Tag Archives: Heinz-Menaker Senior Center

Senior Space: Friendship, fellowship at Heinz-Menaker.

September 29, 2017 | by Norah Griffiths Johnson

A group of focused-looking seniors gathers in a light-filled room in Midtown Harrisburg to practice tai-chi.

Outside the room, a spirited game of Pokeno (a poker/lotto hybrid) is in progress. Smiles break out on the faces of the card players, who jibe each other and pantomime scowls when someone cleans up.

I’m at the Heinz-Menaker Senior Center to get an insider’s look at a place that, to be honest, I hardly noticed when I drove past numerous times before today.

The center, which was founded more than 40 years ago, hums with activity. It’s a Wednesday, the day the center offers a food pantry in partnership with the Central PA Food Bank. Heinz-Menaker also runs a Meals on Wheels program and a supplemental offering for the homebound, but the center’s core services are visible through its senior programming.

As Les Ford, Heinz-Menaker’s affable executive director, takes me around for a tour, he runs through the various activities they offer. Tuesdays and Thursdays are chair yoga, Wednesdays are tai chi—they’re the only center that offers it in the county, he said. Fridays are chair exercise, which is the most popular. In addition to the fitness classes, games are a popular draw, including bingo, dominoes and cards. Art classes are held on Mondays—the center even has two kilns for those looking to dabble in ceramics. A modest computer area sits off to the side of the main community room. The center’s library, composed of a floor-to-ceiling wall of books, runs along one side.

“I have one gentleman who just likes to come in here and read,” Ford tells me as we walk by the space.

The center feels comfortable, welcoming, and I can see why area seniors gravitate here, though, as any of the long-term members will tell you, there have been some rough patches.

“Are you the one who fell through the floor?” Ford calls to an older gentleman sitting nearby as he gives me a rundown of Heinz-Menaker’s history.

The man laughs and shakes his head, but I can’t tell if it’s from disbelief that he lived to tell the tale or simply because it wasn’t him. Either way, center folklore has it that it was this very incident that was the impetus for replacing the former senior center with the building now known as Heinz-Menaker.

U.S. Sen. John Heinz and City Council member and community activist Mim Menaker were instrumental to the creation of the current building some 25 years ago. But over time, the center lacked sufficient funds for routine maintenance and improvements. When Ford first came on board, six years ago, he focused on pinning together funding to address the many infrastructure issues stemming from years of deferred maintenance. It wasn’t easy.

“My members would ask me, ‘Well, what are you doing?” Ford said. “And I’d say, ‘I’m keeping the lights on and doors open.’”

Joanne Schreffler mirrors this. She coordinates the food pantry for the center, schedules trips and activities, among a host of other responsibilities. She tells me that, when Ford arrived, “trashcans sat at various points around the main community room because of the leaking roof. You can’t ask people to come in here and pay good money and then have trash cans sitting around to catch water.” She shakes her head, just thinking about it.

“That was a tough period,” she said. “And there’s just not a lot of places you can go to ask for $60,000 to get the roof fixed.”

Eventually, Ford gathered funds to stabilize the building through a combination of U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Dauphin County gaming grants. Today, the center relies on proceeds from renting out the space for events in order to supplement city, county and state funding. Heinz-Menaker runs on a shoestring staff of fewer than a half-dozen, mostly part-time, employees.

“These are the people who hold it all together,” Ford notes.

As I talk with Schreffler, who has worked at Heinz-Menaker for years, she says the experience of watching her own parents age was the inspiration for her involvement.

“Working with these members five days a week, they become family,” Schreffler says, smiling. “We worry about them when they’re not here, send them birthday cards, get well cards when they go in for surgery.”

The family-like feel is evident as I explore. Members mingle together after the Pokeno game has broken up. Peals of laughter rise above a happy din. I ask Frances McQuay, a petite, stylishly dressed member, what draws her here.

“I get my exercise in, and I like the people,” she says. “It’s the fellowship. I really like coming here. It gets me up in the morning. It gets me out of the house.”

She persuaded her husband to come along too.

“Once we started coming, we both can’t stay away,” she says.

While speaking with another member, Pat Mueller, our conversation strays into the ups and downs of aging.

“Attitude has a lot to do with it,” she tells me, with a twinkle in her eye.

