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

[EastSideHBG]

Say what you want about Vartan, but I knew he would be able to turn this building aroudn rather quickly:


Leases increase at Forum Place

Wednesday, June 30, 2004
BY JACK SHERZER
Of The Patriot-News

Almost a year after investors went to court to wrest management away from the Dauphin County General Authority, good news is coming out of the Forum Place office building in downtown Harrisburg.

A 10-year lease worth more than $6.3 million was signed earlier this month with the state Department of Labor and Industry, an existing state tenant has renewed its lease, and another state agency may lease space in Forum Place.

"We have spared no effort to bring Forum Place back to great shape," said developer John O. Vartan, who built the 10-story office complex and was returned by the court as its manager at the request of investors.

Troubles at Forum Place began in 1998, when the authority sold $75.35 million in bonds to buy the building at Fifth and Walnut streets from Vartan.

The property made money for a couple years, but in 2001, after the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation ended its short-term lease for space in the building, Forum Place failed to attract tenants for half of the 379,000 square feet of office space available. That caused the authority to default on payments to bondholders.

Under regulations governing the tax-free bonds used to buy the building, 90 percent of the tenants must be either government or nonprofit agencies.

Last July, at the request of bondholders, Dauphin County Court put Forum Place into receivership, meaning that while the authority retains ownership, day-to-day operations are governed by a court-appointed receiver.

Vartan, who had said he believes the bondholders' investment could be rescued, was upbeat.

"We're going to do our best to continue the momentum," Vartan said. "We hope that the location, amenities, availability of parking, impeccable service and professional management will contribute to the complete success of the building."

The Department of Labor and Industry lease, for 32,000 square feet, will eat up about 18 percent of the space available for leasing, Vartan said.

The comeback of Forum Place may be helped by what state officials say is Gov. Ed Rendell's goal of consolidating state offices at single locations and bringing offices to downtown areas.

How much space the state will need in the near future wasn't clear. Frank Kane, spokesman for the Department of General Services, which handles state leasing, said the emphasis is still on using state-owned property to the extent possible.

In the next week or so, Kane said, Forum Place managers should know whether the Department of General Services will sign a 10-year lease for 35,000 square feet of space it needs for offices.

Rick Frimmer, a Philadelphia attorney representing the majority of bondholders, said over the past two years investors have not received between $2 million and $3 million in bond payments.

"We have a long way to go. We still have, even after Labor and Industry, in excess of 160,000 square feet of unleased space," Frimmer said. "Our hope is that we lease it all up."

Frimmer, who last year said he believed getting management of the building back under Vartan's control was critical, praised the developer's work.

"We're very happy to have Labor and Industry come into the building, and we hope it signifies that Forum Place is again the choice location for state agencies," he said. "We have a very good working relationship with the Department of General Services, and we hope that continues."

Key to the building's turnaround, Frimmer said, was a new agreement governing payments in lieu of real estate taxes to Dauphin County, Harrisburg and the city school district. Under the original 1998 agreement, only the county benefited.

Frimmer praised the county commissioners for agreeing to modify the agreement to include the city and school district -- which gave Harrisburg an added reason to support the revival of Forum Place. Before payments are made under the agreement, however, the bondholders must be paid.

The Pennsylvania Local Government Commission, a Forum Place tenant since 1999, renewed its lease for 10 years in May. Michael P. Gasbarre, executive director of the commission, said he has been pleased with Forum Place.

The commission, a state agency, leases 5,119 square feet on the first floor. Its new lease payment is $88,814.64 a year.

[EastSideHBG]

Not huge news, but this article and the one above show how good the downtown's momentum is now. :carrot:


Greenhouse to get new offices in city

Wednesday, June 30, 2004
BY ELLEN LYON
Of The Patriot-News

Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania is moving in September from the TecPort technology complex in Swatara Twp. to the Colonial Building at 225 Market St. in Harrisburg.

Seven employees will work out of about 4,500 square feet on the fifth floor of the downtown building, Mel Billingsley Life Sciences president and CEO, said yesterday.

"We're looking forward to having our offices in a location that offers enhanced visibility and proximity to many of our partner organizations," he said. "We think that downtown has a certain air of vibrancy to it."

The greenhouse, which has assisted nearly 40 biotechnology startups in almost two years, has partners in State College, the Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg and at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Billingsley noted.

"We became an accidental incubator out there," he said, referring to the TecPort site. "We don't want to be landlords."

Life Sciences Greenhouse has been leasing about 20,000 square feet at TecPort, according to Matt Tunnell, assistant vice president of Crossgates Inc., developer of the former AMP Inc. property.

"Their space requirements have changed," he said.

The greenhouse has found that startups are more in need of early stage capital and business services than space, explained Michele Washko, director of marketing and communications for Life Sciences. Also, the greenhouse's two-year lease at TecPort is set to expire this fall, she noted.

Moving downtown with the greenhouse will be Pennsylvania Bio, an industry advocacy organization, according to Washko.

One of the greenhouse's incubator companies also may join it in the new building, Billingsley said. That leaves four other small startups to negotiate their own deals with TecPort, he said.

