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Harrisburg City Council Proposes Extended Permit Parking That Makes No Sense

March 10, 2010 by yosh

Update 3/11/10:  Some of the questions that I raise in the following blog post have since been answered by a representative of the Engleton Neighborhood Group.  You can read the response in the comments.  However, several concerns still remain that I hope city council addresses at this evening’s meeting.


In case you haven’t heard, Harrisburg City Council is considering expanding the Paxtang Manor permit parking zone in Midtown.  There is a hearing scheduled for it on March 11 at 5:05.

While I have not read the exact text of this ordinance, it is being advertised as the following:

Bill 3-2010 – An Ordinance amending Chapter 3-139 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Harrisburg to extend and define the boundaries of the “Paxtang Manor Zone,” and to designate as Residential Permit Parking only the following streets:
N. Third Street from Clinton to Harris,
Harris Street from N. Third to Green Street,
Green Street from Harris to Reily Street,
Reily Street from N. Third to Second Street,
Penn Street from Reily to Harris Street,
Susquehanna Street from Calder to Reily Street,
Green Street from Granite to Kelker Street,
1300 Block of Susquehanna Street,
1300 and 1400 Blocks of Front Street,
100 Block of Calder Street, and
1300 Block of Green Street.

Bill 8-2010 regarding enforcement of metered parking in residential permit parking zones.

Whether your exact address is included in this new zone or not, I encourage you to consider how this will effect our neighborhood, as it will change parking dynamics for everyone.

To help us become informed, I have plotted all of these addresses on a map with the existing permit parking zones.  (Note: I developed this map by biking around the neighborhood and recording where there are actual permit parking signs.  Although I called City Hall asking for this information, I was not able to receive it.  The unidentified woman in the Parking Enforcement section was rude, and led me in a Catch-22 conversation to describe why she couldn’t give me the information that I requested)

The map is attached or can be viewed at this website:

http://www.scribblemaps.com/maps/view/HBGPaxtangManor

It it my belief that this is seriously flawed.  Perhaps I’m missing something, but based on the advertised information I see several problems.  In general, I am not opposed to permit parking; however, I oppose this ordinance in my current understanding of it.  Here’s why:

  • The proposed zone is not even close to contiguous.  It contains four unconnected sections of road, including Green Street from Granite to Kelker Street.  This block is three blocks away from the rest of the zone, and it is not close to any notable commercial areas.  Why was it included?
  • The proposed zone includes two blocks of Reily Street which have many commercial and educational establishments that are open to the public.  I do not think it is in the best interest of neighborhood revitalization to restrict public parking in front of these establishments.  In particular, the section of Reily Street from Green to Third has only three residences, two of which also border other streets.  This block also has approximately 25 on-street parking spaces.  It seems absurd to make all of these spaces permit parking when the bulk of activity on the block is public.  Furthermore, several of the properties on this block are zoned for commercial and institutional purposes in both the existing and proposed zoning code.  This ordinance would place permit parking in front of commercially zoned properties.
  • Two blocks of Front Street are included in the proposed zone.  These blocks currently have no on-street parking at all.  Is it the intention of this ordinance to allow on-street permit parking on Front Street for these blocks?  If not, what is the purpose of including them in the ordinance?
  • The 100 Block of Calder Street and the 1300 Block of Green Street are included in the proposed zone.  However, these blocks are already marked on the street as being part of the Paxtang Manor permit zone.  If they are part of the existing zone, why are they being included in this ordinance?  If they are not already officially permit parking, then why are there signs on the street?

In conclusion, ask yourself, “Why were these blocks in particular chosen?  What benefit will come from having these blocks designated while neighboring blocks remain permit free?  Who is in support of this measure, and what is their motive?  Will this make our neighborhood a more attractive place to live, work, shop, and play?”

If it is City Council’s intent to pass this, I hope that they give some good answers to these questions first.

While I have more to say about permit parking, in the name of brevity, I’ll stop for now…

Posted in City Government, Transportation | 9 Comments »

New mayor should plan for foot, bike transport

October 29, 2009 by yosh

In case you missed my article today in the Patriot News:

New mayor should plan for foot, bike transport

Throughout Harrisburg’s mayoral campaign, I’ve listened to both candidates express their views on public safety, while turning a blind eye to one of our city’s greatest dangers: our transportation infrastructure.

As a daily pedestrian and cyclist in Harrisburg, I believe that the greatest threat to my personal safety on the streets comes from distracted drivers, not the shadowy figure in a dark alley.

I’ve heard both candidates emphasize the need to bring economic opportunity to all of Harrisburg’s citizens, while ignoring one of the biggest barriers to achieving this goal: Moving between the city’s housing centers and job centers can be difficult.

