Local&State THE PATRIOT-NEWS l PENNLIVE.

COM l FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010 l A3

DAUPHIN COUNTY EAST PENNSBORO AREA SCHOOL BOARD

Police employee
termination upheld 28 to have jobs outsourced
After firing the maintenance and
SWATARA TWP. l The firing of a township Board on Thursday night six maintenance and 22 custo- Matthew Haas, Nancy Os-
police department administrative assis- custodial workers, the board voted to eliminate their jobs dial workers. tot, Helm and George Tyson
tant was upheld by the commissioners this amended a 5-year contract with by the end of the month and Board President Dennis voted in favor of the motion.
week, but officials are refusing to cite the Aramark to include the positions. outsource the work to a pri- Helm said the move is ex- Eric Groff, Tami Mistretta and
reason behind the termination. vate contractor. pected to save the district up David Edmiston voted against
Paul Cornell, the township’s manager, District officials said they to $140,000 annually, both in it. Board member Curtis Alle-
said the firing of Sheila Weaver had noth- BY ROBYN SIDERSKY plan to meet with the workers salary and in no longer hav- man was absent.
ing to do with the recent incident involving rsidersky@patriot-news.com today and tell them they will ing to pay for the workers’ re- After the vote was taken,
Police Chief David Bogdanovic. have the opportunity to apply tirement through the Public Groff spoke out, saying he
On Sept. 8, Bogdanovic was suspended Without telling its 28 cus- for their jobs with Aramark, School Employees Retirement thought the district should
without pay for seven days and another todial and maintenance the firm the district already System. have had a meeting prior to
township employee also was disciplined in workers ahead of time, the uses to manage their work. The motion passed by a vote
connection with an attempt to get Hershey East Pennsboro Area School The positions affected include of 5-3. Kimberly Grundon, Please see BOARD on Page A5
Bears playoff tickets.
Dauphin County District Attorney Ed
Marsico has said that after an officer
pulled over a player and let him off with
a warning, someone under Bogdanovic’s Jane Coover of Camp Hill completes her evening walk past the former Camp Hill Borough Hall.
direction contacted the Bears seeking play-
off tickets. Marsico said nothing criminal
occurred, and Bogdanovic has not com-
Borough Hall The historic building has been converted into a restaurant and retail and office spaces. In 1909,
the Borough Hall was home to the police and fire departments.

mented on the matter.

As part of Weaver’s dismissal, the com-
missioners also moved to fight any unem-
ployment compensation claims.

BACKGROUND: Commissioner Anthony Sp-

agnolo cast the lone no vote against firing
at Wednesday’s meeting, saying that set-
tling would be cheaper than risking future
court action.

— Lara Brenckle, lbrenckle@patriot-news.com

DAUPHIN COUNTY

Schaffner workers
reject facility plan
SWATARA TWP. l Schaffner Youth Center
workers rejected an offer Thursday that
Dauphin County commissioners said
would have kept part of the facility open.
Commissioners had tabled a closing plan
pending the vote by employees represented
by Teamsters Local 776.
Union business agent Mark Andreozzi
declined to comment further on the vote
until he talks with county officials. He
said the union would be open to resuming
negotiations.
Commissioners have said closing the PHOTOS BY JENNY KANE, The Patriot-News. Historic images are from the Camp Hill Historical Society
center and sending troubled youths to fa-
cilities in Lancaster and Franklin counties
would save $1.2 million annually.
County Chief Clerk Chad Saylor said the
offer would have saved some jobs, kept an
Camp Hill embraces its close-knit community as it celebrates its 125th anniversary.
undisclosed unit at Schaffner open and

Changed, yet the same

provided $2 million in severance benefits.

REACTION: Commission Chairman Jeff

Haste said that a closing is back on the
table and that the vote shows the union
“doesn’t want to work with us.”

— Matt Miller, mmiller@patriot-news.com

BY ROBYN SIDERSKY
HARRISBURG rsidersky@patriot-news.com

Infant’s death “Nowhere else feels like home.”

under investigation
HARRISBURG l Police are investigating the
death of a 6-week-old girl found Tuesday
morning in the 2000 block of Berryhill
Street.
The girl’s family found her unresponsive
and not breathing around 8:30 a.m. and
called 911, police said.
There were no obvious signs of trauma,
police said. Results of an autopsy done
Wednesday morning were not yet avail-
able, a spokeswoman for the Dauphin
County Coroner’s office said.
WHAT CAN YOU DO? Anyone with informa-
tion is asked to contact Detective Jarrett
Ferrari at 255-3025 or jferrari@cityofhbg.
com. Information can also be given to Cpl.
Deric Moody at dmoody@cityofhbg.com
or 255-3156.
— Chris A. Courogen, ccourogen@patriot-news.com
That’s how 89-year-old Edmund Deeter,
Jr. summed up living almost his entire life in
Camp Hill.
Deeter and his wife, Suzanne, lived in
Camp Hill for more than 80 years before
moving to their daughter’s house in Carlisle
three years ago.
He was one of the first graduates of Schaef-
fer Elementary and only left Camp Hill for
college and to serve in World War II.
He said knew that after being away for
years, he had to come home to Camp Hill.
That kind of pride and love will be on
display Saturday as the borough celebrates its
125th anniversary with a host of events.
Home to just over 7,500 residents, Camp Hill
has one of the smallest school districts in the
state. Residents like it that way, boasting about
the quality of education they, their children
and grandchildren received in the schools.
The district played a big role in Edmund
and Suzanne’s decision to raise their fam-
Market Street
ily in Camp Hill when they married after The cars might be different, but the
corner of 21st and Market streets is
Please see 125TH on Page A5 nearly unchanged.

