Tag Archives: Michael Giblin

Pet Sounds: Susan Giblin’s life may have been short, but her impact has been huge.

June 30, 2017 | by Ann Beth Knaus

There’s a famous children’s quote by teacher and scholar Forest E. Witcraft that’s been modified and expanded over time to emphasize the space we share with all living things:

“A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove … but the world may be different because I was important in the life of animals and the creatures on this earth.”

That sums up well the life work of Harrisburg native Susan Giblin, a paralegal turned animal rights advocate who lost her battle to leukemia at age 46 in 2010. Immediately after her passing, the Susan Giblin Foundation for Animal Wellness and Welfare was established in her honor and today remains a small local nonprofit doing big things to help animals in central Pennsylvania.

Susan’s husband, Mike Giblin, a local businessman and musician, launched the foundation almost on impulse at her funeral, astounded by the large attendance and emotional outpouring.

“They say the funeral of a youngish person is usually well attended, but when 300 people showed up, I decided, along with her friends that very day, that we needed to do something to continue her legacy,” Giblin said. “It wasn’t until she was gone that we got a sense of just how far her reach and impact really was. It was very inspiring.”

A celebration of life memorial service held in her honor that year at the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (HMAC) morphed into the first fundraiser for the foundation. The fundraisers that followed each year all have been held at HMAC, where Giblin is a partner.

The Susan Giblin Foundation works to raise and distribute funds to support animal caregiving organizations, foster awareness and education of complementary animal therapies, and support the continued education of those in the animal medical field.

The biggest event occurs in February, when grants are awarded and bands play thematic sets. Past themes have included songs from the ‘70s and ‘80s, bands fronted by women and one-hit wonders. It’s a true community event with purpose for a woman who shone locally.

Susan worked for many years as a paralegal in labor and patent law before turning her attention to the veterinary field after spending 15 years volunteering at the Helen O. Krause Animal Foundation, where she helped to place animals in loving homes. She later worked at the Dauphin County Animal Hospital and Boiling Springs Animal Hospital, and, at age 42, went back to school to get her undergraduate degree from the veterinary medical technology program at Wilson College.

While volunteering at the Helen O. Krause Animal Foundation, she met Lisa DeOrnellas, a hospice nurse and current executive director of Hospice for All Seasons in Grantville. The two became close friends during their time volunteering together.

“Susan made everybody she knew feel like they were the most important person in her life,” said DeOrnellas, who currently serves as president for the Susan Giblin Foundation.

What would Susan think of a foundation bearing her name?

“She would hate that her name keeps getting brought up, but she would love to know how many animals she has helped and what it’s done for communities in central Pennsylvania,” DeOrnellas said.

Since its inception, the foundation has donated $41,505 to about a dozen organizations, including Steelton Community Cats and The Emma Zen Foundation, which has provided pet oxygen masks to fire and emergency medical services departments in the area. The foundation also funded a cat rescue in Paros, Greece. Susan visited there and wanted to help almost immediately after learning about the island’s large stray cat population.

“People come from the mainland and dump cats there regularly,” Michael Giblin said. “Susan would fill her pockets with cat food when we were out exploring the island. She was the pied piper of cats.”

The foundation’s focus is grassroots support in the community, Giblin said, and that mission reflects who Susan was.

“Her life was not very loud, but it was very large,” he said.

To learn more about the Susan Giblin Foundation for Animal Wellness and Welfare, visit www.susangiblinfoundation.net or follow on Facebook at Susan Giblin Foundation for Animal Wellness and Welfare.

Author: Ann Beth Knaus

H*MAC, Rising: Once near extinction, a restored Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center surges back with a casual restaurant, a new performance space and a re-energized mission.

June 1, 2015 | by M. Diane McCormick

The developers of the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center see an unfilled niche in the city’s entertainment scene.

H*MAC partner Michael Giblin sees it when, in his life as a bass player, he tours nationwide with musicians from such revered bands as R.E.M. and Wilco. Lisa White, the Washington, D.C.-based booker brought on to fill the Lazarus-like space, also saw it when she drove down 2^nd Street late one night and stopped for young drunks lurching in front of her car.

That niche is the responsible, grown-up crowd, hungry for a night out that doesn’t end in a drunken blur. White knew that mature types would want “to hang out in Midtown where there are more adult things to do, and more art-related things to do, whether it be visual art or musical art or film.”

“Every city has their area where the younger people go to just be drunk, and they have other places where people can go who don’t want to be part of that, and that’s what Midtown Harrisburg is going to be,” she says.

