Tag Archives: Tyrell Spradley

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

July News Digest

July 31, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda and Lizzy Hardison

Report: Tax Hike Possible

Real estate taxes in Harrisburg could increase by 105 percent over the next three years, if suggestions in a financial recovery plan submitted to city officials come to pass.

The state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) last month released Harrisburg’s Act 47 exit plan, a report intended to guide the city through the next three years in the state financial oversight program.

The plan, which was prepared by Harrisburg’s Act 47 coordinator Marita Kelley, calls for Harrisburg to restructure its revenue sources to align with tax rates set forth in the state code.

Act 47 has granted Harrisburg extraordinary taxing power that generates $11 million in revenue each year. The city doubled its earned income tax (EIT) rate in 2012 and tripled its local services tax (LST) in 2016.

Unless state laws change, Harrisburg would lose that revenue when it exits Act 47 in 2022.

To avoid a fiscal cliff, Kelley suggested that the city gradually surrender its extraordinary taxing authority and replace its EIT and LST revenue with real estate tax revenue over the next three years.

The exit plan calls for a complete reversal of the LST and EIT hikes by 2021. Simultaneously, Harrisburg would levy 20-percent real estate tax hikes for two consecutive years, followed by a 42 percent raise in 2021.

Harrisburg property owners pay taxes to three separate taxing jurisdictions: the city, the school district and Dauphin County. The hikes would only affect the city property tax.

Meanwhile, under the plan, bills for the city’s EIT and LST would decrease. Kelley recommends reducing the EIT by .5 percent in 2019 and 2020, offsetting the 1 percent hike that City Council levied in 2015. The plan also calls for the city to reduce its LST by $52 for the next two years, bringing it down to a $52 annual, flat rate by 2022.

The astronomical real estate tax hikes still wouldn’t bring in as much revenue as the current LST and EIT rates. Budget projections in the exit plan call on the city to spend more than $13 million from its fund balance to mitigate annual deficits.

The plan makes clear that Harrisburg can’t afford any new expenditures. Kelley outlined initiatives the city could make to curb spending, such as paying down debt obligations, renegotiating existing loans, adopting financial management policies to improve the city’s credit rating, and developing a five-year capital improvement plan to prioritize its infrastructure improvement projects.

Harrisburg does have two paths to avoid the real estate tax hikes. It could adopt a Home Rule charter, which would allow it to write its own tax code, though Mayor Eric Papenfuse last month seemed to reject that path.

The city also can ask the legislature to let it levy its current LST and EIT tax rates in perpetuity. City officials have been lobbying lawmakers for months in hopes of securing legislative change.

If the legislature does pass special tax provisions for Harrisburg when it reconvenes in September, the city could exit Act 47 and maintain its current taxing authority.

If the state fails to act, the city would enter its 2019 budget cycle under the assumptions set forth in DCED’s recovery plan.

Papenfuse denounced the report’s findings, calling them “state-assisted suicide.” Local officials vowed to fight any move to significantly raise Harrisburg’s property tax.

For its part, DCED later clarified that it sees real estate hikes as a last resort.

“The recovery coordinator believes the significant property tax proposed in the Act 47 Exit Plan should be considered as a last option,” according to a statement from the department. “As stated in the Exit Plan, the city should first explore reducing costs and renegotiating deals, entering into a home rule charter and negotiating with the state legislature to extend the deadline for collecting the LST and EIT.”

Council Passes Sanitation, Funding Measures

Harrisburg City Council passed new sanitation laws and disbursed more than $2 million in federal grant funds last month before adjourning for summer recess.

Over the course of a four-hour meeting, council made sweeping changes to laws governing trash and recycling collection violations in the city. The city’s new sanitation code establishes harsher fines and new enforcement powers.

Despite the lobbying of the city treasurer, council members rejected a provision that would have inaugurated annual trash billing. The city will continue to send homeowners and businesses monthly bills for trash services.

Under the new ordinance, owners of vacant properties will no longer be billed for trash services at those parcels. Council added an amendment requiring all vacant property owners to apply for a vacant property exemption.

The hallmark of the new sanitation code is a new fine and enforcement structure, aimed at curbing illegal trash disposal across the city.

Under the new ordinance, serious offenses—including illegal dumping, accumulation of trash exceeding 1,000 pounds, improper waste disposal and failure to register as a private trash hauler—are considered category 1 violations, punishable by a $1,000 fine or up to 90 days in jail.

Category 2 violations include failure to bag waste, obstruction of streets and sidewalks or interference with enforcement and will be met with fines starting at $100. Fines will increase up to $500 for each subsequent offense.

The ordinance also permits Public Works to designate enforcement officers to patrol public streets for violations, and it authorizes police officers to issue citations and enforce the ordinance.

Council last month also voted to disburse $2 million in funds from the Community Development Block Grant. More than a dozen local nonprofits and city departments will receive grants ranging from $5,000 to $300,000. These include:

Christian Recovery Aftercare Ministries (C.R.A.M.): $40,000
TLC Work Based Training: $45,000
A Miracle 4 Sure: $50,000
Latino Hispanic Community Center: $25,000
Fair Housing Council: $25,000
PPL/IN HOUSE: $20,000
Shades of Greatness: $15,000
Heinz-Menaker Senior Center: $25,000
Neighborhood Dispute Settlement: $5,000
TriCounty HDC: $250,000
Habitat for Humanity: $100,000
Housing Rehabilitation Programs (city-run): $321,642

In addition, more than $600,000 of the $2 million grant will go to debt service, and $400,000 will reimburse the city for CDBG administration.

Council also approved a new, five-year labor contract with the city’s firefighters, which will lock in 2-percent annual wage increases and establish a new policy to increase retention. Lastly, council passed a resolution reestablishing Harrisburg’s Environmental Advocacy Council, a seven-member body that will be filled by appointments by council and the mayor’s office.

City OKs 2 Buildings for Demo

Another slice of historic Harrisburg seems fated for the wrecking ball, as a long-time property owner has received permission to raze two small downtown buildings.

By a 4-1 count, the Harrisburg Architectural Review Board (HARB) last month voted to allow retired area attorney Gilbert Petrina to demolish 512 and 514 N. 2nd St., buildings that he has owned for at least 35 years.

Petrina’s son, Gilbert Petrina Jr., attended the meeting, saying that his father was too ill to attend.

“My goal is to get these down as quickly as possible,” the younger Petrina said. “They’re a blight. They’re a hazard.”

Several board members pointed out that the properties were blighted only because they had been neglected for so long by the owner.

“I’m disappointed the properties have reached this point,” said member Jeremiah Chamberlin. “Ten years ago, they would have been restorable.”