Something that can be said about much of life. At Heinz-Menaker, age is but a number and attitude is everything. Good aphorisms to remember at any age.

Heinz-Menaker Senior Center is located at 1824 N. 4th St., Harrisburg

More information about Dauphin County’s senior centers can be found at dauphincounty.org.

Council Update: Housing funds approved; meeting urged between police, residents.

July 6, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg City Council tonight approved numerous resolutions tonight before going on summer hiatus.

Harrisburg City Council doled out some $1.9 million in federal housing funds tonight, but not before making tweaks to the administration’s proposals.

Council provided $25,000 to the Heinz-Menaker Senior Center from the city’s portion of annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, a program of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“It is the only senior center in the city of Harrisburg,” council President Wanda Williams said after the meeting. “The services they provide are outstanding.”

The city administration had denied funding for the center, saying its application scored too low to merit a grant.

Williams said she agreed to fund the center on the condition that the money pay for critical infrastructure needs, not the salary of center Director Les Ford. In turn, Ford said he’d use the money to refurbish bathrooms and replace faulty fire doors, in addition to several smaller projects.

To make room for the Heinz-Menaker grant, $15,000 was taken from a proposed allocation for the city’s Police Bureau, which still will receive $90,000 to help pay for a new community policing van and a police cadet program.

Another $10,000 was taken from the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development, which still will receive about $43,000 to cover unreimbursed costs related to the sinkhole project on S. 14th Street, including money for fencing.

City Council wanted to fund a small nonprofit called Breaking the Chains, which works with at-risk youth in Harrisburg. However, before the meeting began, council members determined that the organization’s application did not meet the requirements of the CDBG program.

Like last year, the greatest single amount of money, $562,248, went to repay federal loans the city backed during the Reed administration for several development projects, including the disastrous Capitol View Commerce Center project, which went bankrupt before being completed years later by a new owner.

Other CDBG recipients included:

City Housing Rehabilitation Programs: $330,000
Tri-County HDC: $150,000
City Emergency Demolition: $120,000
Harrisburg Fire Bureau: $51,686
Habitat for Humanity Greater Harrisburg Area: $30,000
Rebuilding Together: $15,000
Christian Aftercare Recovery Ministries: $25,000
A Miracle 4 Sure: $25,000
Latino Hispanic American Community Center: $25,000
Fair Housing Council: $25,000
Mid Penn Legal Services: $15,000
Neighborhood Dispute Settlement: $3,900

While the city undertook the annual process of distributing CDBG money, funding is not assured as the Trump administration has threatened to end the program.

Also at tonight’s meeting, City Council:

Approved a series of resolutions for the installation and monitoring of video security systems at Reservoir Park and at the playground at N. 4^th and Emerald streets.
Passed a resolution allowing the city to enter into a professional services agreement for engineering and environmental services with Lower Allen Township-based Barton & Loguidice for the city’s proposed new composting facility in Susquehanna Township. The resolution will allow the city to complete an application required by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Approved a resolution for a professional services agreement with Hampden Township-based Dawood Engineering for engineering services for MulDer Square, a major revitalization project on Allison Hill.

Originally, council had planned to vote tonight on whether to transfer $65,000 to permit police to purchase new protective, or riot, gear. That vote has been delayed until after council members return from summer break on Aug. 29.

In the interim, Councilman Ben Allatt asked the administration to schedule two meetings between community members, especially those who oppose the purchase of the gear, and police to discuss differences between them and to help heal divisions.

“I’m very concerned about a growing disconnect I see between law enforcement and the community,” Allatt said.

Author: Lawrance Binda

Money Chase: Harrisburg hears pleas for federal housing dollars.

June 29, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Les Ford, executive director of the Heinz-Menaker Senior Center, made a plea tonight for CDBG funds.

Funding for Harrisburg’s only senior center remained up in the air tonight, as City Council reviewed applications for federal housing dollars.

Les Ford, executive director of the Heinz-Menaker Senior Center, made his case for funds as the city decides how to apportion $1.9 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money, a program of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“The Heinz Center is the single most active senior center in Dauphin County, and I think Harrisburg ought to support that effort,” Ford told council during the nearly four-hour committee meeting.

Council members, though, seemed uncertain. Council President Wanda Williams, for one, criticized Ford’s approach, saying that she believes he depends too much on annual grants from the city and Dauphin County to run the center.