H*MAC, rescued five times from the sheriff’s sale list, has been restored to life. A financing deal in October 2014 finally provided the infusion to capitalize on the whole, historic building and not just the funky, existing Stage on Herr.

Giblin says he became “organically involved” with the project, moving from frequent customer to hands-on partner with John Traynor, Gary Bartlett and Chuck London. Traynor is the British import who wandered off I-81 to check out Harrisburg and fell in love with the possibilities at the former Police Athletic League building at 1110 N. 3^rd Street.

But the dream collided with the recession, and H*MAC’s tribulations were front-page news. Today, the partners are about $4 million into the total $5 million project, and the end is in sight, says Giblin. Here’s what to expect in the new, ADA-compliant H*MAC:

Stage on Herr, rebranded as Herr Street Stage, continues hosting fun and up-and-coming acts. Even in the darkest days, the success of this space helped pay the bills.

The spectacular upstairs ballroom becomes the Capital Room. With capacity up to 1,100, it’s a configurable venue worthy of hosting name music acts, weddings, galas, fundraisers and dances.

The Kitchen at H*MAC opened May 15, serving fast-casual, but not like Chipotle. These are “gourmet-ish,” PA Preferred, Southern-inspired, chef-prepared dishes, Giblin says. The H*MAC partners signed on the Delaware restaurant consultant behind Troegs Brewing Co.’s breakout tasting room and snack bar to create the concept.

What else? Maybe a dance club in the basement. Maybe a bar on the rooftop. That’s in the next phase, so we’ll have to wait and see. The idea isn’t just about expanding the space but “bringing a whole new concept to the landscape,” says Giblin.

“We’re going to be a one-stop shopping event for your evening out,” he says. “You can come and eat, either before or between the show, you can go to the show upstairs, and then you can hang out in the night club afterwards.”

There’s that grown-up thing. H*MAC belongs to the Destination Midtown coalition striving for the eclectic go-to neighborhood that Harrisburg pines for. He remembers the days of the “I saw your mama on 3^rd Street” taunts. Now, he sees a turnaround because a few smart folks bought low during the recession and are dreaming high.

“All of those wonderfully hidden architectural gems were sitting there, waiting to blossom,” he says.

Giblin envisions a “middle class of acts” coming to H*MAC from the “rich catalog that appeals to the over-30 crowd or the cottage industry of artists that makes a living playing live.”

That’s where Lisa White comes in. She has been booking spaces and consulting since the 1980s. She signed on with H*MAC because she saw the “little renaissance” of artistic variety in Midtown and recognized the need for touring acts and events in a wide-open space.

White says she won’t sign any artists to the Capital Room until renovations are wrapping and an opening date is clearly in sight.

“The last thing we want to do is move a confirmed show that someone has routed a tour around,” she says.

But she’s been planting the seed among managers. At this year’s South by Southwest music festival, her descriptions of this new venue in a city just off a major highway got their attention. She and other buyers are conversing about an I-81 music corridor, where acts can find eager audiences city by city.

“They can’t go up and down the I-95 corridor all the time,” she says. “You can only play those markets a certain amount of times before you start having diminishing returns. Bands are on the road more because they’re not getting any revenue from the recorded product, so they need to find places where they can perform and do well.”

Enter Harrisburg. There will be an experimentation period in booking the Capital Room, finding what delights Harrisburg, whether it’s Scandinavian black metal or swing dance lessons on the ballroom’s wooden floor.

“That’s part of the adventure of it,” White says. “You don’t know these things, and you can’t know these things, and you just gotta try it and see what works.”

The Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (H*MAC) is located at 1110 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. For the latest updates and scheduled acts, visit www.harrisburgarts.com or the Facebook page: Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center.

The Kitchen at H*MAC is open Monday to Thursday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight; Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

October News Digest

October 29, 2014 | by Lawrance Binda

Treasurer Turmoil Continues

Harrisburg’s newly appointed treasurer stepped aside last month after the city learned that he had filed for personal bankruptcy.

City Council selected accountant Timothy East in late September to fill the post left vacant following the resignation of former city Treasurer John Campbell. East was one of six applicants deemed qualified for the office and one of four ultimately nominated by members of council.

East did not reveal the 2011 bankruptcy during his interview before council. The issue arose later when he needed to be bonded for the job. He was never sworn in.

The city now must re-start the process of selecting a city treasurer.

Campbell resigned in early September following his arrest on charges of theft from two nonprofit organizations unaffiliated with the city. The new treasurer will fill out the remainder of Campbell’s term, which runs through next year.

Note: An October news digest article about the city treasury incorrectly attributed a comment to the controller’s office, saying the office had reviewed the treasurer’s books and “found no anomalies.” To date, the controller’s review of treasury, involving questionnaires about treasury’s internal controls, has not yet been completed.

