Tag Archives: Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

Bands & Bucks: When HU Presents plays, the local economy hums along.

March 31, 2020 | by M. Diane McCormick

When Dauphin County Commissioner Jeff Haste learned about Death Cab for Cutie’s avid followers, he figured the band would draw a crowd to its June 2019 Riverfront Park concert. Then the rains came, and he thought, “I don’t know if this is going to work.”

“But it did, and I thought that was a really telling point,” he said now, looking back on the soggy HU Presents concert that restored live music to the banks of the river. “I remember that day, seeing groups of people come into town and go into restaurants before the show. That’s what we want to do—help drive business to our different restaurants and shops and help grow our economy.”

While HU Presents, the Harrisburg University-sponsored series, fills a live-music void by attracting big names and notable niche acts to Harrisburg stages, it’s also bringing new dollars to restaurants and hotels in and around the city. All told, the series has pumped $1.5 million into the local economy, according to Haste.

Open Wallets
Beginning in November 2018, HU Presents established itself with shows at Club XL, on the city’s outskirts. Then it added downtown venues, choosing sites that best suit each act and its audience. Grace Potter rocked the Forum. Cage the Elephant, 2020 Grammy winner for rock album of the year, is coming to Riverfront Park, as is the Icelandic band, Of Monsters and Men.

Harrisburg old-timers may remember a thriving music scene, with name acts at the pulsating Metron or the laid-back Gullifty’s Basement. In that spirit, HU Presents originated as a spinoff of Harrisburg University’s inaugural esports event, the HUE Festival, in 2018. HU wanted to bring people downtown while raising brand awareness in an interactive, cost-effective way, said HU President Eric Darr.

“Whatever we can do to improve the city of Harrisburg, improve the life here, that’s what we should do,” said Darr, who admits to being “a little crazy” about annual family excursions to concerts and music festivals. “The music represents one of the ways for improving life and economics in the city of Harrisburg for everybody.”

The shows are factors in downtown’s expanding arts scene. Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District Executive Director Todd Vander Woude cited a surge in offerings, aided by recent growth in residential options.

“The more people down here, the more it helps everybody out,” he said.

Restaurant owners have noticed, he added. All those music lovers and culture vultures arrive with open wallets.

“You definitely know when it’s show night,” agreed Hilton Harrisburg General Manager Joe Massaro. “You get a big crowd early. You see people leave at the same time to go to their show, and then you get a later showing when people come back for drinks.”

Hotels get a boost, too. The Hilton often books the acts and their crews appearing in Harrisburg and Hershey, said Massaro. Haste is seeing travelers from Baltimore, Reading and Philadelphia, complementing a rise in out-of-towners coming for jazz and blues offerings.

“I want folks to know that we’re somewhat of a hip area, and we’re going to make it a performing arts area, and we’re going to make it a fun place to be,” he said.

HU Presents helps brand the Harrisburg area as “an important destination,” said Massaro.

“You might not see a direct result on that one particular show, but any time you’re promoting a region as having a robust culture, with wonderful things to see and do, that helps you in many other time periods,” he said.

Main Engine
Consistent, quality programming gives visitors’ bureaus timely and unique experiences to promote, said Rick Dunlap, spokesman for Visit Hershey & Harrisburg. HU Presents extends concert season beyond the warmer months into “our typically slower tourism seasons,” he said.

“That is important when we are looking for ways to drive more visits and overnight stays during fall and winter,” Dunlap said.

Dauphin County raked in nearly $2.5 billion from travelers in 2018, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. But while lodging and food and beverage showed increases from 2017, spending of $587 million on recreation—the category that includes arts and live music—represented a slight dip.

Music promoters know central Pennsylvania because Hershey Entertainment & Resorts has long attracted top acts to a market that’s comparatively small in the stadium-tour scene, said HU Director of Live Entertainment and Media Services Frank Schofield.

“We’re so lucky to have Hershey in central Pennsylvania,” said Schofield, the entertainment veteran who heads HU Presents and herds all the cats necessary to get live shows on stage. “I don’t think people in this area realize how blessed we are because people in most markets our size still have to drive two to three hours to see a major-market show.”

The emergence of music streaming compels bands to make their money on the road. With the acts that don’t fill stadiums but are now packing XL Live, the Forum and Riverfront Park, “you just have to ask,” Schofield said.

“Bands always want to play to the crowds and get to their listeners,” he said. “Shows that we are doing in downtown Harrisburg give them that opportunity.”

The appearance of Death Cab for Cutie “helped HU turn the corner as far as the agencies realizing we can handle the bigger shows,” said Schofield.

“There are so many music options out there in live entertainment, whether it be a small club, major stadium tour, mid-level theater or whatever,” he said. “We all work together, and we all get along.”

Dauphin County and corporate sponsors share the vision for the series, said Schofield.

“HU is the main engine behind this force that’s driving the music scene, trying to get people excited about getting out to a show, coming to the city, getting a babysitter and buying a ticket,” he said. “There are a lot of fun things we’re doing. I don’t think we’ve seen the top yet, but we continue to grow, and it’ll be interesting to see whether this thing levels out year after year.”

Darr constantly encounters people thanking him for the music revival.

“I can’t put a dollar sign to it, but if part of the goal is to make Harrisburg and the region seen as a place to settle down and come visit and be a part of, then I’d say we’re doing a pretty good job,” he said.

HU Presents has upcoming shows at XL Live, the Forum and in Riverfront Park. For information and tickets, visit www.concertseries.harrisburgu.edu.

Window to the World: Tina Weyant has helped make central PA an export powerhouse.

February 28, 2020 | by Karen Hendricks

Tina Weyant

When Tina Weyant began her position as founding executive director of the World Trade Center (WTC) Harrisburg nearly 30 years ago, there was no internet.

“Exporting was foreign to everyone,” said Weyant. “We started as an offshoot of the York Chamber, a group of manufacturers around a table—it was revolutionary.”

She spent a lot of time on the phone, building a network. Manufacturing nonprofit MANTEC provided some financial support and hired Weyant. They hit upon the name South Central Pennsylvania International Network, SPIN. A few years later, the state began “beefing up its export development program,” Weyant said.

“Lots of companies had such a big domestic business that they didn’t see the value globally,” she said. “Now, the more that you can diversify, the better.”

The organization morphed into today’s WTC Harrisburg, a private, nonprofit organization with a mission to connect the companies in eight counties of southcentral PA to global opportunities.

