December 2012
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TheBurgGreater Harrisburg’s Community Newspaper December 2012 Distributed in Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Lancaster and Perry counties. Free. An American Brasserie 717 213 • 4002 1829 North Front Street, Harrisburg CharsRestaurant.com Contents In the Burg 5 City Hall Street Corners 6 Around Town 10 Past Tense 11 City View Not me, p. 6 12 Doing Good 13 Community Corner 14 ShutterBurg Burg Biz 15 From the Ground Up Special Supplement Fort Hunter holiday, p. 8 Centerfold: The Burg's Annual Holiday Guide Good Eats 19 Taste of the Town 20 Home Cooking 21 Wine Time Culture Club Downtown developments, p. 15 22 Creator 23 Burg Books 24 Happenings 26 Musical Notes 27 At the Museum Sports & Bodies 29 Your Health A military history, p. 27 30 One More Thing … This month’s cover: N. 3rd and South streets, Harrisburg, late 1970s. Painting by Nick Ruggieri. TheBurg 3 TheBurg Greater Harrisburg’s Community Newspaper General & Letters TheBurg 1103 N. Front St. Harrisburg, PA 17102 www.theburgnews.com Editorial: 717-602-4300 Ad Sales: 717-350-0428 Publishers Editor: Peter Durantine [email protected] Advertising Executive: Angela Durantine [email protected] Co-Editor/Creative Director: Lawrance Binda [email protected] Staff & Contributors Advertising Sales: Andrea Black [email protected] Reporters: T.W. Burger [email protected] Sylvia Grove [email protected] Ruth Hoover-Seitz [email protected] Stephanie Kalina-Metzger [email protected] Carol Maravic [email protected] M. Diane McCormick [email protected] Lori Myers [email protected] Barbara Trainin Blank Mike Walsh [email protected] Pamela Waters Columnists: Cinema: Kevyn Knox [email protected] Cooking: Rosemary Ruggieri Baer [email protected] Wine: Steve Juliana [email protected] Local History: Jason Wilson [email protected] Outdoors: Kermit Henning [email protected] Pets: Kristen Zellner [email protected] Gardening: Jim Stanton [email protected] 4 TheBurg In the Burg City Hall Council to Choose New Member Public interviews, vote set for December. Lawrance Binda s many as six hopefuls will be experience and include several Protest Buffer Zone Disruption Law OK'd Ainterviewed on Dec. 3 by the people who have run for public office Harrisburg City Council to fill an open previously, including Patricia Stringer, The Harrisburg City Council last Harrisburg took a step last month to seat. Ellis "Rick" Roy, Camille Erice and month voted unanimously to place hold negligent landlords responsible Thirty-three residents applied Joseph Solomon. restrictions on how close protesters for their disruptive tenants. to fill the seat being vacated by Kim is leaving the Council can get to a healthcare facility. The City Council unanimously Councilwoman Patty Kim, who held it because she was elected last month With the new law, people can approved an ordinance that would for six years. to the state Assembly for the 103rd protest no closer than 20 feet of cause landlords to lose their rental Each of the six remaining council House district, which includes driveways and entryways of facilities permits if the same property is cited members will be allowed to select a Harrisburg, Steelton, Highspire and that include abortion clinics. twice by the city for disruption finalist from the applications received parts of Swatara Township. The House Harrisburg's Planned Parenthood violations over a 12-month period. for the seat. seat was open after the retirement of asked for the retrictions, saying that In addition, the property would After interviews are held at the long-time state Rep. Ron Buxton. its building at N. 2nd and Boyd streets be deemed unfit for habitation if public meeting, the newest council The Dec. 3 meeting to interview has been subjected to aggressive the landlord did not begin eviction member will be appointed for one finalists is slated for 5:30 p.m. in City protests since it began offering drug- proceedings against the tenant within year by a majority vote of City Council. Council chambers. A vote to select a induced abortions about a year ago. 15 days of notice by the city. Applicants to fill the seat range new member will be held at a special Protesters violating the zone face The Capital Area Rental Property widely in age, background and meeting on Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m. a $50 fine for a first offense, a $150 Owners Association opposed the fine for a second offense and a $300 measure, saying it would provide an fine and jail time for a third offense. undue burden on landlords. City Can Pay Bills until mid-Month Harrisburg could run out of money Currently, Harrisburg is finalizing by year-end, according to the latest an agreement for the sale of its estimate from city receiver William troubled incinerator to the Lancaster Lynch. Solid Waste Management Authority If additional money is not found, and for the long-term lease of its the city could miss its final payroll of parking system to Harrisburg First