Tunnell said TecPort will work with those companies. He anticipated little trouble filling the greenhouse's 20,000 square feet.

"That's good space. It's in a building largely occupied by Health America. We certainly will market it aggressively," Tunnell said.

Harrisburg and Harristown officials welcomed the addition to the downtown.

"Harrisburg's future economic viability and growth are very much dependent upon our ability to attract and retain advanced technology companies," Mayor Stephen R. Reed said.

"We're excited about the presence of Life Sciences Greenhouse in Harrisburg because it has the ability to serve as a proponent for growth in the downtown," said Russ Ford, Harristown president and CEO.

Harristown Development Corp. affiliate 301 Market LLC bought the historic Colonial Building, at the corner of Third and Market streets, in March.

Before the purchase, the 67,000-square-foot building had been converted to condominiums, and Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts bought the second floor for office space.

Other tenants include Prosanos Corp., a biomedical informatics company that works with Life Sciences Greenhouse; the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council; Lavery, Faherty, Young & Patterson, a law firm; Curves for Women; and H&R Block.

[EastSideHBG]

Council considers expanding district

Services hinge on renewal, DID says

Thursday, July 01, 2004
BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News

Clean sidewalks in downtown Harrisburg may hang in the balance.

Officials with Harrisburg's Downtown Improvement District claim they remove 6 to 9 tons of trash from city sidewalks every month.

But those and other services could cease unless downtown property owners give their consent and the City Council approves plans to reformulate and expand the Downtown Improvement District.

"There's a need for these services," said DID Executive Director Don Walker. "You wouldn't want people coming downtown and seeing trash on the streets. Instead, they visit Harrisburg and say how clean the downtown is."

Property owners have 45 days to register objections to the plan to renew the DID, which is to go out of business by the end of the year under a provision in the law that created it.

There are 190 taxable property owners in the expanded zone, which takes in an area from Front to Seventh streets and Chestnut to Pine streets.

The proposed expansion would add most of Restaurant Row on North Second Street, as well as a portion of North Third Street.

It would take 40 percent of the parcels, or about 76 properties voting against the project, to defeat it.

All objections must be made in writing to the Harrisburg City Clerk's Office. Otherwise, affected owners will be counted as voting to renew the DID.

The same property owners would then pay 1.5 mills a year in additional real estate taxes for the cleaning, marketing and beautification activities of the DID.

The extra tax would translate into $150 for every $100,000 of a building's assessed value.

The council also would have to approve new boundaries and reformulating the DID as a Neighborhood Improvement District Management Association.

At a meeting this week, only one property owner spoke out against the plan.

DID officials said the renewal is a chance to improve and slightly expand the agency.

"The downtown is thriving," said DID attorney Bruce Foreman. "The entire downtown area receives a benefit from the improved downtown. Property values generally go up in an area where you have a successful downtown."

The nonprofit agency was created in 1999 to promote and beautify portions of downtown.

The improvement district is perhaps best known for its Zambonilike vehicles that sweep downtown sidewalks and the more than 200 hanging baskets of flowers that decorate the area.

The organization also staffs the city's information center on the first block of North Second Street, provides security and conducts marketing, promotional campaigns and special events, including the summertime PNC Saturdays series.

Currently, the district stops at Walnut Street. It takes in the southern section of downtown, but not the restaurant and bar district north of Walnut Street.

Proposed new boundaries have been drawn to avoid most residential properties and a few other buildings that stirred opposition to expansion two years ago.

In addition, any apartment buildings with four or fewer dwellings that fall in the district would be exempt from the ordinance and the extra tax, officials said.

One downtown owner said he would get no benefit from the DID and would like his building excluded.

Attorney Charles Beckley, representing an office building at 212 N. Third St. that would be added to the improvement zone, argued that the building's management already pays a contractor to perform most of the cleaning and sidewalk maintenance services the DID would provide.

"We keep our property in A-1 order," he said. "It's essentially a 5-percent tax increase for our property for which we derive no benefit."

[EastSideHBG]

Sprawl-rific.


'Big box' stores hit

Residents offer opinions at regional plan hearing

Thursday, July 01, 2004
BY T.W. BURGER
Of Our Dillsburg Bureau

DILLSBURG - They fear traffic congestion, water runoff, scattered trash, pollution and loss of the night sky. They are also worried about the fate of small local businesses and property values.

About 120 area residents this week attended a public hearing on development, and most demanded that local governments keep Wal-Mart and other so-called "big box" retailers out.

"There is no benefit," said Sally Gautney, of Silver Spring Twp. She said a Wal-Mart store has ruined her neighborhood.

For four years, local business, education and municipal representatives have discussed a regional comprehensive plan to control residential and commercial growth, which many see as inevitable.

But this week, Carroll Twp. Board of Supervisors Chair Robert L. Schopfer, who chaired the hearing, failed to steer the discussion away from specific businesses that might move into the area and onto the overall plan.

Schopfer explained that neither Wal-Mart nor any other "big box" retailer has submitted development plans.