“There are hundreds of grants out there for aging, and you need to take advantage of that,” she said.

The Papenfuse administration already turned down funding for the center, leaving Ford to appeal directly to council.

Ford replied that the center has a long list of infrastructure and other needs and that, as its only full-time employee, he’s often too busy with other projects to hunt down and apply for many other grants. He should find out if the center will receive any CDBG money during the next legislative session on July 6.

Otherwise, most of the service agencies that applied for funds showed up tonight to make their cases. The administration already has agreed to offer most of them some money, though often at lesser amounts than requested.

Proposed recipients include:

City Housing Rehabilitation Programs: $330,000
Tri-County HDC: $150,000
City Emergency Demolition: $120,000
Habitat for Humanity Greater Harrisburg Area: $30,000
Rebuilding Together: $15,000
Green Space Clean Up: $53,110
Christian Aftercare Recovery Ministries: $25,000
A Miracle 4 Sure: $25,000
Latino Hispanic American Community Center: $25,000
Fair Housing Council: $25,000
Mid Penn Legal Services: $15,000
Neighborhood Dispute Settlement: $3,900

The administration had rejected a funding request from a relatively new group in Harrisburg called Breaking the Chains, which focuses on helping at-risk youth. After a presentation, however, council members seemed inclined to offer some funding to the group, which tonight asked for $5,000 to $10,000.

At the meeting, city fire and police officials also spoke, as each department is requesting CDBG money. The Fire Bureau wants $51,686, primarily for new lockers for both its fire stations. The Police Bureau is requesting $105,000 for a new community policing van and a police cadet program. Moreover, the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development is requesting $53,000 to cover unreimbursed costs related to the sinkhole project on S. 14^th Street, including money for fencing.

Like last year, the city is using much of its CDBG money—$562,248—to pay off federal loans incurred during the Reed administration. This includes a loan that the city backed for the disastrous Capitol View Commerce Center project.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse has warned that, while the city is undertaking the annual process of distributing CDBG money, funding for the 2017-18 federal fiscal year is not assured as the Trump administration has threatened to end the program.

Author: Lawrance Binda

A House Divided: Battle begins for housing funds in Harrisburg.

June 14, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Seniors raised their hands tonight at the Harrisburg City Council meeting to show their support for funding the Heinz-Menaker Senior Center.

The annual tug of war over federal housing dollars began tonight in Harrisburg, as City Council introduced an ordinance to fund a handful of social service groups.

Immediately, several residents criticized the administration’s proposed allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, as it does not include any money for the Heinz-Menaker Senior Center in Midtown.

“We went over this same ground last year and the year before that and the year before that,” center Director Les Ford told council, referencing past heated battles to help fund the center through CDBG, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant program.

Senior citizens packed the meeting in a show of force to demonstrate support for the center. They’ll have at least two more opportunities to make their case. A committee hearing on the proposal is slated for June 20, and a final vote will follow at a subsequent legislative session.

“I’m asking council to look at this proposal,” Ford said. “We will be back. We are vigilant.”

Following the meeting, Mayor Eric Papenfuse explained that his administration made its recommendations based upon a scoring system that ranked funding applications. Heinz-Menaker’s application, he said, did not make the cut.

“Heinz-Menaker was not funded because its ranking is lower than the ones that were funded,” he said.

The agencies that made the funding cut include:

Green Space Clean Up: $53,110
Christian Aftercare Recovery Ministries: $25,000
A Miracle 4 Sure: $25,000
Latino Hispanic American Community Center: $25,000
Fair Housing Council: $25,000
Mid Penn Legal Services: $15,000
Neighborhood Dispute Settlement: $3,900

Like last year, the largest sum is earmarked for debt service to repay a federal loan that the city backed during the tenure of former Mayor Steve Reed for the failed Capitol View Commerce Center, as well to repay another community development loan. These obligations, which total $562,248 this year, prevent the city from offering more money to social service groups, Papenfuse said.

Last year, the administration proposed eliminating funding entirely for service groups due to these debt obligations and to fund the city’s own needs. This year, however, the city refinanced its debt service, saving $80,000, which is helping to fund the groups, Papenfuse said.