Momentum continues to build. Exports from the region totaled $12.2 billion in 2016, ranking it as the state’s third-greatest export region, behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, out of the state’s 10 regions. Between 2003 and 2016, southcentral PA’s export market increased by 51 percent, supporting more than 70,000 jobs and representing 19 percent of the state’s total export market.

Exports are tracked in three areas—services, goods and agriculture. Looking specifically at the manufacturing segment, southcentral PA ranks second in the state, just $600 million less than the Philadelphia region.

One of the driving factors behind the region’s success is location.

“We have the infrastructure to import and export, with easy access to the ports of Baltimore and Philadelphia within easy driving distance,” Weyant said. “We also have the railroad infrastructure with the Enola Yard being one of the largest in the country.”

Additional factors include a skilled workforce with numerous technical schools—although “the biggest challenge right now is getting enough workers at all levels,” Weyant said.

But a creative X-factor might be southcentral PA’s greatest attribute.

“It’s traditionally a very independent area, a strong region with really good products—crazy good products made by small to medium companies,” said Weyant.

Each county tends to have one strong anchor company making a product that’s a household name—Hershey’s in Dauphin County; Armstrong World Industries in Lancaster County; York County’s Johnson Controls.

But at the WTC Harrisburg, Weyant works with lesser-known giants in their industries.

Radius, a Berks County company, produces the No. 1 eco-friendly toothbrush on Amazon. Manheim’s Clair Brothers has worked with “every large venue that wants clear audio” around the world, going back to Elvis performances, Weyant said. And who says you can’t build a better mousetrap? Woodstream Corp., Lititz, is the world’s leading manufacturer of mousetraps, along with dozens of other wildlife and pest control products.

Valuable Resource

Weyant never intended to follow in her parent’s footsteps.

She grew up in Germany, where her father was CFO for an American company involved in global trade. Meantime, her mother was an administrative assistant who performed translations for foreign companies. Weyant was 16 when the family moved to the Pittsburgh area.

Armed with a master’s degree in international relations, Weyant originally wanted to work for the World Bank. But the WTC opportunity fell into her lap—“it was fascinating and still is,” she said.

Any regional company can access WTC Harrisburg’s resources at no cost. Similar to a chamber of commerce, WTC Harrisburg has more than 500 active members representing more than 100 member companies to whom it continually offers training. It’s especially important, given constant changes in government regulations. When we met, President Trump had signed an updated NAFTA deal just the day before.

Kerry Woods has worked with Weyant as a member of WTC Harrisburg since the mid-1990s. She’s sales manager for PR Hoffman, a Carlisle manufacturer founded in 1938.

“Without the export market, we would be a shell of a business,” said Woods.

PR Hoffman began exporting processed quartz for radio communications right after World War II. Today, 45 to 70 percent, or $5 to 8 million, of the company’s sales are in exports to Europe, China, Japan and other Asian markets. The company services different industries with electronics, ceramics, glass optics and silicon carbide semiconductors, including those used for 5G networks, satellites, electronic vehicles and autonomous engineering.

Just a few weeks ago, Weyant connected Woods to a state grant that will help underwrite a trip to France for a trade show that is expected to open additional markets.

“WTC Harrisburg is a valuable resource for us as a small business,” Woods said. “Tina has been able to help us make contacts for our needs—from translations to the understanding of foreign contracts.”

One of more than 300 World Trade Centers located in 91 countries, WTC Harrisburg is the regional liaison to the state.

Pennsylvania’s export game is strong—it ranks 10th among all states in terms of exports, which topped $41 billion in 2018.

Jennifer Black, executive director of export development for the state Department of Community and Economic Development, has worked with Weyant since 2001.

“She’s made a difference for a lot of companies,” said Black. “Not only is Tina passionate about her work with companies and committed to helping them succeed, she is supportive of others in the field and has served as a mentor to many of us, in so many ways.”

Perhaps this is all the more incredible when you consider that Weyant only has one full-time staff member, along with a handful of constantly rotating interns.

Weyant points out that nearly every trade office across the state, plus those in neighboring states, is run by a woman.

“I have all sorts of ideas why that is,” she said, with a smile. “Number one, in this job, you have to multitask constantly.”

For more information on the World Trade Center Harrisburg, 1000 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg, visit wtccentralpa.org.

Tech Traction: Ben Franklin Technology Partners helps promising start-ups get up and running.

February 28, 2020 | by Don Helin

When you think of high-tech hotspots, central Pennsylvania may not be the first place to come to mind.

But maybe it should rank higher.

John Sider thinks so. Sider works for the Ben Franklin Technology Partners, one of the nation’s longest-running technology-based economic development programs.

“Ben Franklin CNP [Central and Northern PA branch], has been investing in tech startups and small manufacturers located in our 32-county footprint for more than 30 years,” Sider said.

In sum, Ben Franklin helps promising technology companies get off the ground by providing funding, expertise and resources.

“We are looking for people who have an intellectual property-based solution for a problem we believe someone will pay for,” Sider said.

Founded in 1982, Ben Franklin was chartered by the state to assist research universities support technology businesses, with a goal of helping to launch companies and, ultimately, create jobs. There are four regional offices throughout the state, with the State College office covering the central Pennsylvania area.

“The purpose of this is to diversify and grow our region’s economy and ensure its competitiveness in the future,” Sider said.

The partnership, an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and a number of corporations around the state, is designed to give a boost to promising tech startups that may need seed capital and expertise.

“Banks make their lending decisions based on quantitative data,” Sider said. “But early-stage technology companies have not yet built a cash flow or hard assets for collateral. So, we look more at qualitative data.”

Once a founder provides a summary of the business concept and financial projections, the staff of Ben Franklin CNP develops a market analysis. Each prospective company then makes a presentation to the Ben Franklin team.

In addition to its financing program, Ben Franklin CNP offers a 10-week entrepreneurial training program so prospective entrepreneurs can run their ideas through an evaluation process before launch. As part of the program, companies make a pitch to a panel of outside judges for prizes, including a cash grant.

“For example, we recently hosted six startups from Lancaster County, and the winner was Boostpoint, whose business is to assist home services companies develop their own Facebook and Instagram ads, thus increasing the value of their marketing program,” Sider said.

