Tag Archives: harrisburg

A River Connects Us: As the weather warms, take time to enjoy the glorious Susquehanna.

April 30, 2015 | by Tara Leo Auchey

Harrisburg is a river city.

It’s the reason it exists in the first place. The enterprising and astute John Harris realized the significance of this location when he came here in the early 1700s and established himself on the mighty Susquehanna.

Until the 20^th century, the Susquehanna and its banks were primarily used for commerce, disposal of the city’s sewage and rubbish, and, ironically, drinking water. However, the City Beautiful movement of 1902 to 1926 changed that. Riverfront Park was built, along with the Dock Street Dam, so that the river could be enjoyed and used for swimming and boating.

That’s precisely what I do every summer.

About two years after we moved to the city, we bought a pontoon boat. It’s a used gem with a hard top and plenty of seating for all-day floats on the river. We dock it at one of the marinas on City Island and can easily walk there from our house when we want to.

For us, it’s our getaway. Pretty much every weekend from May to October—weather and water conditions permitting—you’ll find us in our favorite spots just a stone’s pitch from the concrete steps of the city. However, it’s not something we do just on the weekends. The proximity permits us to go any time we want to watch the sunset, have our dinner, and unwind from a long day.

The views are stunning. We’ve seen the state Capitol dome and surrounding buildings drenched in the hot pink glow of a setting summer sun. We’ve watched spectacular lightning storms from afar and seen blue moons rise more than once.

Of course, we’re not alone out there. There are many others enjoying the water, including fellow pontooners, jet skiers, kayakers, canoers, paddle boarders and folks fishing. In fact, one of the most remarkable things about recreation on the river is that there are people from all over the region enjoying Harrisburg in that way.

Then there’s the wildlife. We have kayaks tied up to our old boat, and, when we’re in the mood, we take adventures through the islands of the Susquehanna. It’s magnificent, not just the serene scenery of lush flora but especially the birds. We’ve observed bald eagles swoop to catch fish, an American coot nest in the marshes, blue herons dance in courtship, and anyone who follows my water escapades knows I befriended a loon a couple of years ago.

Not enough can be said about the incredible bird-watching from the middle of the river. This area is a National Audubon Society designated “Important Bird Area,” and it’s known for its waterfowl and birds of prey. As Paul Zeph, director of conservation for Audubon Pennsylvania, once said, “The birds of this crossroads epitomize what a special, amazing place this is.”

This place is special and amazing, and more people need to realize how much of that is based on Harrisburg being a river city. We’ve had many guests on the boat, and just like us, they, too, have been struck with the awareness that being near the water and on the water makes you understand better just how poignant and important Harrisburg is.

I’ve encountered many people who grew up in the city and steer clear of the water. I’ve been told it’s because it’s safer that way. After all, it is the mighty Susquehanna, and it can be more dangerous than it looks.

After rains, it can be high and swift and filled with debris, such as floating logs and branches. When the waters go down, large, jagged rocks sit unseen right below the surface. The Susquehanna River is wide, powerful and constantly changing with the seasons and weather.

Some mothers have warned children to stay away from the water to be safe.

I, of course, do not advocate that.

Rather, I believe we should embrace the river, learn about it, know it and respect it. There are lots of ways to do that.

Take a ride on the Pride riverboat and check out its River School for the kids. Walk the river or sit on the beach at City Island. Rent a kayak from Susquehanna Outfitters along with a guided tour. If you’re so inclined, do some research. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (yes, Harrisburg falls in the bay’s watershed, which makes the people of Harrisburg stewards of the bay, a considerable responsibility) are great sources to get you started on discovering the importance of the river.

I love the river. I never cease to exalt its value or appreciate its mightiness. I never take for granted what an asset it is to my home city.

The Susquehanna River is the region’s splendor. It offers something to everyone. It brings us together. It connects us as a resource. We all share in its power and wonder.

And it’s worth saying again, it’s why this place—all of it from East Shore to West Shore—even exists in the first place.

That’s something to appreciate.

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

Havana on the Susquehanna: Authentic Cuban cuisine sails into Shipoke.

April 30, 2015 | by Julie Vitto

Button up your guayabera and think tropical thoughts. An authentic Cuban dining experience is about to warm up Harrisburg.

Poised to open for dinner in the charming Shipoke neighborhood this month, Los Tres Cubanos will feature a farm-to-table menu with nightly specials that celebrate traditional Cuban cuisine.

“The food that you see—you’re going to smell and taste it before you can eat it,” said the chef Daniel Avila, a recent Cuban immigrant, who spoke in his native Spanish.

Avila explained that what tends to set Cuban food apart is its flavor, rich without necessarily being spicy. There is also an emphasis on intensive preparation, like marinating or roasting, that requires planning ahead.

