HARRISBURG-LANCASTER-LEBANON-YORK | South Central, PA | Regional Development Thread

[EastSideHBG]

HARRISBURG-LANCASTER-LEBANON-YORK | South Central, PA | Regional Development Thread

This thread is for development updates for the surrounding "South Central Pennsylvania" counties of the Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York DMA. This region of Pennsylvania is viewed in the state as one Metropolitan Area or one "Region," and encompasses the Harrisburg-York MSA, Lebanon MSA (Harrisburg-York-Lebanon CSA), and the Lancaster MSA.

Wikipedia link to the Harrisburg-York-Lebanon CSA (Greater Harrisburg) Page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrisburg%E2%80%93York%E2%80%93Lebanon,_PA_Combined_Statistical_Area

Wikipedia link to the Lancaster MSA Page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster_County,_Pennsylvania


Cities in the Metro with multiple highrises encompassed in this thread:

City - Number of Buildings Over 12 Floors - Tallest Building in that city

Harrisburg - 29 buildings - 333 Market Street, 23 floors, 341 FT
Lancaster - 5 buildings - Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, 19 floors, 224 FT


All Pennsylvania Counties & Cities/Towns encompassed in this thread:

Dauphin County: Harrisburg, Hershey, Middletown, Hummelstown, Millersburg, Steelton, Linglestown

Lancaster County:

Cumberland County: Carlisle, Mechanicsburg, New Cumberland

York County:

Adams County:

Lebanon County:

Perry County:

[wrightchr]

hahahahahahahahahahaha :hilarious

[wrightchr]

hmmm...woudn't you consider hershey and lebanon part of this forum as well??? and maybe even carlisle???

[EastSideHBG]

Yes. But the threads are pretty new and I think many people would be interested in them (especially the Hershey one), so I figured I would just leave them where they are. In the future they would be located here, though.

[EastSideHBG]

VERY happy to see these improvements...

NEWS INFORMATION FROM THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED

City of Harrisburg

King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 717.255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE

21 May 2004

NEW TRAFFIC SIGNALS OPERATIONAL AT THREE CITY INTERSECTIONS; TOTAL OF 36 INTERSECTIONS INCLUDED IN MULTI-YEAR PROJECT

Harrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed today announced that additional intersections now have new traffic signals to handle increased traffic volume more safely. New signal lights have now been installed at Cameron and Calder Streets, Fifth and Walnut Streets, and at S. 19th and Sycamore Streets. Work also continues on the new intersection being created at 21st Street at State and Walnut Streets, which also includes new traffic signals when it is completed in late Summer. It is the first time any of these intersections have ever had signals.

Reed said the new lights are either fully operational or have been placed in flashing yellow in readiness for permanent use. The new lights are part of a larger effort commissioned by the Mayor to add or replace signals at 36 city intersections. The comprehensive signalization project involves not only new signals but also the replacement of older incandescent bulbs in existing signals with new LED signal heads, which shine brighter, require less electrical energy to operate, and last more than five times as long as older bulbs. The new lights will save an average of nearly $100,000 a year in energy savings once the project is fully completed.

The Mayor said the project also includes the installation of new flashing warning signs around various city public schools.

Reed said work on the Cameron and Calder Streets intersection, created in part because of heavier rush hour traffic congestion from nearby industrial and commercial facilities, was designed by Gannett-Fleming through PennDOT, with Herr Signal and Lighting providing the installation at a cost of approximately $100,000.

The 5th and Walnut Streets signal was also designed by Gannett Fleming with the work conducted by Carr and Duff, at a cost of $105,000.

The S. 19th and Sycamore work was done by Gannett Fleming and installed by Wyoming Electric and Signal, at a price of approximately $100,000.

Work is also well underway on the complete reconfiguration of the intersection at 21st and Walnut/State Streets to provide better access to Reservoir Park and its many facilities. New traffic signals at the intersection will also become operational later this summer. Design work on the new intersection was provided by Melham Associates, PC, and construction work is being conducted by Rogele Inc. at a project cost of $495,000. The traffic signals were designed for PennDOT by Grove Miller Engineering, Inc., and are being installed by Wyoming Electric and Signal at a cost of $121,000.

Reed said future work will include the resignalization of five intersections on Maclay Street, from Front to 6th Streets; three intersections on 13th Street from Walnut to Sycamore Streets, five intersections on 6th Street from Verbeke to Division Streets, six intersections on 17th Street from Herr to Brookwood Streets, and four intersections on Market Street from 13th to 25th Streets.

In the past two years, new traffic signals have been placed at the main entrance to the Kline Plaza shopping center, on Pine Street at Front and Second Streets, and on Locust Street at 2nd and 3rd Streets. Further, two intersections on Derry Street, at 13th and 17th Streets, have had upgraded signals to allow for turning lanes due to higher traffic volume.

Reed said that there will be new traffic signals at 36 intersections when all work is completed, providing far greater efficiency in traffic movement that will save fuel costs and time, while enhancing traffic safety.

The Mayor said federal funds have been earmarked to cover the costs of design, equipment and installation for the program, which has received approval from PennDOT and the Harrisburg Area Transportation Study Group. The city is administering the design and related work.

Following a competitive proposal process, the firm of Herbert Rowland and Grubic has been designated to do the extensive design and planning work for these additional intersections under a design contract for $549,632.

Separately, in connection with the upcoming widening of N. 7th Street from Reily to Maclay Streets, taking the major corridor from two to four lanes, new traffic signals will be installed on N. 7th Street at Reily and Maclay Streets.

[EastSideHBG]

I must admit, I was a bit negative towards the whole Cow Parade thing. But after I saw them all over the city, I totally changed my stance. What a great thing to have here!!! And btw, HBG is the first city this size to get it (it's usually only in the larger cities). Kudos to the person(s) who got this here, and I hope to see it back again. :tup:

http://harrisburg.cowparade.net/

[wrightchr]

great project...these signals really need replaced and updated. new signals at certain locations are greatly needed IMO.

[wrightchr]

oh yeah...HERE i got an article too. it's from WHP21 at http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=A32CA801-4FC9-417F-9873-155971171A32

<b>Wild West Museum Update</b>
While Mayor Stephen Reed still remains quiet over the issue, some other city officials are speaking out. One of them says the mayor tried planning the museum in good faith, in an effort to help the city.

As Chris Schaffer reports, a councilwoman feels this is a lose-lose situation.

Among Mayor Stephen Reed's collection of old west artifacts, a gun owned by the man who made his last stand at Little Big Horn. The Mayor hoped to buy dozens of artifacts from the "Custer Battlefield Trading Post", spending almost $200,000. But the items were never delivered.

Now Mayor Reed is targeting the owner, James "Putt" Thompson with a lawsuit.

Fred Clark of the Harrisburg Authority Board:
"These are some of the pitfalls that go into creating economic development opportunities; be it a hotel, be it a parking garage, be it a museum"

But "Putt" Thompson says he had a deal to sell the city $283,000 of merchandise and he won't refund the money or release the items until he's paid in full.

"They shook hands, on a $283,000 deal. They waited a year and a half to cancel part of that, that's not right"

City Councilwoman Linda Thompson, who never supported the idea of a Wild West Museum, does support the Mayor's effort to get the money back.

Linda Thompson of the Harrisburg City Council:
"Now we gotta pay to fight a lawsuit, and whether we win or not the fact of the matter is we're spending extra money that could be used somewhere else"

The head of the Harrisburg Authority Board, which originally approved Mayor Reed's spending on old west artifacts, predicts the lawsuit will eventually be settled.

"Knowing the mayor and negotiating with these types of transactions, it's always gonna be in the best interests of the city"

But dealing with "Putt" Thompson won't be easy.

"I don't see how I can back down now - they're calling me a thief"

In February, the Mayor announced plans for the Wild West Museum would be put on hold. At the same time he announced the city would begin a comprehensive tourism plan funded by the sale of many of those old west artifacts.

[wrightchr]

this is pretty interesting...since i'm in the army national guard and much of my time is spent at the Gap training. this deal makes sense to me, especially sine i'm also an avid outdoorsman. 1,800 acres is A LOT of land.
http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=BF26DE88-154A-49B6-88FE-3FC6C48C4B47

<b>Land Swap Proposal</b>

The National Guard proposed buying 1,800 acres of land near the Dehart Reservoir from the Harrisburg Water Authority, and then swapping that parcel of land for game lands bordering Fort Indiantown Gap.

The Guard says it needs the land to expand bombing ranges, and the swap would also help sportsmen.

Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver, Ft. Indiantown Gap:
“This land swap will involve adjoining gameland 211 with 21 and make the largest gameland in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Some residents have reservations.

Tom McKinney of Mt. Joy:
“What are the plans, not just for now, but for the future, also is there something that could happen five years from now or something in the future that'll have a negative impact?”

A final decision about the potential land swap is still several months away.

[wrightchr]

Dave you were on the city website earlier and I can't believe you didn't post this...your slipping man! I'm like all hyped up now...this project looks very worthwhile.
http://www.harrisburgpa.gov/pressReleases/20040514_urbanStudio.html

<b>MAYOR REED ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF HARRISBURG URBAN STUDIO TASK FORCE</b>
Harrisburg, PA—Inspired by the Auburn University College of Architecture’s Rural Studio, Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed today announced the formation of the Harrisburg Urban Studio Task Force to help improve the City’s neighbor-hoods with architecture.

In 1993 a group of Auburn architecture professors led by Samuel Mockbee founded the Rural Studio as a way to improve community and living conditions in Alabama’s poorest rural counties while providing architecture students with a practical design-build learning environment.

Mayor Reed said the goal is to now apply the Rural Studio’s philosophy to an urban setting. “Through architecture, Auburn University’s students and professors have vastly improved the communities and lives of people in one of the country’s poorest regions. This is a concept that can be applied anywhere,” he said.

During a televised panel discussion following the April 7 airing of “The Rural Studio Film,” on WITF-TV, Mayor Reed offered a challenge to leaders in the architectural design-build community.

“They were asked to help us create the Harrisburg Urban Studio and improve neighborhoods in the state capital,” Mayor Reed said. “Thanks to their initially expressed interest, we have now formed the Harrisburg Urban Studio Task Force.”

The Task Force consists of Bruce Lindsey, head of the Rural Studio at Auburn University; Dianne Nicholas, Associate Professor of Architecture, Temple University; Caru Bowns, PhD, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, Penn State University; Luis Rico-Gutierrez, Associate Head of the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University; Anthony Viscardi, Associate Professor of Architecture, Lehigh University; Brad Guy, Associate Director of the Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance at Penn State University; David Morrison, Assistant to the President, Harrisburg Area Community College; and Terri Martini, Director of the City of Harrisburg’s Department of Building and Housing Development.

The architectural leaders on the task force will combine their talents and ideas to form strategies for the Harrisburg Urban Studio, which is a part of Mayor Reed’s Harrisburg Urban Studio Initiative program. Robert Philbin, Director of the Harrisburg Urban Initiative and a noted midstate business executive will serve as the coordinator of the task force.

For more information regarding the Harrisburg Urban Initiative or Mayor Reed’s Urban Studio, please contact Nathan Pigott at (717) 975.2148, npigott@hershyphilbin.com, or visit the Hershey Philbin Associates newsroom at www.hersheyphilbin.com.

[EastSideHBG]

Hey that's pretty cool!!! I totally missed that one, Chris, thanks for posting. I think I am going to post this one in the Southern section for Randy Sandford, who is a big fan of Auburn. :)

[EastSideHBG]

Make intersection safer now, woman urges

Saturday, May 22, 2004
BY DANIEL VICTOR
For The Patriot-News

During her 10 years living at 1901 Market St., Cassandra James said, she has suffered through 14 vehicles running the red light on the traffic signal outside her house and swerving onto her property.

One ran up a short bank and onto her front porch, two have hit the corner of her house, and several have hit the retaining wall she built to keep the intruders out.

"They can't see the stoplight," she said, pointing at the roughly 12-foot-tall traffic signal on the corner of 19th and Market streets.

She has jumped through all the legal hoops she can, she said, but hasn't seen the results she wants: A traffic signal suspended over the intersection and signs alerting motorists of the light ahead.

To call attention to the trouble spot, James and members of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform, known as ACORN, are taking to the streets. They are planning to block the intersection at 1 p.m. today.

Their goal is to stay until City Engineer Joseph Link meets with them to resolve the issue.

Link said the intersection will get a hanging traffic signal, but it may take some time.

"That project is already approved, already funded, already under design," he said. "It's just a matter of time."

The new signal should come in about a year, with signals on Maclay Street scheduled for installation first, followed by some on Market.

About $2.5 million dollars will be spent on improving traffic signals in more than 20 intersections in the city, with the devices costing $100,000 to $125,000 apiece.

Residents say the 19th and Market streets' intersection needs to be improved sooner. It's a high-traffic area, a few blocks from Bishop McDevitt High School and several other elementary schools, James said.

James knows the improvements are planned, but wants the new signal installed now.

"I think human lives have priority," she said.

For now, James, a foster mother who at times has had three to five children live with her, still can't help but repeatedly look at the traffic.

"I don't let my kids come out here," she said. "I don't even like them on the porch."

In fact, James says she is moving to Florida soon. But she said she wants to make a final stand.

"I don't feel like getting in a big battle I can't finish," she said, "but I would like one last gut punch before I go."

[EastSideHBG]

Ah yes, yet another bank trying to conquer the world!!! The fast gorwth rate is not a good thing IMO. Sometimes a business can just grow too fast, and this creates a somewhat chaotic atmosphere and the customers/services get lost in the shuffle.


Commerce Bank plans more growth

Saturday, May 22, 2004
BY BILL SULON
Of The Patriot-News

Commerce Bank/Harrisburg plans to build three branches this year and four more next year as it aims to double the number of offices it operates and more than triple its deposits by 2009.

The expansion will take place through construction, not acquisitions.

"We don't try to buy anyone else's junk and remodel it," Gary Nalbandian, chairman and CEO, said at the bank's annual meeting yesterday at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel & Convention Center in East Pennsboro Twp.

Commerce Bank, the retail banking unit of Pennsylvania Commerce Bancorp, expects to open branches this year in York, Lebanon and Reading. The bank has 23 offices and $937 million in deposits. It plans to have 54 offices and $3.4 billion in deposits by 2009.

Over the next several years, Commerce plans to add more branches in the Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg and Middletown areas, "and then we start to look at the world," Nalbandian said.

He explained that the world, from Commerce's standpoint, includes Lancaster and State College.

Commerce Bank shares the same business model as its larger affiliate, Commerce Bancorp Inc. in Cherry Hill, N.J. The banks have the same red "C" logo, advertising campaign and architectural firm, InterArch, which is owned by Shirley Hill, wife of Vernon Hill, chairman and CEO of Commerce Bancorp in New Jersey.

Vernon Hill and his business affiliates are the largest shareholder in Pennsylvania Commerce Bancorp, with a 14 percent stake.

Neither bank grows through acquisitions, Nalbandian said after the meeting. Instead, they build branches after researching the targeted areas and the deposit shares of nearby competitors, he said.

Starting June 1, investors who buy Pennsylvania Commerce Bancorp stock through the bank's stock-purchase plan will be eligible to buy shares valued up to $5,000 every month at a 3 percent discount. Currently, investors can buy stock through the program once every three months.

[EastSideHBG]

Pretty neat when you think about how far our paper has come. There is no denying the quality of it went way up over the last few years. There was a time when the stories weren't accurate, were terribly written, there wasn't much in the paper, etc. Not anymore!!! :tup:


Paper accumulates statewide honors

Array includes 2nd win by reporter of PNA Distinguished Writing Award

Sunday, May 23, 2004
BY ELIZABETH GIBSON
Of The Patriot-News

The Patriot-News eclipsed the state's largest newspapers, garnering more journalism awards this year than any other paper in its division, including the award for best writer in the state.

The Harrisburg-based newspaper won a combined 24 awards in two of the state's most-prestigious journalism competitions.

The Patriot-News picked up the Division I Sweepstakes Award at the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Keystone Press Awards banquet in State College last night. The honor goes to the newspaper that earns the most awards in its division.

On Friday night, Patriot-News reporters, editors and photographers accepted awards for excellence in the 2004 Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors Writing and Photo Awards competition.

In both competitions, Patriot-News stories, photos and design were pitted against The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, which have larger staffs than The Patriot-News.

Patriot-News staff writer Jim Lewis won PNA's Distinguished Writing Award, a distinction he previously captured in 2001. Lewis gripped judges with stories on everyday people in trying circumstances, describing their dilemmas in a style that allowed readers to imagine their suffering.

"We're the smallest paper in that category. It's just a reflection of the kind of paper we now have and the paper we give our readers every day," said John Kirkpatrick, Patriot-News publisher.

Kirkpatrick and some of the paper's editors, reporters and photographers basked in last night's accolades at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.

"Some papers do stories that they think will win awards. I'm not knocking that. One reason I'm delighted that we won the sweepstakes award this year is because we think a lot, not about contests, but about stories readers are really interested in," said David Newhouse, The Patriot-News executive editor.

