TheBurg

8 | THEBURGNEWS.COM | 03.23 Bradley Gebhart last month was named the new director of development for Downtown Daily Bread in Harrisburg. Gebhart previously served in fundraising and marketing positions for several area nonprofits, including Hamilton Health Center. Corrie Lingenfelter has been named the new executive director of Downtown Daily Bread, a Harrisburg-based shelter. Previously, Lingenfelter served as food service operations director at the facility on South Street before being promoted to interim executive director last year. Garden plots of varying sizes are available this spring for free at the Atlas Street Garden, located in the 2200-block of Atlas Street in Harrisburg. Free parking and water are available on site. Interested gardeners should contact Dan Miller at danmillerhbg@gmail.com. Genevieve Fitzgibbon has been named the new president and CEO of Keystone Human Services International. Fitzgibbon has been with the Harrisburg-based multinational human services organization since 2006, most recently serving as deputy director. George Hartwick last month announced that he would seek another term as Dauphin County commissioner. Hartwick, an incumbent Democrat, will compete for his party's nomination during the May 16 primary election. Republican incumbents Mike Pries and Chad Saylor previously announced their intention to run for re-election to the three-member board. Heart and Vascular Institute at UPMC in Central Pa. recently became the first in Pennsylvania to use the new Edwards PASCAL Precision transcatheter valve repair system to treat mitral valve regurgitation. is is a common condition in which a valve connecting two chambers of the heart does not fully close, allowing blood to leak backward in the valve and impairing blood flow. SO NOTED Kimberly A. Selemba will serve as 2023 board president of the Dauphin County Bar Association. Selemba, an attorney with Saxton & Stump, replaces the 2022 board president, Scott Cooper, according to the association. Major Jordan Ames has been hired as the executive director of Veteran's Outreach of Pennsylvania, a group planning to build a "tiny homes" village for veterans in south Harrisburg. Ames is a retired, 21-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. One+ Strategies last month announced its launch as a new government and public affairs firm. According to the Harrisburg-based company, the firm brings together seasoned legal, political and government relations professionals under one roof. For more information, visit www.onestrategies.com. Renee Custer Yamani has joined Team Pennsylvania as vice president of strategic and external affairs. She previously served as chief operating officer for the Custer Group and as executive director of Harrisburg Young Professionals. Sen. John Fetterman has leased a regional office in Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg. His staff is occupying space on the fourth floor of Lerner Tower, previously rented by retired Sen. Pat Toomey. Unleashed Grooming Company opened last month at 3 N. 3rd St. in Harrisburg, part of the Shops at Strawberry Square. From the storefront location, owner Alexandra Lauch offers dog and cat grooming services, along with related pet care items for sale. Wendell Hoover will serve as 2023 president of the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors, according to the organization. Other officers include vice president Tracy Klinger, secretary/treasurer Jimmy Koury and past president Sylvia Hess. Last summer, two unique pieces of real estate splashed onto the sales market in Harrisburg—they now have a new owner. In January, the commonwealth purchased Independence and Bailey's islands, both located in the middle of the Susquehanna River near the Harvey Taylor Bridge, with the intention of conserving the land. e islands were listed in August by owners Robert and John Ensminger, whose family had owned them for generations. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the larger of the two, Independence Island, operated as a bathing and entertainment resort for visitors. Today, the islands have no permanent structures and are mostly visited by boaters. Now, the state, led by its Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), has purchased the pair of islands for $160,000. According to Seth Cassell, the Bureau of Forestry's director of planning and administration, DCNR bought the islands to conserve the land and keep it public. "We saw it as an opportunity to bring state forest land closer to our Capitol and to conserve the islands for future generations," Cassell said. As the state takes ownership, Cassell doesn't predict that much will change with the use of the islands. ey'll likely remain a place for boaters and kayakers to stop for a picnic or a rest, he said. DCNR owns many river islands across the state and several in the Susquehanna region already. "ey're great ecological resources and scenic places to preserve," Cassell said. COMMONWEALTH PURCHASES RIVER ISLANDS

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