In addition to funding these nonprofits, the administration is proposing $381,504 for CDBG administration and $105,000 for the city’s Police Bureau for a police cadet program and a community policing van. Other proposed funding includes:

City Housing Rehabilitation Programs: $330,000
Tri-County HDC: $150,000
City Emergency Demolition: $120,000
City Bureau of Fire: $51,686
Habitat for Humanity Greater Harrisburg Area: $30,000
Rebuilding Together: $15,000

Papenfuse added that he expects HUD to fund the CDBG program for the federal fiscal year that starts in October. However, the Trump administration has proposed eliminating the program after that.

“All of our CDBG funding is in jeopardy for next year,” he said.

Author: Lawrance Binda

July News Digest

July 29, 2016 | by Lawrance Binda

Housing Money Disbursed

Harrisburg City Council last month selected seven nonprofit groups to receive federal housing funds, but not before overriding a mayoral veto.

Council President Wanda Williams called members back from their summer recess to vote to override Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s first-ever veto.

Papenfuse objected to several parts of the bill, but especially opposed a lack of public input on changes that council made to his original bill.

“There was no public comment on any of these specific changes, many of which drastically altered the funding amounts requested by the sub-recipients,” he said.

Originally, Papenfuse proposed that the city retain all $1.9 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funds for its own needs. However, council unanimously decided to carve out $295,000 and distribute it to a handful of service organizations, as it has in past years.

The following groups received funds:

Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Harrisburg Area, $80,000
Heinz-Menaker Senior Center, $40,000
African American Chamber of Commerce, $30,000
East Shore YMCA, $30,000
MidPenn Legal Services, $30,000
Fair Housing Council, $25,000
Christian Recovery Aftercare Ministries, $25,000

MidPenn Legal Services was the only group that received all the money it requested, while others received considerably less. Council also awarded $35,000 to the Ferguson Group, which helps nonprofits with grant writing.

Papenfuse had earmarked $165,000 to restart a school resource officer program for the Harrisburg school district. Council, citing a lack of buy-in from the district, killed the proposal in favor of funding the nonprofits. Smaller amounts were taken from grant administration, housing rehabilitation and emergency demolition.

The city reserved the single-largest amount of money—$641,113—to repay a federal loan it backed for the once-bankrupt Capitol View Commerce Center, as well as for other federal community development loans dating back about 15 years.

The Papenfuse administration has sent a letter to Julian Castro, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, asking for relief from the remaining balance of the Capitol View Commerce Center loan, as the developer, David Dodd, defaulted on the loan and was later convicted on federal fraud charges. At press time, no response had been announced.

Pot Penalties Eased

Harrisburg last month joined several other cities in Pennsylvania in reducing penalties for marijuana possession.

A unanimous City Council lowered the penalty for possession of small amounts of cannabis from a misdemeanor to a summary offense. The penalty for possessing marijuana paraphernalia likewise was lowered.

Fines were set at $75 for possession and $150 for use.

After a third offense, the penalty reverts to a misdemeanor, but only if all three citations occur within a five-year period.

The vote came after several public meetings in which dozens of residents voiced their opinions for and against lowering the status of possession. Many residents supported the change for recreational or medical use of marijuana, while others argued that pot can lead to the use of harsher drugs.

Gun Suit Dismissed

A judge last month threw out a longstanding lawsuit over Harrisburg’s gun ordinances.

Dauphin County Judge Andrew Dowling dismissed a lawsuit by a group called U.S. Law Shield, which had sued Harrisburg over five of its gun control laws. Dowling ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the suit, as none lived in or had been cited by the city.

U.S. Law Shield filed the lawsuit after the state passed a law known as Act 192, which gave entities automatic standing to sue Pennsylvania municipalities over gun restrictions. The Commonwealth Court later declared that law unconstitutional.

Many municipalities had already repealed their gun control ordinances under threat of a lawsuit. However, Harrisburg and several other cities chose to fight the suits.

Sewer Line Cleaning

Capital Region Water has begun cleaning out major sewer lines in its service area, work that will continue through November.

Crews from CRW, Terra Contracting and CDM Smith will be accessing manholes along the lines, called interceptors, to perform the pipe-cleaning work, said Andrew Bliss, CRW’s community outreach manager. The project includes the Paxton Creek, Paxton Creek Relief, Hemlock Street, Spring Creek and Front Street interceptors.

