Funck of Wohlsen Construction, Casey Khuri of NAI CIR and Wade Becker of RKL.

PSECU last month named George Rudolph as its new president. Rudolph will join PSECU in April to succeed the retiring Greg Smith, who has served as PSECU’s president for the past 28 years.

S&T Bank last month promoted Jordan Space to executive vice president, market president for the central Pennsylvania region. Space, who joined S&T in 2015, also was recently appointed to the Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health’s board of trustees. In addition, he is a member of the Lancaster City Alliance executive leadership team.

UPMC Pinnacle plans to add several floors to its West Shore Hospital in Hampden Township to accommodate the growing needs of area residents. Plans call for adding floors above the emergency department to provide 58 more beds. The Ortenzio Cancer Center at UPMC Pinnacle is also expanding its cancer programs to include infusion treatment for thoracic, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, head and neck and other cancers.

Urban Churn announced last month that it would open an ice cream production and retail space at 1004 N. 3rd St. in Harrisburg. Owner Adam Brackbill expects the craft creamery and scoop shop to open in early spring. Urban Churn also has a stand inside the Broad Street Market, which Brackbill plans to retain.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2245: S. Nolan to A. Kusery, $69,000

Adrian St., 2253: D. Rivera to E. Rivera Jr., $70,000

Antoine St., 500: L. Benzie to R. & P. Kotz, $165,000

Benton St., 620: PA Deals LLC to E. Shenk, $65,900

Benton St., 632: LMK Properties LLC to R. & B. Lomax, $30,000

Berryhill St., 2419: D. Seng to PT Capital Properties LLC, $55,000

Boas St., 414: A. Antoun to Berlin Group LLC, $75,000

Boas St., 420: M. Cohen to PA Deals LLC, $55,000

Calder St., 209: D. Weaver to M. Packard & C. DeAngelis, $143,500

Cumberland St., 121: J. & K. Bowser to J. Gurreri, $124,900

Delaware St., 263: Secretary of Veterans Affairs to R. & C. Steele, $67,000

Delaware St., 267: J. Renue to H. St. Phard, $127,500

Duke St., 2441: T. Nguyen & D. Thu to A. & R. Clark, $60,000

Fillmore St., 622: KAB Rental Properties LLC to S. Pierce, $68,500

Forster St., 2007: J. Claiborn to S. & M. Simpson, $55,000

Green St., 1319: K. Umbenhauer to V. Bajpai & J. Pierce, $109,900

Green St., 1712: S. Heredia to S. Jusufovic, $35,000

Green St., 1904: S. Watkins to R. & A. Gonsar, $195,000

Greenwood St., 2031: M. & M. Kochenour to S. Thomas, $82,000

Hillside Rd., 210: P. & M. Walsh to C. Rockwell, $107,000

Hoffman St., 3102: J. & A. Edwards to E. Mishler, $129,900

Holly St., 2002: Skye Holdings LLC to J. Elias Holdings LLC, $32,000

Hunter St., 1535: S. Costa to Delmax Properties LLC, $35,000

Kensington St., 1918 & 1920: Rohrer Rentals and B., C. & K. Rohrer to J. Willingham, $45,500

Lewis St., 320: B. Williams to Wyco Investments LLC, $53,500

Magnolia Dr., 2402: J. Hamburg to R. Gatling, $170,900

Manada St., 1918: 2013 Central PA Real Estate LLC to 1918 Manada Street LLC, $64,900

Market St., 1152, 1152½ & 1154: S. Peart to 1152 1154 Market St. LLC, $135,000

Market St., 1842: Adonis Real Estate LLC to A. & R. Clark, $92,000

Market St., 1916: C. Centeno to J. Alvarado, $41,500

Muench St., 607: N. Clouser to Buonarroti Trust, $35,000

North St., 1842: SRJ Realty to Sunshine ABQ Real Estate Investment LLC, $34,250

N. 2^nd St., 110, 112 & 115; 211 Locust St.; 206 Walnut St.: Sandton Fund II Holdings LLC & NAI CIR to Second & Locust Investors LLC, $1,850,000

N. 2^nd St., 515: Candlelight Properties Inc. to E. & H. Harbilas, $525,000

N. 2^nd St., 1001: Tang & Perkins LLC to AON LLC, $212,000

N. 2^nd St., 1319: A. Pruett to A. Black, $95,000

N. 2^nd St., 1909: S. Jusufovic to S. Catanese, $167,000

N. 2^nd St., 2432: M. & R. England to B. Eisner, $60,501

N. 2^nd St., 2443: M. Myers to M. & R. Row, $112,500

N. 2^nd St., 2735: K. & H. Thornton to B. Eisner, $123,201

N. 2^nd St., 2841: W. & W. Miller to Michael Barrett Market Street LLC, $200,000

N. 2^nd St., 2846: G. Harke & B. Voss to C. Souchek, $126,500

N. 3^rd St., 1211: T. & E. Chance to C. & L. Eby, $145,000

N. 3^rd St., 2211: D. Chen to J. & A. Sanderson & B. Sheaffer, $92,500

N. 3^rd St., 3020: PA Deals LLC to D. & K. Borelli, $99,900

N. 4^th St., 1630: Leahy Family Trust to J. Parfitt, $91,500

N. 5^th St., 1619: RMAC Trust & Rushmore Loan Management Services LLC to R. Par, $67,500

N. 5^th St., 3009: N. Acharya to T. Fenderson, $119,900

N. 5^th St., 3108: J. Charlton to P. Stawski, $74,000

N. 6^th St., 2526: G. Neff to L. & N. Perry, $34,000

N. 10^th St., 23 & 27: Equity Trust Co. FBO Robert Clay IRA to 812 Market Inc. & Property Management Inc., $100,000

N. 10^th St., 31: R. & B. Clay to 812 Market Inc. Property Management, $250,000

N. 19^th St., 26: A. & S. Ali to D. Paulino, $70,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 307: PA Housing Finance Agency & U.S. Bank National Association Trustee to K. Russell, $85,900

N. Front St., 1605: M. Sibrava to AON LLC, $595,000

Paxton St., 1638: CNC Realty Group LLC & C. Brown Sr. to AUM Investments LP, $36,000