"The stories that won for us are exactly those kinds of stories," he said.

For instance, a story about the mystifying murder of Randi Trimble, an East Pennsboro woman whose husband and his co-worker were eventually convicted in her death, won first place in the ongoing news category for staff writers Pete Shellem, Joe Elias, Matt Miller, Jerry Gleason, Frank Cozzoli and Daniel Sheehan.

A 17-year Patriot-News reporter, Lewis won best writer in the state based on a portfolio of stories, including his narrative of Margaret Sharar, whose cookies were legendary before she died at 83. Lewis revealed a fantastic twist in his story and forever sealed the New Cumberland woman's baking reputation. Her family, Lewis wrote, had buried Sharar's cremated remains in her cookie jar.

"I think what I do best is listen, and I end up getting something I didn't think I'd get going into a story," Lewis said.

The Patriot-News took seven first-place Keystone honors, six second-place awards and won an honorable mention for news-beat reporting.

John Curley, former president, chairman and CEO of Gannett Co. and USA Today's first editor, said The Patriot-News' seven, strategically placed bureaus generate thorough news coverage for the paper's readers.

Patriot-News' stories about traffic problems on Interstate 81 and worries about West Nile in the midstate represent diligent daily journalism.

"I think many judges look at how a paper does day in and day out," Curley said.

The Patriot-News also does a better job than any paper in the state, he said, at unearthing local readers' connections to national events, often interviewing residents from four or five counties to do so.

Three years ago, the 150-year-old Patriot-News got a new look when the production department moved from Harrisburg to a $60 million Hampden Twp. facility, which housed a new Goss Colorliner press.

Curley said the paper's look "sort of came together in a graphic sense," with eye-catching promotional boxes on the front page.

Photo production is sharper, too.

Keystone judges bestowed awards on photos from photographers Amiran White and Gary Dwight-Miller.

Photos from White and Christopher Millette also drew 2004 Pennsylvania APME honors.

Newhouse noted that the numerous awards aren't for work from a small group of celebrity journalists.

"You don't win this many awards unless everyone in the newsroom is pulling together every day to do good work," he said.

[wrightchr]

you know...i still critique the patriot for not being a top newspaper but maybe they have improved somewhat over the years. i still think harrisburg needs another daily/sunday newspaper to compete with them though. better competition will lead to better news IMO. it can only be a good thing. there is room for expansion and another paper...the patriot sells something like 250,000 daily and nearly 400,000 sunday papers. that's a pretty big subscription rate IMO, although i'm not sure how it would compare to the post-gazette or the philly newspapers.

[EastSideHBG]

I really like the Patriot, but I do think it could use a little competition. Want to start something with me, Chris? ;)

[EastSideHBG]

So this is where my tax money is going!!! I sure hope the kids who go there appreciate what they have. When I was there we had NO A/C, the auditorium was falling apart (it was actually condemned a year or so after I graduated), we were JAMMED into the classrooms (if I remember correctly, we were 300+ kids over the maximum limit my senior yr.), etc.

Ladies and gentleman, I bring you Cumberland Valley East. ;)


New CD High School has TV studio, 2 gyms

Wednesday, May 26, 2004
BY KELLY BOTHUM
Of The Patriot-News

The new Central Dauphin High School in West Hanover Twp. looks, smells and feels just that -- new.

The scent of paint hangs near office doors freshly trimmed in Ram green. There are no scratches, dings or warped-metal bubbles along the rows of lockers lining the halls. The media center includes space for 60 computers and a television studio.

It's attractive, but without a crush of students wandering through the nearly finished classrooms, cafeteria and stairwells, the building seems a bit naked.

That will change in August, when 1,959 students walk through the doors to usher in the new era of Central Dauphin High School. The old high school in Lower Paxton Twp. will become Central Dauphin Middle School.

"It already feels like Central Dauphin High School," Principal Richard Mazzatesta said as he toured the school yesterday with school officials.

"The kids want to come here as badly as the rest of us," he added.

Construction of the school began in October 2002 after years of talk about replacing the old high school, built in 1955. Overcrowding has been a problem at Central Dauphin and East high schools for years.

But plans for the new school were delayed a year by the board's switch from having three high schools in the district to two high schools.

The West Hanover Twp. school is expected to cost $53.3 million, including construction, contingencies, architect fees and furniture. Construction alone is expected to run $39.5 million.

The new Central Dauphin, slated to be completed by Aug. 15, includes more than 100 classrooms, a 1,000-seat auditorium and two gyms, the larger with seating for 2,000 people.

The cafeteria, with space for almost 600 students, will include round tables and cooking stations fashioned with a "grab-and-go" theme.

The two-story building boasts sweeping views of nearby hills, including floor-to-ceiling windows in the media center and cafeteria.

Visitors to the school must enter through the school office. Cameras will be placed inside and outside.

In case of emergency, Bramer said, the school can be locked down.

Similar upgrades are underway at Central Dauphin East High School, which is in the middle of a $21.96-million renovation and addition project, expected to be completed this fall.

"Programs at both schools were built to be 100 percent identical," said Gail Bramer, the district's clerk of the works.

About 5 percent of the district's 12,000 pupils ended up in different high school boundaries because of the projects.

Superintendent Barbara Hasson said in the past about 55 percent of the district's high school students attended Central Dauphin, with the rest at East High School.

Hasson said students at both high schools whose attendance boundary changed were given the option of staying at their old school.

Those with eighth- grade siblings had the same opportunity. About 200 students were affected by these options, but the district is determining how many students opted to move to their new school.

Some parents have complained about the attendance boundaries, saying the changes are creating racially and socioeconomically unbalanced high schools.

[wrightchr]

Some parents have complained about the attendance boundaries, saying the changes are creating racially and socioeconomically unbalanced high schools.

Dave, did you think this was true when you were going there? It seems to me that all the suburban kids will be going to the new school and the mostly urban areas will feed into East. I think I would have preferred the three high school option...which would have really broken things up and not developed these freakin EDUCATIONAL PARKS that make kids numbers and not real students.

On a side note...I would be happy to join you in the crusade to run the Patriot-News out of business by starting our own brand :)

[shakman]

Dave,

How is that new office tower coming along? Any pics of construction?

How about the other proposals and construction in Downtown?

[EastSideHBG]

Dave, did you think this was true when you were going there? It seems to me that all the suburban kids will be going to the new school and the mostly urban areas will feed into East. I think I would have preferred the three high school option...which would have really broken things up and not developed these freakin EDUCATIONAL PARKS that make kids numbers and not real students.
Oh it's definitely true. The funny thing is if I was still in HS, I would be going to East now, even though I am MUCH closer to the new school. Yet the neighborhood right over the hill from me will be at the new school. My neighborhood is mostly lower/middle middle-class and the one over the hill from me is upper-class. Hmmm...funny, isn't it?

Did you know that the NAACP got involved last year when the district was drawing the new lines? A group of parents noticed that kids with higher test scores were going to the new school and kids with the lower scores were going to East, even though the same kids once went to the opposite school. Needless to say, the district was forced to make some changes.

I too think a 3rd HS would've been a better option. I don't like the fact that you will now have kids coming from an urban and semi-urban environment and putting them in a more rural setting. At CD we could walk to a lot of things and you felt like you were part of the whole in the community; it's location kept you connected. Many of us came from the dense neighborhoods in the Colonial Park area. Now you want to put these same kids on the busy intersection that is Linglestown/Piketown Rd.? Doens't make much sense to me....

I also think they should have demolished the current CD HS and rebuilt on that spot. Why not? We all know that building is in shambles, and it will have to be done somtime.

On a side note...I would be happy to join you in the crusade to run the Patriot-News out of business by starting our own brand :)
Oh I don't want to run them out of business, I just want to give them some friendly (yet fierce) competition. :)

Dave,

How is that new office tower coming along? Any pics of construction?

How about the other proposals and construction in Downtown?
I took some pics weeks ago of the construction, and I am going to be doing a progress thread on it soon. In the meantime, take a look at mrherodotus' thread in City Photos. You can see some of the progress in a few of them:

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43008

As for other projects, there is quite a bit going on. As things would develop I would post the info. on here, so run a search and see what is still out there. But from now on this thread will be your best resource so check back often. :)

[EastSideHBG]

More good news for HIA!!! Man, things just keep getting better and better around here:


FAA chief to deliver funds for HIA work

Thursday, May 27, 2004
BY ELLEN LYON
Of The Patriot-News

Marion C. Blakey, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, will tour the terminal under construction at Harrisburg International Airport today, bringing with her some federal money for the airport and state.

Blakey will present a check for $11.2 million to the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority, which owns and operates HIA in Lower Swatara Twp. and Capital City Airport in Fairview Twp.

Most of that money -- $10.3 million -- is earmarked for HIA's $222 million expansion project, according to FAA spokesman Jim Peters.

The check is one installment in the $108 million in federal funding for the project, which includes a new, larger terminal and apron, a parking garage, a navigational system and Amtrak train station.

HIA officials have billed the new terminal as the first in the country designed and built with post-Sept. 11 security considerations in mind.

Capital City Airport will get $930,700, Peters added.

Blakey also will present state transportation officials with $11.7 million, representing Pennsylvania's federal aviation block grant for 2004, Peters said.

HIA officials reported to the authority board yesterday that passenger traffic at the airport was up 14.8 percent last month when compared to April 2003. So far this year, traffic is up 6.5 percent when compared to the same period in 2003.

"The 117,839 passengers that chose HIA last month made April 2004 the busiest April since 1999 and the fourth-busiest April ever," Aviation Director Fred Testa said.

He attributed the increase to more flights into and out of the airport.

The HIA numbers compare to a national increase in passenger traffic of 10.2 percent in April and a 4.6 percent increase so far this year, according to airport officials.

The board awarded a contract for the sole right to pick up taxi passengers at HIA to American Taxi of Harrisburg.

"We've had too many instances over the past two years when arriving passengers have had to wait long periods of time for taxicab service from the airport," Testa said. "A taxicab driver from any company is still allowed to drop off passengers at the airport. However, only drivers from American Taxi will be allowed to pick up passengers and transport them from the airport."

Last year, an estimated 21,000 cab trips were made from the airport, with an average fare of $24, HIA spokesman Scott Miller said. Under American Taxi's contract, the same amount of traffic at that average fare would bring the airport $35,000 in revenue, he said.

There were two other bidders for the taxi contract, but neither met all the requirements listed in the request for proposals, Miller said.

The board announced that six car-rental companies -- Hertz, Avis, Budget, National, Enterprise and Thrifty -- will have contracts to operate concessions in the new parking garage, which is scheduled to open in late summer.

Dollar and Alamo rental cars also will be available, but their pickup and drop-off locations will not be on airport property.

The authority also awarded a contract not to exceed $353,500 to Stewart Stevenson Power Inc. of Houston for a runway snow broom vehicle.

[EastSideHBG]

:tup:


Regional marketing to begin

New slogan helps promote best attributes of midstate
Thursday, May 27, 2004
BY ELLEN LYON
Of The Patriot-News

Think "Where's the Beef," "Like a Rock" or "King of Beers."

Now think of a catchy slogan to promote south-central Pennsylvania, which includes 1.7 million people living in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York counties.

How about "The Smart Market."

That's the slogan Southcentral Team Pennsylvania dramatically unveiled yesterday in the darkened Sunoco Performance Theater at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg as a shower of green and blue balloons descended from the ceiling.

What's so smart about this region?

To start with, answers David Schankweiler, president and CEO of Journal Publications, the region has more than 20 colleges and universities and a superior highway and rail infrastructure.

"This is a very exciting region. We need to believe that first and then shout it to the world," Schankweiler said at the unveiling.

To do that, Southcentral Team Pennsylvania, which is a public-private partnership devoted to the region's economic development, has about $90,000 left from $150,000 in a state grant and matching funds, said David Black, president and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber.

"We want to target some specific industries and go after them," Black said.

The first opportunity to do that with the new slogan and logo will be at a biotechnology show in San Francisco June 5-10, Black said. The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center attracts biotechnology companies to the region, he noted.

Other targeted industries include technology services and advanced manufacturing. "All the [region's] counties have core strengths in those," he said.

The team also will be looking for additional funding to support the marketing effort.

To develop the region's first brand name, Southcentral Team Pennsylvania hired the Harrisburg marketing agency Sacunas & Saline.

The firm researched branding efforts in other parts of the country, conducted focus groups and interviewed national site-selection specialists and local business and community leaders, according to Bob McNary, executive director of the Lebanon Valley Economic Development Corp.

"I guess it's no surprise they found there was great economic diversity in the region," which presents a marketing challenge, he said.

When companies search for a site, they don't care about municipal boundaries, McNary noted. Instead, they care about factors such as the work force, transportation systems, utilities, research and educational opportunities and business services.

Economic development officials in the eight counties said yesterday they will use "The Smart Market" concept while continuing their own marketing efforts.

The brand "presents a vision for this region to go out and promote itself," said Skip Memmi, deputy director of the Dauphin County Department of Community and Economic Development. "We will partner into this branding effort and also continue to do individually what is necessary to be successful."

W. Douglas Wendt, director of the Cumberland County Office of Economic Development, explained that "no single brand sells a region. A brand is a cornerstone for a strategy.

"The Smart Market gives us a brand that helps us have a common theme while we also are focusing on the distinctiveness of each county," Wendt said.

Memmi said that "in some respects, it is a friendly competition to promote each county, [but] without this region you don't bring in national concerns."

Black predicted the counties will rely on the regional brand for the more expensive national marketing efforts.

[EastSideHBG]

City plans office of Latino Affairs

Thursday, May 27, 2004
BY DIANA FISHLOCK
Of The Patriot-News

Harrisburg will soon have a council and an office of Latino Affairs, the mayor announced yesterday.

The council will serve as an advisory board to city government, said Mayor Stephen R. Reed, who also hopes it will galvanize the Latino community. "I need a vehicle to bring together the diverse elements of the Hispanic community for one common cause," he explained.

The council will have 11-13 members representing the city's diverse Latino population, which hails from Puerto Rico, Spain and several Central and South American countries, Reed said.

The office will consist of one staff member, probably housed at the Mount Pleasant Hispanic American Center. Both the council and the office should be working by mid-summer, he said.

There is no African-American council or office because they are very well represented in city government, said Reed. All of the members of the city council are black.

/\
Which I disagree with, but what are you going to do....

[EastSideHBG]

Pretty nice of these guys!!!


Members of blink-182 lend a hand as painters of the state

The Patriot-News
Thursday, May 27, 2004
BY BARRY FOX
Of The Patriot-News

Mention the band blink-182 and jokey music videos done in the nude, tattoos, body piercings and catchy pop punk are what come to mind.

Community service probably is not on the list.

But there the California trio -- known for albums such as 1999's "Enema Of The State" -- was yesterday afternoon "helping" paint a nearly completed Habitat for Humanity house on 13th Street in Harrisburg.

While drummer Travis Barker sat in a folding chair eating a burrito -- he's on crutches and wearing a cast after foot surgery -- guitarist Tom DeLonge and bassist Mark Hoppus got to work with the white paint.

It was DeLonge's first-ever painting project. He was using the "Karate Kid" as the inspiration for his brush strokes.

"I usually paint unicorns and leprechauns," he said. "That's not needed here, but it's always an option."

Even though Hoppus is an experienced painter, after working on his home in San Diego, he had to put his brush down to talk.

"I'm not that good," he said. This program "is awesome, really cool. We're stoked to be a part of it."

The band was in the area for a show at the Star Pavilion in Hershey last night.

Its home improvement trip was the first for "Raise The Roof," a partnership between Clear Channel Entertainment and Habitat for Humanity.

Clear Channel is the promoter for the summer concert series at Hersheypark Stadium and the Star Pavilion.

Habitat for Humanity provides homes for people in need using volunteers to keep mortgage payments low.

Homeowners are required to invest 350 hours of "sweat equity" working in Habitat for Humanity's local office or on their own or other Habitat homes.

Kimberly Bowron, Clear Channel's vice-president of corporate culture and philanthropy, said five artists will work on homes through "Raise The Roof" on cross-country tours this summer.

What made this house unique -- besides blink-182's visit -- is that WHP-TV 21, Lowe's, Clear Channel Broadcasting (WHP's owner) and Habitat joined forces to build it in 21 days.

The foundation, framing, roofing, plumbing and electrical work have been done since May 7. The house will be turned over to its owner, Veronica Rice, tomorrow.

John Neumann, Habitat's construction manager, said this type of project would normally take three to six months.

But, with two crews of contractors and volunteers working nearly nonstop, Rice and her son Derrick will get the keys to their home three weeks after the project started.

"It's overwhelming," Rice said. "It's been a really humbling experience."

After painting four doors (as well as being mildly scolded for getting paint on the hinges), posing for pictures with Rice and the volunteers who worked on the house, the members of blink-182 were gone about 40 minutes after arriving.

Barker had a doctor's appointment to change his cast and there was a show to prepare for last night.

It was a short but apparently moving visit.