"We need to keep comments specific to the plan," he said. "This is not the venue."

The meeting was attended by representatives from the governments of Monaghan, Franklin, and Carroll townships, and of Dillsburg and Franklintown boroughs.

The regional comprehensive plan has been guided by representatives from those five municipalities and the Northern York County School District and Dillsburg Area Authority.

The plan does not directly affect or create zoning. Each municipality is free to create or alter its own development ordinances.

"The committee has to balance the fear of sprawl, the rights of property owners, and the regulations of the state," Schopfer said.

Under the new plan, U.S. Route 15, the major north-south highway bisecting Carroll Twp., will see the bulk of the retail development.

"We tried to tuck as much stuff as we could up against 15," he said. "We cannot deny commercial growth. We have to manage it."

Frank Kramer, a former committee chairman, refuted claims that the plan was driven by the wishes of developers.

The plan, he said, is a 20-year prospectus.

"The fear of sprawl is what led to the creation of this plan. This was not the personal desire of the board to build big box stores," he said.

In recent months, the committee made changes to the proposal. Most of those changes were fueled by residents, developers and the York County Planning Commission.

The new blueprint would clear the way for a "big box" retailer along Route 74 north of Dillsburg and an area adjacent to the Dillsburg shopping center from Light Industrial or Apartment/Office to Commercial Highway zoning.

[EastSideHBG]

:tdown:

Government budget cuts are felt at street level

Share-a-Ride bus tolls rise with loss of subsidy

Thursday, July 01, 2004
BY DANIEL VICTOR
Of The Patriot-News

Charlotte Jackson, 71, relies on Capital Area Transit's Share-a-Ride program five days a week to get to her job in downtown Harrisburg.

Starting today, she'll pay more as the bus service, which picks up and returns elderly and disabled residents at their homes, will cost her $2.25 per trip, up from $1.

The fare increase will cost her about $50 more each month -- money she said she doesn't have.

"It's a little steep for senior citizens," she said. "Everybody's going to have trouble paying it."

CAT's prices aren't changing. A typical ride costs $15 -- but by state law, those eligible for Share-a-Ride have to foot only 15 percent of the bill, or $2.25.

In the past, the Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging pitched in so seniors paid no more than $1.

Now, due to flat funding and rising costs, the agency can't afford to help out -- leaving seniors on their own.

The agency, which has an annual budget of $8.5 million, was projected to have a $1 million deficit if it continued its current pace of spending, Director Robert Burns said.

Burns said the Share-a-Ride subsidy, which costs $100,000 a year, was an area the agency could scrap without causing severe health or security consequences for seniors.

"That is not to say this is not a hardship to the affected seniors," he said. "We understand it is."

The agency didn't want to eliminate other programs, such as home-delivered meals, assistance in finding nursing homes and care managers who visit homes, he said.

Bus fare assistance began in the late-1990s, when the agency had a surplus. Now struggling to find funds, the agency has to pass on some of the cost, Burns said.

He said the agency hopes to find money to continue helping for essential trips, such as medical appointments and adult day care, and will monitor its financial standing each month. The cost for those trips will remain $1 until Aug. 1, he said.

But other outings offered by Share-a-Ride, such as group breakfasts or shopping trips to the Frackville Mall, Burns saw as a less-constructive use of taxpayer money.

Chitaranjan Mehta, 69, rode to work in Harrisburg via Share-a-Ride every day for the past two years -- but said yesterday was the last time. Now, he plans to rearrange his schedule to catch a different bus that will cost $1.20 per ride.

"It is really creating a lot of trouble," he said.

Jackson said she doesn't have that option -- the transit buses don't drive by her house on Kensington Street.

She said she hasn't yet figured out her plan for the future.

"I really don't know," she said.

[EastSideHBG]

Good news!!!

AIRPORT AUTHORITY

HIA sees increases in traffic

Thursday, July 01, 2004
BY ELLEN LYON
Of The Patriot-News

Passenger traffic at Harrisburg International Airport rose nearly 6.4 percent in May -- 123,464 travelers passed through the airport -- when compared to the same month last year, HIA officials reported yesterday.

So far this year, traffic is up nearly 6.5 percent from last year, with 557,383 travelers using HIA since January.

Nationwide, the number of airline passengers fell 4.9 percent in May, with an increase of 4.7 percent so far this year, officials noted.

HIA Aviation Director Fred Testa attributed the traffic increase at Harrisburg to a new TransMeridian Airline non-stop flight to Orlando, Fla., expanded Northwest service to Minneapolis and the use of larger planes by US Airways, Delta and American Eagle.

The Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority, which owns and operates HIA and Capital City Airport in Fairview Twp., will be adding another airport to its portfolio.

The authority board voted unanimously yesterday to buy Chambersburg Municipal Airport in Greene Twp., Franklin County, from Chambersburg borough for $790,000, plus the cost of an appraisal, engineering and environmental reviews and legal work.

The borough, which built the general aviation airport on 93 acres in the late 1960s, had wanted to close it, but the Federal Aviation Administration stepped in and asked the authority to buy it. The FAA is providing a $750,000 grant and another $41,660 in funding, and the state is kicking in $20,833, Testa said.