Paxton St., 1726: Kirsch & Burns LLC to L. Dinh & T. Truong, $48,000

Peffer St., 232: E. Horn to S. Leister, $119,900

Regina St., 1813: Atlantic North Star Properties LLC to Sunshine ABQ Real Estate Investment LLC, $30,000

Reily St., 309: L. Fickes & J. Heath to M. & A. Manning, $95,275

Rumson Dr., 2639: J. & C. Renninger to R. Asplen, $87,500

Rumson Dr., 2856: Zelda Marilyn Rosenbaum Trust to S. Aiken, $76,000

Sassafras St., 203: R. Sohmer to W. & E. Branter, $85,000

Seneca St., 217: D. & V. Fry to M. Hoffman, $140,000

Seneca St., 239: A. Manderino to J. Payne, $72,000

Seneca St., 323: A. Otwell to M. & R. Khan, $35,000

Showers St., 577: C. Mulkey to M. Koerner & A. Koch, $104,900

Showers St., 607: C. & R. Haigh to E. Moffet, $143,000

Showers St., 716: N. & R. Godfrey to L. Kraynak, $134,000

S. 13^th St., 1531: J. Beebe to Fruition Holdings LLC, $61,500

S. 15^th St., 351: M. Gray to R. Levasseur & R. Similien, $30,000

S. 18^th St., 916: Crist Holdings LLC to 916 S. 18^th LLC, $325,000

S. 19^th St., 232: S. & K. Sanderson to B. Dessalegn, $30,000

S. 25^th St., 101 & 101 Rear S. 25^th St.: KOP Kline Plaza LLC & Ryan LLC Tax Compliance to Kline Plaza LLC & Nassimi Realty LLC, $8,700,000

S. Front St., 315: S. Eicher to K. Campbell, $144,000

State St., 231, Unit 101: LUX 1 LP to Commonwealth Entrepreneurs LLC, $362,500

State St.,. 1720: Vista Properties LLC to J. Virbitsky, $82,300

State St., 1812: R. Burnett to R. Burnett Sr., $55,000

State St., 1934: D. Schneider to Wilton Hampshire LLC, $85,000

Swatara St., 1914: P. Miller Sr. to A. Padua, $31,000

Swatara St., 2144: D. Selvey to K. & F. Pichardo, $94,000

Woodbine St., 420: T. Griese to J. Cheatham, $51,500
Harrisburg property sales for December 2018, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

D&H Distributing plans move from Harrisburg to Lower Paxton Township

January 29, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

D&H will be headquartered in this building in Lower Paxton Township.

One of the region’s largest companies is moving out of Harrisburg, as D&H Distributing has purchased a 50-acre parcel of land in the nearby suburbs.

D&H expects to make the move later this year, relocating from its longtime Harrisburg headquarters to 100 and 200 Amp Dr. in Lower Paxton Township, near I-81, according to the company.

Co-President Dan Schwab said that a need for more space led to the move. With 244,512 square feet of office space between two main buildings, the new headquarters will be about twice as large as the current location on the 2500-block of N. 7th Street in Harrisburg, he said.

“The AMP Drive campus provides adequate space for continued expansion, future-proofing the D&H corporate headquarters for decades to come,” he said.

The new office will offer the company other amenities, such as easy highway access, a larger cafe, a full-service cafeteria, a state-of-the-art data center and a 900-space parking lot, according to D&H.

D&H bought the property for $8.2 million from TE Connectivity Corp., which will continue to occupy a portion of the campus. D&H will either sell or lease its current Harrisburg headquarters, Schwab said.

Founded in Williamsport as Economy Tire and Rubber, D&H last year marked its 100^th anniversary. Over the years, it evolved from a tire seller to become one of the country’s largest distributors of IT and electronics. It’s been at its current Harrisburg address since 1952.

Last year, Forbes magazine ranked D&H as No. 109 among the largest private companies in the United States. The company stated that it expects to add 30 jobs just this year.

“We’re loyal to Harrisburg,” said Co-President Michael Schwab. “The staff has admirably embraced this region over the years, and vice versa, including through local charity activities and community events. We wanted that relationship to continue well into the future, while providing a satisfying and effective work environment for our co-owners, even as we proceed on a rapid growth trajectory.”

This story has been updated to include additional information and comments from D&H Distributing.

A Very Good Year? Yes, assuming you like infrastructure and hate Act 47.

December 28, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

The days tick by and, before you know it, another year has passed us in the city of Harrisburg.

As I normally do for my January column, I’m reliving the recent past by reviewing the top news stories of the last 365 days.

I would say that it was an up-and-down year for Harrisburg, but I feel like I say that every year. In any case, buckle in for a trip down memory lane, assuming, that is, that your memories, like mine, mostly consist of taxes, housing and roadwork.

10. When the Rains Came
In journalism, the weather story may be the last refuge of the uninspired, and, accordingly, we don’t write a lot them. But even we take notice when the relentless rains start to affect people’s everyday lives. In 2018, the deluge began early, took a snow break for a late March blizzard, then continued for much of the year, obliterating outdoor events, delaying road projects and closing City Island briefly in July. In its history, Harrisburg has suffered much worse floods, but that was small comfort to the Pride of the Susquehanna riverboat, which lost weeks of sailing due to high water, leading to financial setbacks and appeals for donations.

9. New District, Same Result
The year started off on a hopeful note for area Democrats, as the state’s long-gerrymandered congressional districts were redrawn. The new 10th district, now centered around the Harrisburg area, still had Republicans in the majority, but their partisan advantage had narrowed. A snoozer of a Democratic primary led to the nomination of George Scott, a likeable, mild-mannered minister who, in the general election, raised a lot of money and fielded a large, enthusiastic team of volunteers. However, in the end, he could not dislodge the entrenched Republican incumbent, Scott Perry, who beat back the challenger by nearly three points.