"It's cool to do something for people," DeLonge said. "We usually tear down the good things people instill in their children."

[wrightchr]

Great articles Dave :) I especially like the new marketing idea for the region. I think it will pay off! Blink 182 was in town painting houses??? NUTS:nuts:

[EastSideHBG]

I agree. I wish I would've known they were here. I would've snuck away from work and grabbed some pics or something....

[wrightchr]

<b>Irresponsibility on stormwater </b>
Wednesday, May 26, 2004

This week the state Department of General Services receives proposals to build a hotel on the north parking lot of the Farm Show Complex. Will it exercise stormwater stewardship, or will it continue stormwater irresponsibility?

In requesting proposals for the future hotel, the DGS and its partners, the Department of Agriculture and the City of Harrisburg, did not require the bidders to consider any onsite infiltration of stormwater, despite being advised of the need by Paxton Creek Watershed and Education Association, and others. It is ironic that some state agencies, the departments of Environmental Protection and Conservation and Natural Resources, promote desirable, alternative techniques of stormwater management, while others ignore the need, as with the addition to the Farm Show Complex two years ago.

The association strongly supports economic redevelopment, particularly along Cameron Street. However, it must be done responsibly. Granted, flooding of Paxton Creek in Harrisburg is a major impact of development in municipalities upstream, but those downstream must do their part. The association has planned dozens of projects to promote stormwater infiltration and to help reduce upstream runoff.

How can we expect sympathy and support in upstream communities when the DGS and others ignore the issues and build structures that worsen the situation?

It is time for the DGS to cooperate by requiring Low Impact Development stormwater management techniques. If it starts doing this with the proposed hotel, we will be proud to recognize them as partners in stormwater stewardship. If not, just the contrary.

E. DRANNON BUSKIRK JR.

President, Paxton Creek Watershed and Education Association Harrisburg

[wrightchr]

oh my god...i had to post this Dave! lol


Verbal pollutants
Wednesday, May 26, 2004

I have no doubt there is some global warming. I do, however, disagree with the "experts" on the chief cause.

Most "experts" blame this global warming on fossil fuel pollution. Toward this end, we have numerous means to contain or eliminate these so-called emissions.

On our automobiles, we have emission controls that burn these pollutants. On coal-fired generating plants, we have a number of controls; from filters to some type of washing of the plant's discharge.

All of these control methods are good and helpful, but do not address the biggest polluters of all.

It is my humble and unscientific opinion that the biggest cause of any global warming is pollution. However, it is not caused by using fossil fuel.

The largest factor is the verbal pollution coming out of our duly elected officials in Washington. If you listened to any of the committee meetings in Washington on the 9-11 tragedy or the prisoners in Iraq, you will know what I mean.

The hot air-verbal pollutants were audible as Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., tried to blame the American troops for anything and everything.

Sen. James Imhofe, R-Okla., seemed to furnish the emissions control that the other two surely needed.

If we could get some safety devices on these hot air bags to keep the gases from escaping and sending their pollution into the sky, we could contain or reduce global warming. Get rid of fossil fuel and fossil windbags in Washington, and we will have cleaner air.

JOSEPH L. THEURER SR.
Harrisburg

[wrightchr]

here's another one for you...i like reading what other people have to say about these issues.


<b>Light rail, bicycles offer alternatives </b>
Saturday, May 22, 2004

All of the solutions the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has come up with to ease the congestion and limit the effects of accidents in the area will not work, and some would cause more accidents.

A transportation management center, while better coordinating emergency response, would not solve the problem of crashes.

The highway advisory radio system would not be helpful unless people entering the area get the message in time to make better decisions.

Message boards will cause more accidents, as people crane their necks to see what is blocked where as they zoom past at 85 miles per hour three feet from the next car. And widening the roads would only encourage reliance on the automobile as a transportation system.

Why not encourage people to leave their cars at home? Build light rail to the suburbs and encourage people to use it. Build bicycle lanes and provide incentives for companies to provide showers for workers and bike parking on the premises.

This would free up valuable road space for the people who really need it; emergency personnel trying to save lives.

It's not right that children are born in traffic jams when most of those cars are filled with only one person going somewhere that could be easily serviced by light rail or bicycling.

PennDOT has been trying to solve traffic problems using brute force for years with little success. I think the time has come to try a few more elegant solutions.

PAUL ROTHROCK
Harrisburg

[wrightchr]

i'm all for this....i think this deal give the Army more space it needs, provides more land and links the current game lands in norhtern Dauphin and Lebanon counties, and preserves the topography of the area while changing the boundaries of the base. i'm an avid outdoorsman and i've actually hunted on portions of this land and fished most of stony creek when i was younger. i don't want to see this area ruined and i don't think it ever will be by letting the area become buffer zone for the Gap ranges. i think this can be a win/win situation for all parties involved. you might not really be interested in this Dave, but i thought i would post it anyway...lol. :)

<b>FORT INDIANTOWN GAP

Hunters criticize proposed land swap
</b>
Friday, May 21, 2004

BY AL WINN
Of Our Lebanon Bureau


FORT INDIANTOWN GAP - For the Pennsylvania National Guard, a proposed land swap with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Harrisburg Water Authority is part of a fight to keep the Fort Indiantown Gap military reservation open and viable as a training base.

But for some area hunters and outdoorsmen, the proposal that would turn 1,800 acres of game lands on the north side of Second Mountain over to the National Guard would be an incursion on treasured landscape.

"This land is sacred to a lot of people," said Clyde Herr, of Union Twp., at a public meeting at Fort Indiantown Gap last night. About 40 people attended to ask questions and voice concerns.

The proposed three-way deal would involve the National Guard buying 1,800 acres of DeHart Reservoir watershed from the Harrisburg Water Authority and turning it over to the Game Commission. In turn, the commission would give up a six-mile strip of land along the north side of Second Mountain between Cold Spring Road and the Middle Paxton Twp. line. A bit more than half the land would be in Dauphin County.

National Guard officials said they need the land for a safety buffer for expanding firing ranges on the south side of Second Mountain. Tanks and artillery using the ranges shoot parallel to the ridge, but there is a chance of shells ricocheting over the mountain, they said.

Guard officials said they are trying to cram as many training activities as possible onto the 17,000-acre base to keep it viable. Fort Indiantown Gap, Lebanon County's largest employer, came close to closing after a Base Realignment and Closing Commission decided the U.S. Army would pull out of the facility.

"The future didn't look so good in 1995," said Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver.

The buffer zone the Guard wants would extend down the north slope of Second Mountain to just short of Stony Creek. The land would not change under National Guard ownership, officials said. "The slope of second mountain today is the way it will be in the future," Cleaver said.

Guard officials said they would allow hunters and others access in the same way they allow access to other Gap land. But as with other National Guard land, it could be closed to the public to accommodate training activities, some hunters pointed out.

The western portion of the buffer zone might never be closed, base commander Col. Ray Hulings said. But the eastern portion, nearest Cold Spring Road, could be closed as much as half the time, Cleaver said. An effort would be made to keep it open during big-game hunting seasons.

The land the Guard wants would not include Stony Creek, the nearby rail trail, or the historic ruins at Cold Spring. Some who could accept that the current proposal probably wouldn't affect recreational possibilities in the game lands worried the Guard might not stop with this acquisition.

"How long is it going to be before tanks come into the [Stony Creek] valley?" Dennis Ibberson asked.

In the other part of the three-way deal, the land the Game Commission would get from Harrisburg could link Game Lands 211 and 210, thereby creating the largest game-lands area in the state, Game Commission officials have said.

Guard officials said the proposal is still in its early stages, and none of the three entities has approved the deal.

"We're going to keep right on pushing for new programs," Cleaver said.

AL WINN: 272-3759 or awinn@patriot-news.com

[EastSideHBG]

I'm interested in everything around here, Chris. ;)

As for the editorial on the LRT and bicycle, I TOTALLY agree!!!

Check this out. We are finally getting some national attention!!! :carrot:


Harrisburg Region Featured In National Magazine

Thursday May 27, 2004 3:47pm
Posted By: Katie McCarthy

Consumer Center - The June issue of Money magazine says our region is a place industries need to consider. Couple that with a just announced regional marketing plan and we look to be pretty competitive for jobs. "What is it about south central Pennsylvania. Is it our historic towns, national parks or stunning landscapes of mountains, rivers and farmland?"

There is a DVD presentation that companies all over the country will be receiving. It links our eight counties together in a "smart market" because local chamber of commerce leaders say that's what it takes to be competitive. David Black/President Harrisburg Regional Chamber, "Companies quite frankly don't care whether it's Lancaster County or Dauphin County or Cumberland County. I mean they want to locate in a part of a state with certain transportation amenities." Or - "Is it how very close we are to major metropolitan hubs of the northeast like Washington DC, Baltimore, New York and Philadelphia? You just can't position yourself as one county, one city. You have to do something a little broader and it is a global market place."

In the June issue, Money magazine recognizes the potential of the Harrisburg region - naming it one of the top three up and coming regions in the whole country. "That kind of earned media is wonderful for a region and it is Harrisburg, PA but it is obviously the region." About one point seven million people live in our eight county region. That is certainly a large enough group to support most or any job creating industry.


EDIT: This story came from www.abc27.com

[wrightchr]

woohoo :) :tup:

[EastSideHBG]

Owner plans transformation of restaurant

Saturday, May 29, 2004
BY ELLEN LYON
Of The Patriot-News

It's time for 5:01 Downtown to close, owner Ron Kamionka says.

But the Harrisburg restaurant renowned for its fresh fish won't be dark for long, and the corner of Walnut and Second streets will retain the New Orleans flavor of 5:01.

While the eatery will close on June 5, Bourbon Street Station, a new establishment under the same ownership, will open on the site the following Thursday, June 10, Kamionka said.

Bourbon Street Station will open daily at 4 p.m., primarily as a "beverage operation" with a raw bar, he said.

"The profit margins are a lot less in food than in beverages, so I've decided to focus on beverages," Kamionka explained.

Bourbon Street Station also will fit better with Kamionka's other properties, which include Eclipse and the Hardware Bar in Harrisburg and the Hardware Bar and Vertigo dance club in York, he said.

Kamionka also manages NOMA and Mars in downtown Harrisburg and plans to open BD Sports Bar and Cherry Lane Cafe in York on June 15.

5:01 Downtown opened in December 2000, replacing the former Dewey's Dry Dock.

Kamionka sounded almost sentimental yesterday. "5:01 was my first place in downtown Harrisburg," he said. "It's an extremely successful restaurant. ... It's a matter of profit margin."

[wrightchr]

interesting...well i can understand the transformation. selling alcohol is a lot easier than food. have you gone DT or along the riverfront yet this weekend Dave? i went to Artsfest today and took my girlfriend to her first minor league baseball game. she really liked it a lot. i think the city is really growing on her :)

[EastSideHBG]

I haven't been to the Artsfest yet, Chris. I plan on getting down there today, though, because tomorrow is supposed to be a wash out. It never fails: it always rains on Memorial Day. :(

And I'm glad the city is growing on her. Keep up the good work, and continue to spread the word. :)

[EastSideHBG]

AWESOME news!!! And the tables weren't in the online article, so I typed them out. :)


THE RACE FOR SPACE

Demand remains strong for commercial property

Sunday, May 30, 2004
BY DAVID DeKOK
Of The Patriot-News

Overall commercial real estate occupancy rates are approaching 93 percent in the Harrisburg area, the highest level in a decade, according to a quarterly report by Landmark Commercial Realty Vice President Thomas T. Posavec.

Fueled by growing demand for space in all areas of the region, tenants continued to line up for space in both existing buildings and those under construction during the first quarter of the year.

"I just came from a conference in Phoenix," Posavec said. "If two years ago was a 'C,' and one year ago was a 'B,' this year I'd give the business an 'A.' Nationally, things have really picked up big time."

Even so, the growth is not uniform. In Pittsburgh, overall occupancy rates are about 75 percent to 80 percent, Posavec said. He said Harrisburg is fortunate to have a more stable commercial real estate market.

Just about his only cautionary note concerned buildings under construction, such as Market Square Plaza in downtown Harrisburg and a new office building at 4507 N. Front St. in Susquehanna Twp. Posavec said the new construction and the renovation of certain other space might eventually have a "short-term impact" on occupancy levels in the midstate.

He said he was particularly pleased with the West Shore, where the occupancy rate moved up to 95 percent in the first quarter, from 94 percent in the previous quarter. Occupancy of the best Class A space remained at 97 percent, he said. Even so, occupancy rose by 45,300 square feet overall.

One of the big West Shore transactions was acquisition of the former EDS building at 275 Grandview Ave. in Camp Hill by Szeles Real Estate Development Co. of Lower Paxton Twp.

In downtown Harrisburg, occupancy dropped by 6,400 square feet, while occupancy remained at 98 percent in the Class A sector. Class B+ space was the only gainer downtown during the first quarter.

Also creating potential occupancy declines in the future is a decision by Verizon Communications, the state's largest telephone company, to all but abandon its former regional headquarters in the Strawberry Square office complex. Verizon will aim to sublet 80,000 square feet of space beginning later in the summer.

Union sources have said Verizon is moving its work force from leased facilities to sites it owns, such as the former GTE building in Hershey and the building at Second and Pine streets in Harrisburg.

"There is significant state interest in that [Strawberry Square] space," Posavec said. "How many spaces have a food court and easy access to parking garages?"

He said the East Shore business district has "a few pockets of weakness," even though about 9,200 square feet were absorbed by the market during the first quarter.

Class A occupancy remained at 93 percent, where it has stood for the past three quarters.

Overall, Posavec said he would give the first quarter an "A-" grade. "It really couldn't have been a much better quarter," he said.

*The first table would not fit in the space provided. Just use the number to find the appropriate rent per sq. ft. charge. I am surprised at how close the rent is in all of the markets. That must make the competition even tougher, and that sure explains all the commercial building going on around here now.


Occupancy Rates

Midstate office space occupancy rates in %:

Harrisburg 1st Qtr. '04/ 4th qtr. '03/ 1st qtr. '03
1. Class A 98/ 98/ 97
2. Class B+ 92 92 91
3. Class B 88 89 94

East Shore
4. Class A 93 93 92
5. Class B+ 90 87 88
6. Class B 96 96 95
7. Class C 85 88 82

West Shore
8. Class A 97 97 97
9. Class B+ 93 92 92
10. Class B 91 90 89
11. Class C 95 94 93

Rent. per sq. ft.
1. $17 to 22
2. $14 to 16.45
3. $11.95 to 13.50
4. $16.50 to 21
5. $14.95 to 16.35
6. $13 to 14.50
7. $10.50 to 12.75
8. $16.50 to 20
9. $14.75 to 16.25
10. $13 to $14.50
11. $10.95 to 12.75

[EastSideHBG]

Cont'd


Absorbtion Rates

Total square footage absorbed in the 1st qtr. Numbers in parenthesis indicate space that became available and was not leased:

Harrisburg
Class A - (6400)
Class B+ - 8,424
Class B - (13,123)
Class C -
Total - (11,099)

East Shore
Class A - (13,200)
Class B+ - 28,100
Class B - 2,700
Class C - (8,400)
Total - 9,200

West Shore
Class A - 17,000
Class B+ - 9,600
Class B - 15,400
Class C - 3,300
Total - 45,300


Space Breakdown

The market report rates office space in the following categories:
Class A - Buildings are modern, top-of-the-line structures that command the highest rents and attract the most upscale tenants.
Class B+ - Newer buildings that have been substantially upgraded.
Class B - Older buildings with some rennovations and upgrades.
Class C - Older buildings that haven't been upgraded.
NOTE - The suburbs typically have more Class B+ and Class B space than Class A. Harrisburg has an equal amount of the three classifications.
Damn!!! That makes the competition even crazier I bet. :nuts:

[EastSideHBG]

Here's a related article, so I figured I would post it. Chris and harrisburger, did you guys see the first building they are talking about in this article yet? I am so used to having my attention drawn to the two new ones off of I-81 at the split in LP Township. When I drove by East Park Dr. (near the Sheraton) the other day I was totally blown away. "Holy crap, when did they build that?!?" I find myself saying that a lot these days, and I'm loving it. :)


Family positions businesses for growth

Sunday, May 30, 2004
BY DAVID DeKOK
Of The Patriot-News

You can't say the Szeles family isn't confident about the direction of the U.S. economy.

By the Szeles family we mean Alex R. Szeles, 62, who is the paterfamilias, son of a steelworker and founder of Szeles Real Estate Development Co. and Szeles Building and Leasing Co., both in Lower Paxton Twp.

His son, Rick Szeles, has been managing partner and director of investments for the past 10 years. Brian Szeles, another son, heads Alex R. Szeles Inc., a restoration company. Todd E. Gelbaugh, son-in-law of Alex, heads Mobile X-Ray Imaging Inc., which provides X-rays on wheels at nursing homes in the region.

All the companies this summer will move into a new 25,000-square-foot headquarters building at 945 East Park Drive, across from the Four Points By Sheraton.