At a recent town hall event, I asked Nevin Mindlin and Linda Thompson what concrete steps they would take to make Harrisburg’s streets safer and more convenient for pedestrians and cyclists. Instead of sharing their policy ideas, both candidates avoided offering any real commitments to the changes that would make Harrisburg a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly city.

Mindlin advocated the development of a human-scale city without outlining the details of how to achieve this. Thompson touted the Capital Area Greenbelt, the multiuse path encircling the city, as an example of good pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

While Harrisburg is lucky to have this resource, the greenbelt’s location along the city’s edges limits its usefulness for regular transportation. The greenbelt is the perfect place to walk a dog, but it is not conducive to cross-town travel.

It is in the heart of the city that people are commuting by foot and by pedal, and these are the places where City Hall has forgotten the citizens’ needs.

Safe pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure isn’t for the spandex-clad racers. It is for those who might not have the option to drive: the elderly, the disabled, the poor and the young.

Through the slow degradation of the city’s crosswalks and sidewalks and the dearth of bike lanes, Harrisburg has neglected the safety of those who need our help and has failed to give them the tools they need to connect to goods and services.

In order for Harrisburg to live up to its potential as a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly city, the next administration should commit to implementing a complete streets policy.

Under this plan, all city departments would give full consideration to the safety and convenience of all users whenever maintenance and upgrades are made to the city’s transportation infrastructure.

Over time, this policy would work toward ensuring that pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and public transport riders are all able to safely and comfortably move across our street network.

One place that is particularly in need of attention is the east-west corridor between Allison Hill and the downtown business district. The train tracks and industrial area separating these two neighborhoods have always made transportation between them problematic.

While the city has met the needs of motorists by maintaining two bridges and two underpasses for car travel, not a single safe bike route connects the jobs located downtown to the work force on the Hill.

The next administration should also designate a pedestrian and bicycle coordinator within City Hall. This would foster a connection between the administration and pedestrians and cyclists, and it would ensure that there is an advocate to voice the needs of these groups.

With all the discussion of public safety and economic opportunity in this year’s mayoral campaign, both candidates have missed the mark on the intersection of these two goals: providing safe and convenient connections between the city’s work force and job markets.

A complete streets policy would make great strides toward achieving this.

Josh Karns is a Harrisburg resident and the communications coordinator for 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

beautiful days

July 15, 2009 by N8

hey everyone has it been nice out or what……. i just spent the day with my 4 month old lil girl and besides her being  just awesome i couldn’t help but notice what a beautiful day we’ve been having. despite our political and economical woes the weather has been phenomenal. i hope you all have been enjoying the river front, the island and lets not forget the green belt. trees are full of life flowers blooming and generally pleasant people making this a better place to live than what is generally recognized. at risk of being a little corny i wish for everyone a blissful summer……namaste.

also for those of you who ride bicycles. critical mass is going strong, last friday of the month 6p.m. front and walnut. come out and help bring awareness of  bicycling to the burg.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Asia featuring John Payne… who’s that?

July 2, 2009 by yosh

July 4 weekend is upon us, and in this town that means it is time for another edition of the American Music Fest.  This festival, one of three big events held annually along our beloved river, is a great example of what happens when you try to book music to please everyone one: you end up with a line-up that satisfies no one.

We at Burg Life had heard rumors that the prog-rock supergroup Asia would be headlining the festival.  I suppose this is great news if you long for the glory days of 1982 when Asia’s debut album reached #1 on the charts and marked the high point from which this band has slowly descended for nearly three decades.  But is there really any appeal at all in that to the under 40 crowd?

But these guys have been at the top of the charts, right?  Big time stars!!  Surely there has to be something timeless in that.  Not so fast…

Now we get into some really interesting rock and roll technicalities.   Actually, Asia is not headlining American Music Fest.  Instead we are getting a band known as “Asia featuring John Payne.”  I know you may be confused, but this is indeed a different band than Asia. They currently have no overlapping members, and they’ve got a contractual agreement to use Asia as part of their name.

Each band has their own website with their own tour schedule.  Asia is currently on a world tour playing in proper theaters and arenas.  Asia Featuring John Payne, on the other hand, is currently rocking out on the casino and state fair circuit.

So, who is this John Payne fellow?  He took over vocal duties for Asia when the original vocalist John Wetton left the group in the early 1990’s.  During Wetton’s tenure with the band, Asia went three for three with albums that charted well and sold millions of copies.  With Payne on the microphone, Asia received little attention from the public.