The authority is required to provide $25,657 in matching funds to buy the airport and snow-removal equipment, Testa said. It already has spent $43,326 for an engineering review and other expenses, he added.

Testa estimated that the airport needs about $1.8 million in improvements, for which he plans to pursue grants. He said the authority's goal is to make the financially troubled facility self-supporting.

Chambersburg Municipal Airport will close on July 27 and reopen on July 29 as Franklin County Regional Airport.

The airport has a 3,300-foot-long and 75-foot-wide asphalt runway, a 1,150-square-foot administration building, nine T-hangars and 11,730 square feet of conventional hangar space, according to information supplied by the authority.

About 30 private aircraft and the Chambersburg Skydiving Center, which HIA officials said is the largest such center on the East Coast, are based at the airport.

In recent years, the airport has lost business because it doesn't sell fuel, but the authority intends to make fuel available there again, Testa said.

The authority does not anticipate having to hire additional staff to maintain and operate the airport.

"In the beginning it's going to be run much as it has been," by people already there, Testa said.

In other action yesterday, the board unanimously:

• Approved the purchase of two heavy-equipment loaders with two 30-foot ramp plows for $591,563 from Elliot & Frantz of Harrisburg. The loaders will be used for snow removal.
• Awarded a $191,500 contract to URS Corp. of Hunt Valley, Md., for engineering services on a new taxiway at HIA to replace an existing one.
• Accepted a $15 million, three-year, revolving line of credit from Waypoint Bank. It will be used to pay bills while the airport awaits receipt of federal and state grants, officials said.

[wrightchr]

nice articles Dave...I especially like the fact that the airport authority added Franklin County Regional Airport to the opperations. I think this will be good for the region. anyway, i just moved into my new apt. in wormleysburg so I won't have internet till next friday. I am going to stop in at my parents place from time to time to check email, pick up mail, etc: so if you don't see me for awhile, now you know why

also, thanks again for posting that corridorone stuff up. i didn't have time to get to it, but i figured if i posted it here, the word would get out!

[EastSideHBG]

Well I guess the PM I just sent you today about getting together sometime this weekend won't do much good LOL

You're very welcome, Chris. Thankfully you kept me updated on the info (I really need to check their sites more often).

Congrats on the new digs!!! Take some pictures maybe? *hint hint* Speaking of, where the hell are your pics on the office buildings in Camp Hill. :nono:

[harrisburger]

ugh....that story about the DID really bothers me...i mean come one, i know it may be a little financial setback, but is it not worth continuing the downtown's renaissance? i really hope the property owners realize this in time...or i won't have a place to work

[wrightchr]

thanks for the PM dave...i'll get back to you on when and where we could meet up. i have your number so i'll give you a call sometime this weekend. are you going to see the fireworks monday night?

harrisburger...i hope you don't lose your job. i think these other businesses and owners will come around. the money keeps the community clean but it also goes towards new projects as well (at least i think). like new sidewalk repairs, trees, lighting, etc. right?

[harrisburger]

yeah...the DID handles all of that stuff...and the promotions and sponsor-finding for the events...and so much more

[EastSideHBG]

Originally Posted by wrightchr

thanks for the PM dave...i'll get back to you on when and where we could meet up. i have your number so i'll give you a call sometime this weekend. are you going to see the fireworks monday night?

Not sure yet. I missed it last year because of work (well I could still see them from my work, so I didn't miss them technically ) so I will probably end up being there. It does get terribly crowded, though, and I think this year will be a madhouse. :nuts: I guess going will all depend on my mood I guess LOL

harrisburger...i hope you don't lose your job. i think these other businesses and owners will come around. the money keeps the community clean but it also goes towards new projects as well (at least i think). like new sidewalk repairs, trees, lighting, etc. right?

I do think the DID has done some wonderful things for DT and I want them around, but I can see a few of the business owners points. I know I wouldn't want to pay for services from the city that I am already paying a contractor to do. But then again I would just cancel the contractor's services LOL

[EastSideHBG]

Council to consider borrowing for stadium

Hall of fame, ballpark proposal could total $26 million, House says

Monday, July 05, 2004
BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News

The Harrisburg City Council is considering borrowing up to $26 million to overhaul the city's minor league baseball park and build a National Sports Hall Of Fame, both on City Island.

The council's first hearing on the proposed borrowing is set for 5:30 p.m. tomorrow in council chambers.

Both borrowings are part of a single piece of legislation, but council President Richard House said the two projects might be considered separately.

"We have to do the baseball stadium," House said, referring to Commerce Bank Park, formerly RiverSide Stadium, home to the Harrisburg Senators minor-league baseball club. "That has to be the No. 1 priority."

The improved ballpark could have 1,700 more seats for a total of 8,000; skyboxes; a party deck above the right-field fence and a restaurant above the fence in left field; clubhouses for the players; and a grand entry for the fans.

It's also possible that the overhauled stadium could become home to a Class AAA minor-league franchise if the city can swing a deal to sell the AA Senators and attract another franchise.