-What's more, the real estate companies plan to acquire between 300,000 and 500,000 square feet of office space for the investment portfolio.

"Yes. We're optimistic," Alex Szeles said. "We have seen more activity in the last six to eight months than in the past couple of years. A lot of it has to do with the Bush tax incentives."

Those tax incentives, especially one that accelerated depreciation of capital equipment, were weighted toward corporations and the wealthy in the theory that jobs would then "trickle down" to the general public. Szeles is saying it seems to be working.

"We spent a little over $500,000 we would not have normally spent," he said, referring to purchases of computers and X-ray equipment. "Anyone with a small business would want to take advantage of that. Across the country, it has to be spurring activity."

Among their real estate purchases lately has been the 60,000-square-foot EDS building at 275 Grandview Road in East Pennsboro Twp. Renovations are being made, and a tenant, Liberty Mutual, already has signed up for 20,000 square feet of the space.

"Some of our recent purchases were not on the market," Szeles said. "We went out and knocked on doors."

The only major sale of commercial property the firm has ever made occurred in the late 1990s, when real estate investment trusts, or REITs, were on a buying binge. Szeles sold 400,000 square feet of space because the price offered was irresistible. But it wasn't the majority of their holdings, and the firm is now back to buying and building.

"So many companies were downsizing for 24 or 36 months," he said. "We see bright spots in the economy and have invested a substantial amount of money."

In addition to the EDS building, Szeles has acquired the West Shore Office Center and the Slate Hill Business Center. Jim Koury of Rothman, Schubert and Reed in Camp Hill handled the transactions.

The medical imaging subsidiary seems an odd pairing with a commercial real estate company. Szeles said Gelbaugh, his son-in-law, came out of the Army as an X-ray technician and wanted to explore the possibilities of a company that would bring mobile imaging equipment to nursing homes rather than have the residents travel to fixed facilities.

"We started eight years ago and now have 42 full-time employees," Szeles said. "We expect to soon be one of the biggest in the state."

Szeles is a native of Steelton -- his father worked at Bethlehem Steel and eventually ran the Friendly Taverns in Steelton and Rutherford. After graduating from Bishop McDevitt High School, Szeles spent several years working and traveling for State Loan Corp. Eventually, he brought his family back to the midstate.

His first commercial real estate project was the 120-unit Locust Ridge and Londonderry Apartments in Lower Paxton Twp.

Szeles married his high school sweetheart and has four children and 18 grandchildren. All of them live in the area. He is "semiretired," but stays active both in the business and in fitness activities at the Harrisburg YMCA.

[shoowaa1]

Cool thread and reads and btw light rail+bicycles=a more fit and productive local public which in itself attracts new business...:yes:

Albert (Shoowaa

[EastSideHBG]

You got that right, Albert!!!

[wrightchr]

Dave, I read these in the paper today...thanks for posting. It amazes me as well, when I see new development around here that I had no idea was taking root. With a 93% or better occupancy rate for commercial buildings the economy here in the Harrisburg area is doing REALLY well. Much better than the rest of the state and even many other regions across the country. Albert, your right about attracting new business with commuter rail. I can't wait till public rail transit is developed here. I've read posts on this site about how rail has greatly helped places like Portland. Infill development here will be awesome when this project takes off! It can only be a positive thing. Dave I forgot to tell you, there is a booth near the Front St/Walnut St Bridge entrance that is providing information about the reconstruction of the western span of the bridge. Info is provided by the People's Bridge Coalition and highlights the current status of the project, as well as the history of the bridge. Really cool :tup:

[EastSideHBG]

Yeah, I know the President of the PBC. She is a really determined lady and PennDOT just kicked in $34K+ for a study on the bridge thanks to her hard work, so I think it will get done. And if Wormtown gets the Bridgeport complex rolling, it will be sure to get done then IMO. I sure hope so, because it is a terrible eyesore now. Plus, how many people (like myself) would be using the western span of the bridge when we are down there? The last study the PBC did said it was something like a $1 to $1.50 ratio. For every $1 spent on the bridge, $1.50 is given back to the merchants via people using the bridge. I could easily believe that...

[wrightchr]

Yeah, I know the President of the PBC. She is a really determined lady and PennDOT just kicked in $34K+ for a study on the bridge thanks to her hard work, so I think it will get done. And if Wormtown gets the Bridgeport complex rolling, it will be sure to get done then IMO. I sure hope so, because it is a terrible eyesore now. Plus, how many people (like myself) would be using the western span of the bridge when we are down there? The last study the PBC did said it was something like a $1 to $1.50 ratio. For every $1 spent on the bridge, $1.50 is given back to the merchants via people using the bridge. I could easily believe that...

yes i could believe that as well. i remember walking across that bridge quite a lot when i was younger, as did many others i'm sure. it's an historic icon for the city and nation, and it deserves to be rebuilt. it will definately provide an economic boast to west shore and city island and i'm sure the bridgeport project will add to that as well. HATS has it ranked #4 on the 12 tip plan so hopefully it will recieve funding soon and construction will be underway in next couple years.

[wrightchr]

here you go Dave...looks like Walmart and Holy Name hit a temporary snag. but i'm sure this will be resolved at next months planning meeting.

<b>Church to revise plans for complex
West Hanover raises concerns about project </b>

Tuesday, June 01, 2004
BY PHYLLIS ZIMMERMAN
For The Patriot-News

The Holy Name of Jesus Roman Catholic Church is still planning to build a parish and school in West Hanover Twp., but its plans have hit a snag.

Project architects are going back to the drawing board after township officials raised several concerns about blueprints.

Based in Lower Paxton Twp., the church has more than 8,600 members.

Wal-Mart is seeking to build a store at the church's site in Lower Paxton, but can't move ahead until the church wins approval for its buildings in West Hanover.

West Hanover planning commission members were set to review plan revisions last month. But the matter was tabled at the May 20 meeting for a second time. Township officials and church representatives agreed to table it, said attorney Charles Suhr, who represents the church.

"We're revising all plans with comments from the township boards taken into consideration. We're trying to get our plans in order. Hopefully, we'll be back next month," Suhr said.

A zoning board hearing for May 13 also was canceled because church officials are working on plan revisions, according to Jim Zeiters, chairman of the township's planning commission.

If approved, Holy Name of Jesus would build its church and school at Oak Grove and Sterling roads, next to Resurrection Cemetery. The land is owned by the Diocese of Harrisburg.

Church officials have asked West Hanover officials to grant a 60-day deadline extension for the plans. Without an extension, plan applications would expire July.

The plans for the Wal-Mart were approved last month by Lower Paxton Twp. Planning Commission. The Lower Paxton township supervisors must sign off on the plan.

Church officials have asked the West Hanover Planning Commission to consider a subdivision of the cemetery's 77 acres -- also owned by the diocese -- to supplement an adjacent 33-acre empty tract with an additional six acres.

[wrightchr]

at first this article talks about a restaurant and retail shop...but the residents are voicing opposition to a distributor??? so which is it? why are they not opposed to the restaurant which will probably result in more traffic, patrons, and alcohol related incidents. i especially like this quote
He said that his parents have lived across from that property for 80 years.

my oh my...how things have NOT changed in 80 years! maybe a restaurant and distributor is exactly what this town needs lol. :)

<b>PAXTANG
Rezoning request draws objections</b>

Tuesday, June 01, 2004
BY MARY KLAUS
Of The Patriot-News

For years, Paxtang residents didn't seem to mind that the former Dauphin Consolidated owned and occupied property in the 3600 block of Derry Street.

But now that the land has been sold, and Borough Council is considering expanding its commercial zoning to allow a restaurant and retail shop there, residents are voicing concerns.

Some residents, worried that a beer distributor could open on the tract, plan to have their say at 7 tonight when council holds its second hearing on the matter.

Elizabeth Grace of Camp Hill recently bought the property, then submitted an application for a Paxtang zoning hearing board appeal for a use variance. In that application, she proposed putting a beer distributorship on the property.

"I don't want to make any comments about it," Grace, whose family owns Olde Towne Beverage in New Cumberland, said when asked about her request for the variance.

The land is zoned commercial/office, Paxtang Borough Council President James R. Schmidt said during an informational hearing on the proposed zoning change.

Several neighbors of the property said they opposed changing the zoning, saying that restaurant and retail stores, including a beer store, would increase traffic and decrease their property values. Many said the area is better suited to offices.

"People are talking about what it would mean to have a beer distributorship there," said Brett Kern of 3666 Derry St. "This strikes at the nature of Paxtang."

He said that his parents have lived across from that property for 80 years.

"They don't want this [beer distributorship] across from their home," he said. "Our part of Paxtang is a forgotten part of the borough."

Former council member William Smith, who has lived at 3747 Derry St. for 66 years and has his law office there, said, "It's appalling to think of changing the zoning. Paxtang is a family community, and we want to keep it that way."

Glenn Dalton of 3654 Derry St. expressed concern because his three sons, ages 15, 12 and 10, play in the park across from the property.

"I can't imagine any community deciding it's best to put a beer distributorship across from a children's park," he said.

Dawn Deaner of 3661 Brisban St. said that the borough would get property tax from the land whether it's occupied by a restaurant and store, doctors' offices or townhouses. Doug Reynolds of 3623 Brisban St. said that "professional offices are a better use and bring better revenue."

Council members told residents that they are just looking at the proposed zoning change.

Resignations accepted:

In other action, the council accepted resignations from two of the three Paxtang Civil Service Commission members, Dennis Beaver and Mary Krautheim.

The council also accepted resignations from Paxtang Police Officers Scott Rupert and Jason Cleck.

In addition, the council voted to "opt in" to Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code, which replaces local standards with a state standard based of rules on how structures can be designed and what materials can be used.

By taking that action, the borough is agreeing to administer and enforce the building code. The law goes into effect this summer.

MARY KLAUS: 255-8113 or mklaus@patriot-news.com

[EastSideHBG]

Yeah that's some weird shit, Chris. And did you notice how many people resigned from various positions in Paxtang? Something odd going on there for sure. :sly

In other action, the council accepted resignations from two of the three Paxtang Civil Service Commission members, Dennis Beaver and Mary Krautheim.

The council also accepted resignations from Paxtang Police Officers Scott Rupert and Jason Cleck.

Okay, now on to the whole Wal-Mart issue *sigh*

I think I MAY have changed my tune a little. A gentleman wrote a pretty good editorial in the paper on Sunday that really got me thinking. In a nutshell his comments were about if not Wal-Mart on that site, then what? We all know something is going to be built there...is Wal-Mart the lesser of the evils? Apparently Harley-Davidson has been looking at the site for a "motorcycle testing area" (they have that new showroom/shop not even a block down that was built a few years ago). Look at all the warehouses that have opened up around there in the last few years. Is that what we will get instead of Wal-Mart, another warehouse and/or yet another trucking firm? Is that a risk we should take? We all know Holy Name is leaving, so who do we want there is the question. IMO "if Holy Name leaves" isn't even an option...they WILL be leaving.

With all the building on Rt. 22 a Wal-Mart there is inevitable, especially the closer you get to/in West Hanover Twp. With all the new housing developments and offices springing up there, you know a Wal-Mart and/or other big-boxers are bound to follow. Are we just pushing the inevitable even further down, resulting in even more sprawl?

The guy in the editorial also brought up a good point: if we don't get that Wal-Mart, we will be wasting gas to get to the other one. Without getting into all that he said, he was basically saying that no matter what choice is made, we will be supporting some type of evil corporation. Sadly, the man is dead on...

I don't know how to feel on this matter. I would absolutely HATE to see another warehouse there or something to do with trucks. On the same token, I'd hate to see Karns driven out of business (they are right across the street). Will a Wal-Mart Supercenter push them out of business? Who knows, but it seems like a risky situation. I think we LP citizens will lose no matter what we choose. :no:

[PaSkyX]

I doubt it'll drive it out of business. Where the current Wal-Mart is now, there is a relatively close Weis Markets in plaza on the other side of Mushroom Hill. So it'd doubtful it'd displace Karns, though I'm sure it'd affect the business. I mean look at Union Deposit - Weis, Giant, and Foxes. Three supermarkets across the street from each other basically. I think there's enough people who eat enough to sustain them both.

[EastSideHBG]

Hopefully you're right, PaSkyX. Karns is a great local business and I'd hate to see them get hurt in the process.


In other news, I found out yesterday that the city is attempting to buy a bunch of properties along Cameron St. near the Farm Show for a hotel. I can't comment on too much of it now because it's not really public yet, but my one friend's business was one of the ones the city approached. I knew there was going to be a hotel built to service the Farm Show, but that was supposed to be on their site in [what is left of] the Farm Show's parking lot. But another hotel along Cameron? Yeah, I think 2 hotels in that area could easily work...

[EastSideHBG]

:tup:

Jobless rate stabilizes

Wednesday, June 02, 2004

The unemployment rate in the Harrisburg region was 3.6 percent in April, unchanged from March and down from 4 percent a year ago.

The jobless rate in the region -- Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon and Perry counties -- continued to be among the lowest in the state in April, behind the State College area at 3.4 percent and tied with the Lancaster area at 3.6 percent. The unemployment rate in the York area in April was 4.7 percent.

Cumberland County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3 percent during April. The overall jobless rate in the south-central region, which includes Harrisburg, Lancaster and York, was 3.9 percent.

The statewide unemployment rate in April was 5.3 percent, and the national rate was 5.6 percent.

In the Harrisburg region, the total number of jobs increased by 2,300 from March through April and were up by 1,300 from April 2003. Goods-producing jobs were up by 600 from March, with all of the growth coming from construction and mining-related industries. Manufacturing jobs were flat on a month-to-month basis and are down by 500 from April 2003.

Manufacturing wages in the Harrisburg region averaged $15.36 an hour in April, compared with the statewide average of $15.08. The average manufacturing work week in the region was 40.2 hours.

[wrightchr]

Hopefully you're right, PaSkyX. Karns is a great local business and I'd hate to see them get hurt in the process.


In other news, I found out yesterday that the city is attempting to buy a bunch of properties along Cameron St. near the Farm Show for a hotel. I can't comment on too much of it now because it's not really public yet, but my one friend's business was one of the ones the city approached. I knew there was going to be a hotel built to service the Farm Show, but that was supposed to be on their site in [what is left of] the Farm Show's parking lot. But another hotel along Cameron? Yeah, I think 2 hotels in that area could easily work...

hmmm...i definately think one hotel would work quite well...maybe two. i hope they are highrise buildings :D

let's say 10 or more floors, connected to the farm show complex by overhead or underground walkways :scraper:

[EastSideHBG]

Hell yes, that would be awesome!!! I could easily see some mid/high-rises happening too, with the 7th St. "Northern Gateway" corridor set to expand the DT Northward. This section of Cameron St. would blend in so well with that. :rock:


Now look at this garbage:

Rail summit reaches no consensus

Counties split on best approach to project

Thursday, June 03, 2004
BY MATT MILLER
Of Our Carlisle Bureau

Commissioners from six midstate counties staged their second summit yesterday, hoping to reach a consensus on the proposed Corridor One commuter rail system.

Instead, they left divided.

After three hours, Dauphin County commissioners said they are leaning in favor of building the full $75.8 million first phase of the line from Lancaster to Harrisburg to Mechanicsburg.

Cumberland County commissioners repeated their call for a $30 million multiyear test of commuter rail on Amtrak's Lancaster-to-Harrisburg line before any commitment is made to Corridor One.

Lancaster County commissioners said they can stomach either option, so long as their county remains an integral part of the system.

The only real agreement during the meeting in Dauphin County's administration center was voiced by Dauphin County Commissioner Nick DiFrancesco.

"There will be absolutely no local tax dollars going into this," DiFrancesco told officials of the Modern Transit Partnership, the group promoting Corridor One. Also, he said, local elected officials must have a controlling voice on an authority MTP wants to form to run the system.

Commissioners from Lebanon, York and Perry counties also attended the meeting.

MTP is urging construction of the first phase of Corridor One with federal and state money.

Bruce Barclay, Cumberland County commission chairman, said the test would be a cost-effective way to see if people will use commuter rail.

DiFrancesco and fellow Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick said they aren't sure a test would be useful, but they agreed with MTP President John Ward that the West Shore must be part of any evaluation.

A 6-mile leg of the line would run from Harrisburg to just east of Mechanicsburg.

A test was recommended by a panel that reviewed the Corridor One plan. Two panel members, Jerry Lutin of the New Jersey Transit Authority and Jim Ryan of the Federal Transit Administration, attended yesterday's meeting.

Ryan said there is no data on whether commuter rail will work in a metropolitan area as small as the midstate. A test would be a "low risk" means of getting that information, he said.

Ward said an Amtrak test wouldn't gauge vital West Shore ridership.

About 76,000 commuter trips are made from the West Shore to the East Shore daily, and the Susquehanna River bridges are the region's major traffic "choke points," he said. About 12,000 trips are made daily between Lancaster and Harrisburg, he said.

Cumberland County Commissioner Gary Eichelberger said he fears building Corridor One would devour federal money that could be better used to improve highways.