Lancaster-based Boostpoint won a $7,000 prize and has recently been approved for a $100,000 loan from Ben Franklin CNP to grow its business. The company is working closely with Andy Long, the director of business development and entrepreneur-in-residence for Ben Franklin CNP’s Lancaster/Lebanon region.

“When the company repays the investment, we will use the returns to fund future startups,” Long said.

Companies that become members of the Ben Franklin CNP program can, upon request, receive business consultation from a staff of subject matter experts in such areas as human resources or accounting to help them with challenges they may encounter as they grow. The partnership offers their portfolio companies support services free of charge.

Ben Franklin has also launched university and industry partnerships that accelerate scientific discoveries and has seeded regional initiatives that strengthen the entrepreneurial community.

“When I see friends at parties, I’m often asked what we do,” Sider said. “It’s pretty unique. So, I summarize by saying that we provide venture capital, funded by the state, to support technology companies that will help create jobs in our community.”

For more information about Ben Franklin Technology Partners, visit www.benfranklin.org or call 717-948-6763.

Sinkhole to Park: City unveils new open space in South Harrisburg

November 14, 2019 | by Maddie Conley

Mayor Eric Papenfuse spoke on Thursday at the unveiling of the South 14th Street Open Space, a new city park.

Five years ago, a sinkhole began to swallow up the 1400-block of S. 14^th Street in Harrisburg. On Thursday, the once-residential area began a new era as a community green space.

City, state and federal officials–and some former residents–gathered at the South 14th Street Open Space, a new, 2.4-acre city park, which, until recently, was occupied by rows of small, 1950s-era houses and a street.

“I just never saw so much open space over here,” said former S. 14^th Street resident Rhonda Scott, who had lived in the neighborhood for 28 years. “It’s bittersweet; everybody was over here for a long time.”

In 2014, the disaster affected 53 homes, throwing some residents out of their houses and endangering others.

Roads, sidewalks and yards were damaged as well—making it a problem the city needed to solve. At the time, Harrisburg, just out of receivership, was in no financial condition to be tackling an issue this big, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said.

However, at the urging of state and local officials, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funded much of the sinkhole mitigation project, suppling the city with $1.65 million for it. Never before had FEMA approved a sinkhole project.

“This project changed national policy,” said Steve Ward, a FEMA federal coordinating officer who attended the ceremony.

An additional $4.55 million came from HUD’s Department of Community and Economic Development and Dauphin County’s Community Development Block Grant.

Using these funds, the city was able to buy all of the 53 affected units for their assessed market values. Residents were assisted in finding and purchasing new housing elsewhere. After a tedious, multi-year process, the buildings were demolished last April.

The site was excavated 10 feet deep, backfilled and regraded to help prevent future sinkholes caused by excessive rainfall, as copious rain from Tropical Storm Lee in 2011, passing through the porous ground in the area, likely caused the initial sinkhole outbreak. The area was zoned as a green space, meaning no future construction can occur there.

“This site will allow folks to reflect on local memories,” said Tom Hughes, state hazard mitigation officer for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA).

The new park includes a walking path, benches and newly planted trees. A permanent plaque will be installed to serve as a memorial to the neighborhood that once stood there.

Some neighbors do have concerns about how well the park will be taken care of.

“We know the community really appreciates it and because they appreciate it, they are going to treat it well,” said Rev. Roberta Thompson, associate pastor at Mount Olive Baptist Church nearby. “We do have some concerns about how we are going to keep it up.”

Papenfuse assured community members that the city will maintain the green space as it does other parks in the city.

Although devastating to those who lived there, the sinkhole project showed Ward the potential of city, state and national organizations uniting on a job that once seemed impossible.

“This is a perfect example of the community coming together and helping those families,” he said.

The South 14th Street Open Space is located on the 1400-block of S. 14^th St., Harrisburg.

Sweet Dreams: Wolf, Fetterman drop in for a scoop, promote ice cream trail

July 18, 2019 | by Yaasmeen Piper

Urban Churn owner Adam Brackbill (center) shares a word and a scoop of his craft ice cream with PA Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Gov. Tom Wolf.

There are certain things you expect to see on a Thursday afternoon in Midtown Harrisburg: customers at Midtown Scholar, state workers eating lunch at the Broad Street Market.

Our state’s two top elected officials chomping down on ice cream cones might not be one of them. Yet that’s exactly what surprised customers saw today at Urban Churn’s new ice cream shop on N. 3rd Street.

Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman joined Urban Churn owner Adam Brackbill in grabbing some cones to help bring awareness to Pennsylvania’s “Pursue Your Scoops” ice cream trail. Sponsored by the PA departments of Agriculture and Community and Economic Development, the trail offers participants prizes for visiting select creameries.

“[The trail] has brought in a lot of folks from out of town. We have people from Reading, from Lancaster, people who otherwise wouldn’t have heard about us,” Brackbill said. “Especially since we’re new, it’s helped our new retail shop to grow because of it.”

From now until Sept. 2, if you visit five creameries on any of the three trails, you’ll win a “Pursue Your Scoops” T-shirt. If you visit all of the shops on the list, you’ll receive a T-shirt and a “Pursue Your Scoops” ice cream bowl.

This is the second year that the departments are hosting the trail. According to VisitPA, the trail offers a variety of ice cream experiences, from “an urban to true cow-to-cone farm experience.” The trail is broken down into three regions: western, eastern and south central. This is the first year the trail will include creameries located off of a farm.

“We found that the way to impact our farmers isn’t just having someone visit the farm,” said Ashlee Dugan, coordinator of PA Preferred. “It’s also through companies like Urban Churn and Betsy’s Ice Cream in Pittsburgh that are still working really closely with farmers.”

Not only does the trail bring people a fun treat, but it helps promote small businesses in Pennsylvania and economic growth in those areas.

“Urban Churn buys locally so that helps create a demand for the dairy products,” Wolf said. “It’s just one small part of what the commonwealth is trying to do to really support, by some accounts, our biggest industry in Pennsylvania. Part of this is really serious [as far as] strong economic implications. Part of it is that it’s really fun to just eat good ice cream.”

For more information on the Pursue Your Scoops ice cream trail, visit visitpa.com/scoops.

Harrisburg’s financial oversight board names executive director, attorney

April 24, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg’s state-mandated financial oversight board completed its organizational phase on Wednesday, appointing an executive director and legal counsel.

The board unanimously named Jeffrey Stonehill (pictured) as its executive director, meaning that he will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (ICA).