Either way, House said the improvements are badly needed.

"We have one of the oldest stadiums," he said. "It's outgrown itself. We have a Little League stadium for minor-league baseball."

House estimated that the cost for the planned improvements to the stadium, could top $25 million, with the state expected to match local funds.

House indicated that the ballpark borrowing would likely be put on the legislative fast track as plans call for construction to begin at the end of this baseball season.

There is much less urgency associated with the planned National Sports Hall of Fame, at least in the city council's view.

"Right now, I don't think the hall of fame is that much of a priority," House said.

"It will be council's prerogative whether we want to separate the two projects. But I don't think the hall of fame is on the same track as the baseball stadium."

Mayor Stephen R. Reed has proposed a 65,000-square-foot museum for City Island and is pushing for construction to begin within the year.

A large portion of the design work has been done, and the state has already earmarked $9.5 million in the capital budget for the project.

Originally, the $20 million hall of fame was planned as a joint project between the city and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame organization, which would have raised up to $5 million for the project and would have operated the museum. But the two sides parted ways last year, causing more than a year's delay.

[EastSideHBG]

Walnut-Progress intersection traffic solutions to be studied

Sunday, July 04, 2004
BY MARY KLAUS
Of The Patriot-News

Like most motorists, James Armbruster gets tired of sitting in traffic at Walnut Street and Progress Avenue.

Armbruster, Penbrook Planning Commission chairman, says it's time to do something about an area he says "can no longer support the amount of traffic it gets."

The 21/2-mile stretch between the state Capitol and the intersection of Walnut Street and Progress Avenue gets 46,730 vehicles a day, said Diane Myers-Krug, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission transportation planner.

The agency that decides which midstate road projects are built has included a $1.3 million preliminary engineering study of the area for 2005. The study will be paid for with tax money.

Walnut Street, the main street in Penbrook, links Harrisburg and Susquehanna Twp.

"That area has been busy for years," Armbruster said, noting that traffic increased as Colonial Park Mall grew and as Colonial Commons and Paxton Crossing were built. "A person driving from 13th and State streets in Harrisburg to the Colonial Park Mall between 4 and 6 p.m. can have a 40-minute drive."

He said numerous accidents, mostly involving motorists turning left from Walnut Street to Progress Avenue, occur at the intersection. "Also, pedestrians don't have enough time to get across street before the light changes. That's dangerous."

Greg Penny, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, said one of the biggest problems is the heavy east-west traffic on Walnut Street simultaneous with north-south traffic on Progress Avenue.

"There's not a left turn arrow for people who are going from Colonial Park toward the city and want to turn left onto South Progress Avenue toward Union Deposit [Road]," he said.

Armbruster said Walnut Street is extra busy these days "as more people drive on it to keep away from the Interstate 81 construction. I-81 has a lot of truck traffic, with many trucks going faster than 55 mph. For these reasons, we need some relief in the intersection improvement project."

He predicted that the problem will get worse when the "high-end" shopping mall at Valley Road opens and if the proposed Wal-Mart is built.

[EastSideHBG]

And so it begins...


HALIFAX TWP.

Hurdles end for Lenker project

Tuesday, July 06, 2004
BY BRET FLEDDERJOHN
For The Patriot-News

The builder of Lenker Estates has cleared the last hurdle for the construction of possibly the largest housing development in the northern tier of Dauphin County.

After almost two years of legal battles and heated debate, Donco Construction fulfilled the last obligations of a settlement agreement with Halifax Twp.

It clears the way for construction of the first phase of the project, a 129-home subdivision near routes 147 and 225. Some neighbors had opposed the project, citing concerns about increased traffic and development in the rural area.

Mark Silver, attorney for Donco Construction, presented to the board $3.1 million as financial guarantees for improvements to roads, utilities and structures. Donco has paid all outstanding engineering fees due the township, thus fulfilling all the requirements of the settlement agreement.

The township has already approved a second phase of the project with about 30 homes, but the 129-home subdivision had been denied by Halifax Twp. in August 2002.

Donco appealed the denial in court, and a final agreement was arrived at in February after a third-party engineer and a solicitor were hired by the township. At one stage of the negotiations, Donco threatened a federal civil-rights violation lawsuit against the township.

Sewer pact signed:

More construction might be following suit in Halifax Twp., with the completion of a long-awaited agreement with the Halifax Area Sewer Authority.

This agreement was important to Giant Foods Corp., which is moving forward on an expansion of its store on Route 225.

Also, restaurateur Bill Hale has presented plans for a second Wooden Nickel restaurant for Halifax Twp., which could have been blocked if the sewer lines could not be extended.

It took seven revisions, but the sewer authority has approved the joint operating agreement with the township. Negotiations of the pact with the township took months.

Replacing the attorney:

There are three candidates who will be interviewed to replace ousted solicitor Bruce Warshawsky of the Harrisburg-based firm of Metzger Wickersham.