8. Go Downtown
Harrisburg has suffered from decades of disinvestment. So, you might think that city officials would enthusiastically embrace multi-million-dollar redevelopment projects. Some, however, showed little love for a plan to convert two large, underused office buildings on Pine Street to apartments. City Council President Wanda Williams, claiming a lack of affordable units, objected to the projects. Harristown Development countered that some of the proposed units did meet the definition of “affordable” and, in any case, that the city as a whole, and downtown, in particular, would benefit greatly by an influx of new residents and their money. In the end, Williams’ objection could not derail the projects, which satisfied all other conditions set by a city that lacks a formal affordable housing policy.

7. Empty Spaces
During Harrisburg’s golden age, the Market/Cameron street corridor buzzed with activity from factory workers, auto salesmen, postal clerks and ink-stained wretches. But that was long ago. Today, it’s largely a no man’s land, stuck between hope and despair. On the despair side, it lost one of its few remaining structures—the century-old Schell seed building. But the circle of urban life continues, and, in March, the commonwealth released two promising reports. The first set forth renovation plans for the nearby, historic train station, and the second outlined a long-term vision to restore the Paxton Creek watershed, which would add acres of green space to the blighted area and reduce the risk of flooding. Mayor Eric Papenfuse has called the Paxton Creek project potentially transformational, but that transformation remains many years and many more millions of dollars away.

6. House of Controversy
Every year, a story pops up seemingly from nowhere and then surprises me in its public interest. For 2018, that story was the ongoing saga at the House of Music, Arts & Culture—otherwise known as HMAC. The summertime drama started after a patron said that she was assaulted after leaving the venue. The police soon cleared HMAC of culpability, but not before Facebook exploded in an onslaught of online invective. Soon after, TheBurg reported that HMAC had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and that its owners planned to sell the sprawling art space and restaurant. If HMAC does get new owners, 2019 could be a pivotal year for a place that has come a long way over a decade, when it was a blighted shell, but that, by its co-owner’s own admission, could use fresh leadership.

5. Park & Dine
Last January, I wrapped up my annual year-in-review column by stating that, for the first time in years, my top-10 list excluded the single-most persistent issue in Harrisburg—parking. Well, it’s back! In April, the city, Dauphin County, the Downtown Improvement District and Standard Parking inked a deal to provide free street parking after 5 p.m. throughout much of downtown. The early reviews were positive, with restaurant owners saying that business had picked up once patrons realized they could snag a drink or dinner without risking a $30 ticket. The one-year deal expires soon, so we’ll have to see what City Council and other stakeholders think of their “one-year experiment.”

4. Plan Jam
Second only to parking, the unfinished comprehensive plan is the city’s most evergreen story—with us year in, year out. It may now seem like a distant memory, but the city held a public meeting last January on the draft plan. That public hearing garnered many comments from residents, even as Mayor Papenfuse denounced the draft document as “unworkable” and “unsalvageable.” Papenfuse later threatened to replace the entire Planning Commission, even if it took years, to get a plan more to his liking. Nonetheless, the commission stuck with its draft and, in November, requested $50,000 to finish it up. So, could this be the year that Harrisburg finally gets a new comprehensive plan? Maybe, but I’m already reserving an entry for it on my 2019 list.

3. Drama Class
Generally speaking, Harrisburg is a much less dramatic place than it was a few years ago, during the height of the city’s financial crisis. I now will carve out a great, big exception for the school district, which has taken over as the center of city spectacle and dysfunction. Every month of 2018 seemed to feature some new problem—budget shortfalls, a tax hike, poor academic performance, a controversial grading policy, school board resignations, personnel issues, principal reshuffling and a battle over whether to re-appoint the superintendent, among other issues. I’ll go out on a limb and say that, with control of the school board at stake during upcoming municipal elections, city residents should expect more of the same this year.

2. All Roads Lead to (and from) Harrisburg
This past year, the long-awaited 3rd Street corridor project finally began digging, cutting and drilling. Then it stopped. Then it started again. City officials now say that the streetscape and paving project will conclude this year. But 3rd Street wasn’t the only stretch of road on the minds of city residents in 2018. The city kicked off its “Vision Zero” campaign with a public meeting in June, as it strives for zero pedestrian deaths, an ambitious goal considering the shockingly high rate of road fatalities. The year in infrastructure ended on a more hopeful note. In November, residents packed a public meeting on the city’s plan to convert much of N. 2nd Street to two-way traffic. Suburban commuters may have a different opinion, but the crowd that attended the meeting seemed to support the concept overwhelmingly.

1. The Long Good-Bye
In city life, an issue may arise under one set of assumptions, only to take numerous twists and turns before resolution. Such was the case with Harrisburg’s plan to leave Act 47, the state program for distressed municipalities. We began the year assuming the city would roll into a three-year wind-down of its involvement. That assumption was thrown into doubt after the state proposed doubling the city property tax as a condition for leaving. Appalled, Harrisburg officials asked the state legislature to allow the city to retain the extra taxing authority it has had under Act 47. That bill passed in October, though in a highly modified form that offers just five more years of enhanced taxing power. With that compromise, Harrisburg plans soon to exit Act 47 in 2019, allowing it, after many years, to shed the moniker, “distressed city.”

As I typically do, I will wrap up the January column with the disclaimer that, while these are my choices for the top Harrisburg news items of 2018, they may not be yours. You easily could make a case that I should have included the tragic deaths of a mother and son at the Dock Street Dam, the death of a U.S. marshal during a raid on a house in Allison Hill and the death of restaurateur Nick Laus, which was our single most-read online story of the year.

Here’s hoping that 2019 brings the people of Harrisburg nothing but good news, which I will happily recap a year from now. And more free parking.

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

A Tour and a Pour: Are you a history nerd AND a beer nerd? Consider yourself served.

December 28, 2018 | by Gina Napoli

Photo by Dani Fresh.

It’s not exactly “Drunk History,” that long-running Comedy Central program that melds, well, drinking and history.

Nonetheless, that show kept running through my mind as several friends and I ventured forth with Eugene Showers, the amiable, knowledgeable owner of The Lost Pint.

Through his tours, Showers offers a unique, fun type of interactive education, as he puts brewing in context with local history, agriculture, geology, transportation—even the migratory patterns of animals. With a few tasting stops woven in.