Stonehill accepted the part-time, $50,000-per-year position pending the approval of his “loan” from Chambersburg, where he serves as borough manager, a position that he said he would retain.

““I think it’s important when you have two municipalities cooperating together,” he said. ”I believe as strongly as possible that I can help the city of Harrisburg. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Stonehill said that he became interested in the job because he has worked extensively with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, which oversees the state’s Act 47 program for financially distressed municipalities.

Last year, the state legislature agreed to let Harrisburg retain its current, elevated levels of taxation for five more years, which will allow it to exit Act 47. However, the legislature also mandated the creation of the ICA to oversee the city’s finances and its continuing recovery process.

In addition to Stonehill, the ICA board appointed Jeffrey Engle of Harrisburg-based Shaffer & Engle as legal counsel and Dave Robertson, the owner of Harrisburg-based Factory 44, as its website developer.

David Schankweiler, ICA chairman, said that Stonehill had the best mix of knowledge and experience from the applications the board received for the position.

“We needed a good backroom guy who could get all the pieces together for us, and we then could lead out front,” he said. “Jeff can do that.”

Also at the meeting, Bruce Weber, the city’s budget and finance director, completed a presentation that he began at the prior meeting, recounting the city’s recent financial history and the challenges it faces going forward.

Harrisburg, he said, was in solid financial shape, due, in part, to careful budgeting and management, but also because, under Act 47, it has been allowed to impose higher earned income and local services taxes than otherwise would be allowed. Under current legislation, the city can only retain those taxation levels for another five years.

“The city operates very lean,” Weber said. “It doesn’t spend money on anything considered unnecessary or extravagant.”

Harrisburg, he added, is on track to present a draft five-year financial plan to the ICA board next month, a plan that must be finalized by late August.

August News Digest

August 31, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda and Lizzy Hardison

Exit Plan Released

The commonwealth last month released Harrisburg’s newest Act 47 exit plan, which calls for maintaining the city’s current Local Services Tax (LST) and Earned Income Tax (EIT) rates through 2020, as the city concurrently seeks special taxing provisions from the state legislature.

Harrisburg’s Act 47 coordinator had to craft an exit plan based on current state law, which would require Harrisburg to relinquish some of its taxing authority when it leaves Act 47 in three years. The city currently collects $11.8 million in annual revenue from heightened LST and EIT rates permitted under Act 47.

The report encourages Harrisburg officials to continue lobbying for the right to levy those current tax rates indefinitely.

To that end, it offers a four-year budget strategy that would give Harrisburg time to continue its lobbying effort. It would allow the city to maintain its status quo tax rates and expenditures through 2020.

If the city does not secure a legislative victory by 2021, DCED would revise the budget projections in the exit plan and would ask the city to change its revenue structure and cut spending.

If state laws have not changed by 2021, the coordinator recommends that Harrisburg lower its EIT to 1.5 percent, reduce its spending, and begin using its fund balance to reduce any budget deficits.

In 2022, the city would have to reduce its EIT to 1 percent and its LST to $52 per year.

The plan also outlines initiatives that the city can undertake to curb spending and increase revenues while it implements the four-year budget strategy.

They include asking more tax-exempt organizations to make payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs), performing a cost analysis of its union and non-union represented personnel expenditures, and limiting enhancements in its future collective bargaining agreements.

DCED also recommends that the city study its split-rate property tax structure and consider moving to a single-rate system. The report says that the split-rate system benefits homesteads at the expense of landowners.

“As revitalization and property improvements continue within the City, the City’s split rate millage is not fully capitalizing on the growth—the county and school district are,” the report reads.

Councilman Ben Allatt said that the revised exit plan was a marked improvement over the first draft, which suggested huge property tax hikes in excess of 100 percent.

“We’re headed in a much better direction than the initial exit plan,” he said. “I think the strategy is to not force the city to make all these crazy decisions in a 30-day period without the state acting. Because the fact is that if we want to resolve our long-term financial situation, then we need to compel the state to act.”

DCED must now hold a public hearing on the revised exit plan.

Teachers Asked to Return Pay

The Harrisburg School District made a big accounting error when it offered dozens of teachers inflated salaries in 2016, and administrators are now asking them to pay some of it back.

Two years after it violated a collective bargaining agreement by hiring 65 teachers at the wrong salary level, the school district is asking them to take a pay cut and give back the wages they were overpaid.

The recouped wages would total almost $500,000, with individual teachers accountable for amounts ranging from $600 to $12,000, according to Harrisburg Education Association leaders.

HEA says the offer violates the contracts of the teachers being asked to take a pay cut and insults 79 longtime teachers who are currently being underpaid. They fear it will lead more teachers to resign from the district.

“It’s ridiculous,” said union President Jody Barksdale. “We’re in a position where we will lose dedicated people because of the lack of promise. When you say you’ll pay someone a certain amount of money, they budget their life around that amount of money.”

HEA filed a grievance against the district in 2016, asking administrators to either reduce the new teacher salaries or promote HEA teachers who had been frozen on the salary schedule. They put forth a $320,000 proposal to bring 79 underpaid employees up to their rightful pay grade, Barksdale said.

Now, the district is fulfilling one of their requests. They’ll cut the new salaries to match HEA pay levels, but they want the teachers they overpaid to give back their wages.

The proposal would bring in half-a-million dollars for the district, even though administrators set aside $1.9 million for the grievance settlement in the 2018-19 budget that was approved by the board in June.

Barksdale said that HEA wants underpaid teachers to be brought up to step instead. She also said the whole fiasco could have been avoided if the district’s Human Resources Department had worked with them in 2016.

“Our counsel tried to explain the language in the bargaining agreement to new personnel in the HR office,” Barksdale said. “It’s like they didn’t believe us or trust us.”

A visibly frustrated Barksdale said that the district’s administration is driving away talented teachers and hurting children.

“The only way this district will move forward is if the district sits down and has honest, transparent conversations with us,” Barksdale said.

Bridge Work Ahead

Harrisburg drivers should brace themselves for some short-term pain, as PennDOT is replacing a small, but well-traveled bridge over Paxton Creek.

Preliminary work began last month to remove and replace the rust-marred Herr Street Bridge that passes over the creek between N. Cameron and N. 9th streets near the Subway Café. That portion of Herr Street averages more than 12,300 vehicles a day, according to the state Department of Transportation.

In August, work began with single-lane restrictions, as crews drove in micro-pilings to prepare for the actual replacement of the 98-year-old single-span, steel-girder bridge.