Bliss said that disruptions to traffic flow are not expected, but that CRW would provide notification through social media if they do occur.

CRW interceptors are up to 60 inches in diameter and convey about 20 million gallons of sewage every day. Bliss said that initial analysis determined that some sections of the interceptors are 50-percent clogged by sediment, adding that the cleaning will remove about 2,300 tons of sediment.

According to CRW, there is no record of when the interceptors were last cleaned.

Bliss said that the $1.4 million project will allow for more storage in the interceptors, which will help reduce combined sewer overflows. Cleaning also will allow for a more detailed condition assessment of the interceptors, which will identify necessary repairs, he said.

Judge Sides with Bar

A Dauphin County judge last month ordered Harrisburg to issue a business license to the 3^rd Street Café, allowing the embattled bar to stay open.

In his opinion, Judge Andrew Dowling stated that state liquor laws trump the city’s own restrictions, limiting the extent to which the city can regulate a business that serves alcohol. Dowling also criticized the cases cited by the city to support its contention that the bar serves as a magnet for crime, saying that most of the alleged criminal activity took place entirely outside of the bar, with few involving bar patrons.

Harrisburg had declared the 3^rd Street Café a nuisance and refused to issue it a 2016 business license. Last year, it also revoked the Midtown bar’s 2015 business license, but a court injunction allowed it to remain open through the end of the year.

Parking Default Declared

Harrisburg last month declared the entities that run the city’s parking system to be in default of their complex, long-term leasing agreement.

The Harrisburg Parking Authority voted to send a default notice to the Pennsylvania Economic Development Finance Agency over nearly $1.5 million in payments the city claims it is owed.

Under the agreement, Harrisburg stands first in line for “waterfall” payments, which is money left over after operating expenses and debt payments.

However, in the agreement’s first two years, the system did not generate enough money from fees and tickets to pay the city’s full share. The sides are now in dispute over what happens when revenue falls short.

The parties have 90 days to resolve the issue. If not, the matter could be turned over to a judge to decide.

New Police Hires

Harrisburg last month swore in seven new police officers to replace officers who are retiring or have left the force.

The city has about 130 sworn officers, unchanged over the past few years. The budget allows for 141 officers.

Police Chief Thomas Carter said that his department has had problems maintaining manpower because some long-term officers are retiring, while others are departing for nearby jurisdictions that offer higher pay and a less stressful work environment.

Video Camera Database

Harrisburg police last month urged residents to register their video cameras as part of a new database aimed at battling crime.

Increasingly, businesses and even residents are setting up surveillance cameras outside their stores and homes. Police would like to know the location of these cameras as footage could help to investigate crimes that occur near them.

Separately, police unveiled a new crime-mapping website that allows residents to see where crimes have occurred and even offer crime tips to police. The website can be located at www.raidsonline.com.

Miller Sworn In

Long-time Harrisburg official Dan Miller took the oath of office last month as the city’s new treasurer.

A split City Council selected Miller in June over three other candidates: former city Councilman Brad Koplinski and attorneys Karen Balaban and Peter Marks. The position was open following the resignation of Tyrell Spradley, who served as treasurer for just 18 months.

Miller, a CPA who runs his own accounting practice, has previously served as city councilman and controller. Three years ago, he ran for mayor, but lost in a hard-fought race to Eric Papenfuse.

Housing Sales Up

Housing sales in the Harrisburg area continued their upward climb, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors.

GHAR reported that sales totaled 1,101 units in June versus 905 in the year-ago period for the area that includes all of Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties and parts of York, Lebanon and Juniata counties.

The median sales price rose to $175,000 from $173,500, while average days on the market dipped to 65 from 79 compared to June 2015, said GHAR.

So Noted

Hershey-Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau last month launched the Hershey Harrisburg Sports & Events Authority to attract more sports tourism and large-scale event business to the region. The announcement was made during the kickoff to the 3rd Annual Mecum Auction at the PA Farm Show Complex.

Harrisburg International Airport last month reached an agreement with Uber to allow the car-sharing service to operate at the airport. Uber expanded into the Harrisburg area early last year, but had been prevented from picking up or dropping off airline passengers.

Raising the Bar bakery opened last month in the stone building of the Broad Street Market, offering a wide selection of freshly baked breads, cookies, muffins and other treats. Owners Casey Callahan and Timishia Goodson are veterans of Caio! Bakery in downtown Harrisburg.