The tour’s surplus of obscure trivia hints at a Harrisburg that once was, while the behind-the-scenes stops infuse a mix of modern and museum.

Showers is uniquely qualified for this job, as he has worked both as a teacher and at various distilleries and breweries. He also brews beer at home.

“I’m not looking for people who just want to drink and not learn anything,” Showers said. “I appreciate smart and cultured people on my tours. This tour is an interactive conversation, and we all learn from each other.”

Showers started The Lost Pint after sharing the region’s history with a group of visiting Europeans.

“I felt certain that others would appreciate the Susquehanna River and Harrisburg if they could see it the way I do, from a different perspective,” he said. “Visitors always enjoy stopping to grab a pint. So, conversations always include beer styles, beer tastings and beer-making education.”

Tastes Amazing

The Lost Pint offers a step-on tour. You bring the vehicle. The tour guide rides shotgun, navigating and narrating.

You have your choice of tours lasting from two to six hours, whether you want to learn about the Underground Railroad, local historic ruins or historic and modern brewing venues.

I arranged a tour for a random Saturday, bringing along five readers of TheBurg who are interested in local history and have toured breweries and distilleries. The guest list included Harrisburg residents Lora Ball, Greg Follett, Sara Sitz and Robyn Sitz and Mechanicsburg resident Marcia Peterman.

Showers recommended to us his popular, four-hour “Susquehanna River Valley Tour” and “Harrisburg Tour.”

Although the website offers standard tour packages, Showers can customize an itinerary, adding a vineyard here and a brewery there. And he can easily change it on the fly. Even before our group assembled, he showcased his flexibility. Our tour date overlapped with a downtown parade, closing off several streets on our original itinerary.

The first stop on our improvised agenda turned out to be a crowd favorite.

Because Showers is tapped in (pun intended) with local brewers and historians, he offers a glimpse behind the barrels. At The Millworks, master brewer Jeff Musselman took us into the brewery he designed from scratch. The tour’s brewing process explanation threw us back to chemistry class, but in a much better way.

Unlike my chemistry teachers, Musselman provided samples. First, we tasted one of the raw ingredients, barley malt that smacked of crackers from a hippie bakery. Then he tapped a new barrel to allow us a rare sample of his black raspberry imperial stout.

“That never, ever happens,” said Robyn Sitz, who has toured numerous breweries and distilleries worldwide.

Showers agreed.

“For a brewer to tap his barrel is a rare happening,” he said. “But where do you go to get a beer like this? Just imagine 150 pounds of black raspberries being incorporated in that barrel. It tastes amazing.”

Like Friends

En route to our next stop, Showers pointed out historic landmarks that we all drive past daily, but never before stopped to truly consider.

Highlights included the ruins of a speakeasy entrance, the chronicles of Charles Dickens’ visit through Harrisburg, and the pillars at the Market Street Bridge entrance, complete with fascinating stories behind them.

Another trivia opportunity awaited us at our next tour stop.

Pre-prohibition, Highspire was home to Highspire Distillery, manufacturer of Highspire Rye Whiskey. The unassuming, 7-foot, brick warehouse, with “H. A. Hartman & Son” painted on the side, sits tucked on a back road along the main drag. You have to squint in the sunlight to see “Highspire Distillery” blacked out and painted over.

The young owner, Rich Lawson, runs a storage facility in one section of the warehouse and showcases relics from the distillery’s heyday in another part. He proudly claims to “resurrect legacies.” The distillery’s most remarkable legacy, Highspire Rye Whiskey, is now produced out of state (this forgotten rye goes down smooth, by the way).

“That kid was cool, and the warehouse was amazing,” Follett said.

Ball enjoyed this part of the tour most.

“I must have driven past this building a thousand times,” she said. “But I didn’t realize what it was.”

The next stop took us along the Susquehanna River, past TMI, to canal ruins at Collins Lock. Showers made history come alive, putting the canal ruins in context with historic trade and topography.

Looking at locks and history about the canal proved to be a favorite for Follett.

“I’m still unclear about how it all fits together, but it will give me something to Google later,” he said.

Our last stop, Tattered Flag Brewery & Still Works in Middletown, provided a self-guided tour, appetizers and unusual brews—plus edifying conversation about the local, hidden gems uncovered throughout the tour.

“I’ve lived here for 20 years, and I didn’t know most of the stuff I learned on this tour,” Peterman said.

Follett may have summarized our Lost Pint tour best.

“The owner gave us a personal tour,” he said. “And he treated us like friends.”

For more information about The Lost Pint, visit www.thelostpint.com or the Facebook page.

December News Digest

December 28, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda and Lizzy Hardison

Harrisburg Weighs 2019 Budget

Harrisburg City Council last month delayed a vote on the 2019 municipal budget, citing unresolved disputes with the mayor’s office over spending proposals.

The seven-member council voted unanimously to table the budget bill proposed by Mayor Eric Papenfuse in November.

The mayor’s $70.8 million balanced budget called for slightly less spending than last year, flat tax rates, and more than $7 million in capital improvement projects.

The budget was the subject of almost eight hours of public hearings in December, when council members raised questions about proposed salary increases and the reorganization of city hall departments.

Council budget and finance chair Ben Allatt said on Dec. 18 that the administration would not budge on those proposals, or grant council’s requests to amend capital spending plans.

The mayor’s original capital spending plan called for $4.8 million in spending from the Neighborhood Services fund, including:

$2.5 million for the acquisition of a new public works building
$250,000 to outsource the demolition of abandoned buildings
$2 million in new equipment for parks maintenance

An additional $2.5 million in the proposed budget would allow the city to finance its share of grant-funded transportation projects. Among them are:

$517,000 to construct new sheltered bike lanes and a traffic circle on N. 7th Street.
$345,000 to repave two miles of Riverfront Park’s lower river walk, a segment stretching from Maclay Street to Shipoke.
$270,000 for landscaping and construction to complete the MulDer Square revitalization project.
$250,000 to complete the 3rd Street repaving project, which was delayed last year by heavy summer rains.