"It's good to have alternatives," Eichelberger said. "But highways are still going to be carrying the bulk of our traffic."


Okay, now my rants:

Will it work in a metro as small as ours? So I guess the 400,000+ in Lancaster Co., the 230,000+ in Cumberland Co. and the 320,000+ in Dauphin Co. isn't enough people? I know I just did a rough, off the top of my head estimate, but that's nearly 1 million people in those 3 counties alone. Now factor in the people from York, Adams, Lebanon, etc. counties that may use the system... Now is this system going to be serving a smaller area?

Wow, a few of the sprawl-rific NIMBY commisoners are at it again:

Cumberland County Commissioner Gary Eichelberger said he fears building Corridor One would devour federal money that could be better used to improve highways.
HELLO!!! Does somebody not see what is going on in the world around us?!? Sky high gas prices that show no sign of dropping. A very unstable Middle-East. Federal funding drying up. A concrete shortage... We need to develop alternatives NOW because (IMO) highways and cars are the old way. No they will not totally disappear, but they will be a harder and harder thing to have and maintain.


I can go on and on about this but you get my drift. In the grand scheme of things, I don't think Cumberland Co. will have much to say about anything anyway; they aren't as big of a fish as they think they are. I just wish that county would get with the times. :rolleyes:

[PaSkyX]

Yeah, it's kinda ridiculous. Sprawl is TERRIBLE in the midstate. It's one of the things I can't stand so much about being home - I can walk NOWHERE. It pains me to see them not make a single attempt to tackle sprawl.

[wrightchr]

i completely agree with you Dave and PaSkyX...everything you are saying is on point. i have no problem with spending the required $75 million to do this first project and to even raise taxes if need be. if it pulls in even 20,000 riders or more, it will serve as a reasonable dent to congestion over the bridges IMO. i travel over the harvey taylor and market street bridges every day for school and work and waste at least 30 min or more sitting in traffic. if there was rail, believe me i would be using it! besides, with a station on the riverfront and on city island, you have the option of using it to go to the events, ballgames, recreation, etc: provide bike racks on the trains and at stations and you got a real no brainer here folks :D extend the rail project to Hershey, Lebanon, Carlisle and other points and you have the potential of a 100,000 daily ridership. that will crush NJ transits new 1 billion dollar light rail project serving the camden/trenton corridor which only gets around 20,000 riders daily. small area my ass.... :banger:

[EastSideHBG]

:yes:

More exciting news for the area. Harrisburg is getting more and more attractive with each new project!!!


HACC breaks ground for $12 million health center

Friday, June 04, 2004

BY DAVID WENNER
Of The Patriot-News

Harrisburg Area Community College broke ground yesterday for a health education center that will feature improved facilities for training nurses.

The college expects to begin using the $12 million Select Medical Health Education Pavilion in the fall of 2005. Select Medical Corp., based in Lower Allen Twp., donated $1.2 million to help build the center.

Officials said the center will enable HACC to accept more nursing students and should help ease the shortage of registered nurses in hospitals and nursing homes.

HACC accepts 160 students annually for its two-year associate degree program for training registered nurses. Enrollment will eventually rise to 180, said Ron Rebuck, director of nursing programs.

The new, two-story building will be attached to Blocker Hall at HACC's Wildwood campus in Harrisburg. It will feature a 20-bed nursing laboratory and classrooms equipped with state-of-art equipment. The existing nursing lab has seven beds.

The HACC nursing program outgrew its space at Wildwood, and nursing students since January have studied off campus in leased space at Penn Center in Harrisburg.

The new facility also will house HACC's other health-career programs, including respiratory therapy and dental assistant and dental hygienist. The dental hygiene clinic, which has 12 chairs, will expand to 20 chairs.

The college is conducting a capital campaign it hopes will raise $7 million for the facility. Former Gov. George Leader and his wife contributed $500,000 to the nursing portion of the center.

Although HACC plans to expand its nursing program after the center opens, space hasn't been a primary concern, Rebuck said. He said enrollment has been limited by fewer opportunities for nurses to obtain clinical training at local hospitals.

[EastSideHBG]

People Take A Stand On Wal-Mart Issue

Thursday June 03, 2004 4:37pm Posted By: Katie McCarthy

The Midstate - The proposed Wal-Mart would be built along Route 22 on property owned by the Holy Name of Jesus Church and School. There's no doubt the world's largest retailer would be stiff competition for other businesses here but some say they're up to the challenge.

"The supercenter they're talking about, roughly 220-230 thousand square feet. That's a huge store." Lower Paxton Township Manager George Wolfe says public interest in the proposed Wal-Mart is just as big. The Holy Name of Jesus Church and School would sell the land to Wal-Mart and then construct a new church and school. No zoning change would be needed. George Wolfe/Lower Paxton Twp. Manager, "The parcel of ground, parcels of ground in question, primarily owned by the Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg has been zoned general commercial for I'm expecting at least 30 years."

The Wal-Mart supercenter would include a supermarket. Across the highway at locally owned Karns Foods, they're keeping an eye on the proposed project, but there's no emergency here. Assistant Manager Courtney Conrad says Karns is confident it can offer something Wal-Mart can't. "Customer service is a big thing here. There's always somebody walking the aisles talking to people. Need help? Someone's here to help you." Specialized areas, like a large custom meat department have already helped Karns survive the big supermarket chains. They hope to have the same success versus a mammoth Wal-Mart. At the next Lower Paxton Township Supervisors meeting on July 6th at 7:30 PM, the proposed Wal-Mart for the site will be further discussed.

And there's a Wal-Mart feud in York County which has led to a police investigation. We told you about the controversy on the proposed Wal-Mart in Dauphin County, but in York County - a Wal-Mart dispute there has led to a theft. There used to be a huge sign hanging on the side of a barn in Windsor Township that said "Stop Wal-Mart." But late Sunday night, someone cut the sign down and put up a "Pro Wal-Mart - smiley face sign." The barn owner then took that sign down and called Sgt. Rodney Varner of the York Area Regional Police. "It's very unusual for us to be involved in an investigation concerning a business sign. It was an anti-slogan that was on it. It's unusual, but there are many unusual things that occur in police work and this is just one of them."

York Area Regional Police say they have a few leads they're checking out. So, in York County, it's the battle of the smiley face signs when it comes to this Wal-Mart business.

[EastSideHBG]

Yeah, it's kinda ridiculous. Sprawl is TERRIBLE in the midstate. It's one of the things I can't stand so much about being home - I can walk NOWHERE. It pains me to see them not make a single attempt to tackle sprawl.
PaSkyX, you're not in NYC anymore?

[EastSideHBG]

Yeah, it's kinda ridiculous. Sprawl is TERRIBLE in the midstate. It's one of the things I can't stand so much about being home - I can walk NOWHERE. It pains me to see them not make a single attempt to tackle sprawl.
PaSkyX, you're not in NYC anymore?

[EastSideHBG]

Wow, big change LOL


Harrisburg East Mall to get new name

Saturday, June 05, 2004
BY TOM DOCHAT
Of The Patriot-News

Harrisburg East Mall is changing its name to Harrisburg Mall as part of an ongoing makeover at the 35-year-old Swatara Twp. shopping center.

The new name is intended to call attention to renovations at the 850,000-square-foot complex and to serve as a locator for out-of-town shoppers lured to the Bass Pro Shops outdoor-products store scheduled to open in November.

Mark Nobile, the mall's general manager, said Feldman Lubert Adler Harrisburg LP, the property owner, wanted "to do something to signify that this was a rebirth of the center."

He said Bass Pro Shops expects as many as 70 percent of its customers to come from outside the Harrisburg area, and it needed a clear identification point for its store.

"Harrisburg East implies there's a Harrisburg west," Nobile noted.

Nobile said about 20 names were initially considered for the mall, and seven or eight were tested in a survey conducted in the Harrisburg, Allentown, Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre markets. He said Harrisburg Mall was preferred "overwhelmingly" among survey respondents, especially those outside the Harrisburg area.

The name leaves "a local flavor, but it helps people coming from an hour away," Nobile said.

The new name will be on signs installed at the mall's main entrance on Monday.

Many upgrades are planned at the retailing complex, which was the region's first enclosed shopping mall when it opened in 1969. Feldman Lubert bought the property last year and is spending more than $40 million for renovations.

The parking lot is being resurfaced, and Nobile said about two-thirds of that work should be complete in a couple weeks. Work on the exterior facade of the mall fronting Paxton Street also has started.

Last month, Boscov's opened a 185,000-square-foot department store in space once occupied by J.C. Penney.

The 225,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops store is expected to open in mid-November at the east end of the mall where Lord & Taylor had been located. A new entrance from Paxton Street is planned at the east end of the property, Nobile said.

"It's hopping," he said of all the changes.

[wrightchr]

i don't see how the new name will make much of a difference. i think people are still going to call it the east mall for quite some time. it's just more familiar to everyone...

[EastSideHBG]

I agree. I know I will for a long, long time LOL

[SuperstarMark]

I have nothing significant to say - just wanted to reaffirm my love for Harrisburg. :D

[EastSideHBG]

Thank you very much, Mark. :)

Some good news for Carlisle. They have such a cool DT and this is certainly going to help it:


GOING OUT TO EAT

Carlisle prepares to scrap sidewalk fee to encourage cafes

Sunday, June 06, 2004
BY DAN MILLER
Of Our Carlisle Bureau

CARLISLE - Al fresco dining has long been one of Europe's charms.

Harrisburg has in recent years joined the ranks of American cities that staked claim to the summertime tradition.

Downtown Carlisle is about to boost its share.

Borough Council plans to scrap a $50 annual fee on restaurants that offer dining on public sidewalks.

Borough Manager Fred Bean, who suggested dropping the fee, said downtown restaurants are working hard to attract business. Dropping the fee will encourage the effort.

"We're not really justifying the $50 charge, because it's a fairly simple process," he said.

He said that about six restaurants have applied for the permit. Indeed, the revenue loss of about $300 is scarcely a drop in the beer mug, given the borough's $10.1 million budget.

"If I had a choice I'd want to sit outside," said Braam Hattingh, owner of Fast Eddie's on West High Street, where patrons can dine outdoors by candlelight and the light of the Carlisle Theater marquee across the street. "The bottom line is outdoor seating makes sense -- dollars and cents."

Restaurants will still have to apply for a permit, and the borough will continue to monitor restaurant compliance with the ordinance, which sets rules for public dining.

Restaurants licensed to serve alcohol are allowed to do so outside, as long as they have permission from the municipality, said Molly McGowan, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

Some restaurants may need an "extension of premises" license to serve alcohol outdoors. Restaurants can apply for the extension much as they apply for a new license or license transfer. The process takes at least 30 days, but could take longer if there is public opposition to the request.

McGowan said the LCB does not issue temporary licenses, which would allow restaurants to serve alcohol outside during designated months. Restaurants that serve outside without LCB permission risk being fined.

Restaurateurs say that outdoor dining allows them to expand business without committing to a costly expansion project.

"It's pretty cut and dried. The more tables you add to a restaurant, the more money you make," said Tony Magaro, co-owner of Fisaga, part of Harrisburg's Restaurant Row on North Second Street. Fisaga has offered outdoor seating since it opened three years ago; an awning protects against fickle skies.

"My place is kind of like something you would see in Key West," Magaro said.

Downtown Carlisle has plenty of history, said Chris Petsinis, owner of North Hanover Grille. But in order to compete with tourist attractions like Harrisburg and Gettysburg, downtown Carlisle restaurants need to offer outdoor seating, he said.

And sidewalk competition among the downtown restaurants is a good thing, he said.

"The more restaurants that are doing it, the better the appeal," Petsinis said. "You go to Europe, and it's just a steady stream of blocks and blocks of outdoor seating."

It's not only tourists who will enjoy the ambience. Al fresco dining should also appeal to the 9-to-5 crowd.

"It's better than being cooped up all day, and it gets you outside," said Chris Camara, who had lunch outside at the North Hanover Grille.

[wrightchr]

very cool...i frequent the carlisle pubs pretty often. although it's a little pricey, market cross pub is the place to be :D

[EastSideHBG]

For as long as I have lived here, I have never been out in Carlisle for recreation. I was always there in the daytime for court, but never for the nightlife. I need to do that one of these nights...

You know what else I need to do, Chris? Get my ass down to York. They too are having a nightlife explosion down there, and I'd really like to check it out one of these nights. It's funny, Carlisle, York, etc. are right in my backyard, yet I totally forget about them sometimes. :???:

[harrisburger]

eastside, you really should get your ass to carlisle.....every so often friends and i go out to eat, chill at the parks, and then go to a movie at the theater (my favorite midstate locale). the vibe in downtown is really relaxed and friendly, like a downscaled harrisburg that's more spread out

[EastSideHBG]

That sounds pretty cool. I really should check it out soon. :hmmm:

[EastSideHBG]

This was a little blurb on TV 21 today. You know damn well this place is going to make a KILLING!!! I was DT yesterday and they were putting the finishing touches on it; it looks really nice. I like how you can get in from 2nd St. but also from Walnut too.


"Molly Brannigan's" Opens

"Molly Brannigan's" is on Second Street next to Downtown News. It's billed as an authentic Irish pub. Irish craftsmen were brought in to do much of the work on the eatery.

[harrisburger]

when i was in the V.I.C., the people told me that the restaurant was supposed to open sooner, but their ship from ireland was delayed in new york....how cool is that?

[EastSideHBG]

That is so awesome!!!

I was DT tonight and I simply could not believe how many people were down there on a Tuesday night. There was such a mix of people too!!! I also stopped for a few minutes to watch the builders hoist up some of the sides of the new building, Market Square Plaza. They are really moving right along on that puppy aren't they? Brannigan's looked to be doing very well, and I'm sure it will be a big draw...

It is a very exciting time to live in Harrisburg, and I just can't say enough about it. And to think, many of us would've never imagined all of this just a few years ago.

I :kiss: :hug: Harrisburg.

[wrightchr]

/\ ditto to both of you...lol :tup:

[EastSideHBG]

I'm sad to see these go as they were a lot of fun to have around. Hey if you guys want to see something cool, check out the University's yard on Front St. I drove by it yesterday and they had a lot of the cows in their yard, set up as if they are grazing. I'm going to try to get down there later today and take some pics of it; hopefully that was not just a one-day thing.

Also, FYI: they are having a candelight memorial on the Capitol steps tonight for Reagan. I think that will happen around 8 pm.


CowParade approaches its last roundup

CowParade gets ready to go out to pasture

CowParade about to be put out to pasture

Wednesday, June 09, 2004
BY ZACHARY LEWIS
Of The Patriot-News
Grab your map, your kids and your camera.

In other words, moo-ve it.

Anyone still planning to tour the entire CowParade Harrisburg 2004 had better hurry.

Now is the last chance to see all 136 cows in their public locations. Starting next week, many of them will be whisked off the streets of Harrisburg, Camp Hill, Hershey, Carlisle and Gettysburg to be cleaned up for an auction.

That goes against the wishes of many who would prefer to see the cows stick around awhile.

"It would be nice if they were going to be in place a little longer," said Cyndie Pattison, a representative of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and the Capital Region Economic Development Corp. "This was a big draw to the area. ... I can tell just by the number of calls I've gotten."

That view was echoed by CowParade spectators walking along Front Street in Harrisburg yesterday.

"We wish they were here all summer," said Sheri Tolland of Hershey, who was spending her lunch break with her family. "They're leaving too soon."

Kurt and Colleen Ehresman of Mechanicsburg said their 2-year-old son, Daniel, will be "devastated" when the parade ends. "As soon as he gets in the city he says, 'Cows! Cows! Cows!'" Colleen Ehresman said.

While the herd has remained pretty stationary since being set in place in April, CowParade merchandise has been flying off the shelves.

Wonders, the arts and science store at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, has been selling miniature cows, blank paint-it-yourself cows, CowParade apparel and other related items.

Yesterday marked the release of "CowParade Harrisburg: Celebrating the Heart of Pennsylvania." The 160-page book opens with a history of the CowParade public art phenomenon, which began in Chicago in 1999. A full-page color photo of each midstate cow is featured with its title, artist and sponsor.

Whitaker Center president Byron Quann and CowParade honorary co-chairmen Gov. Ed Rendell and Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed also penned remarks.

"Response to the book has been excellent," said Matt McGeary, assistant manager of Wonders.

Kathie Hughes, owner of Kathie's Christmas & Collectibles in Lower Allen Twp., said yesterday she had sold 200 copies with 500 more on order. "People want the book, and many are buying in multiples to give as gifts," Hughes said.

Some local bookstores have scheduled book signings with CowParade artists.

Each life-size fiberglass cow was decorated with some whimsical theme. Most of the artists who participated live and work in central Pennsylvania.

The project was organized as a fund-raiser for Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts.

Ellen Brown, an overseer of CowParade at Whitaker Center, said the project is being counted a runaway success even before the cows are auctioned. "This has gone beyond our wildest expectations," she said. "We are thrilled with the amount of attention we've received.

"Money is the eventual goal, but we are happy to have spotlighted so much talent and that so many artists had an opportunity to participate."

