December 2010

TheBurgGreater Harrisburg’s Community Newspaper December 2010 Distributed in Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Lancaster and Perry counties. Free. Contents In the Burg 4 City Hall Street Corners 6 Around Town 9 Past Tense 10 ShutterBurg The girl with the toys, p. 6 11 Doing Good Burg Biz 12 Shop Window 13 Face of Business 14 From the Ground Up Good Eats 18 Home Cooking Get shoppy, p. 12 19 Taste of the Town Culture Club 20 Creator 21 Burg Books 22 Happenings 24 Stage Door 25 Musical Notes Art, after dark, p. 20 Home & Family 26 Family Life 27 Wags & Whiskers Sports & Bodies 28 Great Outdoors Under the silver tree, p. 26 29 Your Health 30 Move It! This month’s cover: Christmas in the Capitol TheBurg 3 In the Burg City Hall No Tax Increases Decision Delayed Price Is Right: City TheBurg in Budget Proposal on Act 47 Status Gets Free Lawyers Greater Harrisburg’s Community Newspaper General & Letters arrisburg Mayor Linda Harrisburg should finally learn Harrisburg was handed a rare piece TheBurg HThompson proposed a 2011 this month whether it will enter of good news last month, as the 1103 N. Front St. budget last month that would not Pennsylvania’s “Act 47” program for prestigious, white shoe law firm of Harrisburg, PA 17102 www.theburgnews.com hike property taxes or water rates, distressed municipalities. Cravath, Swaine & Moore agreed but would raise parking fees and A decision likely will take place to provide legal services to the City Editorial: 717-602-4300 lead to Fire Bureau cuts. around mid-December, after more Council—for free. Ad Sales: 717-350-0428 The $56.4 million spending plan procedural hurdles are cleared. The New York-based firm was Publishers now goes to the City Council, which Austin Burke, secretary of the one of five law firms interviewed Editor: Peter Durantine will hold a series of budget hearings state’s Department of Community by the council, which was seeking [email protected] this month. A final council vote on and Economic Development, legal counsel to advise it on such Advertising Executive: the budget is slated for Dec. 16. was expected to make a decision complex matters as the state’s Act 47 Angela Durantine Thompson called her budget soon after the Oct. 20 hearing on distressed municipality program and [email protected] “an approach that best serves the the city’s application to enter the Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy. city of Harrisburg.” program, which provides funding Council member Brad Koplinski Co-Editor/Creative Director: Lawrance Binda Several council members, and guidance to assist cities in broke the news at a council meeting [email protected] though, criticized the plan for financial distress. However, a series that the firm had agreed to provide suggesting closing one of the city’s of motions filed by attorney Neil legal services at no cost, also known Staff & Contributors four fire stations, laying off five to Grover of Debt Watch Harrisburg led as “pro bono.” Reporters: seven firefighters, boosting the cost to a delay in Burke’s decision. “This could save Harrisburg T.W. Burger of residential parking permits 15–20 DCED ended up dismissing millions of dollars,” said Koplinski. [email protected] percent and raising parking meter many of Grover’s motions. Grover, Paul Zumbro, a Cravath partner, Pat Carroll rates from $1.50 to $2.50 per hour. though, made a compelling case said his firm agreed to provide free [email protected] “I’m not certain how the city that Act 47 is not enough—that the legal counsel “to make a public Sylvia Grove will be served with only three fire city’s dire financial state compels it service commitment.” [email protected] stations,” said council member Susan also to consider filing for municipal “We thought we were the Ruth Hoover-Seitz Brown-Wilson. bankruptcy. The city’s debt totals best people for the job, but we [email protected] The budget calls for one new some $282 million, most linked to recognized that they couldn’t afford Stephanie Kalina-Metzger position, a chief of staff, budgeted faltering attempts over many years to pay us our regular rates,” he said. [email protected] at $78,000 per year. For years, the to upgrade the city incinerator. Mayor Linda Thompson Rick Kearns city’s business administrator also has Also last month, the state announced her support for the offer, [email protected] served as chief of staff. named former House Speaker an important endorsement since the Tara Leo Auchey The plan is only a general fund Robert O’Donnell to help the city administration selects legal counsel [email protected] budget. It does not account for manage its financial crisis until it can for the city. Carol Maravic Harrisburg’s massive debt tied to the enter the Act 47 program. At that “The firm will help clear the [email