As of press time, the council budget vote was scheduled for Dec. 27. Allatt declined to describe the specific changes council sought.
Recycling Fee Hits Harrisburg

Harrisburg will start paying a new fee for single-stream recycling in 2019, but ratepayers won’t see any changes to their municipal waste bills.

Beginning in January, Harrisburg will pay trash collector Penn Waste $40 for each ton of recycled paper and plastic taken to its materials recovery facility, where refuse is sorted, baled and prepared for export.

Harrisburg has used Penn Waste’s recycling facility since 2014 but did not previously pay for recycling.

Due to recent federal trade disputes with China, however, consumers across the country are now paying for a service that waste management companies traditionally offered for free.

As the world’s largest importer of recycled goods, China took the American waste industry by surprise earlier last year when it announced a temporary ban on all American imports, claiming that they contained too many contaminants—non-recyclable plastics and food waste that made their way into recycling bins.

The country later imposed new contaminant standards that all but disqualified American recyclables from import.

The announcement led to a meltdown in the American recycling industry, as waste companies began hemorrhaging money on a previously profitable service.

Higher Water, Sewer Rates in 2019

Water and sewer rates will rise this year for many people in the Harrisburg area, as Capital Region Water set its new rates for 2019.

Under the 2019 budget, CRW’s drinking water customers will pay $9.65 for 1,000 gallons, an increase of 19 cents, or 2 percent, over the 2018 rates. These customers also pay a $7.62 “ready to serve” charge.

Wastewater rates will go up more substantially. For 2019, these customers will pay $7.65 for 1,000 gallons, an increase of 66 cents, or 9.4 percent, over the 2018 rates.

An average, full-service residential customer who uses 4,500 gallons of water monthly will pay an extra $3.98 per month, according to CRW.

CRW stated that the rate increases were necessary, in part, to fund ongoing capital improvements in its service area. The company has committed to some $40 million in capital projects to repair and replace its aging infrastructure.

For 2019, CRW’s water projects include lining a major water main on Cameron Street, replacing several aging water mains, and evaluating the DeHart Dam spillway. Wastewater capital improvements include updating treatment systems at the wastewater treatment facility and repairing major interceptor sewers along Paxton Creek and the Susquehanna River, according to the company.

CRW has increased its water and sewer rates for several years in a row. For 2018, drinking water rates went up by 7.5 percent and wastewater rates by 7.1 percent.

Charter School Proposed

A new elementary charter school could open its doors in Midtown Harrisburg next year, if it gets the approval it seeks from the Harrisburg school board.

The Pennsylvania STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Academy last month presented a charter application to the school board at a public hearing in the district’s Lincoln Administration Building.

Only three board members attended the hearing, which was recessed after 90 minutes and will reconvene in January.

The presentation was led by former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq, a founding board member of the PA STEAM Academy. Dumaresq explained that the school would offer small classes and a rigorous curriculum in STEM fields, as well as a deep emphasis on language arts and literacy.

If Harrisburg grants the five-year charter application, the STEAM Academy would open at the HACC Midtown 2 Academic Building, 1500 N. 3rd St., in fall 2019 for grades K-2. The school would add a grade of instruction every year, allowing the incoming cohort of 2nd-graders to progress through 6th grade by the time the charter expires in 2024.

If their charter is granted and then renewed, they hope to expand to 8th grade.

HACC currently occupies Midtown 2, but the 15-year lease on the building expires in June 2022, and HACC announced in March that it would not renew it. The college plans to start moving some programs out of the building as early as this year.

As a public charter school, enrollment at PA STEAM Academy would be free for students, paid for by contributions from its students’ school districts. Harrisburg students would have first priority for the 120 enrollment slots. If the school received applications for more students than it could serve, it would select students through a lottery system.

Enrollment would only be open to students from other districts if the school could not fill its seats from within Harrisburg.

The school would also have a research component, Dumaresq said, serving as a testing ground for innovative curriculum programs that could raise student achievement across all of the Harrisburg school district.

“We would be able to look at our programs, look at student achievement, and say ‘this works’ and take the model [to other schools],” Dumaresq said. “A school district the size of Harrisburg can’t implement things this big all at once.”

UMC Churches to Close

Ten Harrisburg-area United Methodist churches are slated to close as their congregations consolidate, it was announced last month.

The Susquehanna United Methodist Conference cited declining membership and the high cost of building maintenance in its decision to shutter and sell the churches. Several churches are historic structures that date back more than a century.

The churches set to close are:

First Harrisburg UMC, 260 Boas St.
Riverside UMC, 3200 N. 3rd St.
Rockville UMC, 4386 N. 6th St.
Mark’s UMC, 3985 N. 2nd St.
Camp Curtin Memorial Mitchell UMC, 2221 N. 6th St.
Grace Harrisburg UMC, 216 State St.
Derry Street UMC, 1508 Derry St.
Twenty Ninth Street UMC, 750 S. 29th St.
Grace Penbrook UMC, 25 S. 28th St., Penbrook
Trinity Penbrook UMC, Canby and N. 25th St.

The conference stated that the congregations will consolidate into a smaller number of newly constructed campuses. Sites in Harrisburg and Penbrook are being considered as locations for the new campuses.

County Tax Unchanged

Dauphin County last month passed a 2019 budget that will keep the county’s portion of the property tax unchanged.

The $247 million budget retains the county rate of 6.87 mills, plus a .35 mills library tax.

This marks the 14th straight year that the county tax will not increase.

Additionally, the budget includes $11 million for the county’s municipal bridge project. Under the program, Dauphin County will use state transportation-related funds to cover 40 percent of a municipality’s cost to repair or replace a bridge. The rest of the money can be borrowed via low-interest loans from the Dauphin County Infrastructure Bank.

County officials said they are working with municipalities to determine an initial list of bridges.

“Without this program, township and boroughs would be forced to either close or weight-restrict bridges or raise local taxes to fix them,’’ said Commissioner Mike Pries. “We’re looking at long-term solutions and working with our municipal partners to improve the quality of life in the county.”

Robinson Regains Board Presidency

Danielle Robinson returned to her post as president of the Harrisburg school board last month, ousting incumbent Judd Pittman in a 6-3 vote at an annual reorganization meeting.