Los Tres Cubanos, or The Three Cubans, is named for its owners, who, in their day jobs, are physicians. Jose Manjon and Jose Misas are doctors at PinnacleHealth, and Alfred Leal is an oncologist at Hematology & Oncology Consultants of Pennsylvania.

The trio wish to share their native culture and cuisine with the people of the Harrisburg area, so are opening in the building last occupied by Char’s Bella Mundo at the corner of Race and Conoy streets in Shipoke.

“We want to offer what we tasted as a child and what we love now,” said Manjon.

The corner restaurant will have seating for 46 and a 10-chair bar, with additional seats for al fresco dining. The three partners envision an atmosphere that will sweep diners away to the Cuba of the 1940s and ‘50s. Tables on the sidewalk will allow people to play a traditional game of dominoes, sip Cuban coffee and enjoy a cigar.

“One of the things that attracted us as three physicians,” said Leal, “is we want to be the kind of place where, when someone we know walks in, we’ll know them by their first name, give them a hug, ask how their kids are doing. I want people to know I’m taking care of them.”

Manjon added, “The three of us feel that we will be part of this. We will be there. We will eat there. We will greet our guests and people that we know.”

Close to His Heart

It was while dining at a friend’s restaurant that Manjon was introduced to his future chef.

“He was working for a friend of mine,” said Manjon of Avila, who was cooking Italian cuisine at Gabriella Ristorante in Colonial Park. “But when he heard that I was looking for someone to open up a Cuban restaurant, he went nuts.”

Avila, 28, comes from Holguín, Cuba, and is a graduate of the School of Hospitality and Tourism in Varadero, where he specialized in Cuban and Italian cuisine. After working at resorts and building up banquet experience, he decided to pursue his culinary career in the United States. It’s been less than a year since the move, and Avila is excited to create a menu close to his heart.

Some of the traditional dishes he’ll prepare include ropa vieja (shredded beef), picadillo (ground beef and tomatoes with raisins), arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), roasted pork and white rice and black beans.

While it’s not actually widely eaten in Cuba, Leal enthusiastically described the perfect Cuban sandwich: “Roasted pork, deli ham, Swiss cheese, cheap yellow mustard and kosher pickles.”

“The bread is the key,” he said. “Cuban bread is very different. It’s called ‘paniagua,’ or water bread. The crust is paper-thin. You put butter on the outside. And the key is being able to smash it down.”

And for dessert?

While highlights include flan and arroz con leche (rice pudding), cheese, fruit and nuts are traditional after-dinner fare in most Cuban households.

“Dessert was something for special occasions,” Leal said. “I remember my grandfather. He always had his Cuban coffee and a little bit of cheese after dinner.”

Cuban coffee is like espresso, they explained—very strong but with sugar in it.

“When you finish your coffee,” said Leal, “there’s the sugar at the bottom. The residue. I remember as a kid just waiting for that syrup at the bottom of the cup.”

The Cuban cocktails you can expect to see include the daiquiri, mojito, Cuba libre, rum-based drinks and sherry, which is common before or after dinner.

“We want to have wines that are reminiscent of the kinds our parents drank,” said Leal. “Like Spanish or Argentine wines. They’re not extraordinarily dry. They’re on the sweet end of the scale.”

While inspired by their childhood memories, the three partners also get inspiration from great Cuban restaurants in the United States, such as Philadelphia’s Alma de Cuba and the metropolitan franchise Cuba Libre.

“We ate at Versailles in Miami,” said Leal. “I said to my mom, ‘I would have thought you and grandma were in the kitchen.’”

When asked if the renewed interest in American relations with Cuba informed their decision to open the new restaurant, Manjon asserted that they don’t want to make politics part of it.

“To me, it’s not political,” said Leal. “To me, it’s keeping something alive.”

Los Tres Cubanos is located at 540 Race St., Harrisburg.

Above and Beyond: Showing you care in business, life means providing the “wow factor.”

April 30, 2015 | by Jaime Novinger-Toigo

I was on a recent flight as I started to write this piece on service, relationships and integrity.

Being in the service industry, it is very common for me to critique others in service, always seeking the “wow factor” or the one thing that someone is doing to set themselves apart from others. I have tried to turn this switch off, but it doesn’t happen. I love to be re-energized by someone’s efforts to turn a common experience into a great experience.

The flight I was on was rather short, a one-hour trip to Charlotte, non-work related. We had a flight attendant named Scott, who took time to connect with each guest on this flight, particularly a child in front of us whom he offered almonds to, which she politely declined. He returned several minutes later with a box of donuts that he had purchased pre-flight from Harrisburg International Airport. These were not just glazed donuts. It was around Easter, and the donuts were colorfully decorated with mounting Peeps, and, as you can imagine, the child’s reaction was much different with the donuts.