Once the first round of cows is removed next week, it won't be long until they're all gone.

The rest have only a few more days on display until they, too, will be put up for auction on the Internet or handed over to sponsors who have already purchased them.

Before going to auction, the cows will be gathered into the parade's "moo-ternity ward" so artists can repair any damage done by months of exposure to the rain, wind and small children.

One-third of the cows have already been purchased by sponsors for about $4,000 each. The initial average cost of sponsoring a cow in the parade was around $6,000.

The rest will be sold at an auction and gala at 6 p.m. June 26 at the Farm Show Complex, or online later. Each cow will have a different opening bid amount, Brown said, but each is expected to fetch $7,500 or more.

Tickets are $125 per person or $200 per couple. Artists who painted a cow may attend for half-price. Call 214-2787 or go to www.whitakercenter.org to order.

[wrightchr]

yeah i'm sad to see them go as well. someone told me that the one on front street reading the newspaper is going to stay? not sure if this is correct though.

[EastSideHBG]

Nope, he's already gone; I was just there tonight. :(

Here are two new picture threads I just completed, so enjoy!!!

Random pics, night shots, cows...

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45149

Market Sq. Plaza (and other stuff) construction pics:

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45151

[EastSideHBG]

Thank God, 'cause Middletown really needs some help. My grandparents live there so I am there enough, and I have grown to hate the place. Lots of potential but very depressing in its current state. Not so much from looks because it is well kept, but in regards to the whole vibe of the town.

It is open to non-residents so maybe I will attend one of the meetings and throw in my $.02. Middletown is Dauphin County's oldest settlement, so it should be held (and kept) to the highest standards IMO.


Meetings series to promote Middletown development

Thursday, June 10, 2004
From staff reports

The Greater Middletown Economic Development Corporation is asking borough and nonborough residents of all ages to attend a series of meetings to discuss the revitalization of the area.

The focus of the work is for designation of Middletown as a Main Street community, which the organization believes will help stimulate the area.

Facilitators from the Pennsylvania Downtown Center will be leading public meetings on June 16, July 22, Aug. 18, Sept. 20 and Oct. 20 at the Middletown Area High School cafeteria.

For information, call Arthur Morris at 394-2054.

[EastSideHBG]

:tup: I guess I should include some of this info. in that construction thread...


Hilton leases 2nd floor of Market Square Plaza building

Thursday, June 10, 2004
BY ELLEN LYON
Of The Patriot-News

Harrisburg Hotel Associates, which owns the Hilton Harrisburg & Towers, has leased the second floor of the Market Square Plaza building under construction next to the hotel.

The Hilton will use the space for a 5,400-square-foot "junior ballroom" -- which will be about half the size of the hotel's existing ballroom -- and three meeting rooms, according to Bill Kohl, president of Harrisburg Hotel Corp., the Hilton's management company.

"It'll get us out of our history of not being able to take a lot of social events," Kohl said.

He estimated that the Hilton has had to turn down 150 to 200 social events a year, such as weddings and bar mitzvahs, because of conflicts with conventions.

"We see this, first and foremost, as a vehicle to penetrate more of the social market," Kohl said.

The 20-year lease with Market Square Plaza LLC provides a renewal and purchase option, according to Russ Ford, Harristown Development Corp. president and CEO. Harrisburg Hotel Associates and Harrisburg Hotel Corp. are affiliates of Harristown.

The space may be available to the Hilton as early as April 1, 2004, according to Anthony Pascotti, one of the developers.

The Hilton will spend about $350,000 to furnish and outfit the space, Ford said.

The arcade that connects Strawberry Square with the Hilton also will connect the hotel to the Market Square Plaza building.

Every attempt will be made to keep the same decor in the new space as is already in the hotel so guests won't necessarily realize they are in separate buildings, Kohl said.

The 18-floor, 319,000- square-foot Market Square Plaza on the northeast corner at North Second and Strawberry streets, will have commercial space on the first floor, Pascotti said.

Above the second-floor leased by the Hilton will be eight floors of parking space connected to the Walnut Street Garage and then eight floors of office space above that leased mostly to law firms, he said.

Among other news related to Harristown:

The Strawberry Square food court will get two new tenants this summer, according to Judith Hepford, Harristown's tenant relations director for the facility.
Tuscan Sun will offer rotisserie chicken and salads in the old Everything Yogurt and Taco Bell stalls, and Javina's will serve Japanese and Vietnamese food next door, she said.
Two retailers have set up shops in Strawberry Square. Belches N Burps specializes in hot sauces, salsas, fresh-baked and hand-cut tortilla chips and gift items. Yummy Bath Savvy began selling homemade soaps and bath products yesterday. Both retailers won space in the mall in a contest sponsored by Harristown.
Hepford said a new occupant is still being sought to fill the space of longtime Strawberry Square tenant Radio Shack, which closed at the end of April.
John Frye, an original member of Harristown's board, will resign in August after 30 years of service. A nominating committee will search for his replacement.

[wrightchr]

Dave, I drove by Market Square and the new building is coming along very nicely. Thanks for the article...I'm glad to see more space being occupied. Gotta keep that 93% average up :D

Also, driving home from work last night, I noticed an Amtrak train using the Cumberland Valley Rail Bridge by HBG Hospital. It was moving eastbound over second street. A couple weeks ago I saw quite a bit of work being done overhead on the bridge while I was on front street. I think these are good signs for the upcoming work being done to finish Corridorone. I was excited when I saw trains on these lines, because they have been abandoned for years now. Looks like the HBG to Mechanicsburg section may be in the works for inclusion in the test run??? That would be my guess.

[EastSideHBG]

Dave, I drove by Market Square and the new building is coming along very nicely. Thanks for the article...I'm glad to see more space being occupied. Gotta keep that 93% average up :D
:yes:

Also, driving home from work last night, I noticed an Amtrak train using the Cumberland Valley Rail Bridge by HBG Hospital. It was moving eastbound over second street. A couple weeks ago I saw quite a bit of work being done overhead on the bridge while I was on front street. I think these are good signs for the upcoming work being done to finish Corridorone. I was excited when I saw trains on these lines, because they have been abandoned for years now. Looks like the HBG to Mechanicsburg section may be in the works for inclusion in the test run??? That would be my guess.
I noticed the same thing too and that is exactly what popped into my head also. I hope we are right, Chris. I really think we are, though. :)

[EastSideHBG]

Borough supports traffic proposal

College plan targets West High Street

HIGH STREET

Friday, June 11, 2004
BY MATT MILLER
Of Our Carlisle Bureau

CARLISLE - The borough council gave an unofficial thumbs-up last night to a Dickinson College plan to drastically alter foot and vehicle traffic on West High Street, one of the town's main thoroughfares.

The council also made an 11th-hour plea to keep The Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle and approved a 20 percent sewer rate increase that will cost an average homeowner about $3 more monthly.

Dickinson College's Boulevard Project calls for West High Street to be reduced from four to two lanes from Cherry to West streets along the school's campus.

Those two lanes would be divided by islands with grass and plantings, and there would be more visible and frequent crosswalks along the five-block stretch to improve safety for pedestrians.

The college would pay for the entire project, if it is approved by the council and the state Department of Transportation, said Nick Stamos, vice president for campus operations.

"It's going to have an incredible effect on making this a safer road," college facilities director Ken Shultes said.

A traffic study shows the reconfiguration wouldn't cause traffic congestion, Shultes said. Turn lanes would be created at each intersection, and no parking spaces would be lost, he said.

West High Street, one of Carlisle's major arteries, also is a primary detour used when traffic is channeled through town following accidents on Interstate 81.

Paul Darlington, college public safety manager, said the street reconfiguration is prompted by chronic pedestrian/traffic problems. Seven people, five of them students, were hit by vehicles in the campus crosswalks this year, he said.

"It's a great looking project if you can make the [lane] transition," Councilman William Kronenberg said.

"They're showing some great vision here," Mayor Kirk Wilson said. "I would encourage you to move forward."

Barry Loudon, a property owner, asked if pedestrian bridges or added crosswalk guards might be better options to deal with frequent jaywalking.

Bridges aren't feasible because of the height required, and adding guards hasn't worked, Darlington said. "This design truly focuses pedestrians to using crosswalks," he said.

Resident Mary Adams said a major problem is that pedestrians, particularly students, tie up traffic by taking a long time to cross at the crosswalks.

Shultes said college officials will refine the proposal and determine how much the work will cost.

On the law school front, the council passed a resolution calling on that school's board of governors to vote to keep it in Carlisle, its home of more than 170 years, when the governors meet tomorrow. The law school board is weighing a plan to move the school to Penn State University's main campus.

Borough Council President Franklin Rankin said the law school "is such a part of our history" and its loss would be a blow to the entire region.

"It would be nice to have a unanimous vote to keep it in Carlisle," Wilson said. "I'm an optimist."

"We've done all we can do," Councilman Tim Scott said, citing the heavy lobbying campaign to keep the law school here. "We just need to see what happens next."

[wrightchr]

the west high street project sounds worthwhile to me...there is quite a bit of pedestrian and student traffic in that area, basically because the college is divided by the street. thanks for the article Dave.

also, i hope the law school stays in Carlisle...it would really be a shame if it was moved :(

[EastSideHBG]

I agree, Chris. They are having a meeting on it today in fact. I know I am negative towards PSU, but I think they are really going to screw this up and move the school up there. :tdown:

[wrightchr]

i really hope not Dave...it will be corruption at it's worst if this sceme goes through. piss poor on PSU's part! they have an obligation to the residents of Carlisle, and to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to remain an institution that is represenative of the student body it serves. closing up shop and moving opperations to a centralized campus will furter degrade the diversity and outreach of the institution. i can't see how anyone who has an understanding in logic and history would seek to move a school with it's roots in a community, almost as old as this country. DSL is one of America's oldest institutions and it deserves to stay right where it is.

[EastSideHBG]

:yes:

[EastSideHBG]

A MUCH better plan IMO. :tup:

Penn State proposes 2 campuses for school

Dickinson board to study last-minute deal

Saturday, June 12, 2004
BY ELIZABETH GIBSON
Of Our Carlisle Bureau

CARLISLE - Just as members of The Dickinson School of Law's governors board were ready to say whether the school should be rebuilt in Carlisle or move to State College, Penn State President Graham Spanier suggested they do both.

In a surprising last-minute offer, Spanier gave the board a proposal for a two-campus operation. He said it would be the nation's first unified law school with two locations.

Spanier said the proposal was put together just days ago, but promises to be ground-breaking.

"This is going to be on the forefront of legal education nationally," Spanier said.

The idea of a dual campus had surfaced earlier but that plan called for the main law campus and student body to be in State College and a public law center that would cater more to local and state officials to be housed in Carlisle.

Gov. Ed Rendell joined Spanier in presenting the plan to the board yesterday, and Rendell pledged $10 million toward a renovation of Dickinson's Carlisle campus.

Ten million dollars in state money, $10 million from Penn State and $5 million gained through locally sponsored grants and donations would be used to renovate Carlisle's Trickett Hall to house 300 students, 20 professors and a full program enhanced by continued public law internships.

University Park would get a $60 million law school facility that would hold 450 students, 30 faculty and a law program that would highlight chances for students to specialize their law degree in business, finance, science and other areas.

Both campuses would be equipped with the latest technology for interaction, thereby rendering the distance between the campuses insignificant, Spanier said.

Students would have the chance to split their study time between Carlisle and State College, he said.

Board Chairman LeRoy Zimmerman said he would urge his board to support the proposal.

"I think they're very interested in it," Zimmerman said.

He said the board has a lot of questions about how faculty, administrators and other law school resources would be shared between the two campuses. No member has dismissed the proposal, he said.

"There are many issues that need to be threaded through," Zimmerman said.

As a result of the development, the board won't be ready to make a decision on the proposal today, he said.

Nearly every board member, including Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, was expected to attend the board's meeting today.

But, instead of casting a landmark vote as had been expected, members will begin to sift through the pros and cons of a two-campus school.

The proposal would set aside seven months of local furor over the possibility of losing the law school to State College.

It could also bring to an end academic arguments over whether law students benefit more from the plentiful internship opportunities they get in and around Carlisle than they would from being exposed to many new areas of research and study on a large university campus.

"I think it's a win-win in every aspect," Zimmerman said.

"It's almost historic in terms of the opportunities it presents," said Dickinson Dean Philip McConnaughay.

"It will be of enormous benefit to our law school, our students and our community," he said.

[EastSideHBG]

I just noticed that there is even more development downtown!!! Did you see/hear about it yet, Chris? Harrisburg Hospital (Pinnacle Health) is building a nice laboratory services bldg. in the new ER parking lot and construction has already begun. The rendering is on the sign, and it looks to be at least 3-4 stories. I didn't look too hard, though, because I was at the red light and it turned green right away LOL. Next time I am down there I will stop and take a real good look, though.

It's funny, they just spent all that money when they moved the ER from the front to the back of the building (SMART move btw). Now they are tearing the lot up already LOL

So much good stuff going on down there/in the area!!! :carrot:

[EastSideHBG]

Law school to stay in Carlisle

Board to consider dual-campus proposal

Sunday, June 13, 2004
BY ELIZABETH GIBSON
Of Our Carlisle Bureau

CARLISLE - A plan to move The Dickinson School of Law out of Carlisle ended yesterday.

The school's board of governors voted unanimously in a closed-door session to consider building a second, $60 million law campus in State College while upgrading the Carlisle site for about $25 million. That decision is expected to be made by Aug. 15.

"The decision to close Dickinson in Carlisle is off the table. The school is not moving," said Tom Ridge, Homeland Security director and a Dickinson board member, after yesterday's three-hour meeting.

The board meeting had been expected to end with a vote on whether Dickinson would stay in Carlisle or move to State College. Penn State President Graham Spanier changed the agenda when he put a two-campus proposal on the table Friday night.

That followed months of a moving-or-staying debate, during which some of the board's 35 members had lobbied others to reject the proposal to move to State College.

Spanier denied that withdrawing the original proposal was a loss for Penn State.

"It's a plan B that I think turns out to be the best plan," Spanier said.

He also denied charges from many alumni and local officials that despite promises to keep Dickinson in Carlisle, Penn State had planned to move Dickinson to State College since the schools announced their merger in 1997.

"None of us ever contemplated we would be at this point," Spanier said.

Discussions opened up in November to improve the law school or move it because the campus needs renovations and its national ranking has slipped.

Ridge praised the decision to keep the school in Carlisle and said board members would keep an "open mind" as they consider the latest option.

"This is a great law school, both for the education it offers and the opportunities it provides," he said. In the midstate, students have access to county, state and federal courts as well as job opportunities at the many law firms, he said.

The new plan would educate 300 Dickinson students at Trickett Hall in Carlisle and 450 students at a law facility in State College.

The board of governors' meeting was closed to the public, but board members said later that the talks inside Trickett Hall were not heated.

"Lawyers don't necessarily yell and scream. There were long speeches with lots of words filled with emotion," board member Jason Kutulakis said.

He said Ridge did not deliver prepared remarks. "He participated. He asked questions," Kutulakis said.

There was a feeling of celebration after the vote and one of relief that the board and Penn State are "united in going forward with what's best for students," he said.

The Patriot-News and The Sentinel of Carlisle have tried to open board meetings to the public since last fall. The newspapers have asked the state Supreme Court to permit an appeal of a Commonwealth Court decision that allows the board to meet behind closed doors.

Outside the meeting, some board members who opposed a move said they think the new plan is a compromise that can work -- with revisions.

Despite mixed feelings about the importance of national ranking, members said opportunities with a two-campus school could boost Dickinson's third-tier rating. They welcomed a plan that would meet the school's goals without uprooting it, but said they would insist on a guarantee that Dickinson could not be transplanted.

"There'd have to be a lot of safeguards built into the arrangement," board member Hubert X. Gilroy said.

Member Robert M. Frey, who was chairman of Dickinson's trustees when the school merged with Penn State, said he still has questions. But he's sure the campus with the greatest number of students will be perceived as the main campus, he said.

Board Chairman LeRoy Zimmerman said the arrangement would not resemble law schools like Widener University School of Law, which has a branch campus in Harrisburg.

He is to choose board members this week who will study the plan and give a report this summer. But he said it has already been decided that there would be one budget for both schools, which would "take care of the issue of whether [Carlisle] would be a second-class place."

Dean Philip McConnaughay said the two programs would have to be equal to boost rankings. He said Dickinson would be rated using one consolidated report that reflected both schools.

If one campus had fewer resources than the other, "it would sink the ship," he said.

McConnaughay said the 15-to-1 student teacher ratio proposed under the two-campus plan is an improvement over Dickinson's current 19-to-1 ratio.

Gov. Ed Rendell pledged $10 million toward renovating Dickinson's Carlisle campus. That would be matched by $10 million from Penn State. Local grants and financing could raise $5 million or more.