Then, on Sept. 7, weather permitting, Herr Street, between Cameron and N. 7th streets, will close entirely for as many as 10 days so that crews can remove the existing bridge, replace it with a precast concrete superstructure and rebuild the roadway.

A detour will route motorists around the work zone using Cameron, Maclay and N. 7th streets, said PennDOT.

Atglen, Pa.-based J.D. Eckman is performing the design and construction work under a $3.2 million contract, which includes building the precast superstructure in a nearby lot along Herr Street.

PennDOT said that it expects the entire project, which also includes utility, pavement and signage work, to be finished by mid-October.

State Grant for Office Building

A new downtown Harrisburg office building is a bit closer to reality, as the 2nd Street project last month received a $1 million state grant.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced that Second Street Associates, a partnership headed up by Harristown Development, will receive the funds through the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP), which aids projects deemed economically, culturally or historically important.

The money will go towards constructing a new, six-story office building at 21 S. 2nd Street, with retail on the ground floor, along with the rehabilitation of the historic, six-story structure next door at 17 S. 2nd St., which houses the SkarlatosZonarich law firm. The two buildings then would be joined inside to form a single, interconnected structure.

“I am proud to support the construction of this new office and retail tower in downtown Harrisburg,” Wolf said in a statement. “This investment supports the efforts of the region to create more jobs, bolster shopping and retail opportunities, and will strengthen the city’s tax base and local economy.”

Last year, Harristown bought and then razed the dilapidated, three-story, 19th-century structure that once housed the Coronet Restaurant. The building had been largely empty since a fire destroyed the restaurant several decades ago.

Harristown had requested $3 million for the building project. Most RACP applicants are denied funding and, when granted, awards typically are significantly lower than amounts requested.

So far, in the 2018 round of funding, the only other RACP award in Dauphin County has gone to the city of Harrisburg, a $2 million grant to begin the Paxton Creek reclamation project. In 2017, the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center (HMAC) received $1 million to complete its build out, the Salvation Army Harrisburg received $500,000 for its new building on Rudy Road and Hershey Towne Square received $750,000 towards a three-story parking garage.

So Noted

Harrisburg University last month introduced the 15 full-scholarship members of its new varsity e-sports team and unveiled their uniform, logo and team name, The Storm. The season begins this month with competition in the team-based, multiplayer game, Overwatch, and continues next semester with the games League of Legends and Hearthstone.

Higher Information Group last month announced that it had acquired Pennsylvania Telephone Products Co. The Harrisburg-based business-to-business company said that PTP would be folded into its IT division.

Lola Lawson was appointed last month to the Harrisburg school board, filling a seat vacated by Tyrell Spradley, who resigned after just four months. The board voted 5-3 to appoint Lawson, a school board veteran, during a contentious, crowded meeting at which many residents supported other candidates for the seat.

Changing Hands

Brookwood St., 2200: K. Reinoso to F. DeJesus, $62,500

Camp St., 633: Amtwo Investors LLC to J. Addison, $44,900

Chestnut St., 316: G. & M. Peck to D. Pedroza, $117,000

Derry St., 2436: M. & I. Collins to B. Wolfe, $75,000

Derry St., 2615: S. Mejia to S. Salleb & M. Aiz, $42,500

Green St., 801: Bricker Boys Partnership to Capitol River LLC, $264,900

Forster St., 217 & 222 Briggs St.: G. Rothman c/o RSR Realtors to M. Three Properties, $525,000

Green St., 1729: A. Toberman to P. Lee & S. Willard, $145,000

Green St., 1830: J. Becknauld to Berlin Group LLC, $76,000

Green St., 2345: J. Chirdon to J. Marsh, $83,700

Green St., 3236: D. Conner to C. Devaney, $71,500

Harris St., 212: R. Evanchak to G. Rhone, $138,000

Harris St., 235: M. Barrette to T. Kline, $80,900

Harris St., 429: S. Rao to McClellan Development Group LLC, $76,000

Herr St., 315: J. Montgomery to P. Shaughnessy, $124,500

Holly St., 1837: Skye Holdings LLC to E. Torres, $30,000

Hudson St., 1256: M. Shatto to Marsico Realty LLC, $105,000

Kelker St., 236: D. Zurick to E. Strobel & M. Bragers, $185,500

Kensington St., 2213: P. Flores to S. & A. Popoola, $63,500

Kensington St., 2266: D. Selvey to A. Tilghman, $66,240

Kittatinny St., 1215: A. & R. Apa to S&P Property Holdings LLC, $285,000

Maclay St., 318: Skye Holdings LLC to A. Nebbou & C. Myers, $30,000

Market St., 1920: G. Norman to F. Grooms, $99,000

Nagle St., 123: K. Snyder & C. Kaufman to L. & C. Jerome, $152,500

N. 2^nd St., 1829: M. Nolt to E. & G. Stailey, $134,900

N. 2^nd St., 1935: R. & A. Apa to G. & J. Geiges, $70,000

N. 2^nd St., 2904: F. & B. Pinto to J. Hamley & M. Nolt, $315,000

N. 2^nd St., 3007: A. Harris to E. Kotz & S. Wissler, $168,000

N. 3^rd St., 1700, L57: J. Cody to PA Deals LLC, $63,500

N. 3^rd St., 2201 & 2205: A. & R. Apa to S&P Property Holdings LLC, $275,000

N. 3^rd St., 2333: R. Oberton Sr. to 2333 N. 3^rd Street LLC, $115,000

N. 4^th St., 2225: P. Yoder & E. Murphy-Yoder to 2225 4^th LLC, $45,000

N. 5^th St., 2403: Skye Holdings LLC to A. Nebbou & C. Myers, $34,900

N. 5^th St., 2409: 2409 N. 5^th St. LLC to Harrisburg Homes Investment LLC, $31,480

N. 5^th St., 2605: 42 5^th St. LLC to Harrisburg Homes Investment LLC, $37,690

N. 14^th St., 1216: L. Dodd to S. Mejia, $30,000

N. 15^th St., 1625: C. Cade to Ma Ambashakti LLC, $30,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 406: Z. Fogel to J. Davis, $98,900