When Scott had offered drinks to us, he shared that there was an issue with the coffee machine and apologized for the inconvenience. This wasn’t a big deal for us, so my husband opted for the next best thing, a bloody Mary. The drink was nothing less than exceptional. We couldn’t believe the flavor profile, so we asked what mix he had served. He shared that it was the airline’s mix, but that he was from Texas, and Texans like their bloodies a bit spicy, so he added to the mix. A few minutes later, he showed the bloody Mary condiment bag that he carries with him to make an exceptional drink for his clients, consisting of hot sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire and olives.

I don’t fly often, but I believe that Scott was going above and beyond to make our service exceptional. Several minutes later, the other flight attendant stopped at our row and asked if we had brought our own olives. We shared with her that the drink was incredible and that Scott had made it. Her exact comment was, “That is above and beyond.” And that’s exactly how we felt.

I see time as the biggest “wow factor” of all. In our daily lives, most of us have a tendency to believe that we just don’t have time. In this particular situation, Scott had an entire plane to cater, and we were no different than anyone else on that flight. He made it a point to make it an enjoyable and memorable experience for everyone. As I thought about this experience, I thought about the people in my life who have made this same type of impact. When you have the ability to make someone feel that they have your undivided attention and that you really care, the “wow factor” becomes easier to achieve. In the service industry and in life in general, we are faced with decisions every day that reflect on who we are as a person and how we want to be perceived. Those decisions we make leave the impression on others of who we are.

Coming from a family that has established a local business and living with my husband who also has a local business, we have a tendency to shop local first and a drive to promote the importance of local. When you can support a business that has been built in and within your community, you are supporting the local organic drive. Building a local brand doesn’t come without its own difficulties. You are faced with all the same challenges as a large enterprise but without the typical funding. It’s great to see the hype created over the years to support local, but it’s a question we should all ask ourselves. Where are we spending our dollars and can they be exchanged to support a local business?

One of the reasons I live here in the area is that I believe small businesses have been empowered by our community. When a customer shows loyalty to a small business, in my opinion, it’s not because they support local so much as it is because of the experience they’ve had with that or another small business. When someone invests time and energy into getting to know you as a person and as their shopper or supporter, I believe they are showing you they value your relationship and want you to know they don’t take it for granted.

I believe there are a few simple keys to this concept being successful: exceptional service, honest relationships and integrity. The combination of these words alone speaks volumes. They encompass many of the best and most admirable traits: honesty, uprightness, trustworthiness, fairness, loyalty and the courage to keep one’s words and one’s promises, regardless of the consequences.

Coming from parents who never chose to speak negatively of anyone, I have been fortunate to be surrounded by wholeness, which is a blessing. May we all learn to be less judgmental, more supportive and encouraging of each other in order to continue to establish a foundation in our community, where our families will desire to live and work for endless generations to come.

Jaime Novinger-Toigo is president of Service 1^st Restoration & Remodeling, a community publisher of TheBurg.

The Risk of Winning: Harrisburg, place your bets.

April 30, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

My mother once told me about her first gambling experience.

She was 21, newly married, and she and my father spent an afternoon at a racetrack in New York.

An elderly, grizzled denizen of the track sat next to them and noticed my mother’s increasing frustration as she lost race after race.

“It’s good that you lost,” he told her after the day’s program was over. “This way, you won’t come back.”

The old guy was onto something. He understood the allure of gambling, even if he couldn’t resist it himself. Once in, it’s hard to get out, as the gambler keeps trying to relive the thrill of the big win, hoping it will happen again.

When I look back at the history of Harrisburg, I see bets all over the place. The Reed administration was a 28-year, high-stakes game, one that followed the pattern my mother was warned about.

Former Mayor Steve Reed had some significant early victories, betting big and coming up with a winning hand on things like attracting a minor league baseball team to Harrisburg and deciding where to locate a new downtown hotel.

In those early days, he seemed to win even when he lost. Reed never got his hydroelectric dam across the Susquehanna built, but invested the project’s $391 million at a higher interest rate than was paid out to municipal bond-holders, earning enough money to build a baseball stadium and make other improvements to City Island.

Over time, though, the odds turned against him, as they do every gambler. By the 1990s, his overspending and refusal to raise taxes began to catch up, requiring constant scrambles and financial gimmickry to fill budget holes. His $6 million revolving loan fund never bore much fruit, with many businesses refusing to pay back their loans. And his big economic development initiative, building, in his words, “five nationally scaled museums,” thus turning Harrisburg into a museum mecca, largely flopped at a very high cost.

Reed’s biggest mistake, however, was a classic gambler’s error—chasing your losses. Faced with a broken-down incinerator, Reed kept doubling down on a bad hand, taking greater and greater risks to make back the money he already had sunk into it. He couldn’t bring himself to abandon the project and eat the losses when they reached $50 million, $75 million, $100 million. Finally, hundreds of millions in the hole, he was removed from the table by the city’s voters.