Fast forward to today.  The original members of Asia have reunited and reclaimed their name.  John Payne and three other guys who are not founding members of Asia are doing their best to ride on the prog rock coattails of a name most associated with 1982.

So, consider Sunday’s performance more of a tribute band than a reunion tour.

Welcome to Harrisburg, where we are not even classy enough to get the real Asia.

And if you really are jonesing to see the original Asia, you’ll have to check out Bethlehem’s musikfest where they are smart enough to avoid impostors.

Posted in Music and the Arts | 5 Comments »

big change….

May 27, 2009 by N8

ding dong the witch is dead…….    i know some of you like the mayor for life but his life as our mayor is over. i for one am relieved and look forward to any future administration and its attempts to clean up the financial nightmare created by the existing administration. it will not be easy. i would call for accountability, and complete transparency of the reed years. i believe this will motivate us the citizenry to rally behind new leadership. this next mayor has a lot on the plate and with out our support not a lot can be done. especially in this next four years. if the new mayor plans on a second term they will need to get our full support. this won’t happen if the city at large is not made aware of how bad it really is. we all need to face the facts and work together to bring about change. just remember it always gets worse before it gets better. a little hardship to bring real success is totally worth it.  i can’t wait to see what happens……!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

An Ode to an Era

March 11, 2009 by yosh

This marvelous poem appeared on PennLive this morning.  The editors of Burg Life enjoyed it so much, that we felt an urgent need to save it from the censors at PennLive, and so we are reprinting it here, entirely without permission.  Heck, we don’t even know who CityInterest is, but we sure do like the sentiment!

 

An Ode to an Era
by CityInterest

The years have flown
Though some days yet remain
But the era, my friend,
Of his power now wains

Mr. Reed was an engine
A tinker and a bull
He pushed his away his problems
And talked his way ’round rules

But he could not control his tastes
For power, perks and toys
He could not contain his impulse
To ignore what he called noise.

He climbed up high the ladder
But stayed atop too long
He ignored the folks below him
So now he must be gone.

Mr Reed may have a vision
For a City he remade
But you cannot stay its leader
Once your instincts start to fade.

He had his days of glory
But he brought these current storms
By his destain for average voters
So now we need reform.

As his Buddies lined their pockets
As they backed his every whim
He forestalled a graceful exit
So there’s no more love for him.

Mr. Reed should take a bow
And walk off this small stage
Before he finds himself
The butt of public rage.

He used to watch the public purse
He used to wear a smile
He enjoyed the role of helper
But not for a long, long while.

Instead of straight and candid talk
He now recites attacks
On any rude or brazen soul
Who notes this City lacks

We lack in education
We lack in basic skills
We lack in public servants
Who can exercise free will

We lack in full disclosure
Of where our money went
We lack in civil discourse
Within our small, small tent.

It’s time to end the era
And if need be push aside
A person once admired
For his progressive stride.

We should not wish him ill
Or wish him any harm
But we cannot stand another term
To relocate his youthful charm

Mr. Reed has been a Mayor
And a man who held too long
On to those drunken reins of power
So now lets ring the gong.

Exit, exit, off our stage
Bowing on your way
But go you must and we mean now
Before the voters have their say

The truths about your unchecked power
Beat upon your office door
So barring truth will not preclude
Its entry on the City’s shores.

Exit, exit, our dear sir
Before the days all fade
Leaving you in graceless light
In the bed that you have made.

Goodbye, Sir Steven
Goodbye to you indeed
We hail the final passing
Of the era that was Reed.

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment »

The Matthew Coulter Files – Harrisburg’s Spokesman

February 10, 2009 by yosh

If you follow Harrisburg’s news, you’ve probably bumped into the name Matthew Coulter.  He’s usually titled as Mayor Reed’s spokesman, and he regularly makes it into the Patriot News.

Usually, Coulter’s comments to the press are forgettable — giving the details of a crime or arrest.  Sometimes he gets to talk about how great Harrisburg’s newest business-of-the-day is.

Matthew Coulter also gets to cover for the mayor when Reed has done something stupid or when the spotlight is on one of Reed’s political opponents.  It is in these moments that he has really thrown out some juicy lines.

Sometimes Matthew Coulter says things that blur the line between the campaign trail and city business.  Seeing as this is a campaign year, we suspect things are about to get even juicier.

Remember, Coulter is a city employee, speaking on behalf of the city government.  He’s listed in the city directory as “Assistant to Mayor/Director of Communications.” Because of all this, we at Burg Life wonder if it is city policy to attack anyone opposing the mayor, even if they are on City Council.  We wonder if it is city policy to cover up or rationalize away the truth about the hard issues?