Arborist Position Created

Harrisburg soon will have someone looking after its trees, as City Council approved the new position of arborist.

The post, which will pay no more than $50,000 a year, including benefits, will be funded by the city’s Host Municipality Benefit Fee Fund, money that Harrisburg receives for being the host site of a regional waste facility, namely the incinerator now owned and operated by the Lancaster Solid Waste Management Authority.

The arborist will help ensure the health of the city’s extensive tree canopy. Among the arborist’s first jobs: the removal of about 200 dead trees identified in the city’s recently completed tree inventory.

In addition to hiring an arborist, City Council approved other administration priorities for the Host Fee Fund: $55,000 for a portable road salt shelter; $32,000 for liners for several leaking trash trucks; and $25,000 for charges relating to the city’s comprehensive plan.

Before the allocation, the city’s Host Fee account totaled about $400,000, according to Bill Cluck, chairman of city’s Environmental Advisory Council. The city should receive another $100,000-plus into the fund soon, said Cluck.

The city receives $1 for every ton of trash processed at the facility. The money then is set aside for environmental projects.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse admitted that the spending from the Host Fee Fund had been ad hoc this year. However, he said he would propose a 2015 budget that will set priorities for use of the monies going forward.

School Resource Officers Urged

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse last month urged the city school district to reinstate the school resource officer program, saying it would help make the student environment safer.

The administration has drafted a proposal for rebooting the program, which was suspended several years ago by the school district for budgetary reasons. The administration’s proposal would cost about $500,000 a year, the cost borne by the district.

He made the proposal following the sexual assault last month of a student just a block away from Harrisburg High School. He reiterated it after four teenagers, including three high school students, were arrested for allegedly trying to hold up two state assemblymen on a Midtown street, an altercation that resulted in gunfire between the suspects and the lawmakers.

Collection Agency Hired

Harrisburg last month agreed to hire a collection agency to recover some of the back business taxes and fees owed to the city.

City Council voted unanimously to engage Pittsburgh-based eCollect Plus to collect delinquent taxes such as the business privilege tax, business license fee, mercantile tax, zoning review fee, health license fee, amusement tax and parking tax.

The company’s fee will range from 20 to 25 percent of the amount recovered. However, it must recover at least $376,000, which is 10 percent of the city’s average business and mercantile tax collections over the past three years, to receive any compensation.

eCollect specializes in tax collections for Pennsylvania municipalities. Its client list includes Chester, McKeesport and Hanover Township.

HMAC Gets Funding

After years of trying to secure financing, the owners of the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center have received the funding that they believe will allow them to complete the renovation of the expansive arts space.

Michael Giblin, an HMAC principal, confirmed that he and his partners—John Traynor, Gary Bartlett and Chuck London—closed on financing that will allow them to add a restaurant, a 700-person entertainment space and a rooftop bar to the building at N. 3^rd and Herr streets. The restaurant will be designed and managed by Rehoboth Beach, Del.-based Highwater Management.

HMAC opened in 2009 with a single entertainment space and bar called Stage on Herr. However, the project remained uncompleted after hitting funding snags as banks scaled back lending in the wake of the financial crisis. The facility has been on the sheriff’s sale list numerous times over the past five years, though was never publicly auctioned.

The century-old building was originally Harrisburg’s Jewish Community Center. It later housed the city’s Police Athletic League. It had sat empty for many years before Traynor, Bartlett and London bought it from the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority in late 2007.

SAM Opening Set

The Susquehanna Art Museum has set Jan. 16 for the opening of its new building in Midtown Harrisburg.

SAM will debut the 20,000-square-foot facility with an exhibit titled, “Open: Icons of Pop Art from Niagara University.” The show will feature art on loan from the university’s Castellani Art Museum, including works from such seminal mid-20^th century figures as Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, Marisol and Roy Lichtenstein.

The new museum includes the original, fully renovated Keystone/Fulton bank building at N. 3^rd and Calder streets, plus an addition built in the former bank parking lot. It also will feature the Doshi Gallery for Contemporary Art, a sculpture garden and a new mural by Messiah College professor Daniel Finch.

For the past several years, SAM has been without a permanent home, mounting exhibits in a gallery in the State Museum. It long exhibited in the Kunkel building downtown before that building was redeveloped.

Enterline Appointed Chief

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse last month named department veteran Brian Enterline as the new chief of the city’s Fire Bureau.

Enterline had been acting chief since his appointment a year ago by former Mayor Linda Thompson. He has served for 14 years with the department.