But why am I revisiting the Reed years?

In March, now-Mayor Eric Papenfuse made a wager of his own. He placed a bet that some tweaks to Harrisburg’s hated parking system would deliver more people to downtown businesses, some of which say they’ve suffered after the cost of on-street parking doubled last year and paid parking was extended to Saturdays.

In a deal with Park Harrisburg, “happy hour” rates were cut by $1 an hour and, through the Pango mobile app, parkers can get four free hours on Saturdays. To pay for this, Harrisburg staked up to $285,000 in unspent hotel tax funds set aside for marketing, money that will be used to cover any losses that Park Harrisburg might incur because of the lower rates.

Papenfuse believes that the cost to the city will be “much, much less” than the amount committed, perhaps nothing. In a best-case scenario, lower rates will lead to more customers and greater revenues for Park Harrisburg, which might lower parking fees permanently.

In general, I don’t believe in taking undue risks with taxpayer money. However, I think that Papenfuse’s bet is a good one, as it has limited downside and potentially significant upside. In a way, it reminds me of the dam-money arbitrage from Reed’s early years. Both men were faced with what appeared to be intractable problems—the decrepit, embarrassing state of City Island for Reed and onerous parking fees for Papenfuse. Both then employed highly creative solutions that also made financial sense.

Now, Eric Papenfuse is no Steve Reed. While quite confident, he lacks Reed’s dismissive arrogance and take-no-prisoners approach to governing. While a risk-taker, his risks, so far, have been calculated and limited. He shows far more respect for the public dollar and seems less likely to become addicted to the allure of creative financing. I also don’t think Papenfuse will serve in office for nearly three decades, which compounded the severity of the errors that Reed made.

Nonetheless, it’s worth remembering that there’s danger in a winning bet. The peril is over-confidence, in believing in your own infallibility, of thinking that great victory requires great gamble, of wishing to relive the rush of the big score.

So, we’ll see what happens with Papenfuse’s roll of the dice. For the sake of Harrisburg, I hope it pays off and, by this time next year, we’ll have lower parking rates, more customers downtown and $285,000 still sitting in the bank. Unlike my mother’s acquaintance from the racetrack, I can’t silently root for failure, even if, as the old man knew, when it comes to gambling, we often win most when we walk away dejected the first time out.

Lawrance Binda is editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

April News Digest

April 30, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

Cameron Street Land Transferred

Harrisburg last month ridded itself of several blighted, city-owned lots, transferring ownership to the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority.

By a 6-1 tally, City Council agreed to transfer 28-36 and 38-40 N. Cameron Street to the authority, which is expected to try to raise funds to raze the run-down buildings on the lots and perform site remediation.

The structures were built in the 1920s as automobile-related businesses and later were part of the expansive Keystone Building Products complex, which occupied most of the unit block of N. Cameron Street.

The city took possession of the properties in 1990 and has owned them since. Over the years, several re-development plans were proposed but fell through, leaving the buildings increasingly dilapidated. Two years ago, the city put 38-40 N. Cameron on the market for $150,000, but no buyers stepped forward.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse has said that the properties have “negative value,” as the city estimates that it will cost at least $600,000 just to return the land to a buildable empty lot.

Appalachian Brewing Co. abuts 38-40 N. Cameron and has expressed interest in the property. However, CEO Jack Sproch has said that the brewery will not buy the land if it also needs to absorb the expense of demolishing the buildings and performing ground remediation.

City Seeks to Revoke Business Licenses

Harrisburg has notified three bars—the Taproom and the Third Street Café, located next door to one another in Midtown, and the Royal Pub in Uptown—that it intends to revoke their mercantile licenses.

“We’re revoking their business licenses on grounds that they violated their agreement to operate in an acceptable manner,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. “We consider a business license a privilege, not a right.”

Papenfuse said city police have documented repeated incidents of criminal activity in and around the bars, such as drug activity, though he would not state the exact claims against the bars.

Dave Larche, who has operated the Taproom for 23 years, said he would appeal the decision to the city’s Mercantile Licensing and Tax Appeals Board. Third Street Café’s owner Tony Paliometros said he also might appeal.

Recycling Program Changed

Major changes are coming to Harrisburg’s recycling program, the city announced last month.

The city no longer will accept glass in regular recycling, but will accept all paper products, which previously were not included. In addition, both residents and businesses will receive new trash and recycling containers.

Trash and recycling containers will be distributed to residents in June, while businesses will receive new containers in May.

Historic Homes May Be Saved

A pair of historic downtown homes may avoid the wrecking ball, as the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, which proposed tearing them down in a bid for more office space, has lowered the asking price.