N. Front St., 2837, Unit 201: R. & L. Barry to H. Witte, $128,750

Penn St., 1622: S. Simon to E. & J. Mallory, $102,000

Penn St., 2232: N. & J. Weaver to T. Cook, $53,000

Pennwood Rd., 3207: C. Gaither to M. Katzman, $125,000

Pine St., 224: Pennsylvania Retailers to PSREU LLC, $110,000

Race St., 604: S. Cairns to A. Heinzel, $165,000

Reel St., 2605: J. Clark to A. Winter, $42,599

Reily St., 255: E. Harman to R. Wodele, $142,500

S. 13^th St., 333: Eastern Mennonite Mission to Herman International Ministries, $132,000

S. 14^th St., 1400: M. Vargas to City of Harrisburg, $59,000

S. 14^th St., 1405: M. Allsup to City of Harrisburg, $39,000

S. 17^th St., 1111: Federal National Mortgage Assoc. to V. Ceballos, $40,000

S. 19^th St., 1117: C. Runne to F. Payero, $93,000

S. 20^th St., 25: P. Morton to C. Arnold, $55,000

S. 20^th St., 631: F. & R. Rivera to E. & D. Cortes, $92,000

S. 20^th St., 1226: W. & M. Branche to W. & J. Venable, $143,900

S. 22^nd St., 713: A. Sahovic to EGG Gourmet Solutions LLC, $820,000

S. 25^th St., 725: K. Brown to G. & L. Davis, $130,000

S. 25^th St., 729: 729 25^th Street LLC to Y. Suero & N. Richard, $183,000

S. Cameron St., 1327: E. & R. Kehr to J. Swigart, $44,500

S. Front St., 811: Bank of New York Mellon Trustee & NationStar Mortgage LLC to R. Shokes Jr., $52,000

State St., 1502: R. & A. Sharp to S. Kochis, $73,820

Path to Success: A beloved fixture, the Capital Area Greenbelt is poised for greater (and greener) days ahead.

May 31, 2018 | by M. Diane McCormick

Scott Shepler says hello to everyone he passes on the Paxtang Parkway. The woman walking a collie gets a hello. The midday jogger gets a hello.

All these people might not even know that this stretch of the Capital Area Greenbelt is called the Paxtang Parkway, but they are enjoying it for exactly the reasons that Shepler strives to keep it from washing into the creek.

“I view these natural areas as respite areas from city living,” he said. “It’s important for us to maintain it.”

As the Harrisburg region looks toward a multi-million-dollar upgrade of the Greenbelt, the Paxtang Parkway—the stretch that could be credited with launching the Greenbelt movement in the first place—gets its piece of the action.

First, where is the Paxtang Parkway? Just where its name implies. Pop into a parking lot behind City Line Diner on Derry Street, where Harrisburg adjoins Paxtang, and you’re at the gateway of a 1.3-mile stretch of wooded, creekside path. This stretch has always been meant as an urban respite. Around 1900, renowned landscape architect Warren Manning envisioned a “necklace” of naturalistic, “wild garden” parkways, accessible by pedestrians and carriages, linking city parks.

Only two of those parkways were built, and the Paxtang Parkway, dating to 1906, was one of them. Vehicles actually drove it until Hurricane Agnes wrought devastation in 1972. The parkway went dormant until 1989, when two state foresters, Norm Lacasse and Ellen Rhone, were conducting a tree inventory and discovered this forgotten parkway. In 1990, they formed the Capital Area Greenbelt Association to revive Manning’s vision. By 1999, the Greenbelt was essentially complete.

CAGA board member Shepler remembers when cars drove on the Paxtang Parkway. In recent years, he despaired over its deterioration. The parkway snugs into a kind of ravine along Spring Creek West’s meandering Paxtang tributary. Runoff from the forested hillsides and output piped from the Kline Village Plaza storm water system were washing away the asphalt walking trail. Erosion on the waterway was pushing back the creek bed almost to the point of touching the trail. Manmade features such as encasements around sewer pipes were deteriorating.

At one creek bend, Shepler pointed to a small hill.

“When I started this, many years ago, that little point was much more pronounced,” he said. ”I’ve seen that thing walk back maybe six to eight feet. All the soil was washed away. It’s all gone.”

Rapid erosion means that large quantities of sediment wash into Spring Creek, with its precious wild trout population, and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay, creating cloudy water that hampers the growth of underwater plants essential to young fish and shellfish.

In 2015, Shepler teamed with Todd Moses, an environmental restoration specialist with engineering and environmental consultant firm Skelly and Loy, to write a plan of preservation and protection.

“The Paxtang Parkway is a microcosm of the problems plaguing older urban greenspaces,” the plan noted.

Here to There

Conditions were detrimental to water quality and infrastructure, but restoration could offer “immense quality-of-life benefits” for residents with limited access to natural areas.

Phase 1 of the plan is underway this spring as part of the Greenbelt upgrades—a $500,000 project to stabilize the most egregious erosion sites. CAGA raised $60,000 from the Kline Foundation, Trout Unlimited, the city of Harrisburg, the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority and its own coffers to leverage a $490,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Skelly and Loy donated in-kind services for planning and funding pursuits.

“You have to start out with money,” Shepler said. “Nobody will give you any money unless you have money.”

Within the overall Greenbelt upgrades, the parkway project adds “another area where we have an opportunity to prepare and preserve the Greenbelt,” Shepler said. “It’s hard not to be excited about all the improvements.”

These improvements, kicked off in March by state and local officials, total $7.5 million. Along with the Paxtang Parkway streambank restoration, projects include:

Six intersections enhanced with such safety features as flashing lights, ADA-treated crosswalks and pedestrian crossing buttons. Shepler often takes children from the Boys & Girls Club on Greenbelt bicycle rides through Trips for Kids Harrisburg. “When you have a group of kids ages 8 to 16, crossing some of these intersections is really hairy, so I’m really happy about that,” he said.
A long-awaited connector from Wildwood Park to Fort Hunter. Pedestrians and bicyclists will avoid heavy traffic via a 1.5-mile path from Industrial Road, under Linglestown Road and along the river at Front Street.
Resurfacing near the PennDOT building on a former rail bed along Cameron Street between the Five Senses Garden and Paxton Street and from Rutherford House to Park Drive.

Along with the DEP’s $490,000 grant for the parkway project, the Greenbelt upgrades are funded with $5 million from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, $1 million from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, $230,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and $310,000 from Dauphin County gaming grants.

“You’re talking about a recreational resource from a biking and walking perspective, but it’s a community resource, too,” Shepler said. “People use it to get from here to there for various reasons, out of necessity and not just out of enjoyment.”