Petrina said that, someday, he’d like to build a new structure on the site. Until then, he proposed using the lots for parking, hoping that revenue would help offset the cost of the demolition.

However, Assistant City Solicitor Tiffanie Baldock said the city could not allow additional commercial parking because doing so would violate its agreement with Park Harrisburg/SP+, which runs the parking system under a long-term lease with the city.

Petrina, who lives in Virginia, said he still would proceed with the demolition and reiterated that, someday, he hoped to build on the site, though he currently lacked a plan to do so.

So Noted

Mark Kropilak was named last month as the new chief executive officer of Capital Region Water, which provides water and sewer service to much of the Harrisburg area. Kropilak, who has worked both for private water technology companies and in a regulated utility, replaces Shannon Gority, who resigned the post late last year.

Patricia Whitehead-Myers was appointed to the Harrisburg school board last month. Myers, who served previously on the board, replaced Percel Eiland, who resigned his two-year board seat. In other school district news, Director Tyrell Spradley resigned his seat after just five months on the board.

Penn State Health has announced that it plans to build a new, 108-bed, acute-care hospital on 44 acres in the Wentworth Corporate Center in Hampden Township. Construction of the 300,000-square-foot, three-story building is slated to begin in early 2019, according to Penn State Health. It will be located directly across I-81 from UPMC Pinnacle’s West Shore Hospital.

Rob Lesher resigned last month after more than two years as the executive director of the Dauphin County Library System. Karen Cullings, the library’s director of community relations, will assume the position of interim executive director while a national search is conducted to find a replacement, according to DCLS.

TLC Work-Based Training last month held a groundbreaking for a 20-unit affordable apartment complex, the Harrisburg Uptown Building (HUB) and the HUB Veteran Housing Complex. The project at 5th and Kelker streets is TLC’s first major undertaking as a property developer.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2425: M. Washington & J. Holmes to S. & V. Heckman, $61,000

Adrian St., 2436: PA Deals LLC to R. Buehner, $63,900

Allison Ct., 7: Flipside Home Renewal LLC to D. Wallace, $92,500

Berryhill St., 1143: FEI Company to Vich Development LLC, $1,250,000

Boas St., 235: Weichert Workforce Mobility Inc. to D. Kergick & A. McHugh, $177,000

Carlisle St., 308 & 318: R. Jackson to Pop’s House Inc., $285,000

Chestnut St., 1621: R. & L. Ravenel to B. & L. Young, $30,000

Delaware St., 263: M. Dupree to Wells Fargo Bank NA, $76,747

Derry St., 1152: J. Vogelsong to M. Pena & T. Edison, $40,000

Derry St., 2712: D. Diehl to A. Lorenzo, $102,000

Emerald Ct., 2447: Z. Akbar to S. Waheed to D. Ritter, $83,000

Emerald St., 311: J. Yeatter to H. Santiago Andino, $73,500

Grand St., 912: Summerhill Partners LP to D. & M. MacIntyre, $65,000

Green St., 1003: E. & J. Ireland to M. & C. Kwolek, $96,500

Green St., 1632: C. Frater & R. Valentine to F. & C. DiPeri, $130,000

Green St., 3216: P. Wong to M. Zeeshan & S. Patel, $67,000

Harris St., 416: T. Woodyard to M. Riegel, $104,500

Herr St., 112: C. Chandler to K. Kundratic, $118,500

Hillside Rd., 301: J. Harget to R. & L. Wood, $199,500

Hoffman St., 3114: W. & D. Kersey to R. Pereira Chakka, $95,000

Kensington St., 2101: HT Properties LLC to R. Ramos, $68,000

Kensington St., 2138: 2014 LIMG Real Estate Fund LLC to T. Pitts, $64,000

Logan St., 1719: C. Leman to D. Hemperly, $126,500

Maclay St., 248: D. Bowermaster to S. Melville, $53,500

Manada St., 1914: W. Fischer to T. Pitts, $55,000

Mercer St., 2442: P. & B. Huepenbecker to Lynn & Ryan Investment Properties LLC, $34,000

North St., 262: TJC East Properties LLC to Spuntina LLC, $235,000

N. Front St., 325 & 327: Pars Real Estate LLC to Askay Properties LLC, $505,000

N. Front St., 1007, 1115: Industries for Pennsylvania to WCI Partners LP, $452,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 411: A. Hoffman to J. & E. Badeaux, $195,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 507: T. & P. Avant to S. Kolesar, $100,000

N. 2^nd St., 815: Bricker Boys Partnership to J. Ehring, $120,000

N. 2^nd St., 1208: T. Chang to A. Calvano, $110,000

N. 2^nd St., 1301: J. Schlegel to H. Rothrock, $99,800

N. 2^nd St., 1915: C. Benkovic to Apple Tree Community Development Co., $110,000

N. 2^nd St., 2241: K. Shubert & L. Christopher to E. & S. Lawrence, $179,900

N. 2^nd St., 2719: W. & C. Gosnell to J. MacDonald, $212,000

N. 2^nd St., 3225: A. Dillon & C. & D. Kenes to M. Letterman, $104,000

N. 4^th St., 2545: P. Roebuck to C. Plaines, $56,970

N. 5^th St., 3000: J. & E. MacDonald to M. Evans, $120,000

N. 5^th St., 3205: D. Schade to J. Rodriguez & I. Ramos, $105,000

Paxton St., 1630: S. Selimovic to C. Bruno, $33,000

Penn St., 1701: J. Allen to J. Chrisemer, $130,400

Penn St., 1927: WCI Partners LP to A. Griffith, $135,000

Pennwood Rd., 3120: J. Mohler & J. Suter to C. Brubaker, $133,000

Pine St., 116: Metro Bank Property Management Inc. to River and Pine LLC, $1,200,000

Pine St., 124 and 111 Barbara St.: Keystone Service Systems to River and Pine LLC, $1,000,000

Reily St., 209: J. Pamula to E. Fry, $137,000

Rudy Rd., 2459: J. Archie to A. Burno, $46,500

Rumson Rd., 2920: W. Quezada & M. Cedeno to W. & D. Illanes, $30,000

S. 13^th St., 348: R. Eisner & T. Lippi to M. Ortega, $47,500

S. 16^th St., 340: B. & R. Van Wyk to C. Okegue, $94,900

S. 24^th St., 608: R. Lawson to D. & A. Hoyt, $145,000

S. Cameron St., 1058: JWM Associates LP to MSJC Inc., $268,000

S. Front St., 711 & Hanna St., L2A, L3A: P. Moore to S. & D. Moffett, $193,000

State St., 1342: M. Lamereaux to R. Miles, $43,000

State St., 1410: R. & A. Sharp to S. Kochis, $78,000

State St., 1626: Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. Trustee to Harrisburg Homes Investment LLC, $34,344

State St., 1800 & 1802: CNC Realty Group LLC to Harrisburg Electricians Joint Apprenticeship & Training Trust Fund, $400,000

Swatara St., 1947: N. Williams to M. & T. Price & J. Seigle, $99,900

Verbeke St., 202: D. Michael to B. Hamilton, $96,000

Verbeke St., 234: J. Dixon to M. & M. Mumper, $178,000

Woodbine St., 226: Bank of New York Mellon Trustee to Axxess Creations LLC, $41,900

Tyrell Spradley resigns from the Harrisburg School Board, creating its second vacant seat in just one month.