the year, he said. LLC, an arm of the multinational To make the $1 million payroll investment services firm Guggenheim and continue to pay vendors, Mayor Partners. Linda Thompson would like to sell the Harrisburg's coffers were city's tax liens, a move that the City expected to be bare in early Council has previously rejected. autumn. However, the city skipped a Alternatively, the city could September general obligation bond withhold vendor payments or ask for payment, then received a $2 million an advance on the sale or lease of city public safety grant from the state, assets, Lynch said. which enabled it to continue to pay its workforce. Unoccupied Occupy Harrisburg last month packed up its encampment, providing an unfettered view of the state Capitol once again. The movement took root with protests in September 2011, with a short-lived tent city in Riverfront Park. It then set up a large canopy at the foot of the Capitol steps, where it became a fixture for more than a year. TheBurg 5 Street Corners Around Town Incinerator: Not My Fault Buck continues to get passed at Senate hearing. Lawrance Binda debt was being piled Unkovic said that "25 to 50 people Several witnesses also blamed too high, that some and institutions collectively caused public and appointed officials from debt was being used this devastation" and urged senators Harrisburg, Dauphin County and the to pay other debt, to ask the state's attorney general and Harrisburg Authority for voting several that debt was added the U.S. attorney to investigate. times to mount greater and greater and re-packaged to If they decline, the Assembly levels of debt. push out loan terms should appoint a special prosecutor to "All the public officials knew what and that the Reed conduct an investigation, he said. the situation was," said Carol Cocheres administration was As in the original hearing, several of Pittsburgh-based Eckert Seamens, using fees it received of the individuals involved testified, which represented the Harrisburg for guaranteeing debt saying they shared little, if any, Authority as bond counsel for the to plug holes in the responsibility for decisions that has 2007 financing and as underwriter's city's general fund. buried Harrisburg under about $340 counsel for the 2003 financing. "It stunk like a kettle million in incinerator-related debt, She singled out Dauphin Finger pointer: Former Harrisburg receiver David Unkovic of rotten fish," said nearly bankrupting the city. County for special blame, as county told state senators that public officials and consultants bear Unkovic. "This is the For the most part, they placed commissioners were instrumental blame for the city's financial crisis. One by one, they denied worst set of financings blame at the feet of general contractor responsibility. in pushing the incinerator retrofit I've ever seen." Barlow Projects Inc. and its engineers forward, but then successfully fought Unkovic testified at for a faulty incinerator design, trouble- a waste fee increase in 2009. If the tate senators last month got no the second hearing on the Harrisburg plagued construction and wildly county had agreed to the hike, the closer to unlocking the mystery S incinerator held by the Senate's Local inaccurate cost estimates. Authority would have been able to of who's at fault for the Harrisburg Government Committee. "If (owner) Jim Barlow had continue to pay its debt, she said. incinerator fiasco, even as the city's He added that the actions of provided the project on time and "You've blamed the elected former receiver condemned the key those involved affected much more on budget, we wouldn't be here officials," said Sen. Mike Folmer, clearly players in the crisis for their actions. than one project. Because of the today," said Andrew Giorgione, former frustrated. "The elected officials have David Unkovic, who resigned actions of officials and consultants, counsel for the Harrisburg Authority. blamed the consultants and advisers." as receiver in March, said "25 to 50" residents have had their lives seriously On Oct. 4, during the committee's Former Authority board member entities share collective blame for the affected, with higher tax rates, lower first hearing, several witnesses, James Ellison echoed Cocheres' view. debacle, but was especially critical property values and insufficient including former Mayor Stephen Reed, "We went to the Harrisburg City of the experienced financial and government services. also blamed Barlow. Moreover, they Council and said we needed the rate legal professionals who should have "The people of Harrisburg have pointed fingers at financial and legal increase, and they gave it to us," he realized that something was amiss. not been treated well by their public advisers, saying they were taking said. "But when we went to Dauphin They should have seen, he said, officials and the public finance their advice that the incinerator's fees County, we found ourselves embroiled numerous red flags, including that industry," he said.