October 2012
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TheBurgGreater Harrisburg’s Community Newspaper October 2012 Distributed in Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Lancaster and Perry counties. Free. Contents In the Burg 5 City Hall 6 State Street Street Corners 7 Around Town 10 Past Tense Urban hunt, p. 7 11 City View 12 Doing Good 13 Community Corner 14 ShutterBurg Burg Biz 15 Shop Window 16 From the Ground Up 17 New Biz Plucky little shop, p. 15 Good Eats 18 Taste of the Town 19 Home Cooking 20 Wine Time Culture Club 21 Creator 22 Happenings 24 Musical Notes Lights, Camera, Harrisburg, p. 21 Home & Family 25 Burg Bucks Sports & Bodies 26 Sporting Life 27 Great Outdoors 28 Your Health 29 Family Health Spooky, p. 30 30 One More Thing … This month’s cover: “A View from the Grounds of the Civil War Museum." 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 Tax Hike Put on Hold Judge agrees to review decision. Lawrance Binda arrisburg taxpayers were offered city of Harrisburg," Leadbetter wrote. New City Director Review Delays MID Ha ray of hope last month as a Briefs both in support and in Commonwealth Court judge agreed opposition of the reconsideration After nearly a five-month search, The timing of a Midtown Improvement to reconsider her order to hike the were due to be filed late last month. Harrisburg has named a new director District has become uncertain after earned income tax on residents. Leadbetter has scheduled a of Public Works. the city last month upped the cost to Judge Bonnie Brigance hearing for Oct. 4 in case she decides Kevin T. Hagerich last month took hire off-duty Harrisburg police officers. Leadbetter consented to a request to hear oral arguments in the case. over the department, one of the city's After reviewing the MID's by City Council that she reconsider largest and most visible. proposed agreement with the city, an Aug. 27 order that mandated the A retired U.S. Army major and Mayor Linda Thompson made several council increase the resident EIT by 1 City Skips Payment native of Portage, Pa., Hagerich most changes, including increasing the percent. recently served as director of Public cost of officers who would patrol the The reconsideration came after For the second time this year, Works in Iberia Parish, La., where he district by about 25 percent, said MID a conference call with Leadbetter Harrisburg has missed a general worked for more than four years. co-founder Eric Papenfuse. involving the council, receiver William obligation bond payment. He previously held public works He said MID organizers now are Lynch and the administration, which Receiver William Lynch directed director positions in Lake Charles, La., attempting to see if the plan can be each indicated they would like to raise the city not to make a $3.9 million and Cumberland, Md., according to adjusted for the increased expense issues for reconsideration. payment that was due Sept. 15. mayoral spokesman Robert Philbin. before taking further action. In her Aug. 27 order, Leadbetter As a result, the city should be able Harrisburg's department has been MID supporters had hoped to not only agreed to the EIT hike for to meet payroll and pay vendors until without a permanent head since the have the district in place by Jan. 1. one year, but also denied a request by November, when it is expected to run resignation in early April of Ernie Hoch, The MID would run from N. Front Lynch and the administration to force out of cash. If the payment had been who led it for nearly two years. to N. 7th and Forster to Maclay streets. the council to fund the $75,500-a- made, the city would have depleted its year position of city communications treasury late last month. director. In March, former receiver David In a rare show of cooperation, the Unkovic ordered the city to skip a council, receiver and administration general obligation bond payment of told Leadbetter that they may try to $5.3 million. work out their lengthy dispute among General obligation bonds fund themselves. various operations of the city. They "In addition, the parties indicated are not linked to the debt-ridden that they wish to engage in a dialogue incinerator. in an effort to forge a cooperative Neither the city nor the receiver's approach for addressing the office has stated how the missed challenging financial issues facing the payments would be made up. A Matter of State (Street) Does something look nicer along State Street? Late last month, Harrisburg Young Professionals began to revamp the median from N. Front to N. 3rd streets, replacing the ill-cared-for, patchy grass with native, robust and low-maintenance plants (artist's rendering left). Under an agreement with the city, HYP also will assume maintenance of the strip, much as it adopted the care of the Forster Street median years ago. “State Street is an extension of the Capitol complex, and it should continue the theme of a sophisticated stately appearance,” said HYP President Meron Yemane. “HYP, along with our partners, is committed to revitalizing and showcasing our city’s beauty.” HYP still needs to raise funds for the $40,000 project. Please visit www.hyp.org/statestreet to make a donation online. Checks also can be mailed to Harrisburg Young Professionals, P.O. Box 11851, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1851. All donations to HYP are tax deductible. TheBurg 5 State Street Rehabbing, not Razing Tax credit meant to help save historic structures. Peter Durantine fter more than a decade, program went into effect July 1 and on the farm land outside the city,” he “We think there will be an uptick Aarchitects and preservationists offers a 25 percent state tax credit for said. in projects,” Crawford said. finally succeeded in enshrining the rehabilitation of qualified income- No doubt, the program is small— into Pennsylvania law an historic producing buildings that are also $3 million annually with preservation tax credit that is using the federal tax credit. a single project capped expected, as it has in 30 states, to The first tax credits will not be at $500,000, which could, create jobs, revitalize communities issued until after July 1, 2013. Just theoretically, mean six and increase economic activity. like the federal program, this credit is projects could swallow Signed into law recently by Gov. issued after the project is completed. up the credits in just one Tom Corbett, the Historic Preservation Developers will be able to use both year. But Mindy Crawford, Incentive Act provides $3 million the existing 20 percent federal tax executive director of annually for historic preservation credit along with the 25 percent state Preservation Pennsylvania, projects that rehabilitate buildings credit, which is expected, as it has in believes that’s unlikely. and homes. The amount is expected to other states, to help lure investment “A lot of developers increase in future years. into Pennsylvania. have told us there are Urban advocates anticipate a Data show that the 30 states projects that are smaller,” surge in the development of historic with state credits tend to have Crawford said. That makes properties that until now have an advantage over states that do the tax credit critical often been demolished because not have tax credits in attracting because the numbers for rehabilitation is too expensive. investment in historic rehabilitation, some smaller projects “I think now, in urban centers, said Caroline Boyce, executive vice could not work financially we’ll see the greater benefit,” said president of Harrisburg-based without the state tax credit, John Campbell, executive director of AIA Pennsylvania, the architects’ she said. Historic Harrisburg Association. professional association that long Crawford added that, Campbell said the state tax fought for the tax credit. for years, Pennsylvania credit coupled with the federal The legislation’s sponsor, state has been at an economic credit, will make projects much more Sen. Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster), disadvantage because affordable, which could help increase whose district is urban and rural, sees it has been surrounded revitalization in Harrisburg. the tax credit helping preserve historic by states—Delaware, “I think you’ll see more projects, buildings and re-building tax bases in Maryland, Ohio, and New Less of this? The corner of Crescent and Mulberry streets and I think there’ll be less demolition,” urban centers, but also encouraging York—that offer historic in Allison Hill once was set off by a beautiful Victorian he said. farmland preservation. preservation tax credits. commercial building that fell into ruin and was razed in November 2010. The new state tax credit is designed to While the regulations need to be “If we can make the city a great New Jersey does not offer promote the rehabilitation of historic buildings like these.