Changing Hands

Balm St., 22: M. Kenny to B. Garrison, $45,000

Calder St., 109: A. Carlson to P. & J. Lawson, $150,000

Calder St., 111: C. & L. Adamson to C. Bailey, $128,000

Calder St., 508: PA Deals LLC to J. Tucker, $110,000

Chestnut St., 2312: W. Morgan & A. Winans to P. & J. Vander Kraats, $136,000

Conoy St., 117: Mannjeim LLC to Marjulisadan Enterprises LLC, $130,500

Division St., 609: G. Barone & L. Ambrosino to M. Della Porta, $189,900

Duke St., 2431: A. & V. Bruckhart to F. Zeray, $45,000

Green St., 1718: M. Matlock & M. Kauffman to A. Bargh & S. Moore, $163,000

Green St., 1931: WCI Partners LP to N. Condon, $209,900

Green St., 2238: LSF9 Master Participation Trust to S. Maurer, $258,900

Green St., 2345: J. & J. DeMarco to J. Chirdon, $68,000

Harris St., 437: Arthur Kusic Real Estate Investments to V. Lacerra, $65,000

Harris Terr., 2453: Santander Bank NA to S. Maurer, $30,800

Hudson St., 825, 835, 840 & 851 S. 19^th St.: H&S Investment Co. & J. Diaz to Harrisburg Properties Associates LLC, $250,000

Kensington St., 2149: Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. to PA Double Deals LLC, $40,000

N. 2^nd St., 1704: C. Goodhart to R. & A. Allan, $140,000

N. 2^nd St., 2654: A. & C. Lang to U. Culpepper, $120,000

N. 2^nd St., 3004: 8219 Ventures LLC to S. Jusufovic, $60,000

N. 2^nd St., 3015: D. & A. Standish to A. Zecha, $182,500

N. 3^rd St., 1519: Campus Bookseller LP & GreenWorks Development LLC to CPenn Patriot Properties Midtown LLC, $180,000

N. 4^th St., 1432: D. Placide to D. Martin & N. Douglas, $60,000

N. 4^th St., 1621: GWD Capitol Heights LP to B. Parfitt, $100,000

N. 4^th St., 3213: Federal National Mortgage Association to A. Semancik, $40,000

N. 5^th St., 1624: Fifth Third Mortgage Co. to B. Davis, $50,500

N. 6^th St., 2013: Victor Ventures Inc. to Condor Ventures LLC, $75,000

N. 10^th St., 125 & 137: H. Gordon to D&F Realty Holdings LP, $212,500

N. 14^th St., 236: KAB Rentals LLC to Afterkey Property Solutions LLC, $32,900

N. 16^th St., 1310: R. Floyd to D. & K. Scott, $65,000

N. Front St., 2837, Unit 402: M. Lane Jr. to F. Clark, $110,000

N. Front St., 2901: R. Edwards to C. & E. Bryce, $280,800

Peffer St., 417: Peffer Street Associates LLC to S. Maurer, $30,000

Peffer St., 434: D. & M. Watts to S. Maurer, $38,000

Penn St., 917: L. Ware Jr. to B. Fritz, $86,000

Rolleston St., 1031: V. Harper to M. Sanz

Rudy Rd., 2133: C. Duffield & K. Bertin to J. & K. Kio, $123,900

Rumson Dr., 297: A. Segiin to G. Cayamcela & N. Perez, $70,000

Rumson Dr., 2979: Z. Farber to Sangrey Properties LLC, $32,000

Showers St., 585: J. & J. Duthie to A. & K. Morris, $120,000

S. 16^th St., 417: D. & K. Kaiser to M. Olshefski, $59,000

S. 20^th St., 838: Leasing Solutions LLC to Harrisburg Properties Associates LLC, $320,000

S. Front St., 809½: B. Gabler & R. Foreman to Q. Chau, A. Chaplin & A. Nguyen, $90,000

Vernon St., 1306: Hancock Investments LLC to Sweet Properties of Philadelphia LLC, $58,000

Harrisburg property sales for June 2016, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

Author: Lawrance Binda

Housing Bill Unchanged as Council Turns Back Mayoral Veto

July 21, 2016 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg City Council

Harrisburg City Council tonight overrode a mayoral veto, thereby permitting seven nonprofit groups to receive federal housing funds.