July 16, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

The revolving door at the Harrisburg school board just keeps on swinging.

School board director Tyrell Spradley resigned today, board president Judd Pittman has confirmed.

Spradley was appointed to his two-year seat in February to replace board director Matt Krupp, who was elected Dauphin County prothonotary in November.

Spradley is the second director to leave the board since June, when Percel Eiland resigned just six months into his two-year term. On Thursday, the board selected former Director Patricia Whitehead-Myers to replace Eiland.

In May, Spradley became the subject of an inquiry by a citizen-led school reform group, CATCH (Concerned about the Children of Harrisburg.)

Members of CATCH accused Spradley of misleading the board about his legal residence and called on him to resign his seat, threatening to file a quo warranto petition with the Dauphin County district attorney if he did not.

Spradley denied the allegations but admitted spending time at a residence he owns with an ex-girlfriend in Penbrook. He insisted that his home on South Allison Hill in Harrisburg had been his fixed, legal residence for years.

Pittman said that the board will fill Spradley’s seat “very quickly.” Pennsylvania school code requires the board to name a replacement within 30 days.

In 2016, Spradley was appointed Harrisburg treasurer, but resigned that post after just 18 months on the job.

Spradley could not be immediately reached for comment.

“I’m done:” School board members threaten walk out, exchange barbs over spontaneous action on superintendent contract.

June 28, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Members of the Harrisburg school board last night.

The Harrisburg School Board reached new heights of dysfunction on Thursday night when a surprise vote on the superintendent’s contract devolved into shouting match between its members.

Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney’s term expires on June 30, and the board must negotiate new terms to avoid leaving her out of a contract come July 1.

But the board voted 5-3 against a resolution that would have bought the parties additional time for negotiations. It left them with just two days to offer the superintendent new terms.

Board Vice President Danielle Robinson said that language in the resolution made her uncomfortable and that it seemed like a veiled attempt to rescind the board’s decision to award Knight-Burney a new contract. She was joined by board directors Melvin Wilson, Ellis Roy, Lionel Gonzalez and Tyrell Spradley in rejecting the provision.

The resolution was developed by the board solicitor with help from the Pennsylvania School Board Association, board President Judd Pittman said. He later expressed “ridiculous, incredible frustration” that his colleagues had voted it down.

Since Knight-Burney’s contract was set to expire on June 30, Pittman advised the board that it needed to codify her new term before then, since failure to act could be considered a breach of contract.

The board decided in April to rehire Knight-Burney for a term of 3 to 5 years.

“We did not set the length of the term in the first vote. We said we would do it later,” Pittman explained. “That time has since come, and now we’re in a position where we need to put forth a motion.”

Gonzalez then put forth a motion to grant Knight-Burney a five-year term. His resolution did not address any other terms of her contract, such as salary or job expectations.

The motion, which did not appear on the meeting agenda, drew the ire of two dozen residents in attendance, who said that the board should not make a consequential decision on short notice, while other terms of the contract were still in negotiation.

“We haven’t discussed this as a board,” board director Carrie Fowler said.

As the board secretary called the vote, a reporter lodged an objection under the state Sunshine Act, which says any action taken by a government body must be preceded by public comment.

Since the motion was added to the agenda mid-meeting, the public did not have the chance to weigh in. Board Solicitor Samuel Cooper later agreed that the public should have the chance to comment.

Pittman called a recess, and in the melee that followed, board directors exchanged heated words while members of the public continued to shout in exasperation. One board director began yelling at the board solicitor, who joined the meeting over the phone.

Acrimony between school directors has been on full display at board meetings in the past months. But as one audience member said, “This is the best one yet.”

Board directors continued to argue after Pittman called the meeting back into order. He attempted to convene an executive session and then tried to go home when other board directors would not join him.

“I’m done,” he said.

Board director Brian Carter did leave the meeting, but later returned to vote on personnel actions.

After more discussion and procedural fumbles, Fowler put forth an amendment to Gonzalez’s motion, proposing a three-year contract for Knight-Burney. The exasperated board passed the motion 8-0.

The board also voted last night to levy a 3.6-percent tax hike and approve a budget eliminating 52 staff positions.

Business Manager Bilal Hasan said that the cuts will be made through attrition, meaning that personnel who retire or resign will not be replaced. As a result, no district employees will lose their jobs, he said.

“We’re cutting positions, not people,” he said.

The tax hike will bring the district’s millage rate to 28.8 mills, an increase of 1.0008 mills from this year. With Harrisburg’s median home value of $42,800, the tax hike will cost the average city homeowner an additional $43 a year.

Board directors Robinson, Wilson, Roy, Gonzalez and Spradley voted to approve the budget. Pittman, Fowler and Carter dissented.

Board director Percel Eiland announced his resignation from the board last week, leaving the body with just eight members.

Spradley faces residency questions as citizens challenge his school board seat

June 8, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

A group of Harrisburg residents have issued an ultimatum to a school board member—resign your seat or we’ll ask the district attorney to investigate your residency.

Tyrell Spradley, who was appointed to a one-year seat on the Harrisburg school board in January, denies allegations that he lived in Penbrook in the months leading up to his appointment.

But residents say that they have evidence that Spradley failed to maintain a fixed residence in Harrisburg for one year before seeking office and is therefore ineligible for his seat under state law.

Members of a citizen-led school reform group sent a letter making their case to school board President Judd Pittman and board Solicitor Samuel Cooper on Thursday. They say they’re prepared to submit a quo waranto petition to the Dauphin County district attorney if Spradley does not voluntarily resign his seat. That petition could trigger a formal investigation into Spradley’s residency.

