October 2009 Archives

Several city streets will be affected by the York White Rose Run, which starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday (Oct. 31) in the 200 block of North George Street. The race ends at Sovereign Bank Stadium

George Street will be closed from North Street to Princess Street for the race start, and there will be no parking after 7 a.m. on George Street from North Street to Princess Street.  
Traffic will also be stopped briefly on several streets while the race passes by. Those streets are:
  

Not ready yet? Well, you have a month.

Downtown Inc. is looking for help to decorate the city for the holidays.

The annual Hanging of the Greens event starts at 3 p.m. Nov. 24, at Wagman Construction, 231 N. George St.

Individuals or groups interested in helping should call 849-2331 or e-mail info@downtownyorkpa.com.

The event is sponsored by Wagman Construction. SKH and Chas. Schaefer Flower Shop donated pine roping and red bows, respectively.

The file photo above is from the 2006 Hanging of the Greens. 
     
     

York Mayor John Brenner held a budget hearing with the police and fire departments Thursday. Here are some of the highlights.

The hearing set aside for public comment is Friday (tomorrow, Oct. 23) at 10 a.m. in city council chambers.

Bring on Play will hold a community meeting Tuesday to discuss the future of York's Allen Park.

Residents in the Northeast and East Side neighborhoods will have the chance to offer comments about the park. BOP led the building of a new playground at Lincoln Park and recently annoucnedt hat Allen Park would be next.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at Goode Elementary School, 251 N. Broad St., York.  Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Free childcare will be available for those in attendance

Kids got to have input on the design of Lincoln Park. (file photo below.)

York's Central Market will hold its first Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 31.

Free activities include pie eating contests with "local celebrities," face painting, kids' crafts, music, contests, food, trick-or-treating and agricultural exhibits.

For more, visit the market's Web site. The market is at 34 W. Philadelphia St., York.

The Olde Towne East neighborhood has filmed a documentary about the community's revitalization.

See "The Renaissance of Olde Towne East" at the YWCA's 118th annual meeting, which will be at 5 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center.

The meeting is at 5 p.m., awards will be presented at 5:30 p.m., and the film will be shown at 6. Free popcorn and soda will be available.

RSVP by Oct. 28 to Bernadette Green at bgreen@ywcayork.org.

York Mayor John Brenner's budget hearings continue this week. Wednesday's hearing was on elected and appointed officials and the business administration department.

(I was late to the hearing and had to leave early because of other assignments, but here are some of the highlights.)
     
White Rose Community Television:

City officials discussed the possibility of finding other entities to help pay for White Rose Community Television.

Brenner asked what the city could do to increase the amount expected for sponsorships, $2,500.

Business Administrator Michael O'Rourke said there had been a lot of discussion about that, particularly trying to get other groups such as the county to contribute. 

"If we do not generate other revenue ... it's going to disappear," he said.

He pointed out that state legislators have spots on the station and the county and some school boards have their meetings televised. But none of them contribute.

"The city council and the mayor are the only ones paying for their share," he said. "We have to find a way to emphasize to users, this is going to go away. The city can't afford to keep paying for it on its own."

Brenner pointed out that in Reading, which recently entered Act 47 distressed municipality status, community television was the first thing to be cut.

City Council President Joe Musso said that the reason for hiring a second person at the station was so that director Steve Busch would be free to work on creating partnerships.

O'Rourke said the second position has been vacant more often than filled, and that even when there are two people, both are needed to run the station. Busch has developed a lot of partnerships in terms of programming, he said.

Sources supporting WRCT are cable TV franchise fees, a state grant and public/private contributions, according to the budget. 
     
Read on the jump for info about parking tickets and towing.
 

Hear local ghost stories and legends during the Spooky York Walking Tour, hosted by Historic York and Scott Butcher.

The tour will start in Continental Square and end at the York Emporium, where paranormal investigations have been recently taken place.

The 90-minute tour starts at 7 p.m. Oct. 23. Cost is $10.