Before we pass judgment, let’s review the evidence so far:

Today, Matthew Coulter commented on City Council President Linda Thompson’s announcement to run for mayor.

Reed’s spokesman, Matthew Coulter, issued a statement sharply critical of Thompson.

“Linda Thompson’s announcement tonight comes as no surprise. Her divisive comments and actions pretty much told of her ambitions for a long time,” Coulter’s statement said.

“What we citizens have here is the stark contrast between a mayor who has devoted his life to turning around what was once the second most distressed city in America … and a person who at every chance, has denigrated, manipulated, and obstructed progress from improving our neighborhoods and this city,” Coulter said.

Matthew Coulter defended the Capital Blue Cross signs in Riverfront Park.

Coulter said the signs for the old exercise course, sponsored by Perrier, were actually much larger than the signs that are there now, but the city never heard complaints about those signs.

Coulter speculated that politics might have played a part in the controversy.

“As we enter another municipal election cycle, our longtime opponents are grasping at every straw in order to embarrass this city and administration,” Coulter said. “Ultimately, this was more political grandstanding than anything.”

And he also asserted that donated signs are exempt from the public planning process.

A city parks and recreation official who attended the meeting declined comment. City spokesman Matthew Coulter has said the signs didn’t have to go through a public process because they were a donation from Capital BlueCross.

Matthew Coulter blew off Les Ford’s announcement to run for mayor.

City spokesman Matthew Coulter said Ford has been running for mayor since Reed removed him from the Board of Control.

“His announcement today is merely a confirmation of these same political and personal ambitions of someone who has had absolutely no role in any of the city’s progress,” Coulter said.

In the covering for Reed category, Matthew Coulter rationalized why announcing charges of murder for a crime at the downtown YMCA would be a waste of valuable time.

City officials said they didn’t feel there was a need to trumpet the homicide arrest because Williams was already in custody.

“The filing of additional charges against Mr. Williams, who was already in prison on related charges, did not represent an urgent public safety issue,” city spokesman Matthew Coulter said. “Thus, attention was focused on more pressing criminal matters.”

When asked about trash in the city, Coulter shrugged and talked about money.  If you follow the link there is a video of the news segment.  Coulter is on camera at 1:19 to fumble his way through this coverup.

Harrisburg City Spokesperson Matt Coulter says things, like couches, are dumped. Then no one else wants to pay to have them removed. So they just end up sitting there. Even though the city has budgeted 100-thousand dollars to clean up illegally dumped garbage, it’s not enough to tackle all of the big trash.

” 100-thousand dollars is not enough. It’s a fraction of what we would need, to do a legit bulk trash pickup,” said Matt Coulter, Harrisburg City spokesperson.

Coulter sometimes gets to talk about development projects in Harrisburg.  When asked about Jacob Frydman’s decision to back out of a bailout of the Capitol View disaster on Cameron Street, Coulter managed to make the situation sound just great!

“There have been a lot of liens filed. There are a lot of issues,” Frydman said. “There were roof problems because of the storm (from several weeks ago). There isn’t one deal breaker. It was costs and building methodologies. We have conducted a due diligence, looked at it and concluded that based on market conditions and based on cost that we are not going to proceed with that building.”

Reed’s office expressed regret that a deal could not be reached with Frydman. But there is still hope for the center since other investors previously expressed interest in the project, wrote Matthew S. Coulter, the mayor’s spokesman, in an e-mail.

Commerce Bank will conduct a new analysis of the building throughout the next few weeks. After that, efforts to work on a deal with other private investors will continue, Coulter said.

“Frydman’s decision to pull out of the project may now open the door for others to take a look at the site,” Coulter wrote. “Several prospective investors had expressed interest in the purchase of the facility.”

Capitol View was supposed to be a shining example of how private and public investment could team to turn a brownfield site into economic growth and job creation when ground was broken on the building in 2006.

As early as last February, Matthew Coulter was already taking jabs at Les Ford for his teach-in at Reed’s Gala.

Specifically, Ford said it was “patronizing to African-Americans” for Reed to hold a gala when he has failed to address issues important to the black community, such as public education, police protection, governmental accessibility and financial accountability.

A spokesman for Reed highlighted the positive track record of the “black tie optional” dinner and dance event and called the planned protest a “petty publicity stunt” to gain attention.

“Mayor Reed started the annual Black History Gala nine years ago so that this
diverse community could commemorate the extraordinary black history of our nation and this city,” spokesman Matthew Coulter said. “Someone opposing such a good a noble purpose … represents a disservice to our city’s citizens.”