Lola Lawson, a board veteran who was appointed to a temporary seat in August, will serve as vice president.

A member of the school board since 2012, Robinson served as its president from 2015 to 2017, when she lost her leadership role to Pittman. She was subsequently elected vice president for the 2018 calendar year.

Robinson and Pittman found themselves in opposite factions throughout most of 2018, as the board decided whether to retain Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney or conduct a nationwide search for her replacement. The board frequently split along slim margins on questions related to Knight-Burney’s tenure and administration, with the majority supporting her.

In other school board news, board member Melvin Wilson died suddenly last month. The board now must appoint a replacement by mid-January.

Study: Dauphin County Most Like “Middle America”

A research firm last month named Dauphin County the most typical county in the nation.

Alexandria, Va.-based Echelon Insights released the results of its “Middle America Project,” which ranked Dauphin County as, statistically, the “closest to resembling America as a whole.”

The firm used a variety of demographic and other data, including income, employment, church attendance and voting tendencies, to compile a “Middle America score” and rank more than 3,000 counties.

Another Pennsylvania county—Lehigh—took second place nationwide, with Scott County, Iowa, Shawnee County, Kansas, and Peoria County, Ill., rounding out the top five spots. Webster County, W.Va., was ranked as least resembling the nation as a whole.

Locally, Lancaster County came in at No. 51, Cumberland County at 109, York County at 318, Lebanon County at 533, Adams County at 633 and Perry County at 2,024.

So Noted

Adam Porter was named last month as president of the executive board of Harrisburg Young Professionals for 2019. Porter is co-owner of both the st@rtup Harrisburg co-working space and Provisions, a downtown grocery. In addition, HYP named Jeremy Scheibelhut and Brandon Boring as vice presidents, Sydney Kyler as treasurer and Mary Kate Grimes as secretary.

AutoZone passed its first significant hurdle last month, as Harrisburg City Council voted to void several “paper” alleys on the proposed site at N. 7th and Maclay streets. Before the auto parts company can build a retail store on the Vartan-owned parcel, the city still must approve its land use plan.

Beth Taylor resigned last month after more than three years as manager of the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg. At press time, the market board had not yet named a replacement.

Harrisburg City Council last month unanimously passed a resolution opposing “conversion therapy,” a controversial treatment that claims to be able to change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Council passed the measure, which contains no sanctions, as a public statement of opposition.

Harrisburg University has been named U.S. STEM University of the Year by United Kingdom-based Corporate LiveWire. Corporate LiveWire is a networking platform that allows individuals and organizations to find other professionals in the corporate finance and business community.

Lindsay Helsel has been named vice president of Team Pennsylvania, a nonprofit dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship in the commonwealth. Helsel previously served as the group’s director of international initiatives.

Patrice Merzanis will serve as the new executive director of the Dauphin County Bar Association effective Jan. 1. Merzanis, who most recently served as a consultant with the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, replaces Elizabeth Simcox, who served in the position for seven years.

Radish & Rye Food Hub plans to open a second location this summer on the 1300-block of N. 3rd Street in Harrisburg. Owners Dusty and Julia James will open a seven-day-a-week grocery store, complementing their Broad Street Market stand, focused on local, organic and prepared foods. Radish & Rye has received a three-year, $333,410 federal grant to help fund the expansion.
Changing Hands

Berryhill St., 2163: G. Garmin & D. Hart to International Union of Elevator Constructors Local Union #59, $140,000

Boas St., 223: Clionsky & Keys LLC to C. & K. Kelley, $142,800

Boas St., 257: F. & J. Beskind to R. Lowery, $116,900

Boas St., 261 & 263: C. & M. Frater to Alex Manning Enterprises LLC, $194,000

Boas St., 1816: D. Schultz to Harrisburg Properties LLC, $39,000

Cumberland St., 224: A. Karns to A. & A. Chaplin, $114,000

Derry St., 2423: E. Gmys to S. Bello, $78,000

Duke St., 2438: M. & K. Morris to K. Morris, $30,000

Fulton St., 1722: PA Deals LLC to Pedavelis Properties LLC, $109,000

Green St., 1102: LHRE LLC to W. Hoover & Heinly Homes LLC, $50,000

Green St., 1820: C. Edwards to Jhonleo Home Renovations LLC, $45,000

Green St., 2212: T. Treece to E. Villavicencio, $55,000

Harris St., 226: P. & T. Davis to V. Parades, $74,500

Herr St., 1611 & 703 N. 18^th St.: WK Rentals LLC to Henry & Sons Property 2 LLC, $119,800

Locust St., 115 & 117 N. River St.: Allis Revocable Trust to M. & D. Williams, $287,000

Locust St., 119: D. Shatto, S. Shatto & A. Rhoads to G. Rhoads & M. Beamer, $95,000

Market St., 1827: 2103 Central PA Real Estate Fund LLC to Henry & Sons Property 2 LLC, $79,900

N. 2^nd St., 2131: J. & R. Miller to BCRA Realty LLC, $84,500

N. 2^nd St., 2140: M. Price to G. & K. Raser, $140,000

N. 2^nd St., 2313: G. Mineur to D. Lehman, $36,700

N. 3^rd St., 1614: P. Eusi to D. McCord, $144,500

N. 3^rd St., 1800: R. Valentine & C. Frater to 1800 N. 3^rd LLC, $174,500

N. 3^rd St., 1818: C. Frater to Heinly Homes LLC, $100,000

N. 3^rd St., 1724: Y. Farzana to J. Montone, $132,000

N. 3^rd St., 1937: C. Frater to Heinly Homes LLC, $130,000

N. 4^th St., 3230: D. Garman to C. Sitterly, $132,000

N. 5^th St., 2648: R. Walker to R. & O. Hicks, $44,000

N. 13^th St., 113: Adonis Real Estate LLC to 77 Estate LLC, $37,500

N. 15^th St., 183 & 185: S. Fenton, D. Fenton & Harrisburg Property Management Group to T. Casteel, $58,000

N. 15^th St., 1308: Harrisburg Rentals LLC to Henry & Sons Property 2 LLC, $59,900

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 210: N. & D. Burke to R. & L. Mack, $105,000