Not Tolerable

The parkway project also tackles the thorny issue of invasive plants.

All along the creek and in the woods, Shepler pointed to invasive plants, shrubs and trees. The tree of heaven is “really the tree of hell” for its aggressive reproduction and tendency to block nearby plants from growing. Japanese knotweed creates a tangled rhizome underlayer “that’s as impervious as concrete.”

It’s just a start, but Phase 1 plants reconstructed areas with native plants and funds planning for invasive plant control.

“The key word is ‘plan,’” Shepler said. “Implementing the plan, that’s a different story,” because control often requires the use of herbicides that only municipal employees—and not CAGA volunteers—can handle.

Still, it has to be done.

“If we don’t have native plants, we won’t have native insects,” Shepler said. “If they don’t survive, our birds won’t survive.”

Pointing to a meadow along the parkway that looks somewhat scruffy in the early spring but is planted with wildflowers and hosts a pair of bluebird boxes, Shepler has a message for those who like their nature manicured.

“Aesthetics, for some people, is the main issue, and we’ve got to get away from that,” he said. “It can’t be just about how things look.”

A couple with a toddler walked past, and Shepler said, “Hello.” Then he continued. “If it’s just about how things look, then kiss it all goodbye. It’s impossible.”

Future phases of the parkway project, it’s hoped, will reconstruct sewer casements and culverts, repave the trail and improve rainfall infiltration to reduce storm water runoff.

As many as 100,000 to 400,000 users, on average, enjoy different sections of the Greenbelt each year. Shepler believes that he and CAGA, an all-volunteer nonprofit, are at work for all of them.

“It’s saving a historic parkway,” he said. “If no one did anything about this particular problem, eventually it would have to be closed and a vital link in the Greenbelt would be gone. That’s not tolerable. It’s not something anyone wants to think about. We want to preserve and protect this valuable community resource.”

For more information about the Capital Area Greenbelt, visit www.caga.org.

Stories on environmental topics are proudly sponsored by LCSWMA.

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.

January News Digest

January 30, 2014 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg Receivership to End

The state last month submitted a petition to end Harrisburg’s 26-month-old receivership, stating that “critical components” of the city’s financial recovery plan had been completed.

If the petition is approved by the Commonwealth Court, the receivership would conclude on March 1, concurrent with the end of the state-declared “fiscal emergency” for the city. At that time, an Act 47 coordinator would replace the receiver to oversee and help guide implementation of the rest of the Harrisburg Strong Plan.

Just last November, the receiver’s term was extended for two years.

“The receiver is no longer vital and necessary to successful implementation of the remaining components of the Harrisburg Strong Plan in the absence of a fiscal emergency, and the remaining components of the plan can be successfully implemented by a coordinator appointed by the secretary (of DCED),” according to the petition by C. Alan Walker, secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

While most of the plan has been implemented—including the sale of the incinerator and the long-term lease of the city’s parking assets—a few parts remain unresolved, such as a new labor agreement with the city’s firefighters’ union.

The state imposed receivership on Harrisburg in November 2011 after the squabbling city government could not reach an agreement to resolve its financial crisis. Bond lawyer David Unkovic served several months in the post, drafting the initial recovery plan.

After Unkovic resigned, Air Force Maj. Gen. William Lynch took over as receiver, overseeing the creation of the final recovery plan and its implementation to date.

Officials Sworn In

The leadership of Harrisburg’s municipal government changed dramatically last month as several recently elected officials took the oath of office.

Eric Papenfuse became the city’s 38^th mayor at a brief swearing-in ceremony in City Hall, replacing one-term Mayor Linda Thompson in the office.

At the same event, Charles DeBrunner took the oath as the new city controller, and Ben Allatt and Shamaine Daniels were sworn in as new council members. Returning Councilwomen Wanda Williams and Eugenia Smith also began four-year terms.

Following the ceremony, City Council held its reorganization meeting. Williams was re-elected council president, while Sandra Reid became council vice-president.

In addition, council made committee assignments. The new committee chairs are:

Administration Committee: Wanda Williams
Budget and Finance Committee: Ben Allatt
Building and Housing Committee: Shamaine Daniels
Community and Economic Development Committee: Brad Koplinski
Parks, Recreation and Enrichment Committee: Susan Brown-Wilson
Public Safety Committee: Eugenia Smith
Public Works Committee: Sandra Reid

Each committee is made up of three council members except for the administration committee, which includes all council members.

Papenfuse Announces Cabinet

Mayor Eric Papenfuse last month announced his choices for most of the top administrative posts in city government. These include:

Neil Grover, who took over as city solicitor from Jason Hess. An attorney in private practice, Grover had served recently as special counsel to City Council.

Aaron Johnson, who replaced Kevin Hagerich as director of the Public Works Department. Johnson, previously the department’s deputy director, ran against Papenfuse as a write-in candidate for mayor in November, garnering about 17 percent of the total vote.

Bruce Weber, director of budget and finance, a post last held by long-time director Bob Kroboth. Weber formerly served on City Council.

Joyce Davis, a key Papenfuse advisor, as director of communications.

Jackie Z. Parker, a former mayor of Lebanon, as director of community and economic development.

Roy Christ, former president of the Harrisburg school board, as director of building and housing.

Lenwood Sloan as director of the newly named and reorganized Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism.

Carlesha Halkias, former deputy city solicitor, as director of human resources.

In addition, Karl Singleton was named as senior advisor on education and youth and Catherine Stetler as scheduler.

The Harrisburg Regional Chamber and Capital Region Economic Development Corp. (CREDC) will fund Parker’s position in full for the first year and at 50 percent for the second and third years. The city will take over full funding of the position in year four.

Budget Revisited

Harrisburg City Council last month reopened the 2014 budget to better reflect the spending priorities of the Papenfuse administration.

The $78.5 million budget is about $280,000 more than the budget passed in December, reflecting a slight increase in projected revenues from the earned income tax and intergovernmental transfers.

The greatest changes came on the spending side.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse proposed abolishing the post of chief operating officer, which paid $110,000 a year. Instead, he wants to establish the position of chief of staff/business administrator at an annual salary of $79,500. A new post of community services coordinator, paying $50,000 a year, would replace the position of assistant to the COO, which paid $41,000 annually.