Heavy Equipment Bought

Harrisburg last month purchased two pieces of heavy equipment: one for road maintenance and the other for firefighting.

City Council approved the lease/purchase of a new Case 580 SN Loader Backhoe from Mechanicsburg-based Groff Tractor and Equipment. After a trade-in of an existing backhoe, the net sales price will be $47,425, amortized over 60 months.

Council also OK’d an intergovernmental agreement to buy a 1984 Sutphen Pumper Fire Engine from Swatara Township. The used pumper will cost $3,500.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2252: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. to E. Waters, $58,000

Adrian St., 2445: C. & T. Phillips to G. Goneste & G. Niguse, $70,000

Adrian St., 2459: M. Sopp to B. Rotta, $70,000

Barkley Lane, 2524: J. Paul to Codi Tucker, $53,200

Bellevue Rd., 2042: L. & S. Freeman to D. Miller & M. Heagy, $91,000

Brookwood St., 2610: Scottsdale Commercial Partners LP & Brickbox Enterprises Ltd. to University Park Plaza Corp., $230,000

Capital St., 1200: J. & D. Fuhrman to 8219 Ventures LLC, $70,000

Elder St., 821 & 808 S. 26^th St.: GR Sponaugle & Sons Inc. to AIS Property Management LLC, $939,500

Green St., 1900: WCI Partners LP to J. Bovender & J. Van Horn, $192,500

Green St., 1938: WCI Partners LP to I. Brea to O. Sanchez, $201,000

Green St., 2133: D. Ware to M. Brown, $40,000

Hale Ave., 420: V. Ly to Luckylan Properties LLC, $30,000

Harris St., 205: Arthur A. Kusic Real Estate Investments to J. Heinly, $100,000

Herr St., 256: C. Wilson to N. Hench & R. Wetzel Jr., $125,000

Hillside Rd., 109: L. & K. York to W. Morgan Jr. & A. Winans, $254,900

Hoffman St., 3133: S. Harvey to M. Sobkowski, $62,000

Hoffman St., 3235: Harrisburg Television Inc. c/o Allbritten Communications to WHTM Acquisitions LLC & Revac Inc., $598,400

Holly St., 1823: J. Johnson to S. & D. Fenton & Exit Realty Capital Area, $56,000

Hudson St., 1152: PA Deals LLC to Amboy MAA Properties LLC, $104,000

Kensington St., 2241: F. Marsico to L. Murphy, $40,500

Kensington St., 2400: M. Eck to R. Murphy, $49,000

Lewis St., 101: R. Alexander to T. Arora, $75,000

Market St., 2048: S. St. Clair Jr. to R. Monzon & L. Trinh, $35,000

North St., 216: E. & R. Maff to R. Lamberson, $75,000

N. 2^nd St., 1307: B. Winpenny to V. McCallum, $68,900

N. 2^nd St., 2101: JAD Development to SMKP Properties LLC, $229,000

N. 3^rd St., 1126: Cornerstone Realty Management LLC to BCG Holdings LLC & Lehman Property Management, $310,000

N. 3^rd St., 1200: Cornerstone Realty Management LLC to Keuka LLC & Lehman Property Management, $575,350

N. 3^rd St., 1626: C. Hoffman to C. Grilli, $119,000

N. 4^th St., 1630: PA Deals LLC to M. & J. Leahy, $48,000

N. 4^th St., 2032: M. Stransbaugh to A. & A. Gault, $81,000

N. 12^th St., 54: D. Schubert to J. Achenbach, $44,000

N. 19^th St., 43: Kirsch & Burns LLC to LMK Properties LLC, $52,669

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 202: C. Shoemaker to R. & A. Chappelka, $185,000

Reel St., 2719: J. Eby to E. Tilahun, $51,000

Reily St., 255: C. Ruegsegger & S. Kauffman to E. Harman, $139,000

S. 19^th St., 901: L. Zaydon Jr. to CSP Group LLP, $285,000

S. 19^th St., 1101: PA Deals LLC to Amboy MAA Properties LLC, $98,000

S. 27^th St., 701: Fannie Mae to A. Brinkley, $87,900

S. Cameron St., 535: J. Strohecker to Capitol City Holdings LLC, $175,000

Susquehanna St., 1622: D. Remm & E. Goshorn to R. & G. Harris, $116,000

Wilson Parkway, 2600: A. Sias Jr. & S. Gibbs to M. Cabrera, $50,000

Harrisburg property sales for September 2014, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

Tag Archives: Michael Giblin

Pet Sounds: Susan Giblin’s life may have been short, but her impact has been huge.

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