Following opposition to the demolition proposal, PHFA agreed to offer the attached clapboard homes on the 100-block of Locust Street for $150,000, a bit below the $175,000 figure Brian Hudson, PHFA’s executive director, had cited at a previous planning commission hearing.

PHFA, which says it has outgrown the eight-story office building it has occupied at Front and Locust streets since 2004, sought to demolish the homes to clear the way for a new, 12-story, 160-foot office tower adjoining its existing structure.

Playground Grant Sought

Harrisburg last month applied for a state grant to improve five playgrounds, after City Council authorized the application.

The city is seeking $175,000 from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to begin the first phase of a project to rehabilitate the Norwood and Holly, 4^th and Dauphin, Penn and Sayford, Cloverly Heights and Royal Terrace playgrounds.

This grant would match a $175,000 grant already received from the state Department of Community and Economic Development, for a total of $350,000 for the first phase.

Most of the work would help shore up the playgrounds’ infrastructure in areas like drainage, green space, accessibility and signage. If the grant is received, the city expects most of the work to take place this fall.

The project’s second phase would cost another $350,000, which the administration also hopes to fund with grants.

Water, Trash Bills Separated

This month, Harrisburg residents will begin to receive separate bills for their water/sewer and trash.

The city last month announced that, beginning with this billing cycle, residents no longer will receive a combined utility bill. Instead, the city will mail a bill for sanitation services, while Capital Region Water will send a separate bill for water and sewer.

For decades, residents have received just a single bill. However, in late 2013, Capital Region Water was set up as a separate entity as part of the city’s financial recovery plan, necessitating separating billing and collections.

In addition to checks through the mail, Capital Region Water announced a number of ways for customers to pay:

Online through a secure customer portal at www.capitalregionwater.com
By calling the utility’s customer service number (888-510-0606)
In person, during regular office hours

“While some of our customers may consider the separation of bills to be an inconvenience, we see it as an opportunity,” said Capital Region Water CEO Shannon Williams. “We listened to our customers at town hall meetings, at our Customer Service Center and at community events. The number one request we heard: make paying bills easier. And that’s what we did.”

Residents can pay the city for sanitation services either in person or by mail.

Trail Improvement Planned

The Capital Area Greenbelt Association last month received city permission to raise money to improve a section of the Capital Area Greenbelt trail that runs through Harrisburg.

City Council voted unanimously to designate about six-tenths of a mile of city-owned property along South Cameron Street as public open space for recreation and part of the city’s public parklands.

The vote also authorized Harrisburg to enter into a cooperative agreement with Dauphin County and the Greenbelt Association to seek funding for construction of a permanent, all-weather trail surface on the property. The association also would be responsible for maintenance.

Oil Train Resolution Passes

Harrisburg City Council last month gave its unanimous consent to a resolution urging the federal government to reduce the risk to the city of oil trains.

The resolution urges Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation to review and update specifications and regulations for tank car design to reduce the risk of derailments. It also urges greater communication between local emergency management officials and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

About 25 trains pass through Harrisburg each week carrying crude oil from the Bakken fields in the upper Great Plains and Canada, said Councilman Brad Koplinski.

Changing Hands

Benton St., 607: L. Luis to D. Thomas, $66,000
Caledonia St., 1909: F. Arzuaga Sr. to L. & S. Torres, $112,900
Derry St., 1161 & 1163: Myers Home LLC to Able Property Management, $52,500
Edward St., 505: Freddie Mac to M. Brower, $94,900
Fillmore St., 610: Nationstar Mortgage LLC to Lucky Lan Properties LLC, $30,000
Fulton St., 1719: PA Deals LLC to M. Biscoe, $99,400
Green St., 1007: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development to N. Sinclair, $37,235
Green St., 1912: T. Wadlinger to B. Ostella & A. Fortino, $190,000
Green St., 2131: K. & K. Martin to E. Haggans, $54,000
Green St., 2931: D. & N. Korn to R. Christ & D. Cole, $220,000
Green St., 2960: A. & R. Emerick to D. & C. Graeff, $321,500
Industrial Rd., 3500 & 3500A: Keystone Central Storage LP et al to Northeast Northwest LLC et al, $35,357,681
Logan St., 1733: Secretary of Housing & Urban Development et al to PA Deals LLC, $50,250
Kensington St., 2408: Fern Lane LLC to PA Deals LLC, $32,000
Kensington St., 2439: Fannie Mae to C. & A. Dellmuth, $30,000
Logan St., 2446: PA Deals LLC to M. & J. Sather, $104,300
Mulberry St., 1808: T. Ruth to J. Ramos & M. Gonzalez, $50,000
North St., 228: N. Landis to N. Andrejack, $112,500
N. 4^th St., 2627: D. Travers to M. Hochstetler, $35,000
N. 7^th St., 931: Sera Tec Properties LLP to 7^th Street HLW LLC, $340,000
N. 16^th St., 912: B. & V. Fields to C. Van Den Hazenkamp, $79,900
Penn St., 2334: A. Yates to N. Symons, $79,000
Pennwood Rd., 3224: C. Mondorff to L. Rowland, $60,000
S. 16^th St., 902: N. Holmes to B. Owens, $72,000
S 16^th St., 935: K. Prophet & K. Ortiz to K. Fiavi, $55,000
S. 17^th St., 629: F. Bramande et al to RPM Holdings LLC, $262,500
S. 18^th St., 1122: A. & S. Tolos to R. Muhamad: $50,000
S. 24^th St., 618: P. Sowers-Alton to R. Spence, $100,000
Susquehanna St., 1426: S. Nickliss to R. Walton Jr., $93,500
Susquehanna St., 1730: Bank of New York Mellon to V. Graham & Signature Rehab Services LLC, $51,000
Verbeke St., 112: J. Snare to J. Staloski, $105,500
Verbeke St., 233: S. Livingston & C. Morris to D. Varno & C. Johnson, $113,000