Other proposed changes included:

Creation of several new posts, including director of arts, culture and tourism, director of sustainability and director of planning.
Raises for a number of management-level positions, including for the director of building and housing development, the director of financial management, the director of human resources, the police chief and the communications director.
Consolidating certain positions, decreasing salaries for others and not filling several vacant posts.

The council’s first budget review committee hearing is scheduled for Jan. 30. A final vote on the new budget is currently slated for Feb. 11.

Transition Report Released

The Papenfuse administration last month released a report with dozens of recommendations on how to improve government performance.

The 17-page report contained suggestions ranging from aggressively seeking grant money to making greater use of technology to tighter integration and communication between segments of government.

A few of the recommendations include:

Adequately staffing the finance unit by filling vacant positions and completing financial reporting on a timelier basis.
Appointing or designating an arts, culture, heritage and tourism liaison officer to oversee programs, activities and events.
Developing and implementing a plan for upgrading the city’s website, improving content and implementing social media.
Negotiating public/private partnerships to supplement resources.
Creating a new department focused on education, youth, recreation and related matters, hiring a qualified director and staff and securing new funding and partnerships.
Adopting a “broken windows” law enforcement approach to reduce crime and preserve order in targeted neighborhoods.
Conducting an independent feasibility assessment of alternative ways of providing sanitation service.

More than 70 people served on Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s transition teams and contributed to the report, which was compiled by consultant Robert Melville.

“This report represents hours of hard work from very dedicated people who want to see Harrisburg rise out of its problems and become the model capital it should be,” Papenfuse said.

The report contains many more ideas to improve the city government’s functions and operations. Read the entire report on TheBurg’s website, www.theburgnews.com, under the “News” category.

Brewery Eyes Midtown Building

If all goes right, a new brewery will debut in the heart of Midtown Harrisburg in the early fall.

Alter Ego Brewing Co. hopes to open a brewhouse in long-vacant space at the corner of Susquehanna and Boyd streets, at the rear of Midtown Cinema. The 3,500-square-foot brick building would house a beer-making operation, in addition to a tasting room with a limited menu featuring small plates, paninis and finger foods, said Brandalynn Armstrong, who operates Alter Ego with her husband, Theo.

The Armstrongs have numerous hurdles to overcome before they can open, including securing a liquor license and probable land use approvals. The building also requires a complete renovation, which should begin in late spring.

The couple took their first step late last month, holding a community meeting at Midtown Cinema, where they presented their plan and answered questions.

“We want to be good neighbors and an active member of the community,” said Brandalynn. “We think it’s a good fit for Harrisburg and that Harrisburg is a good fit for us.”

In addition to offering Alter Ego beers and a limited menu, the Armstrongs will feature local Pennsylvania wines and art gallery space. No liquor will be served.

The building is owned by Lift Development LLC, which includes two partners of GreenWorks Development. A couple of years ago, the state tried to relocate the former Midtown magisterial district justice’s office and courtroom to the building, but an agreement could not be reached.

More information on Alter Ego Brewing is at www.alteregobrewing.com.

Changing Hands

Berryhill St., 1940: PA Deals LLC to S. Maurer, $75,000

Briggs St., 1823: Wells Fargo Bank NA to S. Dial, $99,000

Brookwood St., 2420: P. White to M. Rodriguez, $63,900

Chestnut St., 2403: H. & L. Miller to L. & M. Walton, $149,000

Green St., 1703: Wells Fargo Bank NA & J. Landis to PA Deals LLC & J. Etzle, $116,500

Green St., 2013: WCI Partners LP to L. Binda, $209,000

Green St., 2135: D. Boyle to V. Brown, $35,000

Green St., 2233: R. Shokes Jr. & Shokes Enterprises LLC to R. & D. Requa, $60,000

Kelker St., 213: J. Henning to M. Porter, $124,500

Lewis St., 228: D. Hartman to C. Moss, $59,000

Manada St., 1903: PA Deals LLC to M. & D. Graeff, $90,000

N. 2^nd St., 606: D. Brown Jr. to 606 Dalmatian House LP, $754,000

N. 2^nd St., 1311: Susquehanna Bank to J. Feldman, $36,000

N. 2^nd St., 1313: Brick City Investments LLC to 1313 Real Estate Holdings LLC, $245,000

N. 2^nd St., 1522: T. & A. Magrory to J. Cantarell & A. Meck, $168,900

N. 2^nd St., 2731: Sierra Real Estate LLC to T. & N. Schmitt, $240,000

N. 6^th St., 2667: J. Vogelsong to G. Di Bosco, $31,500

N. 15^th St., 1603, 249 Maclay St., 438 Muench St. & 614 Wiconisco St.: R. Shokes Jr. & Shokes Enterprises to R. & D. Requa, $266,000

N. Cameron St., 1817: Integrity Bank to 1817 Cameron St. Associates LLC, $100,000

N. Front St., 1721: Susquehanna River Basin Commission to Hersha H. & Hasu P. Shah Family Foundation, $875,000

North St., 263: B. Josephs to B. Minner, $84,000

North St., 2009: J. & C. Mills to K. Snoke, $42,000

Paxton St., 1638: T. & A. Ferguson to CNC Realty Group Inc., $55,000

Penn St., 1612: J. & E. Rosentel to A. La Laz, $152,500

Penn St., 1703: Fannie Mae to B. Swisher Houtz, $63,000

S. 13^th St., 342: K. & S. Probst to B. & R. Lehman, $53,000

S. 13^th St., 502: PA Deals LLC to J. & A. Garbanzos, $45,000

S. 15^th St., 446 & 141 N. Cameron St.: G. Neff to San Pef Inc., $45,000

S. 17^th St., 325: R. Ekvall to J. Tran & D. Nguyen, $50,000

S. 18^th St., 1115: K. & W. Watson to M. Kaman & A. Phatimah, $68,000

S. 19^th St., 1670: The Harrisburg Authority to the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, $121,898,000

S. 28^th St., 806: DML Properties LP to AWK Consulting Engineers Inc., $225,000

Swatara St., 2025: Mussani & Co. to I. Fernandez, $65,000

Valley Rd., 2301A: F. & J. Haas to S. Thornsley, $195,000

Vine St., 114: F. Hutchinson to J. Robles, $135,000

Walnut St., 407: J. Brown & Graci LaPorta Partnership to J. & C. Bowen, $50,000

Harrisburg property sales for December 2013, greater than $30,000. Source Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

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