Tom Wenger of the Harrisburg law firm of Wix, Wenger, and Weidner; Steven Stein, an independent attorney; and Guy Beneventano of Harrisburg-based Nauman, Smith, Shissler and Hall have been tapped to interview for the township solicitor position.

The candidates will be interviewed in executive sessions, which are closed to the public. The board will vote on a new solicitor during its meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Warshawsky's contract expired on Wednesday, so the board has agreed to pay Warshawsky his hourly rate of $150 plus fees for travel and administrative charges until the new solicitor takes over.

According to Supervisor Pat Kauffman, Warshawsky's current retainer agreement is $1,000 per month.

In ousting Warshawsky, supervisors voting for his dismissal said they needed a change. Two supervisors said those voting to remove him did so because he gave advice they sometimes did not like.

Shearer keeps post:

Chairwoman Norma Shearer survived a vote to remove her from the role of chairwoman. The move was initiated by supervisor Pat Kauffman on the basis she felt Shearer's leadership was "a dictatorship," she said.

The motion was defeated 3-2. Shearer, Michael Decker and Linda Ruff voted to retain Shearer as chairwoman.

[EastSideHBG]

Good news!!! That lot is in a good spot, and it's such an eyesore now.


Print shop to build on Cameron, Herr lots

Federal, state, local grants to help firm expand its business
Thursday, July 08, 2004
BY JACK SHERZER
Of The Patriot-News

A new printing facility promising to create 118 jobs may soon transform an overgrown 8-acre lot used to store boats and truck trailers.

With the help of federal, state and local grants and loans, Advanced Communications, an 8-year-old Penbrook-based printing operation, is looking to expand its operations by building a $28 million plant at the Cameron and Herr streets site.

The company hopes to break ground by the end of the year and open for business by the end of 2005, Advanced Communications' president said.

Finding a buyer to turn a 30-year eyesore along one of the city's busiest roads into a productive part of Harrisburg's industrial and commercial community has long been a goal of the administration, said Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed.

"We're pleased with it," Reed said of the plans. "It's a highly visible area and it's a signature project. It's a win-win for the city and the company."

Advanced Communications is also committed to training area residents for the jobs, which will pay well above minimum wage and offer benefits, said David R. Dodd II, president of the privately held firm.

"We are going to be including child care and a training center so that we can bring in those that do not yet have the skills and elevate them to semi- and fully skilled positions," Dodd said.

He said the child care and cafeteria would charge on an ability-to-pay basis. "We're going to try and get some people back into the work force that just can't afford day care," Dodd said.

Advanced Communications, which opened its doors in 1996 with a plant in uptown Harrisburg, prints high-end commercial publications, brochures and marketing materials, Dodd said.

The company moved to a 44,000-square-foot building at 3000 Canby St. in Penbrook in 2002.

It now employees about 50 people.

The Dauphin County Industrial Development Authority made $1.2 million in tax-exempt loans to the $1.7 million project.

Dodd said that facility will continue to operate and grow, but that the company needed a larger site for bigger machines and a paper recycling operation.

The Cameron and Herr street location was perfect, he said.

The location is composed of three lots; Advanced is buying two.

Government financing is critical to the project, Dodd said.

Dauphin County and the city are each backing loans of $3 million, which are backed up by federal Community Development Block Grants.

Additionally, the state is expected to give a $5 million grant for the project, county and city officials said.

The city helped pave the path for the project in the late 1990s, when it secured $640,000 from the state under brownfields money, Reed said.

The city used the money to tear down an abandoned brick building and clean up contamination at the former steel foundry, which in the 1800s had made cannonballs.

Because the area is in the flood zone, the factory must be elevated -- an added expense that makes government financing critical, Dodd said.

The business will get additional help from the city's 10-year tax abatement on new or improved construction. The factory, expected to have an assessed value of at least $16 million, will pay no real estate taxes the first year and 10 percent each year thereafter, Reed said.

"The first couple years of a new business are always the toughest with cash flow," Reed said. "You don't want to have tax policy that unwittingly kills off new business."

County Commission Chairman Jeff Haste also said that without help from government, private companies would likely be unable to reuse urban land, possibly leading to more urban sprawl.

"The last thing you want people to see when they come in is a vacant lot where it is very clear something was there at some time before," Haste said. "It was an income-producing property before, and you want to have that look again."

[EastSideHBG]

'Wish-list' projects vie for share of $13 billion

Rendell must approve requests before budgeted funds are released

Thursday, July 08, 2004
BY MATT MILLER
Of The Patriot-News

In the vast scope of Pennsylvania's new $13 billion capital budget, $750,000 seems like a trifle.

But that relative sliver of cash may soon translate into more lake and less muck at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.

The money is slated to pay for the dredging of Laurel Lake, one of the midstate's top summertime swimming spots.

That makes Park Manager Ken Boyles happy. He's sick of the lily pads and mud that choke a third of the lake, hampering fishing and boating.

"Over the years, the lake has become incredibly silted up," Boyles said. "The whole west end is full of lily pads and muck. It has about two inches of water in it."

The dredging money is listed on the capital budget, but the check isn't exactly in the mail.