Harrisburg property sales for March 2015, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

Dock to Table: Get hooked on the fish at John B. Kelly Seafood Connection.

April 29, 2015 | by Stephanie Kalina-Metzger

John B. Kelly smiles as he describes his enthusiasm for fishing. To prove his point, he pulls out a treasured heirloom: a 9-pound whitefish fossil.

“I’ve always been into fish and fishing,” he said, admiring the piece. “My uncles took me fishing all the time as a kid and got me hooked. One brought this back from Venezuela.”

Kelly briefly entertained suggestions on how to display it at his new stand, John B. Kelly Seafood Connection, in the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg. The retired educator moved into the space across from Hummer’s Meats in November and has since been cultivating a loyal following.

“We’re seeing a lot of regulars returning,” said Kelly.

The purveyor is often questioned about the provenance of his business, so he provides customers access to his backstory with ready fliers near the cash register. They tell the tale of how Kelly filled a seafood niche here in the midstate, and it all began with a pre-fatherhood, solo trip in 2003.

“I knew I’d be tied up, so I decided to take a lone journey, by myself, with nothing but a canoe, paddle, backpack and fishing and camping equipment,” explained Kelly.

Armed with an atlas, the Halifax resident determined his destination through a less-than-scientific approach.

“I went eeny, meeny, miny, moe,” said Kelly.

Fortuitously, the dart landed in the mid-coast area of Maine, where the Kennebec River dumps into the Atlantic Ocean. The avid outdoorsman allowed himself eight days to explore the area.

“During that time, I met a lot of the local fishermen while paddling my canoe along the rugged coastline in search of striped bass,” he said.

After the life-changing trip, Kelly yearned for Maine whenever he had time to travel. Because he worked at a school, his summers were free, so he scheduled three or four annual trips to the area.

The word spread quickly about the fabulous seafood Kelly was acquiring and soon he found himself lugging more than 600 pounds of lobster back for his friends and family. He realized he was onto something and made the decision to quit his job to sell seafood full time.

“It was the best decision I ever made,” he said.

Cakes & Shooters

Today, Kelly is doing a booming business supplying 18 different farmers markets around the area, with the Broad Street Market as his first storefront. Kelly has enlisted his girlfriend Sue Krankoski, his mother Mary Kelly, and his son John B. “Byrner” Kelly, 11, to lend a hand.

Kelly prides himself on the freshness of his product.

“We source our seafood straight from Maine from commercial fishermen whenever possible and are personal friends with some,” he said. “This is the key to getting the freshest product available. We stay away from FAS,” by which he means “frozen at sea.”

In addition to offering a wide variety of wild-caught, sustainably sourced seafood, ranging from lobsters to haddock, cod, dry scallops, Quahog clams and Jonah crab, Kelly offers crab cakes and fish cakes.

“They are $6 apiece and ready to cook,” he said. “The crab cakes are 80-percent crab and the fish cakes are 90-percent cod, and both are very popular.”

Also popular are soups and chowders and what Kelly calls “shooters,” which are, in essence, samples served in a small cup to be consumed on site, or packaged to go, so people can try before they buy.

For $2, people can savor the sushi shooter, made with fresh tuna, a splash of lemon and topped with wasabi ginger soy sauce made in house. Also offered are smoked salmon shooters, oyster shooters made with lemon juice, house-made cocktail sauce and a spice called “Smoke & Sass,” commissioned especially for J.B. Kelly through Robert Orth in Lemoyne.

“He hand-smokes Mediterranean sea salt with local hickory,” said Kelly. “We tasted four prototypes before deciding on this one.”