N. Front St., 2949: Fraternal Order of Police to Vinculum Inc., $285,000

Penn St., 1717: J. Armstrong to N. Houle, $109,900

Pennwood Rd., 3100: C. Pensyl to K. Zuber, $96,000

Reel St., 2433: A. Wood to C. & M. Gentry, $31,000

Reily St., 204: R. & E. Davis to B. Davis, $80,000

Rolleston St., 1235: L. & E. Saunders to ECS Holdings LLC, $170,000

Rumson Dr., 2786: PA Deals LLC to B. & C. George, $79,500

Seneca St., 241: CR Property Group to L. Graham, $71,500

S. 14^th St., 1403: J. & F. Scott to City of Harrisburg, $41,000

S. 17^th St., 205: J. Tyson, M. Tyson & W. Hill to 205 S. 17^th Street LLC, $137,500

S. 23^rd St., 605: 2014 LIMG Real Estate Investment Fund LLC to Henry & Sons Property 2 LLC, $64,900

S. 24^th St., 705 & 711: C. Dellmuth to R. Hendrix, $95,800

S. 26^th St., 655: Twenty Ninth Street United Methodist Church to F. & R. Rivera, $109,900

S. Chestnut St., 100: Dauphin County General Authority to Chestnut 100 LLC, $1,600,000

S. Market Sq.: Skarlatos & Zonarich Real Estate LP to South Second Associates LLC, $1,800,000

State St., 1310: Skye Holdings LLC to M. Maniari & Z. Er Roudi, $30,000

Sylvan Terr., 127 & 134: C. McGraw to Enterprise O LLC, $65,000

Verbeke St., 1418: A. & D. Cruz to J. Reid, $63,900

Yale St., 227: J. & C. Nuhfer to A. De Camacho, $42,000

Yale St., 228: C. Jones to NGDR Company Inc., $45,000

Burg Blog: On Average

December 12, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg’s historic Walnut Street Bridge

Are you feeling exceptionally average?

Ordinary? Middling? Nothing special?

If you live in and around Harrisburg, there’s a good reason for that today and, well, every day, according to a new study by Echelon Insights, an Alexandria, Va.-based research and data analytics firm.

The company just released the results of its “Middle America Project,” which ranked Dauphin County as, statistically, the most typical county in the United States.

“Dauphin County is home to Pennsylvania’s state capital of Harrisburg and is statistically the closest to resembling America as a whole,” states the report.

Echelon drilled down into a host of demographic and other data and gave each of America’s 3,000-plus counties (and similar jurisdictions) a “Middle America score” based upon how closely they compared to national averages.

According to the study, Dauphin County is 99.91 percent “more typical” than all other counties, making it the most-typical county in the country. It mirrors the nation’s averages on a wide range of comparative data—from median household income to median age to education levels.

Echelon said it used “more than a dozen measures” to arrive at its “Middle America score,” which, for Dauphin County, totaled 2,781 points, the most of any county. According to the report, Dauphin County:

Has a median income of $54,968 vs. the national median of $57,805
Has a college graduation rate of 29.3 percent vs. the national rate of 30.3 percent
Has church congregation membership of 47.8 percent vs. the national average of 48.8 percent
Voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election by a margin of 2.9 points versus the nationwide tally of 2.1 points.

Another Pennsylvania county—Lehigh—took second place, with a “Middle America score” of 2,772. Scott County, Iowa, Shawnee County, Kansas, and Peoria County, Ill., rounded out the top five spots.

Locally, Lancaster County was closest to Dauphin County on the “Middle America” ranking, coming in at No. 51. Cumberland County was ranked 109, York County 318, Lebanon County 533, Adams County 633 and Perry County 2,024.

What is the least average place in America? According to the study, that title goes to Webster County, W.Va., with a “Middle America score” (along with Hancock County, Tenn., and Douglas County, Mo.) below 400.

However, it wasn’t just poorer, more rural areas that had low scores and rankings.

The same was true on the higher end, with wealthy counties outside of Washington D.C., like Arlington County, Va., Falls Church, Va., and D.C. itself, ranking low, along with places like San Francisco County, Calif., and New York County, N.Y.

So, what does this mean for us—the terribly average residents of the Harrisburg area?

The study implies that we could become national lab rats, as researchers and reporters venture forth from their protected cloisters in D.C., New York, Boston and Chicago to study us in our natural habitat. Will they be shocked to discover we’re not all wearing beige, drinking Bud Lite and watching 3.5 hours of TV daily?

Perhaps, with a wink and nod, we should embrace our new status as the most average place in America.

Come study us. Eat in our way-above-average restaurants. Drink our way-above-average beer and coffee. Visit our way-above-average farmers market. Gaze upon our way-above-average architecture and river. Read our way-above-average community magazine.

As goes Harrisburg, so goes the nation!

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

Burg Blog: Go to Market

November 30, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Four years ago, the Broad Street Market’s board of directors seriously considered padlocking the original, stone market building.

Most vendor slots were empty, and customers were sparse. So, the reasoning went, it would be more economical to just close the building and move the remaining vendors into the brick building, which had plenty of empty space of its own.

But the brick building had issues, too, closed twice over two years to battle vermin infestations.

Today, you would never know that any of this had occurred.

On market days, the crowds inside both buildings can be so thick that it’s often difficult to find a place to sit down and, for the first time in many decades, the market is 100-percent occupied, every vendor space filled.

Stroll through the once almost-shuttered stone building, and you have your choice of cuisine from around the world: African, Jamaican, Korean, Polish, Indian, Puerto Rican, Greek. There’s barbecue, pizza, baked goods, ice cream, cheesesteaks, seafood, even craft beer, some of the tastiest things you’ll find in central PA.

Beth Taylor, who’s managed the market for more than three years, has led this transformation. Two days ago, she told her vendors that she would be leaving her post effective Dec. 15. Hers will be tough shoes to fill.

