TheBurg

8 | theburgnews.com | 12.19 so noteD Doug Hill last month was appointed as a member of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (ICA), the state- appointed body created to oversee Harrisburg's five-year financial recovery plan. Hill replaces fellow city resident David Schankweiler, who left the ICA in September. HACC will end its longstanding "Live at Rose Lehrman" performing arts series with the conclusion of the current season in March, it was announced last month. HACC stated that it could no longer offset the cost of the 35-year- old series, which brought many world-class acts to the college's Harrisburg campus. Harris Family Brewing last month received a zoning variance to open a brewery at 1721 Holly St. in Harrisburg. e owners, Shaun Harris, JT omas and Tim White, expect to open next year, becoming one of the first black- owned craft breweries in Pennsylvania. e owners needed a variance to open the brewery in an area of Allison Hill not zoned for the industrial use. e site will produce beer only for wholesale as the owners continue to search for a retail taproom. Jason Meckes has been named experience development director by Visit Hershey & Harrisburg. In this role, he will work to develop new products and experiences that enhance the visitor experience and attract new audiences to the area, according to the organization. Meckes previously served as the executive director of the Harrisburg Area Riverboat Society. Lawrance Binda, co-owner and editor-in-chief of eBurg, has been named to the board of directors of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, the trade association for news organizations in the commonwealth. PNA seeks to advance the interests of Pennsylvania news media companies and protect the free and independent press, among other goals. Seven Bridges Development has withdrawn its application to change the zoning for a swath of Midtown Harrisburg. e company now says it will engage in greater community outreach before submitting a more detailed development proposal next year. Seven Bridges wants to develop empty lots in the Marketplace neighborhood now owned by the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority, but has received some resistance from residents wanting more information on the company's proposed projects. Soul Burrito opened a standalone restaurant last month at 314 S. Progress Ave., Harrisburg, offering their unique take on the Mexican staple. Over a decade, the husband-and-wife team has built a following through several previous locations and their popular food truck. For more information, visit www.soulburrito.com. eBurg and Jeff Woodruff are the two recipients of the 2020 "Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts in the Capital Region." eBurg was recognized for its support, promotion and furtherance of the arts in central PA and Woodruff for his long service as executive director of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. eatre Harrisburg has given out the "Arts Award" each year since 1989, recognizing one organization/company and one individual annually for their contributions to the arts. city plans sale oF RiveRsiDe FiRehouse Have you ever wanted to own a fire station—some reassembly required? If so, now's your chance. Last month, Harrisburg City Council passed a resolution that the city hopes will result in the eventual sale of the historic Riverside Firehouse, which the close-knit Uptown neighborhood has long used for community events and as a polling station. e site at 3201-03 N. 4th St. is actually comprised of two parcels. One is owned by the city and the other by Riverside Fire Co. No. 15, one of many inactive volunteer fire companies in Harrisburg. Technically, the resolution transferred ownership of the city's parcel to the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority (HRA). e fire company has agreed to also transfer its ownership to HRA, according to the city. HRA then is supposed to consolidate the lots and try to sell the property, according to the resolution. "By doing this, we would allow the Redevelopment Authority to obtain both of these deeds and tie these parcels together so they can be sold for development in the future," said council member Ausha Green, chair of the public safety committee, before the unanimous vote in favor. According to Green, Fire Bureau officials supported the resolution, as the building is in need of significant repair. e bureau would like to see the building restored, even if for another, private use, Green said. Pat Waller, for one, believes the 3,300-square-foot building, built in 1923 and largely empty for decades, would make a great private residence. "It's very unique," said Waller, president of the Riverside United Neighbors community group. "I'm looking forward to when the sales sign goes up." As selling points, she pointed to the tin ceilings and historic charm, but added that a buyer would need to undertake a major restoration. "I'm quite pleased with the effort so far, but the building is in bad shape," she said. "It needs a lot of work." aRea home sales stRonG Inventory dropped and prices rose in the latest monthly accounting of Harrisburg-area home sales. e Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR) reported last month that, for October, home sales increased by 8.5 percent while the median sales price jumped by 8.1 percent for its three-county region, compared to the year- ago period. For the area, listing inventory dropped by 10 percent, while the median cumulative days on the market also fell, according to GHAR. In Dauphin County, sales totaled 302 units, up from 288, while the median price was $171,500, compared to $160,000 last October. Sales in Cumberland County also rose, totaling 324 units versus 290, with the median price increasing to $218,950 from $206,000, according to GHAR. In Perry County, 37 units sold versus 33 a year ago, while the median price rose to $179,900 compared to $172,500 in October 2018. As it has in recent months, GHAR primarily credited lower interest rates for the stronger home sales market. In October 2018, the average interest rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 4.86 percent. In October 2019, the average was 3.78 percent, according to the economic research company Macrotrends. pRivatization halteD, stoRmWateR Fee appRoveD Harrisburg is dropping the idea of potentially privatizing its water system, as Capital Region Water (CRW ) has agreed to delay the start of a new stormwater fee for six months. Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that the city would cease any effort to sell the municipal water/sewer system following discussions with, and changes by, CRW to its stormwater fee implementation schedule and evident progress in finalizing a stormwater plan. "Privatization is off the table," he said. Last month, CRW passed its 2020 rate schedule, which will implement a new stormwater fee, but not until July 1. Originally, CRW had planned to begin the fee on Jan. 1. e delay, Papenfuse said, will give some property owners "a chance to work through the appeals process" for their stormwater assessments. It also gives CRW more time to get final approval from the federal government for its plan to cut the flow of pollutants into area waterways. Rate-wise, most of CRW's residential customers in Harrisburg will begin paying a $6.15 per month stormwater fee beginning on July 1. at amount equates to $74 per year ($37 for 2020). e non-residential rate will fluctuate based on the amount of impervious surface on the commercial properties. Last month, CRW also approved an increase in its wastewater rate, which will go up 4.5 percent on Jan. 1, from $7.65 in 2019 to $7.99 in 2020 for 1,000 gallons of water. Similarly, CRW approved a rate increase for the third component of its service—drinking water. For 2020, drinking water rates will increase by 2 percent from $9.65 to $9.84 per 1,000 gallons, plus a 2 percent increase in the "ready to serve" charge. sinkhole stReet Becomes paRk Five years ago, a sinkhole began to swallow up the 1400-block of S. 14th Street in Harrisburg. Last month, the once-residential area began a new era as a community green space. City, state and federal officials—and some former residents—gathered at the South 14th Street Open Space, a new, 2.4-acre city park, which, until recently, was occupied by rows of small, 1950s-era houses and a street. "I just never saw so much open space over here," said former S. 14th Street resident Rhonda Scott, who had lived in the neighborhood for 28 years. "It's bittersweet; everybody was over here for a long time." In 2014, the disaster affected 53 homes, throwing some residents out of their houses and endangering others. Roads, sidewalks and yards were damaged as well, making it a problem the city needed to solve. At the time, Harrisburg, just out of receivership, was in no financial condition to be tackling an issue this big, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said. However, at the urging of state and local officials, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funded much of the sinkhole mitigation project, supplying the city with $1.65 million for it. Never before had FEMA approved a sinkhole project. "is project changed national policy," said Steve Ward, a FEMA federal coordinating officer who attended the ceremony. An additional $4.55 million came from HUD's Department of Community and Economic Development and Dauphin County's Community Development Block Grant.

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