Wonderful & Authentic

Kaitlin Fleming heard of J. B. Kelly when browsing the Broad Street Market page on Facebook, so she made the trip on a recent weekend.

“My boyfriend and I switched to a pescatarian diet, and we appreciate the fact that his product is from the dock to the plate,” she said.

The Susquehanna Township resident added that she enjoys the shooters, along with the smoked salmon, wolf fish, cod, haddock and the sushi-grade tuna, which she describes as “difficult to obtain.”

Ken Apperson is also a fan and has a few recommendations, as well.

“The Quahog clams are just fantastic, as is the fresh swordfish, the crab cakes and the cod cakes. The dry sea scallops are wonderful and authentic,” said the Hummelstown man, describing how well dry scallops brown in the pan.

Kelly explains that many supermarket scallops are injected with a solution or frozen and therefore difficult to sear.

Jeanne Cranks learned of J. B. Kelly about two years ago when visiting the Hershey Farmers Market. She recommends the seafood chowder and is impressed with the variety of products.

“I also like the way he wraps the fish in three layers,” she said.

This summer, Kelly is planning to set up operations outside.

“We’ll have nylon mesh bags available and customers can choose mussels, clams, lobster—whatever they want,” he said. “We’ll put their seafood in a nylon bag, then stack and steam it outside to be cooked in their choice of flavor, like lemon pepper, Cajun or beer. People can eat onsite, or take it home in a bag, to save time and mess.”

Kelly is happy to be settled in with a storefront at Harrisburg’s popular market.

“I like the diversity,” he said. “You meet a lot of people here who have a lot of knowledge about seafood, and they share that information. The customers here are very loyal.”

J.B. Kelly Seafood Connection is located in the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg. To learn more, visit www.jbkellyseafoodconnection.com.

Beer Here: Crave & Co. Cleared for Brewery

April 24, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

A few tables at Crave and Co., where you soon may enjoy homemade soup and home-brewed beer.

The interior of Crave & Co.

By this time next year, you may be sipping beer at Crave & Co., as the downtown Harrisburg eatery has received the city’s all clear to open a nano-brewery.

Owner Kristin Messner-Baker said today that the city reversed itself, deciding that the brewery could operate by right—without the need for a zoning variance.

“We were all shocked by this,” she said. “Now, we’re just really excited to start.”

Two weeks ago, Messner-Baker and brewer Kristen Richards received the approval of the city’s Planning Commission and were due to make their case before the Zoning Hearing Board.

However, in the interim, city Solicitor Neil Grover informed them that the city had determined that their planned nano-brewery at 614 N. 2^nd St. did not need special zoning permission to operate, said Messner-Baker. Grover could not be reached for comment.

Richards said she will simply move her existing, automated home-brewing system to the basement of Crave & Co., where she will produce fewer than 1,000 gallons a year, which will be sold only by the glass and in growlers for on-site consumption and take-away.

Messner-Baker said that the Crave & Co. Brew Works likely still will not open until early next year, as federal and state permissions will take time, as will the transformation of the empty Crave & Co. basement to beer-making space.

Separately, Crave & Co. plans to extend its hours starting in mid-June. The organic and vegetarian eatery will open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. It currently closes at 2 p.m.

Harrisburg Mayor Endorses 3 for City Council

April 17, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda and Paul Barker

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse today made endorsements for three candidates for next month’s Democratic primary for City Council.

Papenfuse gave his nod to incumbent Jeff Baltimore and challengers Cornelius Johnson and Westburn Majors for the three four-year seats on council.

He said that Baltimore, Johnson and Majors are the best choices of the eight residents running for the full council term. He did not make an endorsement for the single, two-year seat.

Johnson, Papenfuse said, is a “young man who has incredible experience and insight” from his time as a Harrisburg health inspector and as the director of the health department of Susquehanna Township. “He wants to bring those skills to bear on City Council,” he added, describing him as a “can-do person.”

Papenfuse said that Majors, a registered lobbyist for Gmerek Government Relations, would deliver knowledge of how best to work with the state government. He said that Baltimore, in his year on council, has shown himself to be conscientious, open-minded and fair.

He also gave an anti-endorsement to a single candidate, Brad Koplinski, whom he accused of needless obstruction on council, particularly regarding a bill for property tax abatement that the mayor proposed last year. “There has to be fresh, independent, new voices,” Papenfuse said.

The primary is set for May 19.The other candidates for the four-year seats are Jeremiah, Chamberlin, Ron Chapel, Brad Koplinski, Rhonda Mays and Ellis R. Roy. No Republicans are running in the primary.

Papenfuse made the endorsements while being interviewed as a guest on this week’s episode of TheBurg Podcast.

TheBurg Podcast, April 17, 2015

April 17, 2015 | by Admin

Welcome to TheBurg Podcast, a weekly roundup of news in and around Harrisburg.