Call Historic York at 843-0320 or e-mail info@historicyork.org. for information.

Tickets can also be purchased at the Architectural Warehouse, 465 Prospect St., York.

York Mayor John Brenner's weeklong series of budget hearings began today with the Public Works department.

(Note: I incorrectly posted earlier that all of the budget hearings are at 1 p.m. Friday's public comment session is at 10 a.m. Sorry about that.)

The theme for today's hearing appeared to be "holding the line." Several department officials emphasized that they've tried to keep their 2010 budget requests about the same as 2009's budget.

Here are some of the highlights; we'll have a full story in the paper Sunday. Also, if budget documents aren't posted on the city Web site, I'll see if we can post them here.

None of the areas in public works - sewer maintenance, parks and recreation, environmental services, etc. - requested new employees for 2010. Brenner emphasized several times that positions have been cut in years past, leaving staff levels minimal.

Highway: Superintendent Al Hykes requested about $2,500 more than last year for materials for directional symbols, arrows, etc. on city streets. He also requested about $5,000 more than last year for the replacement of manholes, because many will have to be replaced before next year's phase of Rebuild York (the paving project).

 

The Broken Wall, a local nonprofit aimed at helping teens, will hold a Fall Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 31.

The event will include 25-cent carnival games, food, crafts, face painting, prizes, and more. The first 100 youths to arrive get a free gift.

There will be vendors and activities for adults, too. The festival will be at the Princess Street Center, 368 W. Princess St., York.

Visit www.thebrokenwall.org for more information.

Next week, Oct. 19 to 23,  Mayor John Brenner is holding a series of budget hearings. Representatives from each city department will make their requests for 2010.

I'll be going to all of the budget hearings and posting updates here on the blog each day. We will also have a story in Sunday's paper, wrapping up the week.

All of the hearings start at 1 p.m. and are followed by time for public comment. Comments can also be sent to the city at budget@yorkcity.org or mailed to 50 W. King St., York PA 17405.

See the schedule here.

A forum for candidates for York City Council will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Lafayette Club, 59 E. Market St., York.  

Republicans Nina Aimable and Jay Andrzejczyk and Democrats Renee Nelson and Henry Nixon have confirmed attendance, according to a news release.

Thomas V. Hall, communications professor at York College, will moderate.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The event is coordinated by Downtown Inc. and Resources for Urban Neighborhoods.

There will be a one-hour forum and a one-hour meet and greet.

Members of the public may submit questions through midnight Oct. 24 to info@downtownyorkpa.com or by calling 849-2331. Questions will be taken at the event, too.

Roosevelt Avenue paving was finished last night.

But an hour and a half after the work was done, crews noticed a part of the road had sunk a bit, said Greg Penny, spokesman for PennDOT. The area was north of Park Street and about 12 feet wide, 14 feet long and 16 inches deep.

Today, crews excavated the area, added stone and then repaved. Part of the problem is old trolley tracks beneath the roadway, he said.

The same thing happened last week, in a larger area, he said. That time, crews had to dig four feet down to put in stone and repave.

Penny expected the work on the most recent sunken area to be finished this afternoon.

City trick or treating will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31.

The following list of safety tips was provided by the city police crime prevention unit:
     
Costume Safety

Wear brightly colored or reflective material to be seen in the dark.
Wear costumes that don't trip you or cover your eyes
Wear flame retardant material
Face paint is better than masks that make it hard to see.

Walking Safety

Cross at traffic lights and intersections.
Carry a flashlight for those dark areas.
Go in groups - big kids look out for the little kids.
Don't get into a car with a stranger.
Visit only houses with porch lights on in your own neighborhood.

Treat Safety
Wait until you get home to eat your treats.
Have a grown-up check everything you bring home.
Give out individually wrapped candy.

Throwing eggs, breaking or stealing decorations are all acts of criminal mischief. Help keep your neighborhood safe this Halloween.