[EastSideHBG]

They better not push too hard about this. :no:


Plan doesn't satisfy state, local leaders

Sunday, June 13, 2004
BY JOE ELIAS
Of Our Carlisle Bureau

CARLISLE - The latest proposal for The Dickinson School of Law didn't sit well with local officials, who are concerned about the long-term impact a dual campus would have on Carlisle.

State Sen. Hal Mowery, R-Cumberland, had hoped Dickinson's board of governors would keep the law school in Carlisle, rather than moving all or part of it to State College. Instead, the board is sitting on a proposal that would renovate the Carlisle site and build a campus in State College.

"There are just an awful lot of frustrations in going for a dual campus, as I see it," Mowery said.

He said he is concerned that the proposed $25 million in state funding to renovate Dickinson would be in jeopardy if the school opens a second campus.

"That money was for the law school to stay here, not a second campus," Mowery said. "That would put a kink in the whole thing."

Gov. Ed Rendell has since promised $10 million in state funding for Dickinson's Carlisle campus if a second school is created.

While state Rep. Will Gabig, R-Carlisle, said he is pleased the law school will not move from Carlisle, he said he is skeptical of what a second campus would mean in the long term.

"I don't think a double campus makes sense," he said. "Sooner or later it's going to come down to one or the other."

Carlisle Mayor Kirk Wilson said the last-minute proposal by Penn State President Graham Spanier didn't ease his mind at all.

"I don't feel any better about this than I did a few days ago," Wilson said. "Nothing has really changed."

A local task force of business and community leaders issued a statement saying it was "potentially supportive" of the dual campus concept, provided the two campuses are treated equally academically and financially.

Frank Rankin, Carlisle Borough Council president, said he is "perplexed" by the proposal and wants to hear more details about how it would work and the impact on the Carlisle campus.

"I'm pleased that Dickinson will stay in Carlisle," Rankin said. "But for how long and at what strength? Those are the big questions I'm sure will be on everybody's mind."

Wilson questioned the process. "Since the beginning, President Spanier and the law school dean had an agenda," he said.

Spanier has said the dual campus concept would allow students to take advantage of opportunities available to them at Penn State's main campus and answer any concerns of the Carlisle community.

[EastSideHBG]

Remember the article I posted earlier in the week about this? Well here's some good news!!!


Council suspends dining permit fee

Sunday, June 13, 2004
From staff reports

CARLISLE - The town's restaurant owners won't have to pay anything to put their tables on the sidewalks anymore.

Borough Council has dropped the $50 annual fee for outside dining permits.

"Elimination of this might encourage more establishments to open their doors outside," council President Franklin Rankin said. "That might attract more people."

Restaurants still will have to secure sidewalk cafe permits, at no cost.

**********

And more Carlisle news:

*Normally I wouldn't post something like this, but because of some of the dates of these structures, I find it simply amazing. :)

Carlisle honors historic preservationists

Sunday, June 13, 2004
BY DAN MILLER
Of Our Carlisle Bureau

CARLISLE - If you want to know what historic preservation ought to look like, Carlisle has some suggestions.

The Borough Council on Thursday presented the 2003 Historic Preservation Awards to several owners of property in the historic district. The awards recognize the best examples of historic preservation in the district over the past year.
Paul and Deb Snyder received the Residential Award for an addition to their home at 201 E. Pomfret St. The Snyders received a preservation award last year for renovations to the multifamily building at 200 E. Pomfret St., across the street from their home.
John and Louise Broujos received the Non-Residential Award for restoring the Ephraim Blaine house at 4 N. Hanover St. The borough also recognized architectural consultant Stephen O. Smith and contractor/artisan Peter C. Eckelt for their contributions to the restoration.
Mary C. Roell received the Signs Award for her Bedford Street Antiques business at 44 N. Bedford St.
A special award was presented to Christian S. Allen for overall maintenance of historic features at 57 W. Pomfret St.
Award recipients have been picked each year since 1990 by the Carlisle Historical and Architectural Review Board. The board recommends to council on applications from owners seeking to make changes to the outside of their properties in the historic district. Council approval is required for such changes.

"The work that people do on their historic buildings in the historic district is very important for the appearance of downtown Carlisle and for Carlisle's overall development as an all around healthy community," said James D. Flower Jr., board chairman.

Flower said how competitive the awards are depends on the quality of historic preservation work being done in the district from year to year.

While all the projects being recognized demonstrate quality, he said, the Broujos' work stands above them all.

"That's just a remarkable restoration," Flower said.

The Broujos property, home of Broujos & Gilroy law offices, until last year housed three separate addresses -- 4, 6 and 8 N. Hanover -- and was known by a late addition Colonial Revival storefront. Although workers at first intended just to repair the facade, the major renovation was undertaken after Eckelt discovered two steel I-beams inserted during a 1930s renovation were potentially faulty.

Smith helped to restore the building to its 1794 appearance, including replacing two storefront windows with brick piers and three windows to match the 18th century look.

[EastSideHBG]

Anybody going to the Brewer's Fest this weekend? I know you won't be, harrisburger, as you are not of age yet. :nono: ;)

SOMETHING'S BREWING

Harrisburg beer maker barrels ahead

Sunday, June 13, 2004

Ruff, ruff, ruff ... and the sound of 16 toenails moves across a concrete floor in your direction. You have opened the gray steel door of a large white warehouse, but it's not the site of the Harrisburg dog show.

Try Troegs Brewing Co. in Harrisburg. The first of many friendly greetings is from a German shorthaired pointer named Porter, punctuating the family oriented culture at the brewery.

Brothers Chris and John Trogner, Cumberland Valley High School graduates, started Troegs in Harrisburg seven years ago. Last year, the company produced about 5,500 barrels of beer and expects to reach 7,000 this year.

The brothers started the business with a Krones bottling machine, a few employees and the dream of creating beers that reflected their lifestyle. Beers with more flavor and character than a traditional brew.

"We are more of the artisan bakers compared to the Goliath mass-produced beer," Chris Trogner said.

In 1997, the company was able to produce 150 to 200 cases of beer a week. Today, after selling enough beer to purchase a couple of secondhand machines to boost productivity, it bottles 90 to 120 bottles per minute, three to five days a week, yielding 600 to 700 cases weekly.

Chris heads the marketing and sales department. John taught the trade to brewer Chris Brugger, whom they found working in a home-brew store in Carlisle.

John, a multitasking brewer, welder, plumber and electrician, spends most of his time overseeing the bottler, which he calls "the heart and soul of brewing," and on maintenance of the equipment.

Chris, 30, and John, 32, have fun coming up with names and sketches for new creations, such as Troegenator, Doublebock and The Mad Elf, a seasonal brew.

Their newest employee is Dan Gerstner, a microbiologist who worked for the state Department of Agriculture for 10 years.

Working as a machinist by day, Gerstner stops in to help with quality control, which Chris said "is one of the first steps we needed to continue growing."

WHAT'S GOING ON

Troegs Breweing Co. will bring the microwbrewing industry to town for the Harrisburg Brewer's Fest.
When - Saturday (19th) from 4-9 p.m.
Where - Locust St., between 2nd and 3rd streets.
Who - 34 breweeries from across the mid-Atlantic region will be represented, along with live music from Quagmire Swim Team, Fink's Constant and God Bless Our Mobile Home.
Benefit - Proceeds from the event will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Central Pennsylvania.
Tickets/Information - Reserved tickets are $25, and tickets at the door cost $30. Tcikets may be purchased online at www.troegs.com or by calling (717) 671-4000.

[wrightchr]

sweet articles Dave...i've been out of town until this morning, so it's nice to catch up on everything. i heard the DSL is staying :D i'm very happy about that decision; however, the two campus idea has merit, but i'm still worried this is a ploy to build a centralized campus and slowly divert funds, resources, and eventually ALL the students from Carlisle to PSU. i hope that is not their (Spanier and PSU) intention. but it seems as if the university and law school are considering more interfaces with curriculm, which is what i suggested they do with the 60+ million in funds.

i noticed the new laboratory going on at 2nd and chestnut streets a while back, but i think it's only gonna be 2 levels high. i could be wrong though. i think this is just another step in consolidating services at HBG Hosptial, so PinnacleHealth can vacate Poly Clinic eventually. it's been a long term goal for the hospital to strip Poly Clinic and move services and hospital beds to other facilities. i know the mayor has been trying to come up with new ideas for redevelopment of the poly clinic campus, including part of the new university. also, hacc has just added on-site services at poly clinic, so maybe it will continue to be around in the near distant future. IMO i think this area needs more hospitals, not less of them.

i'm going to the brewersfest...i already bought tickets for my girlfriend and i. i'm hoping to get some of my friends to go as well. i'm sure some of them will...maybe get something to eat afterwards or do the bar crawl scene DT :tup: should be interesting...i might be walking home to Camp Hill...lol. are you going Dave?

[EastSideHBG]

I was wondering where you were at, Chris. ;) I agree on your points with PSU. Here is yet another article on it from today's paper:


Proposal to split law school questioned

Resource drain feared in law-school splitting plan

Monday, June 14, 2004
BY MARY KLAUS
Of The Patriot-News

CARLISLE - As a Penn State graduate, Robert Michaels considers State College a good party town "with a student atmosphere and lots of nightlife."

As a Dickinson School of Law third-year student, Michaels doesn't want to see half of his law school moving to Penn State's main campus.

"There's a fear among students that splitting the law school will drain resources in Carlisle in favor of State College," he said yesterday.

The law school's Board of Governors voted over the weekend to consider building a second, $60-million law campus in State College by 2008, while also upgrading The Dickinson School of Law here for about $25 million.

The board will vote on the proposal by Aug. 15.

Earlier, the board had considered moving the law school to State College. Penn State President Graham Spanier had said a move to State College would enhance the law school's academic reputation, and it would be easier to build a modern facility.

The proposal to move the law school to State College is now off the table, board members said.

The new proposal emerged over the weekend, just as the board was expected to vote on whether the law school would move. The law school -- which is not affiliated with Dickinson College -- merged with Penn State in 2000.

A dozen people interviewed in Carlisle yesterday agreed that the school should stay in Carlisle and not be split between the borough and State College.

"I'm concerned that if the school is split, the Penn State main campus would draw energy and resources from the law school here," said Pamela Lubold of Harrisburg, who works at the Governor's Office of General Counsel. "Over time, under a unified system, Carlisle could be the red-headed stepchild syndrome."

At the Weis Markets store, David Bowermaster of Carlisle said the law school has "a good presence" in the borough and should stay so that students are close to the state Capitol.

"State College is in the middle of the mountains, said Ken Evans of Carlisle, another shopper. "Don't split up the law school."

"There are more opportunities for internships here with the courthouse and with Harrisburg," said Linda Moll of Carlisle. "Splitting the law school won't save money. I can't imagine anyone who wants to be an attorney going to State College."

Bob Horner of Hampden Twp. was photographing CowParade cows with his family.

"There's something to be said about smaller campuses," he noted. "The law school fits into this town and is close to Harrisburg, where the students can get law experiences."

It makes sense to have "one law school in one place, Carlisle," said Amy Johnson of Enola.

Ken Punt of Carlisle expressed concern that Penn State officials "down the road" would close the law school here.

Sister Mary Cronin of Annville and Sister Jo Ann Siesko of Steelton, who were in the borough looking at the cow sculptures, discussed the plan.

"Maybe this could be the main law school campus and State College would be a satellite campus," Cronin said. Siesko discussed advantages of keeping the law school, "close to Harrisburg and the state Supreme Court."

Jennifer Sultzaberger of New Cumberland, who just completed her second year at The Dickinson School of Law, called the school "a great asset" to Carlisle.

Michaels, the third-year student, said if law students take their first year in State College, then have the choice between staying there or coming to Carlisle, many might stay in State College.

"But Carlisle is the county seat, is near Harrisburg and closer to Washington," he said. "It has more professional opportunities. State College isn't even a county seat."

He also said the law school fits into Carlisle. "People here are bending over backward to keep the law school here. We're wanted and welcome. State College hasn't made any overtures to get us there."

[EastSideHBG]

i noticed the new laboratory going on at 2nd and chestnut streets a while back, but i think it's only gonna be 2 levels high. i could be wrong though. i think this is just another step in consolidating services at HBG Hosptial, so PinnacleHealth can vacate Poly Clinic eventually. it's been a long term goal for the hospital to strip Poly Clinic and move services and hospital beds to other facilities. i know the mayor has been trying to come up with new ideas for redevelopment of the poly clinic campus, including part of the new university. also, hacc has just added on-site services at poly clinic, so maybe it will continue to be around in the near distant future. IMO i think this area needs more hospitals, not less of them.
Yeah, you are dead on about Pinnacle and their plans with Poly. I know that Pinnacle has already moved a lot out of the bldg. In fact, they lease a lot of it out now.

I agree re: the hospitals. I say add more or expand (and I mean really expand) on the current ones. For a while there last year, almost every hospital in the area was on divert because they were filled to the max. :no:

i'm going to the brewersfest...i already bought tickets for my girlfriend and i. i'm hoping to get some of my friends to go as well. i'm sure some of them will...maybe get something to eat afterwards or do the bar crawl scene DT :tup: should be interesting...i might be walking home to Camp Hill...lol. are you going Dave?
LOL ;) I had something going on that (I guess I should say "this" b/c it is almost here) weekend, but I think I am going to go to the Brewersfest instead. I'll keep you posted, and maybe we could use the opportunity to finally meet in person. :)


Here's some more development news in the area. I was wondering what they were going to do w/ this land since it has been on the market for quite a while...

Townhomes proposed for Carlisle Pike

Monday, June 14, 2004
BY CHRIS A. COUROGEN
Of The Patriot-News

After several years of unsuccessfully trying to market it as a commercial site, developers are hoping to build townhomes at Waterford Square.

Engineer John Murphy of Alpha Consulting Engineers last week told Silver Spring Twp. officials that the 20.5-acre tract along the Carlisle Pike east of Cumberland Drive would hold 120 townhomes.

Homes in the development would be priced in the $150,000 to $200,000 range. The marketing effort would target empty-nesters -- older adults with no children at home, Murphy said. It would not likely have a big impact on the Cumberland Valley School District population, Murphy told the supervisors.

Murphy said the owners, Cornerstone Development, have been unable to sell lots for commercial development.

According to the firm's real-estate broker, Bill Gladstone of CIR, the median strip between the east- and west-bound lanes of the Carlisle Pike in that area makes access difficult.

Although access might be improved when the planned New Kingston bypass is completed, that would mean letting the parcel lie vacant for several more years, Gladstone told the supervisors.

Murphy reminded the supervisors that when the commercial plan was proposed, the school district had indicated it preferred residential development on the plot because of its proximity to the high school.

Because the current development plan was approved under the township's old zoning ordinance, residential use would be permitted, Murphy said.

Cornerstone has not prepared detailed plans for the proposed development. Murphy said he wanted to get a sense of the supervisor's sentiments for or against the project.

"If you kick us out of here today, we won't bring in a plan," he said.

Although the supervisors indicated concern over the lower tax revenues and higher demand for services that residential development would bring, they seemed willing to consider such a change.

When Murphy pressed for an informal nod of approval, Supervisor Chris Latta told him, "This board is open-minded and reasonable."

"Then you're not kicking us out of the room," Murphy said, laughing, in response.

[EastSideHBG]

Hooray!!! This will set us up for even more construction that will seem to never end. :carrot: *Of course I do like the last plan in bold the best, though. ;)

Midstate highway projects readied

$294 million in work to be OK'd in August

Monday, June 14, 2004
BY FRANK COZZOLI
Of The Patriot-News

Pennsylvania's 12-year Transportation Plan won't be completed until August, but the major projects planned for the Harrisburg region are all but approved.

On Friday, the Harrisburg Area Transportation Study's technical committee recommended approval of $294 million in projects for 2005 through 2008.

The plan includes:
$5 million to begin preliminary engineering to widen Interstate 83 from the Eisenhower Interchange to Interstate 81.
$7 million to study and install more Intelligent Highway System technology, such as message boards and closed-circuit television, around the beltway.
$2.5 million to expand the intersection of Paxton and Cameron streets in downtown Harrisburg.
The Transportation Improvement Program was developed over 11 months by HATS' planning staff and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

HATS' Coordinating Committee is to vote on the program June 25, two days after the public comment period ends. The plan is revised every two years.

The updated plan is to be approved Aug. 5 when the state Transportation Commission meets in Johnstown. It is $57 million leaner than the current transportation plan.

The reduced spending can be traced to the lack of a federal transportation bill and any funding it would include, said Terry Adams, planning and programming coordinator for PennDOT's District 8 office.

Some projects are close to construction, including the $85.8 million job to revamp and widen the interchange of routes 15 and 581 on the West Shore.

That work, which includes a diamond interchange for Route 15 at Zimmerman Drive in Lower Allen Twp., is to begin in 2006.

The program also includes maintenance on 38 bridges, Adams said.

The plan to build a full interchange for Route 581 at Trindle and St. John's Church roads in Hampden Twp has been delayed.

Because of funding constraints, preliminary engineering on the project won't begin until 2007, Adams said.