protected] city incinerator. That debt will be the point, a coordinator will be named air of many of the misconceptions M. Diane McCormick focus of a broader plan once the city to spearhead the creation of a about bankruptcy,” she said. “[The [email protected] enters the state’s Act 47 program. comprehensive financial plan. administration] will cooperate fully Lori Myers with the Cravath, Swaine & Moore [email protected] lawyers and provide any information Mike Walsh that will make their task easier.” [email protected] The council later voted to formally accept the firm’s offer. Columnists: Cravath Swaine will issue a report Cooking: Rosemary Ruggieri Baer SHELLY summarizing its advice by March [email protected] Cooking: Sara Goulet C O M M U N I C A T I O N S 31, said Koplinski. The firm also has offered to help negotiate with the [email protected] city’s creditors and represent the city Local History: Jason Wilson if it decides to declare bankruptcy. [email protected] Media Relations and The offer of free counsel lasts until Cinema: Kevyn Knox Dec. 31, 2011. [email protected] Strategic Communications Free legal representation Sports & Fitness: Laura Spurgeon eliminates one of the most powerful [email protected] 717-724-1681 arguments against filing municipal Outdoors: Kermit Henning bankruptcy—the enormous [email protected] 227 Pine Street, Suite 200 pricetag, mostly from legal costs. Pets: Todd Rubey The city would be billed only for [email protected] Harrisburg, PA 17101 expenses incurred by the firm, such Pets: Kristen Zellner as for travel and lodging, an amount [email protected] Peter J. Shelly, President capped at $20,000. —Lawrance Binda 4 TheBurg City Hall Park & Pay? City Proposes More Meters for Midtown Lawrance Binda few months back, some A Midtown businesses suspected something was afoot, as painted marks suddenly appeared near the street curb, strangely spaced at car- length intervals. Now, their suspicions have been confirmed, as the City Council last month introduced an ordinance that, if passed, would allow the city Painted lines, like this one on a curb to install 88 parking meters along near 3rd and Reily streets, were an the rapidly developing commercial early sign that parking meters were district. Specifically, the ordinance expanding northward in Midtown. would allow two-hour meters along N. 3rd Street from Verbeke to Harris of JM’s Thrift & Vintage, agreed, streets and along Reily Street from saying that meters could end his Susquehanna to Williams streets. growing out-of-town customer base. A public hearing on the issue “This is a huge mistake,” he said. will be held this month at Midtown “Why would we tear down what Scholar Bookstore, 1302 N. 3rd St., we’ve been trying to build up?” said Eugenia Smith, chair of the Along Reily Street, Ray Diaz, council’s public safety committee. owner of Nonna’s Deli Sioso, said Midtown businesses were that a silver lining may be that generally critical of the proposal, meters might encourage Harrisburg saying that parking meters could Area Community College students staunch an emerging recovery in the to park in the HACC parking lot, long-suffering commercial zone. instead of taking up street spaces. “I sympathize with the need to Business owners agreed on one raise revenue,” said Eric Papenfuse, thing: the proposal came with no owner of Midtown Scholar. “But I input from the community. don’t think that impeding business “How this just came out of traffic is the way to go.” nowhere is a huge problem,” said Two doors down, Jose Montano Papenfuse. City Reaps Windfall Council Accelerates from Water Utility Kroboth Departure In a strange twist, the Harrisburg Two high-ranking holdovers from Authority is coming to the financial the Reed administration met very rescue of the city, transferring about different fates last month. $4.3 million into the general fund. Mayor Linda Thompson asked The cash infusion should cover the City Council to allow Robert all of the city’s general fund deficit, Kroboth, city business administrator/ allowing it to continue to make chief of staff, to stay on until mid- payroll until year-end, as well as pay March or until a replacement could about $2.9 million in past-due bills. be found. The council instead voted The Harrisburg Authority made to end Kroboth’s long tenure early, the transfer after generating a large setting Dec. 31 as his departure date. budget surplus in its water division. Separately, the council These funds do not include money endorsed the appointment of Philip that the city owes as a result of Harper as city solicitor until Dec. 31, guaranteeing authority bonds for 2011. Harper has been acting city upgrades to the city incinerator, solicitor for two years and with the many of which are in default.

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