“We wanted to put them on notice that we demand better representation, and that includes people who are transparent,” said Kia Hansard, co-founder of the group Concerned About the Children of Harrisburg (CATCH.) “You’re not deserving of the seat if you are not a resident… so we wanted to give [Spradley] the opportunity to be honorable and resign.”

Spradley said on Thursday that he would not give up his seat. He admits to spending time in a Penbrook home that he bought with a former girlfriend in 2010, but insists that his home in Harrisburg has been his fixed, legal residence for years.

County records list him as an owner of both properties.

“I am in my living room [in Harrisburg] right now,” Spradley said by phone on Thursday night. “I’ve offered to have these people come by my house to see that I live here, but they have not.”

Voter registration records confirm that Spradley does vote in Harrisburg. He also has a child enrolled in the Harrisburg School District.

However, court documents from October 2016 list Spradley’s legal address as his property in Penbrook. Those documents include a civil complaint filed by a credit card company seeking more than $3,700 in unpaid balances. Spradley was found liable for the damages and settled in 2017, according to the docket.

Spradley said that he applied for that credit card when he “was residing” at the Penbrook address. But he still denied that the Penbrook home was ever his fixed, legal domicile. He said there was no way to quantify how much time he spent in Penbrook in the year leading up to his appointment.

Spradley said that work and graduate school also took him to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia for periods of 2017. But the time he spent in those locations has never been scrutinized, he said.

“Since I turned 18 in 2002, I’ve had at least six different addresses,” Spradley said. “I’m not denying I stayed [in Penbrook,] but I never legally lived there.”

CATCH claims that Spradley testified in court this year that his legal address was in Penbrook. Spradley admitted to testifying, but again insisted that spending time at his Penbrook property did not make it his primary residence.

CATCH also plans to submit a notarized statement from a woman who lives next door to Spradley’s Penbrook property, saying that Spradley was residing there through the end of 2017.

Spradley impugned the credibility of that neighbor, saying she was involved in litigation against his former girlfriend.

Harrisburg officials fielded similar questions about Spradley’s residency in 2014, when he was appointed as Harrisburg’s treasurer. He held that position for two years after the city found him eligible to serve.

Spradley says he’s being targeted over his support for Harrisburg Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney. Spradley switched his allegiance to Knight-Burney during a protracted debate over her tenure this spring. Though he initially voted to seek new candidates for her position, he later tried to rescind that vote, and then sided with four other board directors in May to award her a new contract.

“People are grabbing at straws,” Spradley said. “When I changed my vote, all of this started coming out.”

Hansard denies that the challenge to Spradley’s seat is politically motivated.

Pittman said on Friday that the letter from CATCH was not the first time a constituent had questioned Spradley’s residency. He plans to discuss next steps with the board solicitor this afternoon.

“Our solicitor has made it clear that it is hard to prove residency,” Pittman said.

Pittman also said that the challenge to Spradley’s seat could reverberate throughout the board.
Spradley is the second board member who’s been forced to defend his seat this year. In November, the county’s assistant district attorney asked board member Carrie Fowler to step down due to a misdemeanor conviction from the early 2000s.

Fowler has held on to her seat. The DA did not respond to requests for comment on her case.

“We have to do our due diligence to make sure that everyone who is on the board is seated properly, and that means everybody,” Pittman said. “It’s important that we’re equitable.”

Going Up: HBG school board passes preliminary budget with maximum tax hike, staff cuts.

May 29, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

The Harrisburg school board at tonight’s meeting.

Harrisburg homeowners likely will pay higher school taxes this year, thanks to a preliminary budget approved by the Harrisburg school board tonight.

Board directors voted 7-2 to levy a 3.6 percent tax increase, the district’s first since 2012.

Combined with the elimination of 50½ teaching, administrative and support positions, the additional tax revenue will reduce the district’s $9 million deficit to $4.7 million for the 2018-19 school year, Business Administrator Bilal Hasan said.

At tonight’s special board meeting, no members of the public protested the proposed tax hikes. But almost a dozen said that preserving the ranks of teachers, principals and support staff should be the district’s first priority.

Kayla Mini, a music teacher at Foose Elementary School, said that cutting teachers and support staff would exacerbate the district’s poor teacher retention rate.

“Thirty students in a classroom is not kind to me, my colleagues or administrators or to kids,” Mini said. “Why do we have such a high turnover? I guarantee it is because of unkind working conditions.”

District residents offered ideas for cost-cutting measures. Jayne Buchwach proposed a 5-percent pay cut for central administration staff, and Kia Hansard pointed to administrative positions that could be eliminated to increase efficiency.

Jody Barksdale, president of the Harrisburg Education Association, said the district should bid out current services to ensure it is getting the lowest rates on procurement.

The budget that the board approved tonight will eliminate 24 instructional staff, 14.5 administrators (including four school vice principals) and 11 sanitation workers, counselors and security personnel represented by the AFSCME union.

It will also set the district’s tax rate at 28.8 mills, an increase of 1.0008 mills from this year. With Harrisburg’s median home value of $42,800, the tax hike will cost the average city homeowner an additional $43 a year.

Long-term budget projections presented in April call for tax hikes of the same magnitude every year through 2021.

The board has until June 30 to submit a final budget to the state. Until then, the district’s business office will search for more cost-cutting measures, Hasan said.

When pressed by board President Judd Pittman, Hasan said that the business office could consider some of the proposals made by district residents.

However, Hasan said that it would be up to different bargaining units to volunteer to take pay cuts. He also emphasized that all positions in the district’s central administration office were the first to be considered for elimination.

Even so, the board could add one more administrative position before the budget is finalized. It voted 7-2 tonight to approve a resolution for the creation of a new assistant superintendent position.

That position is not currently included in the 2018-19 budget, Hasan said, but will be added following the board’s affirmative vote.

Board directors Carrie Fowler and Tyrell Spradley voted against the assistant superintendent motion. Fowler also dissented in the 7-2 budget vote, joined by board director Percel Eiland.

Knight-Burney’s tenure “up in the air” as board dawdles over search for new superintendent.

May 15, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

The job board for the Harrisburg School District currently lists 76 open positions, but you won’t find superintendent among them.

Two months after the board voted to consider new candidates for its top administrative post, its leadership remains divided on whether to retain or replace Sybil Knight-Burney, who has served as superintendent since 2011.

Board members confirmed this week that the nationwide search to replace Knight-Burney has yet to begin. Before it can, the board must vote to hire a search firm.

Board President Judd Pittman hopes that vote will take place at the board’s next session on Monday, May 21. But the board’s vice president, Danielle Robinson, hopes the board will vote to retain Knight-Burney for another term of three to five years.

Whichever action the board takes will likely be the final referendum on Knight-Burney’s contract, which expires on June 30.