April 17, 2015: In a special extended edition of the podcast this week, Larry and Paul speak with their guest, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, about myriad issues from his first year-and-change in office. They discuss public safety, schools, mayoral power and Papenfuse’s political history and future ambitions – and also get the mayor’s endorsements for the 10-way City Council race this year. “Being mayor is a tough job,” he tells them. It “requires standing up for what’s right, pushing when you need to push, and trying to bring things into the public light when they need to be brought in.”

Special thanks to Paul Cooley, who wrote our theme music. You can listen to his podcast, the PRC Show, on SoundCloud or in the iTunes Store.

TheBurg Podcast can be downloaded by clicking on the date above or by visiting the iTunes store. You can also access the podcast via its host page, here.

Harrisburg Seeks to Revoke Business Licenses for 3 Bars

April 15, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg is trying to shut down the Third Street Cafe, foreground, and the Taproom next door for alleged violations of their mercantile licenses.

When you enter the Taproom in Midtown Harrisburg, you immediately notice several things: the ingrained smell of stale cigarette smoke, the sound of some old jukebox rock, a few well-oiled customers at the bar.

It’s about 11 a.m. on a Monday, and one guy who says he works construction (and plans to return to work) is deep into a pitcher of beer. A couple of older men in disheveled suits, laughing and slurring their words, say they’ve been regulars for years.

It’s a mixed crowd: young, old, black, white, workingman, professional, and the patrons all seem to know each other.

This is bar culture at its most basic, the kind of place that once lined block after block of old Harrisburg—the watering hole for the neighborhood, a gritty, downscale “Cheers.”

The Taproom is also, according to the city, a magnet for crime, and because of this determination, is under threat of losing its business license at the end of the month.

Papenfuse said city police have documented repeated incidents of criminal activity in and around the bars, such as drug activity, though he would not state the exact claims against the bars.

Dave Larche, 68, has operated the Taproom for 23 years and, recently, has seen many changes come to the commercial core of Midtown. He believes that’s the real issue, that powerful people no longer want his bar on the block.

“I think there’s an agenda because they want to do something on this side of the street,” he said, adding that, years ago, there were five bars like his along the 1400-block of N. 3^rd Street.

Dave Larche, owner of the Taproom, inside his bar.

Indeed, Midtown is undergoing a transformation. In January, the new Susquehanna Art Museum opened across the street, and, two doors up, starting this summer, Greenworks Development plans to create a U-GRO Learning Center pre-school from a former hardware store. Nearby, the Millworks restaurant and art studio space recently opened, as did the Zeroday Brewing Co. tasting room.

The dissonance between SAM’s gleaming new facility and the two rundown bars across the street is striking. As art patrons visit the museum, visibly intoxicated people often loiter nearby, sometimes causing commotion. Just last month, a fight broke out outside Third Street Café, with a man collapsing near the front door, and, a few weeks later, a shooting occurred in the back alley.

Larche largely blames his next-door neighbor, Third Street Café, for the problems on the block, which he says include public urination, people sleeping in nearby doorways and fights.

Third Street Café’s owner, Tony Paliometros, denies responsibility, saying that he runs a clean, professional bar and that he can’t control what happens outside his place.

“If someone wants to do something, they can do it outside a school or the courthouse,” he said. “Does that mean you close the school or courthouse?”

Paliometros agrees with Larche that his bar is a victim of people who wish to change the neighborhood.

“They built the new museum, and I guess they want to clear the area,” he said.

Papenfuse, who owns Midtown Scholar Bookstore and several other buildings nearby, denies that he is purposely targeting the bars for closure. Drug activity, he said, has been linked to both bars in violation of the terms of their mercantile licenses.

According to the city’s “Business Privilege and Mercantile Tax Regulation” handbook, the city reserves the right to revoke licenses for “any behavior which would constitute a crime under federal, state or local laws, including, but not limited to, drug trafficking or drug possession; committed an act of gross negligence, or allowed any manner or form of public nuisance.”

Larche admits that cocaine was found inside the Taproom last year, within a dart box, but that he can’t control what each of his customers does, even inside his bar.

Paliometros said that he needs to meet with his attorney to decide if he’s going to appeal the revocation before the city’s three-person Mercantile Licensing and Tax Appeals Board, which meets in city hall at 2 p.m. on April 30. Larche said that he is appealing, but holds little hope of winning.

“It don’t look good,” he said. “My lawyer said we can appeal it, but I think it’s pretty well done.”

Both Paliometros and Larche wonder where their patrons will go if their bars close. Paliometros expects that some will migrate to bars Uptown, while Larche said that he just doesn’t know.

“This is a neighborhood bar—a real neighborhood bar,” he said. “There are people in this world who don’t want to go to Arooga’s.”

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