Council voted unanimously to override Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s first-ever veto, returning from summer recess to cast their votes.

Last week, Papenfuse vetoed the annual bill that distributes federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, saying that council selected nonprofit groups to receive funding without sufficient public input.

“There was no public comment on any of these specific changes, many of which drastically altered the funding amounts requested by the sub-recipients,” he said.

However, council President Wanda Williams tonight disputed Papenfuse’s version of events.

“In 11 years that I have been in this position, it has been the practice and responsibility for council to discuss and enact any changes they feel are in the best interests of the residents regarding CDBG funding,” she said, in a prepared statement. “All discussions were held in public settings, which involved public comments.”

PennLive’s Christine Vendel has reported that, despite two public meetings on CDBG funding, council members reached consensus on final recipients and allocations “through email and private conversations.”

Originally, Papenfuse proposed that the city retain all $1.9 million in CDBG funds for its own needs. However, council unanimously decided to carve out $295,000 and distribute it to a handful of service organizations.

In the end, the following groups received funds:

Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Harrisburg Area, $80,000
Heinz-Menaker Senior Center, $40,000
African American Chamber of Commerce, $30,000
East Shore YMCA, $30,000
MidPenn Legal Services, $30,000
Fair Housing Council, $25,000
Christian Recovery Aftercare Ministries, $25,000

In vetoing the bill, Papenfuse specifically cited the Ferguson Group, saying that it was not eligible to receive CDBG funds. Following tonight’s meeting, he reiterated this position.

“We still won’t be able to fund the Ferguson Group,” he said. “They’re not an eligible sub-recipient.”

Before the override vote, several residents spoke to defend their requests for CDBG money. Members of the Latino Hispanic American Community Center, for instance, went to the microphone to urge council members to reconsider their request. Though the group has been funded in past years, it was denied funding this year.

Melvin Johnson, chairman of the Fair Housing Council of the Capital Region, appealed for additional money, saying that this year’s grant represented just 6 percent of his budget. Meanwhile, the demands on his organization continue to grow, he said, including finding new homes for residents displaced by the recent condemnation of the McFarland apartment building following the collapse of a retaining wall near the Mulberry Street Bridge.

Afterwards, Williams apologized to the room, stating that debt obligations prevented council from being able to fund more groups and at higher levels. In the end, council passed the veto override without proposing any changes to the bill.

The city needed to reserve the single-largest amount of CDBG money—$641,113—to repay a federal loan it backed for the once-bankrupt Capitol View Commerce Center, as well as for other federal community development loans dating back about 15 years.

Tag Archives: Heinz-Menaker Senior Center

Senior Space: Friendship, fellowship at Heinz-Menaker.

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Council Update: Housing funds approved; meeting urged between police, residents.

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Denim Coffee to open third downtown Harrisburg location next week

Two local businesses unite to create a summer camp where sustainability meets science

“River City Stories” brings Harrisburg voices to the big screen next month

HACC board approves resolutions to sell property, trim next school year’s budget deficit

Money Chase: Harrisburg hears pleas for federal housing dollars.

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Denim Coffee to open third downtown Harrisburg location next week

Two local businesses unite to create a summer camp where sustainability meets science

“River City Stories” brings Harrisburg voices to the big screen next month

HACC board approves resolutions to sell property, trim next school year’s budget deficit

A House Divided: Battle begins for housing funds in Harrisburg.

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Denim Coffee to open third downtown Harrisburg location next week

Two local businesses unite to create a summer camp where sustainability meets science

“River City Stories” brings Harrisburg voices to the big screen next month

HACC board approves resolutions to sell property, trim next school year’s budget deficit

July News Digest

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Denim Coffee to open third downtown Harrisburg location next week

Two local businesses unite to create a summer camp where sustainability meets science

“River City Stories” brings Harrisburg voices to the big screen next month

HACC board approves resolutions to sell property, trim next school year’s budget deficit

Housing Bill Unchanged as Council Turns Back Mayoral Veto

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Denim Coffee to open third downtown Harrisburg location next week

Two local businesses unite to create a summer camp where sustainability meets science

“River City Stories” brings Harrisburg voices to the big screen next month

HACC board approves resolutions to sell property, trim next school year’s budget deficit