“It’s still up in the air,” Robinson said after a budget and finance committee meeting on Monday, where board directors and administrators fielded questions about the district’s $8 million deficit.

Robinson said that the district would have to consider the cost of a nationwide search for a new superintendent. The Pennsylvania School Board Association offers recruiting services for about $5,000, but an outside headhunting firm could cost at least twice as much.

What’s more, Robinson isn’t confident that the board can conduct a thorough search for a new superintendent in just six weeks. If Knight-Burney’s contract expires before a replacement is found, the district will have to retain an interim superintendent while the search continues.

“We’d get a big game of musical chairs, and that’s not what we need right now,” Robinson said.

Pittman is hopeful that the board will come to a consensus at next week’s meeting and retain the services of a search firm.

He favors hiring the PSBA and was not concerned about the $5,000 rate for its services.

Pittman previously said that he received inquiries about Knight-Burney’s job from interested prospective applicants, even though the job has not been publically advertised. He said that he asked the district’s human resources manager on Monday to post the job listing to the district’s website.

The board has vacillated on Knight-Burney’s tenure since December, when the resolution to consider new applicants for her job first appeared on a meeting agenda. The board tabled that item every month until March, when it passed by a 5-4 vote.

The board attempted to rescind that action in April, and a change of heart from board newcomer Tyrell Spradley allowed it to pass a rescission vote 5-4.

Board Solicitor Samuel Cooper ultimately found the rescission attempt invalid under state law.

Given the presence of at least one swing vote on the board, Pittman can’t say for certain what will happen at Monday’s meeting.

“It’s going to take some serious political pressure to line up votes,” he said.

The board’s next meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 21, in the district offices at 1601 State St.

School Board can’t un-do action on superintendent contract, solicitor says.

May 1, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

A recent attempt by the Harrisburg school board to reverse action on the superintendent’s contract does not stand under state law, district officials announced today.

Following a judgement from its solicitor, the board must now continue its search for a new superintendent, board president Judd Pittman said this morning.

Sitting superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney may participate in that search process if she wishes to keep her job. Her contract with the district expires on June 30.

Pittman welcomed the solicitor’s decision, saying it offered clarity for a board that has been tensely divided over Knight-Burney’s tenure.

“We need to have a clean break so we can start our search,” Pittman said in an interview last week.

The board voted in March to open a search for a new superintendent, but then rescinded that vote in a surprise action earlier this month.

Board Solicitor Samuel Cooper determined that the attempt to rescind the March vote conflicted with Pennsylvania School Code, which requires boards to take action on superintendent contracts at least 90 days before they expire. Before that deadline, the board must either notify the sitting superintendent that her contract will be renewed for a period of 3-5 years, or that other candidates will be considered for her job.

If the board fails to act before the deadline passes, the superintendent’s contract is automatically renewed for a one-year period.

Some board directors – including Tyrell Spradley, who motioned to rescind the March vote – believed that nullifying the board’s action from March would result in a one-year contract extension for Knight-Burney.

But Cooper’s reading of school code determined that the some of the options before the board were mutually exclusive. When the board chose to act before the 90-day notification deadline, it eliminated the possibility of a one-year contract extension.

However, the decision to launch a superintendent search does not prevent the board from offering Knight-Burney another three to five-year contract. They may do so if she participates in the search process and emerges as the best candidate, or if they decide to abandon the search all together in favor of retaining her for another term.

An expert on school code questioned the board’s rescission vote in an interview last week, offering an interpretation of school code that was consistent with Cooper’s ruling.

“An attempt to rescind that after the deadline has passed is of questionable validity,” said Stuard Knade, chief legal counsel at the Pennsylvania School Board Association. “You can’t un-ring that bell.”

April News Digest

April 30, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda and Lizzy Hardison

Superintendent Decision Reversed

The Harrisburg School District may not be getting a new superintendent after all, thanks to an unexpected vote last month.

In March, the board voted 5-4 to approve a resolution opening the position of superintendent to new applicants. The move signaled to current superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney that her contract would not be automatically renewed when it ends on June 30.

But last month, Tyrell Spradley, the board member who cast the deciding vote on that contentious resolution, motioned to rescind it. His motion passed 5-4 with board members Carrie Fowler, Percel Eiland, Brian Carter and board President Judd Pittman in the minority.

Asked what the vote meant for Knight-Burney’s contract, district Solicitor Samuel Cooper pointed to the Pennsylvania school charter. That law states that the board must give the acting superintendent 90-days notice if it doesn’t intend to automatically renew her contract.

But if the board fails to take action, the terms of Knight-Burney’s contract extend for one year, Cooper said.

By nullifying the vote from the prior month, the board has essentially chosen to forego any action on the superintendent’s contract. It will automatically renew for a one-year provisional period, but Cooper said the board could act before then to renew it for up to five years.

After the meeting, Spradley said that he changed his mind about the search because the board received new information about personnel and budget matters.

Allowing Knight-Burney’s contract to renew for one additional year will preserve consistency in the district and lead to better decision-making by the board, he said.

“I don’t have an issue looking for candidates, but we need time to find the correct ones,” Spradley said. “The board may feel rushed.”

Pittman was disappointed, but not surprised, by the board’s action. He said his position on Knight-Burney’s tenure has not changed in the three years he’s served on the board.

“When you look at our academic data and the evidence we put forth for our success, it just isn’t there,” Pittman said. “If we’d done a search and Knight-Burney came out as the best candidate, I would have supported her… but our responsibility as a board is to hold everyone as accountable as possible.”

School Finances “Bleak”

The Harrisburg School District’s finances are “more bleak” than anticipated, said the president of the Harrisburg school board.

Board President Judd Pittman offered that assessment last month following a presentation by Chief Financial Officer James Snell, who told the board that the district is facing serious financial challenges.

Budget projections prepared by consultants at Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management (PFM) anticipate that rising expenditures and flat revenues will generate years of consecutive deficits and ultimately draw down the district’s $21.6 million fund balance.

PFM consultant Marissa Litman told the board that the fund balance could be depleted in as few as three years, even if the board levies the highest allowable tax hikes.

Expenditure projections anticipate no salary increase for HEA-represented employees, but they do expect that bargaining will move some teachers up a salary step based on a grievance settlement. Social security and pension payments will increase along with those salary expenditures, and the projections also call for $3 million for facility enhancements. The expenditure projections assume that the district will continue its debt service payments and will not borrow any more money.

Litman reminded the board that projections are based on assumptions that are subject to change. Nonetheless, she advised the board to correct its spending to avoid drawing down its fund balance.