The capital budget is a wish list, an opportunity to see what grand-scale plans state and local municipalities have in their books, from funding for art and history museums to a multi-million dollar upgrade to a cancer facility.

But it's not a done deal. In fact, the money reserved for Laurel Lake, and for scores of other midstate projects, won't be released unless Gov. Ed Rendell approves each request individually.

Traditionally, many projects go unfunded.

"The public needs to be aware that this is just a permission slip. It's up to the governor to set priorities," said Barry Kauffman, state director of the Common Cause citizens watchdog group. "Some of these projects, I understand, have been on the list for decades."

Kauffman said he has not reviewed specifics of the new budget package. His group has rarely opposed items simply because they appear on the capital budget, he said.

While the funding odds may be long, midstaters can still hope, and several big-ticket local projects are earmarked for capital budget cash.

A hefty $56 million would go to enhance children's and cancer treatment facilities at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Derry Twp., where a $500 million, multi-year expansion is in the works.

Just up the road, $25 million is tagged to renovate downtown Hershey, which critics say has become rather shabby.

Paul Clark, chairman of the Derry Twp. supervisors, said the money would go for a transportation center -- the "keystone" of the project proposed by the local industrial and commercial redevelopment authority -- and to realign winding streets and a railroad bridge that make getting in and out of downtown a hassle.

"That $25 million would probably get us between one-third and one-half of the way there," Clark said.

"Tourism is a big business in Pennsylvania and Hershey is the crown jewel of tourism," he said. "That jewel has to be polished occasionally."

Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed is seeking tourism dollars, too, with a thrust toward museums. Much of the $100 million-plus in capital budget funds slated for Harrisburg is aimed at Reed's sometimes-contested museum projects.

The budget allots $20 million for the Museum of the Old West, a project Reed put on hold amid criticism; $14.9 million for a National Center for Civil War Studies at the National Civil War Museum; $5 million for a Susquehanna Art Museum; and $2 million for a National Museum of African-American History.

Another $13 million would finance expansion of Commerce Bank Park, formerly known as RiverSide Stadium.

Harrisburg isn't the only recipient of museum-related cash.

The capital budget has $30 million for the Army Heritage & Education Center, a $100 million Army museum/research facility just east of Carlisle.

A lot of money is aimed at business and transit projects.

The TechPort business park and redevelopment of the Harrisburg Mall in Swatara Twp. are eyed for $25 million, and $20 million is earmarked for a new multimodal terminal at Harrisburg International Airport, which is to get $6 million more to renovate the existing terminal.

The state may invest $10 million in Amtrak's Keystone Corridor, which includes the Lancaster-to-Harrisburg line, and $29.2 million in the controversial Corridor One midstate commuter rail plan.

In a more stationary vein, $10 million is slated for a parking garage for Wormleysburg, a first for that river town.

Aging military veterans would benefit from $12 million set aside to build a veterans home in Lebanon County. At Loysville Youth Development Center in Perry County, $12.9 million is tagged for an 80-unit expansion of the juvenile detention facilities.

Local colleges and universities have a slice of capital budget pie.

Dickinson College could get $20 million for a life science center. Harrisburg Area Community College would receive nearly $47 million for expansions and upgrades at its facilities in Harrisburg, Gettysburg and Lancaster.

Another $14 million would help Shippensburg University renovate Memorial Auditorium and Dauphin Humanities Center, while Lebanon Valley College would get $7.5 million to renovate Garber Science Hall and develop a new science center.

A $30 million chunk is tied to expanding The Dickinson School of Law campus in Carlisle, which has been the focus of controversy amid a plan to move the school to Penn State University's main campus.

A new plan to have two law school campuses -- in State College and Carlisle -- is now before the law school's board of governors.

[EastSideHBG]

This debate is really heating up. People against Wal-Mart, people against the new church...


Church presents revised building plans

Friday, July 09, 2004
BY PHYLLIS ZIMMERMAN
For The Patriot-News

After two months of delays, the Holy Name of Jesus Church last night presented the West Hanover Twp. Zoning Hearing Board with revised plans for the church and school complex it wants to build at Oak Grove and Sterling roads.

Wal-Mart plans to buy the church's current site in Lower Paxton Twp. and build a 203,000-square-foot superstore. Lower Paxton supervisors are expected to make a decision on that plan July 20.

At press time last night, the West Hanover Twp. zoning hearing board had made no decision on new variance requests from the church. Nor had the packed room of residents had a chance to comment, because of the length of the church's presentation.

In West Hanover, Holy Name of Jesus plans to build a 66,000-square foot school for grades K-8; a 30,000-square foot church; athletic fields; and 733 parking spaces. The church proposes to use land owned by the Diocese of Harrisburg at Oak Grove and Sterling roads, next to Resurrection Cemetery.

The church is seeking two new zoning variances while discarding the four original variance requests it presented to the board in April. The new requests involve environmental protection zones and parking.

The church is asking to build a footbridge over Beaver Creek to connect the athletic fields to the church and a utility crossing through the creek area for a sanitary sewer line. A variance is required because those structures would be built within 25 feet of stream, wetland and hillside environmental protection areas.