The project would add an on-ramp from Trindle Road to Route 581 west, and an off-ramp from Route 581 east.

Planning was made tougher by the absence of a federal transportation bill, officials said. The latest one, the Transportation Equity Act -- 21st Century, expired last fall.

That forced planners to estimate how much money the region could expect to receive during the next four years. Adams said modest increases are expected.

So far, public involvement has been lacking. Thursday night, no one showed up during an open house at the Cumberland County Planning Commission office.

Kirk Stoner, director of the planning commission, questioned how that could happen in a county where transportation is a hot-button issue.

That meeting, and three others for this week, were advertised in the legal ads of The Patriot-News. Stoner suggested taking additional steps to notify the public to get them to the open houses.

"Let's just not meet a bureaucratic requirement; let's do it right," Stoner said.

Any public comments will be attached to the plan when it is presented to the Coordinating Committee.

[EastSideHBG]

What a wonderful, wonderful project!!!


SCI-TECH

School to add pupils, staff

Monday, June 14, 2004
BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News

Sci-Tech High, Harrisburg's experimental first-year math and science school, seems to have done the impossible.

It finished classes on Friday at Rowland School and left its 140 students wanting more.

A few are even counting the days until school resumes on Aug. 30.

"Next year is when all the good stuff is going to come," gushed Tyler Hargrove, 15.

That's when the Sci-Tech program doubles in size, to 300 students, and moves into its new building downtown, a refurbished, three-story, glass-enclosed academy filled with modern labs. **See pics of the progress in the Construction Threads section in P&C**

When it does so, the long-troubled Harrisburg schools will have about 15 students from outside the city who will pay tuition to attend Sci-Tech.

In addition, there will be city students who transfer to Sci-Tech from private or parochial schools.

Every student will get a laptop computer as the school strives toward a paperless learning environment.

These and other changes were enough to excite Sci-Tech's inaugural class.

"We'll have better resources next year," said Asia Moore, 15. "We could have done so much better in the new building."

Indeed, Sci-Tech's first year sometimes had the feel of a dress rehearsal, a warm-up for bigger things to come.

It was a year of learning for students, teachers and administrators.

They found out what works -- the daring, experimental curriculum that allows students to literally wrap their hands around science.

And they found out what doesn't -- most students need intensive work on math skills to fully grasp science, especially the school's focus on teaching physics before other sciences.

Nevertheless, officials believe they're onto something. They say the school's hands-on approach, along with inviting scientists to the school and sending students to technology companies, science labs and hospitals, has awakened young minds.

"We're trying to get the students to see science is real," said Sci-Tech Director Lisa Waller. "It's something they can do."

Sci-Tech's new building, the former YWCA in the 200 block of Market Street, should enhance that academic awakening, Waller said.

The site remains under construction, but officials promise that the space will be ready for occupancy in July.

On a recent walk-through for teachers, the building looked anything but ready. The front remained a steel skeleton, with torn plastic blowing in the wind.

Inside, classrooms were taking shape. And two 1,200-square-foot labs were being outfitting with plumbing, gas, ventilation and fire-extinguishing systems.

The building also will house a business incubator that will be part of the planned Harrisburg University. Sci-Tech -- officially known as the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology High School -- is a joint venture between the university and Harrisburg School District.

As teachers strolled the building's dusty corridors amid the drone of power tools, they envisioned the possibilities, even as some groused about more practical concerns.

"Have they settled the parking issue yet?" asked one instructor, concerned about the lack of free parking downtown.

Another fretted over the paucity of storage space and the small size of the faculty rooms. "We don't have the time or the money to scan everything," said the teacher, referring to the school's move to a paperless system.

In fact, Harrisburg University President Melvyn D. Schiavelli didn't want any books in the school library, preferring that students use databases or the Internet.

Eventually, he made concessions to old-fashioned paper, said Sci-Tech Assistant Director Meg Burton. "You've got to have books," she said.

The building also will feature more courses and more teachers, as the faculty doubles, to 22. And, of course, more students.

But getting into the application-only program was tougher this time. There was more competition -- 400 applicants for 150 slots -- and a new eight-point criteria that takes into account everything from attendance, grades and assessment test scores to teacher recommendations.

"It's not just the top students," Burton said. "These are motivated students who want to go to college."

As for the school's first year, officials pronounced it a success. But it wasn't without what Waller delicately referred to as "challenges."

Sci-Tech lost about 15 students, or less than 10 percent of its class. Some moved. Some asked to go back to the high school. A few were sent packing by administrators.

"It wasn't the right fit for them," Burton said. "Either they found that out, or we figured it out."

Administrators were proud that there were just two in-school fights. Even these were just flash-point exchanges of a couple of punches, they said.

One fracas occurred as Mayor Stephen R. Reed was touring the school. The mayor, who has been overseeing the district since December 2000, was ready to call in police until school directors talked him out of it.

And it turned out that all that science and math -- with little art and no gym -- was a curriculum mix that needed to be adjusted. Students missed the other courses.

It's too late to change plans for the new building, but school officials are in talks with Fitness Firm, a health club in Strawberry Square, to permit students to use the facility. And art lovers will attend programs at the nearby Susquehanna Art Museum and Capital Area School for the Arts.

Even the act of getting to school will be different. Instead of yellow school buses, students will get free bus passes and ride Capital Area Transit.

Considering all the work that must be accomplished before classes resume, the summer promises to be short.

Administrators and teachers will have at least a dozen meetings, including one today, to prepare for the switch to the building. And students again will be taking weeks of enrichment classes offered at HACC.

"We have no vacation," said Waller.

As Sci-Tech closed the books on its first year, there was a sense of satisfaction mixed with the inescapable feeling that the best was yet to come.

"We've done all we could for our students this year," said Waller. "But we know we can do better."

[wrightchr]

great posts again Dave...you are on top of the news :D

as for area transportation projects and HATS...i can name numerous improvements that will be taking place within the next few years, including:

the 21st street/camp hill bypass intersection project should be underway within the next 6 months-1 year or so. that project is long overdue!

the widening of US 22 from penbrook to colonial park with improvements to progress ave/allentown blvd is also in the engineering phase.

northern and southern gateway projects....and numerous other highway/roadway widenings and rehabilitations and improvement projects.

the US 15/581 widening project has the most beneficial impact to the region though IMO...i will widen US 15 from market street in CH south to the new interchange by the capital city mall to 6 lanes. ramp improvements to 581 will also reduce congestion. this project will allow the interchange to become upgraded to interstate standards...which is not currently met because of the current interchange configuration. this means that PA 581 could be replaced with an interstate designation within the next few years. maybe the beltway will become I-483??? it's anybodys guess right now, but the idea has been floating around for some time and it has potential.

as for the new university...i heard that the old DT post office grounds are being considered for ground zero and development of the major buildings for the institution? i think i read that on a post you made before...or maybe in the paper??? not sure, but that area makes the most sense to me, because it's close to DT, the sci-tech high school, and would be reasonable for commuters/residential students alike. maybe we'll see some highrise residential dorms...similar to the communist block looking ones in state college lol. wouldn't that just add something to the skyline :D

[wrightchr]

<b>City wants sound rules eased
Liquor Control Board to hear pros, cons on bars' outdoor music </b>

Tuesday, June 15, 2004
BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News

Harrisburg residents and business owners will get their say on downtown bar noise.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has scheduled a public hearing for 10 a.m. tomorrow in City Council chambers on a plan to once again relax noise enforcement on the city's Restaurant Row.

For the second straight year, Harrisburg has applied to the PLCB for the more lax enforcement that would give downtown bars broader latitude when it comes to outdoor music during the summer season.

Last summer, Harrisburg became the first city in the state to take advantage of an amendment to the state's liquor laws giving municipalities -- not the state -- the right to enforce their own rules when it comes to bar noise.

The more relaxed noise rules were in effect for a 60-day trial last year.

The biggest change was that downtown bars, clubs and restaurants could plug in outdoor speakers to provide what establishment owners and patrons called ambience for al fresco dining. Some critics called it noise.

Traditionally, PLCB rules have prohibited outdoor music at licensed establishments. But under the enforcement change, Harrisburg's noise ordinance would be in effect, tolerating sounds of up to 15 decibels above the ambient noise level on the street.

Once again, Harrisburg has applied for a seasonal enforcement change only, rather than requesting it be permanent.

A PLCB spokeswoman said the agency would review the testimony given at the hearing, then the three-member board would issue a decision shortly after that.

[wrightchr]

another freakin merger :(

<b>Camp Hill bank makes deal to merge</b>
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
BY TOM DOCHAT
Of The Patriot-News

Pennsylvania State Bank of Camp Hill would become part of Lancaster-based Sterling Financial Corp. under a $44 million merger announced yesterday.

Sterling plans to buy The Pennsylvania State Banking Co. in a stock and cash transaction that is expected to close late this year or early in 2005.

The deal would increase Sterling's geographic reach into the Harrisburg region and enable Pennsylvania State Bank to provide more services in estate and financial planning and wealth management.

Pennsylvania State Bank, which has four branches in Cumberland County and two in Dauphin County, would keep its name and charter as an affiliate of Sterling.

Sterling, with more than $2.3 billion in assets, operates a number of affiliate banks, including Bank of Lancaster County, Bank of Lebanon County and Bank of Hanover and Trust Co. It also offers leasing, insurance and wealth-management services.

"We are extremely pleased Pennsylvania State Bank is joining the Sterling Financial family," said J. Roger Moyer Jr., Sterling president and CEO. "We have felt for some time that the demographics in Cumberland and Dauphin counties are an ideal match for our community banking model, and to enter those areas with a quality, local bank that people know and trust is ideal."

Pennsylvania State Bank was founded in 1989 in Camp Hill and has grown to more than $200 million in assets at six branches and a commercial loan office in Cleona.

Thomas J. Sposito II, Pennsylvania State Bank's president and CEO, said he sees the Sterling acquisition "as an acceleration of our strategic plan" for the region. "Our goal is to be the community bank of choice in the Harrisburg area."

He said the Sterling deal would enable Pennsylvania State Bank to begin offering trust, insurance and wealth-management services, and allow it to handle larger commercial loans.

The acquisition should enable Pennsylvania State Bank to expand in the Harrisburg market, he added.

Sposito and the bank's current board of directors will remain in place after the acquisition is complete. One member of Pennsylvania State Bank's holding company will be added as a director of Sterling. The Pennsylvania State Bank holding company was formed at the end of last year.

The company employs 62 people. Sposito said a small number of jobs probably will be eliminated through the acquisition, but other jobs may be added. He said no branches will be closed, and no "customer contact" employees will be affected by the acquisition.

Under terms of the deal, Sterling will pay Pennsylvania State Bank shareholders $22 in cash for each of their shares, or the shareholders can exchange their stock for 0.83 of a share of Sterling stock. At least 70 percent of the Pennsylvania State Bank stock must be exchanged for Sterling shares, but the stock exchange will be capped at 75 percent of the Pennsylvania State shares.

The $22 cash price values the purchase at a 66 percent premium to Pennsylvania State's closing price of $13.25 a share last Thursday. Pennsylvania State stock, which is traded over the counter, closed yesterday at $20.52, up $7.27, or 55 percent.

Sterling shares, traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market, closed at $23.40, down $2.08, or 8.2 percent.

TOM DOCHAT: 255-8216 or tdochat@patriot-news.com

[wrightchr]

well it's about to change...for the better IMO :)

<b>Paxtang rezones, permitting beer store</b>
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
BY MARY KLAUS
Of The Patriot-News

A divided Paxtang Borough Council has approved a commercial zoning change that would allow a barbecue restaurant and beer distributor in the 3600 block of Derry Street.

Council voted 4-3 to change the zoning of the property formerly owned and occupied by Dauphin Consolidated from commercial/office to commercial/retail.

Elizabeth Grace of Camp Hill, the property owner, and her husband, William, are planning a barbecue restaurant in the front of the building and a beer and beverage distributor in the back, William Grace told council. Grace's family owns Olde Towne Beverage in New Cumberland.

Several Paxtang residents spoke against the change. Ellen Kern of the 3600 block of Derry Street called Olde Towne Beverage "quite nice. But it is in the business section, not across the street from residential properties."

Dawn Deaner of the 3600 block of Brisban Street said that Paxtang "is used to a Wicker East [type of business] where one person can generate $1,000 and help with taxes to the borough. But a beer distributor would not generate that much."

William Grace replied that his New Cumberland business does $1 million in sales annually and has had "a low impact on the community."

Former Councilman William Smith, who has lived in the 3700 block of Derry Street for 66 years and has his law office there, urged council to vote against rezoning.

Doug Reynolds of the 3600 block of Brisban Street suggested a middle ground.

"If the residents are interested in protecting the character and nature of that area, the ordinance does not do that but could," he said. "It could require restrictions to the area. If you want [to have] retail [zoning] and to shape the future, the ordinance should be looked at more closely to insure that it is done."

Paxtang Mayor William Parker told council that he checked with New Cumberland police officials on the Grace business there, and "there have been no crime incidents with the business located there."

Council President James R. Schmidt said some residents want to keep Paxtang unchanged while others want ordinances that allow businesses such as construction companies "and have it continue to look like Paxtang. This has been the dilemma for council. You can't make everyone happy."

He said he voted yes "for the good of the borough."

Also voting for the change were council members John R. Ninosky, F. Joe Spackman and Keldeen Stambaugh. Voting against it were Karen Benjamin, George Murphy and Frank Krautheim.

Benjamin said she voted against rezoning after attending two hearings in which several residents spoke against it and none for it.

"The change means that a commercial district that had allowed offices, financial institutions, funeral homes and similar businesses now can have retail stores and food industries," she said. "The borough had started a community planning process. I wish we gave that a chance to work more."

MARY KLAUS: 255-8113 or mklaus@patriot-news.com

[EastSideHBG]

great posts again Dave...you are on top of the news :D

as for area transportation projects and HATS...i can name numerous improvements that will be taking place within the next few years, including:

the 21st street/camp hill bypass intersection project should be underway within the next 6 months-1 year or so. that project is long overdue!

the widening of US 22 from penbrook to colonial park with improvements to progress ave/allentown blvd is also in the engineering phase.

northern and southern gateway projects....and numerous other highway/roadway widenings and rehabilitations and improvement projects.

the US 15/581 widening project has the most beneficial impact to the region though IMO...i will widen US 15 from market street in CH south to the new interchange by the capital city mall to 6 lanes. ramp improvements to 581 will also reduce congestion. this project will allow the interchange to become upgraded to interstate standards...which is not currently met because of the current interchange configuration. this means that PA 581 could be replaced with an interstate designation within the next few years. maybe the beltway will become I-483??? it's anybodys guess right now, but the idea has been floating around for some time and it has potential.
Thank you, Chris, I try to be. Not an easy job, though LOL It's funny, I remember the days when I would have 1-2 big news posts per week. Now it's everyday. Again I say GO HBG!!! :carrot:

As for the projects you listed, they are MUCH needed as you said. I-483...hmmm, that has a nice ring to it. We are almost approaching the territory of Baltimore/DC with all of these beltway numbers. ;)

as for the new university...i heard that the old DT post office grounds are being considered for ground zero and development of the major buildings for the institution? i think i read that on a post you made before...or maybe in the paper??? not sure, but that area makes the most sense to me, because it's close to DT, the sci-tech high school, and would be reasonable for commuters/residential students alike. maybe we'll see some highrise residential dorms...similar to the communist block looking ones in state college lol. wouldn't that just add something to the skyline :D
Yeah I read that in the news and then I posted it, so who knows where exactly you heard it from LOL The only thing I can see becoming a problem is A) parking (a biggie) and B) future expansion. When I think of Poly's campus, I already think "school". The DT Post Office, kind of. But I picture something smaller there and/or something that will run out of room in no time. I am 50/50 on the issue to be honest with you and I would be happy with either location with an ever so slight nudge to DT for the obvious reasons (student pop., even more businesses will open in that immediate area, etc.).

[EastSideHBG]

Okay, about the noise article. I have a lot to say on this, but I will keep it brief. :)

I was the first to yell "NIMBY!!!" everytime someone spoke up about the noise there. "If you don't like noise than don't live DT," I would say. But then I actually stopped and listened one night. Damn I can see these people's points now LOL It is L O U D down there, and the outdoor stuff at independent establishments isn't even really going on as much as it was last year. I would like to see the city have control of enforcing the rules when it comes to this, but I just want them to make sure they do enforce it, as it can (does) tend to get a little out of hand down there. :)

Good news for Paxtang!!!! It's a small step, but a big one in the grand scheme of things. It just goes to show how PA gov'ts aren't viewing alcohol as puritan-esque as they used to. Beer in grocery stores??? I can see it happening very soon...

[wrightchr]

Good news for Paxtang!!!! It's a small step, but a big one in the grand scheme of things. It just goes to show how PA gov'ts aren't viewing alcohol as puritan-esque as they used to. <b>Beer in grocery stores??? I can see it happening very soon... </b>

WOOHOO :D

by the way, if you are going to the brewersfest this weekend let me know. we can meet up and toss back a few...lol.