“This has been projected for a number of years, and now we have to deal with it,” Litman said.

The district was able to add to its fund balance as recently as the 2014-15 fiscal year. But the district ran a $3.7 million deficit in 2015-16, followed by a deficit of roughly half a million in 2016-17. The current 2017-18 budget anticipates another $6 million deficit.

DBEs Debated

For months, Harrisburg City Council members have raised seemingly the same question to members of the city’s administration.

How many women and minorities are being hired for public works contracts?

Last month, they got their first firm answer from Harrisburg Business Director Marc Woolley, who appeared at a legislative session to review the city’s success in hiring disadvantaged business enterprises, or DBEs, for its public contracts.

DBE is a recognized business category that includes minority business enterprises (MBEs) and women business enterprises (WBEs). A business can seek MBE or WBE certification if 51 percent of its ownership is controlled by minorities or women, respectively.

Most large cities across the country have policies aimed at drawing DBEs into public projects. TheBurg reported in March that Harrisburg’s own policies became the subject of scrutiny late last year, when council members grilled city officials on the rate of DBE participation in a major repaving project.

Last month, Woolley confirmed that DBE contracts for the 3rd Street Multimodal project, which will enhance two miles road and sidewalks from Uptown to downtown Harrisburg, amounted for just 3.8 percent of the project’s $3.1 million construction budget.

“There’s a lot of room for improvement if we want to increase our participation percentages,” Woolley said.

Working with colleagues from the Department of Community and Economic Development and the city’s Affirmative Action Office, Woolley set out to determine how many DBEs have participated in city contracts in the past three years and how city departments can reach more through bidding and solicitation.

According to Woolley, the program currently under development will have three objectives: removing impediments to business certification, participating in business development, and elevating small businesses and suppliers by moving them up the supplier chain.

Woolley said that Harrisburg’s current process for certifying DBEs is cumbersome, which could discourage businesses to seek DBE certification and, in turn, skew the city’s participation rate.

Woolley and his team plan to simplify the certification standards and are in the process of verifying the DBE status of every vendor that the city has hired in the past three years. The verification process has already revealed some vendors who were not listed as DBEs and who have since been added to the city’s Certified Minority Business Directory, Woolley said.

While some cities try to enforce minimum participation levels for DBEs, Harrisburg’s own DBE program will focus on education and business development, Woolley said.

City officials also plan to bolster outreach efforts by advertising public bidding opportunities on social media and in public service announcements.

More Apartments Downtown

Another downtown apartment project received the official go-ahead last month, as Harrisburg City Council agreed to a residential conversion on Pine Street.

Council voted 5-1 to allow Harristown Enterprises to proceed with converting the circa-1952 office building at 124 Pine St. to a 25-unit apartment building with commercial space on the first floor.

The lone no vote came from council President Wanda Williams, who stated that she would refuse to vote affirmatively on future Harristown projects until she was satisfied that they contained what she considers to be affordable units.

With the affirmative vote, Harristown can move forward with purchasing the six-story, 30,000-square-foot building from current owner Keystone Human Services, which has it on the market for $1.5 million.

Once the sale is complete, Keystone is expected to lease the building until it can find a new home, meaning that the office-to-residential conversion probably won’t begin until early 2019, according to Harristown CEO Brad Jones.

The Pine Street project, Jones said, will consist of 18 one-bedroom and seven two-bedroom units that will range from about 700 to 850 square feet in size. He expects rents to be about $1,095 to $1,395 a month. The project includes 19 off-street parking spaces, which would be rented separately.

Over the past few years, Harristown has converted several other downtown office buildings to residential use, adding about 60 apartment units in all.

At last month’s meeting, City Council also approved a resolution that will allow broadcaster ABC27 to construct a 3,500-square-foot addition to its Uptown Harrisburg building. The project entails consolidating three parcels at 3235 Hoffman St. and at 560 and 600 Alricks St., demolishing several existing structures on the Alricks Street parcels and adding to the main building on Hoffman Street.

In other action, council passed an “aerial easement agreement” with Harristown, allowing the company to continue to string about 580 lights over S. 3rd Street between Market and Chestnut streets. Harristown hung the lights last year after receiving temporary authorization from the city. Since then, several evening block parties have been hosted on the street.

Council also approved a $2 million, 10-year loan from the state Department of Transportation Infrastructure Bank to fund the repair and improvement of streets, including accessibility upgrades, in south Harrisburg.

Lastly, council passed a resolution allowing New York-based Smart City Media to install about 25 digital kiosks in downtown and Midtown Harrisburg. The kiosks will display city-based information such as events, businesses, dining options, schedules and history, with Smart City footing the $100,000 cost per kiosk, said Councilman Cornelius Johnson. The displays will contain advertising, with the revenue split between the company and the city, he said.

Glass Recycling Re-Starts

Glass is trash no more.

That was the message of Mayor Eric Papenfuse last month, as he announced the return of glass recycling to Harrisburg.

“We are pleased to be able to provide a way for our residents to recycle glass jars and bottles,” Papenfuse said. “This is just another way we’re trying to implement environmentally friendly programs that will make us a green and progressive city.”

Three years ago, Harrisburg suspended glass recycling, citing its high cost and difficulty. At the same time, it began to accept paper products for recycling, which previously had not been allowed.

While glass recycling will re-start, it will not be picked up with other recyclables during weekly curbside collection. Instead, the city has identified areas in the following places where glass can be dropped off:

Shipoke
Hall Manor
Kline Plaza
Fire Station Two
Fire Station One
Fire Station Eight
Broad Street Market
Uptown Shopping Plaza
Harrisburg Department of Public Works
William Howard Day Homes

Each location will provide a clearly marked dumpster or bin for recycled glass products, Papenfuse said.

Specific glass products, including jars and bottles without lids or tops, will be accepted. Other glass products such a mirrors, windows and drinking glasses, will not be accepted.

Papenfuse said that glass recycling has re-started because the new program will keep glass out of the waste stream of other recycled products. A major challenge for glass recycling has been that broken glass is difficult and expensive to separate and handle when intermingled with other recycled waste.

The city has contracted with Mount Pleasant, Pa.-based CAP Glass, a glass recycler, to collect and recycle the glass.

Papenfuse said that, since he’s been mayor, recycling in the city has increased three-fold, and he stressed the importance of glass recycling to keep down the city’s cost of burning solid waste at the incinerator.

“Not only are we concerned about the environment,” he said. “We’re also concerned about taxpayer dollars.”

River Walk Repaving Funded

Harrisburg will soon start repairing its pockmarked riverfront walkway, working with a budget that’s 50 percent larger than initially anticipated.