For Halloween Fun with McGruff click here.

For more information call Jacqueline Marrero, the City's Crime Prevention Coordinator at
849-2216.

The polling place for the city's first ward will now be at the Salvation Army, 50 E. King St., York.

Officials at the YWCA, the previous location, felt they were not equipped to keep providing the polling place, said Nikki Suchanic, director of the elections office. The new location offers a bigger room and more parking, she said.

For a list of city polling places, click here.

Richard Miller, Elm Street manager for Olde Towne East, passed along the following, from the Tidings of Peace Mennonite Church and School:

"On Saturday Oct 3, 2009 50 students, staff and other volunteers picked up trash and litter throughout the City of York, in our 4th Annual Trash-A-Thon. The Annual Trash-A-Thon was an effort to make the City of York look better by weeding, picking up litter and debris and a way of raising funds for the school's "Improvement Fund." The improvements planned will make our facility a better learning environment for our students. We ask that you support our cause by donating $1, $5, or even $20 per ton collected.

Collectively, we picked up 14.18 tons of trash from throughout York City.  We would be appreciative if individuals and local businesses would contribute towards this great cause.

Contributions can be sent to:

Tidings of Peace Mennonite Church and School
329 E Poplar St., York, PA 17403
717-843-4562"

 

The YMCA's annual Halloween Parade starts at 2 p.m. Oct. 25.

The parade will leave the Madison Avenue gate of the York Expo Center, head south on Richland Avenue to Market Street, then head through downtown York to Lehman Street.

No traffic will be allowed to use or cross Market Street during the parade. Carlisle Avenue will be closed from Market Street to Highland Avenue, and Richland Avenue will be closed from Market Street to Carlisle Avenue.

Starting at noon, no parking will be allowed on Market Street, from Richland Avenue to Lehman Street, Richland Avenue, from Madison Avenue to Market Street, and the 1000 and 1100 blocks of East  King Street. Vehicles are subject to being ticketed or towed.

No dogs or bicycles are allowed on the parade route.
    
 

Downtown Inc. is taking reservations for the last three walking tours for 2009.

Schedule is:
   
6 p.m. Oct. 29 -- The Mysteries of York Town, led by historian Georg Sheets, focuses on York's "curious legends."
  
6 p.m. Nov. 6 -- The Hidden Art of York, led by J.J. Sheffer and Kevin Schreiber, includes special access to places such as the York Water Company and other historic spots
  
11 a.m. Dec. 5 -- The Holiday Church Tour, led by J.J. Sheffer, showcases many downtown churches.

All of the tours start at the lobby of the White Rose Business Center, 1 E. Market St., York, and last about two hours. The church tour ends at Central Market.

Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger. Register by calling 849-2331 or emailing jsheffer@downtownyorkpa.com. Visit www.downtownyorkpa.com for more information.
    

York Mayor John Brenner will hold a series of hearings to take requests from departments for the 2010 budget.
 
The schedule is:

  1 p.m.  Oct. 19 -- public works
  1 p.m. Oct. 20 -- fire department and community development
  1 p.m.  Oct. 21 -- elected and appointed officials and business administration
  1 p.m.  Oct. 22 -- economic development, Redevelopment Authority and police
  10 a.m.  Oct. 23 -- public
   
Public testimony will be taken at the end of each.

Public comments may be e-mailed to budget@yorkcity.org or mailed to 50 W. King St., York PA 17405 by 4 p.m. Oct. 30.
    
     
 

Final paving of Roosevelt Avenue will take place overnight Oct. 7 and 8, according to a news release.

Watch for parking restrictions.

York is looking for someone to donate a Christmas tree to grace Continental Square for the holidays.

The city is seeking a 30-foot, symmetrical blue spruce, according to a news release. It will be transported from the donor's home to the square by Jackson Crane.

The tree is traditionally lit on Light Up Night, which is scheduled for Dec. 4. Call Dave Rudolph at 845-9351.