Managing the Broad Street Market may rank among the hardest jobs in Harrisburg. Sure, it sounds like fun—managing a farmers market—but, in reality, it’s often grueling, thankless work, with long hours and no end of problems.

In a given week, thousands of people pass through the market, and they must leave satisfied. The manager also must keep happy dozens of vendors, who are independent business people with their own needs, desires, hopes and dreams. She also must manage the staff, ensure cleanliness, keep order, provide safety and maintain the 150-year-old buildings, no small tasks given the weekly mob scene.

Then there are the bosses.

Ultimately, the manager must answer to a nonprofit board of directors, whose members have their own thoughts and priorities. To add a wrinkle, the market buildings are still owned by the city, and some city officials want their own say in how things are run.

So does the community.

The Broad Street Market may be the one entity that nearly everyone in this diverse, divisive town claims as their own. Therefore, residents all have opinions about the market—the vendors, the parking, the prices, what it should be, what it shouldn’t be.

Think of your own job. Do you need, every day, to balance the wishes, needs and demands of thousands of patrons, dozens of vendors, a staff, a board of directors, city officials and some 50,000 residents? Probably not.

The market manager needs to be tough and smart and diplomatic, with both broad vision and concern for the smallest detail, as well as an ability to inspire and lead others. And sometimes she needs to stand her ground, and sometimes she needs to say “no.”

From what I saw, Taylor had these skills, and she helped make the Broad Street Market the amazing place it has become—a remarkable renaissance in just a few years.

I wish the board all the best in finding a great replacement. May the new manager be able to navigate this minefield of interests and build on what already has been accomplished.

The new manager, though, should harbor no romantic ideas or illusions about running the Broad Street Market. This is a tough job, and it requires a tough person to do it.

As a community, we would do well to welcome and support the new manager. The market may be the best representation of us as a city, the one place in town where everyone comes and sits, eats, laughs and shops, a place where people talk and connect and, upon leaving, seem happier for having been there.

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

Let’s Talk: The nation’s “social infrastructure” may be withering, but Harrisburg’s is growing stronger.

November 30, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Illustration by Rich Hauck.

In late October, a group of Harrisburg residents, officials and canine-lovers gathered on a brisk late afternoon to cut the ribbon on the city’s first public dog park.

To fit the occasion, there were, of course, the requisite speeches, some pooch-related puns and the yip and yap from city dogs off-leash and frolicking in the fresh, damp grass in the newly fenced area at N. 7th and Granite streets.

So, certainly, if you’re a mutt or hound, a pedigree or mix, this ribbon cutting was a landmark event, one you’ll probably relive in your doggie dreams until your next visit. Less emphasized, however, was what the park will mean for us—the humans of Harrisburg.

A few months back, Eric Klinenberg, a sociology professor at New York University, wrote about something he called “social infrastructure” for the Atlantic Monthly. In his piece, he lamented the poor, deteriorating condition of our shared spaces—libraries, parks, markets and the like. These, he said, offered natural opportunities for people to meet, talk, form friendships and otherwise make attachments, all to the benefit of themselves and their communities. Many of these social spaces, however, now are threatened by lack of care and investment, particularly on the part of governments, he wrote.

Naturally, Klinenberg’s article had me thinking about life in this city.

If I had to grade Harrisburg’s social infrastructure, I might give it a “B-minus,” maybe a firm “B” on a good day. So, not bad, but certainly room for improvement. The thing is, it wasn’t long ago when this mark would have been much worse. Harrisburg spent decades fraying and falling, with terrible consequences for the quality of life here. But, now, as the city bounces back, it is bucking the larger, national trend described by Klinenberg. Its social infrastructure is actually getting better.

Anyone who has visited a dog park knows that it’s not just the dogs that get friendly with one another. The owners stand around, watch their pets, and get to know each other. Many friendships, even relationships, have begun at dog parks, especially since even the most small-talk-challenged have a shared interest and natural launching point for conversation.

But I don’t mean to put too much pressure on one little dog park. In the decade I’ve been in Harrisburg, I’ve seen the social infrastructure in this little city improve dramatically.

Certainly, the Broad Street Market sits at the crossroads of the community and, as such, is a reflection of its social health.

After decades of struggle, the market has been on a prolonged upswing, thanks to a combination of strong management, excellent vendors and the general comeback of the Midtown neighborhood. If there is a load-bearing beam holding up Harrisburg’s social infrastructure, the Broad Street Market is it.

Walking through the crowded market buildings, you would never know that, not long ago, vendors, sparse as they were, seemed to outnumber shoppers. But, today, the market is the scene of thousands of interactions and conversations—from the main dining area to the Zeroday Outpost to the ordering counters to the shared tables. The market is prima facie evidence that we are a social species, happier together than when divided or isolated.

Spiraling out from the market, Midtown Scholar Bookstore has become a de facto community center; Strawberry Square has mounted a surprising rebirth as a gathering and meeting place; the Midtown Cinema parking lot has become a free outdoor film venue and flea market space; and profoundly underused Italian Lake Park is finding new life as a place for free outdoor concerts and events.

Some of the examples may not strictly fit Klinenberg’s definition of social infrastructure, since he distinguishes purely “public” spaces from commercial ones. However, both Midtown Scholar and Midtown Cinema basically donate their venues for community use, as, often, does HMAC. And I’m certain far more business gets done at the tables in Little Amps than at the ordering counter.

In fact, what I like so much about Harrisburg’s approach is that, for the most part, private entities—Friends of Midtown, the Harrisburg Parks Foundation, Friends of Italian Lake, Harristown, HYP, the LGBT Center, Bethesda Mission and many companies—have stepped up to build and strengthen the city’s social infrastructure when and where the cash-strapped municipal government could not. I like to think that TheBurg also contributes through our free magazine and community reporting, by donating staff to 3rd in the Burg each month and by sponsoring free events like the Harrisburg Mural Festival.

So, Dr. Klinenberg, take heart. I know you were in Harrisburg a few months back to give a book talk, but you really should return and, this time, stay awhile. Study what we’re doing. Speak to the people building Harrisburg’s social infrastructure from the ground up. Bring your dog. I think you’ll leave with more hope than when you arrived.

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

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