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse announced last month that the city has received an additional $500,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to repair concrete on the entire length of the city’s historic river walk—11,000 linear feet stretching from the Shipoke neighborhood to Maclay Street in Uptown.

The city learned a year ago that it had received $1 million from the federal Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) grant, which is designed to assist and promote non-motorized transportation.

City officials knew then that $1 million would not cover the whole project, Papenfuse said. They successfully lobbied PennDOT, which administers the federal TAP grant, for more money.

“It’s a massive project,” Papenfuse said. “With the price of concrete and total scope of the project, we needed more.”

Papenfuse said that work could begin as early as this year. He declined to say how long it would take to complete the repairs, but did say that the city might have to work quickly to comply with terms of the grant. Harrisburg expects to receive its funds almost immediately after City Council grants approval for the grant agreement.

“I think PennDOT is ready to go,” Papenfuse said. “This isn’t that complicated and won’t require a separate design phase. So, we’ll move into the contract and bidding phase next.”

The 100-year old river walk is pummeled by floods, snow and ice every year, which leads to erosion and cracks in the concrete. The walkway is currently marred by potholes and uneven surfaces, making it difficult to navigate for anyone riding bikes, pushing strollers, or travelling in wheelchairs.

The funds from this grant will not permit the city to repair the stairs leading from Riverfront Park to the riverside promenade, nor the steps that descend from the lower walkway into the river. Papenfuse said that those fixes, as well as other enhancements like landscaping, could be made by the city with in-house labor after the walkway repairs are complete.

“This is a major investment, and it will be up to the city to maintain it,” Papenfuse said.

HACC Tuition Rises

HACC students will have to pay a bit more for the next academic year, as the college plans to raise tuition and fees to close a budget gap.

The Harrisburg-based regional community college announced last month that its board of trustees passed a $142 million budget with an average 2.9-percent tuition hike.

“HACC faces enrollment challenges similar to other colleges and universities across the commonwealth and throughout the country,” HACC President John J. “Ski” Sygielski said.

Sygielski said that HACC faced a $1.7 million shortfall for the 2018-19 academic year. The higher tuition and fees will yield an extra $2.4 million, he said. HACC’s tuition will increase by $6 per credit hour for sponsoring, non-sponsoring and out-of-state tuition rates.

For an in-state resident who lives in one of the 22 sponsoring school districts, tuition will increase from $174.25 to $180.25 per credit hour (3.4 percent increase). For non-sponsored, in-state residents, tuition will go from $211 to $217 per credit hour (2.8 percent increase). Out-of-state residents will pay $262 per credit hour, up from $256 (2.3 percent increase).

There also will be a $25-per-credit-hour increase in tuition rates for “College in the High School” and dual enrollment programs, and a $1-per-credit-hour increase in technology fees for students.

So Noted

Barley Snyder last month announced that it has formed a “Senior Living Industry Group” to address legal issues facing the growing senior living industry. The law firm has offices throughout central PA, including in Harrisburg.

Devan Drabik began last month as the new director of marketing and communications for ExploreHBG, Visit Hershey & Harrisburg’s tourism branding program for Harrisburg. Drabik last served as director of business development for the city of Harrisburg

Gary Lenker was named last month to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf, Lenker is executive director of Tri-County Housing Development Corp.

S&T Bank last month announced two personnel moves. Melissa Doss was named mortgage banker to serve the Harrisburg and East Shore markets. In her new role, she will originate mortgage loans and foster relationships with new borrowers in that region. Katie Rittel was promoted to mortgage banker, responsible for originating mortgage loans and growing the bank’s existing loan portfolio in the Camp Hill and West Shore markets.

Shores Veterinary Emergency Care Center cut the ribbon last month on its facility at 835 Sir Thomas Court, Harrisburg. The 9,600-square-foot hospital features two surgical suites, eight treatment rooms and a dedicated trauma entrance, in addition to a 40-seat conference room.

TheBurg last month announced that it received 16 2018 Keystone Professional Awards from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. TheBurg received peer-judged press awards in a wide range of categories, including for reporting, writing, headlines, graphics, photography and design. For the third straight year, TheBurg also won the prestigious “Sweepstakes” award for best performance statewide in its category.

Traditions Mortgage last month held a grand opening for its new location at 3421 Market St., Camp Hill. A division of York Traditions Bank, the mortgage company lends in York, Dauphin and Cumberland counties.

Changing Hands

Boas St., 405: V. Zahorian to J. Varner & C. Fowler, $119,900

Briggs St., 223: P. & J. Moran to D. & L. Butcher, $175,000

Brookwood St., 1915: R. Carter & S. Hill to Edwin L. Heim Co., $50,000

Chestnut St., 2043: V. Oster to P. Geltmacher, $128,500

Cumberland St., 211: Summerhill Partners LP to B. Sholtis, $118,000

Derry St., 1333: Leonard Dobson Family Limited Partnership to S. Costa. $50,000

Emerald St., 247: US Bank National Assocation to M. Bekelja, $31,000

Green St., 1611: L. McLeaish to M. & S. Topping, $177,500

Green St., 1918: J. Leahan to D. Haubert, $145,000

Green St., 2009: J. Croft & M. Kmiecinski to L. Crandall & C. Wagner, $206,000

Green St., 2220: M. & L. Craig to Harrisburg Properties LLC, $34,000

Harris St., 216: D. & R. McLean to D. Zimmerman, $161,500

Harris St., 220: D. Grossman to D. Merkt, $184,000

Harris St., 234: D. Barclift to Big Leaf Properties LLC, $40,000

Hillside Rd., 105: W. & L. McBride to J. Runyan, $149,900

Kelker St., 204: W. Manley to A. Nebbou, $125,000

Kensington St., 2223: Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. to PA Deals LLC, $31,000

Logan St., 1730: E. Tisdell to B. & W. Bechtel, $145,000

Manada St., 1914: T. & R. Black to W. Fischer, $30,500

North St., 254 & 256: Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority to Alli Lin LLC, $34,300

N. 2^nd St., 1200, 1202, 1204 & 1206, Harrisburg Second Street Apartments LLC & Nish Realty Inc., to WCI Partners LP, $235,000