Since Reed removed him from the Harrisburg School District Board of Control, Ford, along with his wife, Sheila Dow-Ford, has been increasingly critical of Reed’s handling of the city schools and of financial issues within city government.

Last Summer, Harrisburg police officers beat up a smallish guy in custody before sending him to the judge.  As far as we have heard, the details of the investigation into the officer’s conduct have disappeared into the static.  When questioned, Coulter shrugged off the matter.

City police Chief Charles Kellar said Wells is one of the officers being investigated by Internal Affairs. Kellar refused to comment on Wells’ duty status. City spokesman Matthew Coulter also had no comment, calling Wells’ status “a personnel issue which, due to confidentiality laws and practices, is not discussed.”

Efforts to reach Mayor Stephen R. Reed through Coulter were unsuccessful.

Should we, as citizens of Harrisburg, be concerned about the conduct of our city employees at all levels?  How do we know that they will do the right thing?  Matthew Coulter has the answer there too.

“If it wasn’t legal, we wouldn’t be doing it,” said spokesman Matt Coulter.

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Capital BlueCross Listening Session

January 15, 2009 by yosh

Tonight Capital BlueCross hosted a public listening session to discuss their sponsorship of exercise equipment located in Riverfront Park along North Front Street in Harrisburg.

Twenty-fice citizens and the tradionial meedia were in attendance.  Dan Miller, reporter for The Patriot-News, was on hand along with several television stations an Roxbury News.   The Patriot-News led their coverage with the following sentence:

Harrisburg’s Riverfront Park is no place for Blue Man, city residents told Capital BlueCross today during a public meeting the health insurer held about the controversy stirred up by the company’s blue-and-white signs along the river.

 

As someone who spoke at the meeting, I must object to the lead-off sentence of Mr. Miller’s article.  The consensus of the citizen’s who spoke was gratitude toward Capital BlueCross for their donation to the city, as well as acknowledgment that the error in placing this signs was ultimately the city’s.   There was also sincere gratitude to Capital BlueCross for convening the meeting.  Now the ball is in Capital BlueCross’s court.

A diversre audience showed up to participate in the listening session, but the consensus was unanimous: the signs as they are do not fit the their surroundings in the park.  We will be waiting to hear how they respond to the comments made by the residents.

Posted in Development | Leave a Comment »

Les Ford to Run For Harrisburg Mayor

January 12, 2009 by yosh

Okay, so Les Ford hasn’t made his public announcement that he’s running yet, but the rumors have been swirling for a while now.

Thanks to the wonders of Google and a keener sense of how the Internet works than most 60-ish politicians, Burg Life is proud to be a spoil sport and spill the beans on what appears to be a campaign website sitting in the wings ready to launch.  You can check it at the following address: http://fordforharrisburg.com/

Good luck to you, Les!  While we’re well aware that a website doesn’t make the man, your website looks like it was made a decade ago.  Next step, Les, is to get yourself a little social networking going on.  Might I suggest that thing called facebook?

PS — Electorate doesn’t have an “i”…

 

UPDATE:  Les, what are you doing?  You hide your page just when we start driving traffic to your site?  What’s the point in that?  The cat’s out of the bag, and once something hits the internet, its hard to take it back.

If you’re looking for Les Ford’s website, he has removed it from public view.  Thanks to the wonders of Google Cache, you can still sort of view it at this link.

Posted in Politics | 4 Comments »

Deleting Posts on Pennlive is Fun and Easy!

December 22, 2008 by yosh

Have you ever poured your heart into a post on the Pennlive forums, only to have it disappear without a whisper why?  I know that I sure have, and I’m not alone.  Many Pennlive users have had the same complaint as me.  Without any explanation coming from Pennlive, many users assumed this was a conspiracy being run by Mayor Reed himself, to squash any dissenting voices.

Now, using my exclusive method, you too can delete posts on Pennlive!  With practice, you may find that deleting posts of Pennlive is fun and easy!

Click here to delete posts

To delete a post, simply click the button shown in the image above and complete the pop-up form.  Within a half an hour, the post should automagically disappear!  For best results, be sure to put something convincing in the box marked “Briefly describe the problem.”  So far I have had good results with reasons such as “post does not match the tone of the forum” or “post is off topic.”  Using my exclusive method, I’ve achieved a 100% success rate at getting posts deleted.

So what are you waiting for?  Go to the Pennlive forums and delete some posts now!  Be sure to return here and leave a comment on the success of your post-deleting escapades!

(Actual results may vary.  Past performance is not an indicator of future success.)

Posted in Culture Jamming, Pennlive, Politics | 7 Comments »

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