Project engineer David Wyebrick said the areas in question amount to less than 5 percent of the property's protected zones.

The church also is proposing a parking area about 800 feet from a main building, 500 feet further than what the township normally allows.

Resident Bob Garland, of Rabbit Lane, said he didn't like the variance requests presented for environmental protection areas.

"From what I heard tonight, they designed this whole complex and then tried to find a place to put it. To me, they're cramming it in," said Garland, a member of the township's Environmental Advisory and Public Safety councils.

The church plans to present revised blueprints to the West Hanover Planning Commission on Thursday.

[EastSideHBG]

AREA DEVELOPMENT: LAKEVIEW AT WAVERLY

BOTH WORLDS

Condos offer mountain views and city lights

Sunday, July 11, 2004
BY BARBARA TRAININ BLANK
For The Patriot-News

Spectacular views of the Blue Mountains are one of the draws of Lakeview at Waverly, a new development of one-floor condominium homes in Susquehanna Twp.

Convenience is another: despite the closeness to nature, Lakeview at Waverly is minutes from downtown Harrisburg. The development is within a half-mile of Oakhurst Plaza, anchored by Giant Foods and CVS, and only a mile from recreational facilities such as Sportsmen's Golf Course and Blue Ridge Country Club.

Lakeview at Waverly is near Interstate 81 and Route 39 and within the Susquehanna Twp. School District.

The builder is R&L Construction; the developer is Waverly Woods Associates.

Lakeview at Waverly is a one-phase project totaling 42 units, of which 15 have been completed.

Public utilities are underground. The development has street lamps, and the facade of the homes is brick -- soldier-course brick and in-laid keystone -- and vinyl siding.

Financing is conventional and also available through the Federal Housing Administration, Fannie Mae, Veterans Administration and the Pennsylvania Housing Financing Agency. There is an association fee of $118 monthly to cover ground and exterior maintenance, snow removal, building reserve and common area insurance. An on-site, 24-hour-a-day fitness center is planned.

Standard features of the homes in Lakeview at Waverly include a two-car garage with an opener; Kohler windows and an insulation package that meets Energy Star standards; plush wall-to-wall carpeting; vinyl flooring in the kitchen and foyer; and laundry hookups. All homes come with a General Electric appliance package.

The homes feature great rooms with cathedral and 9-foot ceilings as well as large windows, creating an abundance of natural lighting throughout.

There are two models, both with two bedrooms and two baths. The Prestwick is 1,300 square feet, and costs $157,900. The 1,600-square-foot Cambridge model offers a whirlpool in the master bath. Its price is $177,900.

Both models also are available with an exposed walk-out basement, with prices starting at $179,900 for the Prestwick, and $194,900 for the Cambridge.

[EastSideHBG]

*testing the mic* F*CK CUMBERLAND COUNTY!!! If there is a way to be a super-NIMBY and screw shit up, they will find a way.


Cumberland emphasizes rail-test demand

Tuesday, July 13, 2004
BY MATT MILLER
Of Our Carlisle Bureau

CARLISLE - Cumberland County commissioners are drawing a line at the Susquehanna River.

They are vowing to oppose any bid to bring the Corridor One commuter rail plan into their county unless a test first proves the system would attract enough riders to be economically viable.

In a letter to commissioners in Dauphin and Lancaster counties, Cumberland commissioners again are calling for a three-year, $25 million test on Amtrak's Lancaster-to-Harrisburg line to see if commuter rail will work in the midstate.

Initial plans for the rail service, proposed by the Modern Transit Partnership, call for it to be launched on a Lancaster-to-Harrisburg-to-Mechanicsburg line.

"We will determine what's going on [in Cumberland] as far as transportation," Commissioner Rick Rovegno said yesterday.

"We feel we need to do the test to come up with solid information on the usage," Cumberland Commission Chairman Bruce Barclay said.

The letter on Corridor One comes amid a tug-of-war over the project's fate.

Cumberland's board has avidly pushed for the Amtrak line test, noting a test was recommended by experts who evaluated the plan for Modern Transit Partnership.

"At the conclusion of the trial, we will be in a much better position to make informed decisions as to the most appropriate courses of action on regional transportation issues," Cumberland commissioners said in their letter.

They said they have told the county transportation authority to do a study of all area transit needs.

Modern Transit Partnership officials just as adamantly are insisting that launching the full $76 million Lancaster-to-Mechanicsburg line is vital, and that no test would be accurate unless it included potential West Shore ridership.

Dauphin County commissioners agree, and Lancaster County commissioners are backing Corridor One with an eye to providing rail service between Harrisburg International Airport and a convention center being built in their county.

Lancaster Commissioner Molly Henderson said that while her board backs the full Corridor One plan, it hopes to find some means of "adapting" the proposal to make it more acceptable to the Cumberland commissioners.

Dauphin County Commissioner Nick DiFrancesco said he was skeptical of the rail proposal initially, but now is convinced Corridor One is the best option, since traffic in the region will only increase.