N. 2^nd St., 2053: Sunoco Retail LLC to 7 Eleven Inc., $1,248,000

N. 3^rd St., 2600: D. & V. Alvear to L. Freed, $160,000

N. 4^th St., 1422: Leonard J. Dobson Family Limited Partnership to B. Esworthy, $80,000

N. 4^th St., 2747: A. Sieger to S. Gamble & C. Kilb, $135,000

N. 4^th St., 3212: L. Bowers to C. Gibson & R. Landon, $100,000

N. 5^th St., 2606: M. Pitts to M. Napper, $67,900

Parkside Lane, 2906: R. & K. Riley to S. Webb, $350,000

Peffer St., 216: SL Realty to S. Gallagher & C. Prestia, $60,750

Penn St., 917: B. Fritz to B. Golper & J. Wu, $96,000

Penn St., 1908: WCI Partners LP to K. & D. Smyth, $165,000

Putnam St., 1625: S. & M. Mavric to J. Avila, $36,000

Radnor St., 618: Dziko Properties to D. Nelson, $45,000

Rudy Rd., 2311: N. Ishman to V. McCallum, $151,000

S. 14^th St., 1408: M. & B. Graybill to City of Harrisburg, $42,000

S. 14^th St., 1445: G. Neff to City of Harrisburg, $43,000

S. 14^th St., 1446: D. & T. Patterson to City of Harrisburg, $52,000

S. 14^th St., 1448: G. Neff to City of Harrisburg, $50,000

S. 14^th St., 1450: G. Neff to City of Harrisburg, $49,000

S. 14^th St., 1452: G. Neff & City Limits Realty to City of Harrisburg, $51,000

S 17^th St., 1034: NationStar HECM Acquisitions Trust 2017 to D&F Realty Holdings LP, $45,000

S. 19^th St., 533: PMSC Investments LLC to V. & D. Morales, $58,500

S. River St., 321: S. Cammack to J&S Home Solutions, $60,000

Susquehanna St., 1739: A. Otterson to A. Nebbou, $85,500

Susquehanna St., 1833: J. Secrest to C. Straub, $110,000

Susquehanna St., 2018: Unite LLC to P. Truong, $30,000

Verbeke St., 1723: J. & C. Weathers to Harrisburg Properties LLC, $49,900

Woodbine St., 214: Monte Design Studio LLC to E. Whittaker, $105,900

Woodlawn St., 2710 & 2712: Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. to Fruition Holdings LLC, $80,299

In a surprise move, Harrisburg School Board rescinds vote on superintendent.

April 16, 2018 | by Lizzy Hardison

Superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney speaks at a press conference in December 2017.

The Harrisburg School District may not be getting a new superintendent after all, thanks to an unexpected vote at Monday night’s monthly board meeting.

Last month, the board voted 5-4 to approve a resolution opening the position of superintendent to new applicants. The move signaled to sitting superintendent Sybil Knight-Burney that her contract would not be automatically renewed when it ends on June 30.

But on Monday, Tyrell Spradley, the board member who cast the deciding vote on that contentious resolution, motioned to rescind it. His motion passed 5-4 with board members Carrie Fowler, Percel Eiland, Brian Carter and board President Judd Pittman in the minority.

Asked what the vote meant for Knight-Burney’s contract, district Solicitor Samuel Cooper pointed to Pennsylvania school charter. That law states that the board must give the acting superintendent 90 days-notice if they do not intend to automatically renew her contract.

But if the board fails to take action, then the terms Knight-Burney is serving extend for one year, Cooper said.

By nullifying the vote from last month, the board has essentially chosen to forego any action on the superintendent’s contract. It will automatically renew for a one-year provisional period, but Cooper said the board could act before then to renew it for a term up to five years.

The motion to rescind March’s superintendent vote did not appear on the board agenda ahead of tonight’s meeting, and board members did not say whether they had explicit notice that it would come up. According to the Pennsylvania School Board Association, that creates some ambiguity over how many votes the motion needed to pass.

A PSBA publication outlining parliamentary procedure said that the conditions for approving a rescission depend on whether the board had advance notice of the vote. If the board did have notice, only a simple majority is needed to pass the motion.

Absent such notice, however, “either a majority of the entire membership or a two-thirds majority of those present and voting is needed,” the manual states.

Cooper seemed confident tonight that the motion passed on firm procedural grounds. He said that the board seldom makes rescissions, even though members can legally revisit any past action in their meetings. According to the PSBA, the board cannot rescind an action during the same session when they voted on it. Other than that, there is no time limit on rescinding.

Spradley said after the meeting that he changed his mind about the superintendent search because the board received new information about personnel and budget matters.

Allowing Knight-Burney’s contract to renew for one additional year will preserve consistency in the district and lead to better decision-making by the board, he said.

“I don’t have an issue looking for candidates, but we need time to find the correct ones,” Spradley said. “The board may feel rushed.”

Spradley pointed out that the provisional renewal of Knight-Burney’s contract did not preclude the board from soliciting applications and conducting a superintendent search over a longer period of time. However, he could not say if there was any collective will on the board to conduct such a search.

Board President Judd Pittman was disappointed, but not surprised, by the board’s action. He said his position on Knight-Burney’s tenure has not changed in the past three years he’s served on the board.

Pittman said that the board had not yet advertised Knight-Burney’s job ahead of the meeting, but he claimed he had received numerous solicitations from interested candidates following March’s vote.

He also confirmed Spradley’s claim that the board received new information about district business since March. He said that a recent budget presentation announced projections that were “more bleak” than what they’d been anticipating.

District Chief Financial Officer James Snell told the board that Harrisburg school district is facing some serious financial challenges.

Budget projections prepared by consultants at Philadelphia-based firm Public Financial Management anticipate that rising expenditures and flat revenues will generate years of consecutive deficits and ultimately draw down the district’s $21.6 million fund balance.

PFM consultant Marissa Litman told the board that the fund balance could be depleted in as few as three years, even if the board levies the highest possible tax hikes.

Expenditure projections anticipate no salary increase for HEA represented employees, but it does anticipate that bargaining will move some teachers up a salary step based on a grievance settlement. Social security and pension payments will increase along with those salary expenditures, and the projections also call for $3 million for facilities enhancements. The expenditure projections assume that the district will continue its debt service payments and will not borrow any more money.

Litman reminded the board that projections are based on assumptions that are subject to change. Nonetheless, she advised the board to correct its spending to avoid drawing down its fund balance.

“This has been projected for a number of years and now we have to deal with it,” Litman said.

The district was able to add to its fund balance as recently as the 2014-15 fiscal year. But the district ran a $3.7 million deficit in 2015-2016, followed by a deficit of roughly half a million in 2016-2017. The adopted 2017-18 budget anticipates another $6 million deficit.

The district has scheduled a public meeting on April 30 to hear a more detailed budget presentation and consider the first draft of a 2018-19 budget. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Administration Building at 1601 State St.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the years that the district accrued deficits. That information has been corrected.

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