Corrections HARRISBURG
Demi’s Law, House Bill 2026, was amended and is

Payments give city breathing room

l

now folded into the school code bill, House Bill 101.
This bill was approved by the Senate on Sept. 29 and
by the House on Tuesday. It is now awaiting Gov. Ed
Rendell’s signature. The status of the bill was incor-
rectly reported in a photo caption Thursday.
BY CHARLES THOMPSON burg Authority, Harrisburg But advisers to Thompson crisis,” said Thompson’s press
l Nils Frederiksen is a spokesman for the office of
cthompson@patriot-news.com Parking Authority and Harris- made clear Thursday that the secretary, Chuck Ardo, who
the state’s attorney general. His name was mis- burg School District will allow city is still working on a loan estimated the city will re-
spelled in a story in Thursday’s edition. With a little help from its the city to fund the $1.2 mil- package to help cover payroll ceive about $1 million from the
friends, Harrisburg’s cash- lion payroll tab next Wednes- and pay other bills for services speeded-up payments. “With
The Patriot-News seeks to provide complete, accurate strapped city government said day, Mayor Linda Thompson through the remainder of the our tax revenues on hand and
information. To report errors, readers may call 255- Thursday that it will be able to said. 2010 budget year, for which the these accelerated payments,
make next weeks payday for It also gives the city offi- administration has projected a we will meet our next [Oct. 13]
8100 or 800-692-7207, or write to Corrections and some 577 city workers. cials some breathing space to $4.3 million deficit. payroll.”
Clarifications, The Patriot-News, 2020 Technology Expedited payments of cash search for additional short- “What this has done is, it
Parkway, Suite 300, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050. due the city from the Harris- term credit, she said. ameliorates the immediate Please see PAYROLL on Page A5
THE PATRIOT-NEWS LOCAL & STATE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010 l A5

PAYROLL Thompson said last Fri-

Continued from Page A3
The funds advanced to
City Hall this week include
regular proceeds from the
city’s parking facilities and
public utilities, plus fees the
school district pays the city
for certain tax collection
services. payments. Historical Society, has
Ardo could not provide
exact figures on how much
money was coming from
each entity. said, at least one regional
Thursday’s announce-
ment comes while the state
is weighing Thompson’s
separate petition to have
Harrisburg declared to be
in financial distress. That
would allow a state-ap-
pointed coordinator to help
city officials draft a long-
term financial recovery
plan.
The state Department of
Community and Economic
Development has scheduled
an Oct. 20 public hearing on
the so-called Act 47 peti-
tion. Ardo said the city still
In addition to trying to
cope with its current-year
general fund budget deficit,
the city is staggering under
the weight of $288 million
in debt tied to upgrades to
the Harrisburg incinerator.
day that at least two banks
the city had approached for
a Tax and Revenue Antici-
pation Note earlier this fall
were balking at extending
credit, in part because of
the political gridlock be-
tween her office and the
council and proliferating
lawsuits over missed debt
Since the decision to seek
Act 47 oversight, Ardo and
other advisers to the mayor
lender has opened negotia-
tions with the city on pro-
viding a loan.
Thompson, by Wednes-
day night, had even asked
the council to convene in
special session Thursday
to consider a $4.1 million
tax anticipation note. That
loan was apparently not
ready to be completed by
the end of the business day
Thursday, Ardo said, and
was ultimately made moot
by the other sources of rev-
enue. ready to reopen Eisenhow-
will look to complete a loan
or tax anticipation note
later this month to close
the current-year budget
deficit. If that deficit is not
resolved, Thompson has
said it would force her to
125TH
Continued from Page A3
the war and raised four
children.
All four went through
the Camp Hill School Dis-
trict, like their parents did.
Jinny Springen, a
member of the Camp Hill
lived in the borough for
21 years. She grew up in
the borough and gradu-
ated from Camp Hill High
School in 1954.
She left the borough but
returned in 2004.
“I’ve lived so many places
and I couldn’t feel at home
until I saw someone I know
in the supermarket,” she
said. “Here, I see people I
know everywhere.”
She went to Lincoln
Elementary and Camp Hill
High School. Since then, High school
Lincoln has closed, but The original Camp Hill High School was a two-
the district added Hoover story four-room school built in 1907. In 1953,
Elementary and is getting the school was replaced by a three-story brick
structure that is the frame of the current school.
er Elementary. Camp Hill
Middle School was also
added since Springen’s
days as a girl. Celebration
But in many ways, the
Camp Hill of today is the
Among the events planned
same it’s been for genera- for Saturday’s celebration:
tions. l 9 a.m. Maurice Goddard

And more than $60 million consider a variety of imme- Children climb the trees Trail 5k Run
in debt payments are due by diate measures including and skate through Willow l 4 p.m. Community photo
the end of this year. staff layoffs and the closure Park, off Market Street, in
In one bright spot, Ardo of one of the citys four fire the borough’s downtown for all past and present
said Thursday that move- stations. center. Mothers push stroll- residents; video of Camp Hill
ment toward Act 47 has ap- Ardo said all of those cost- ers down the street and Borough in the Community
peared to loosen Harrisburg’s cutting measures would be joggers line the sidewalks. Room with pizza and drinks
access to short-term credit. on the table for 2011. Maya DiCarlo, 12, who l 5 -7 p.m. Krypton City
likes to play in Willow Blues Review, banana splits
Park, said she feels safe in
Camp Hill. PHOTOS BY JENNY KANE, The Patriot-News
and root beer floats
“It’s kind of a good feel- “Nowhere else feels like home,” says Edmund Deeter, For more information call

BOARD The transition will take

Continued from Page A3
the board’s vote letting the
affected employees know
what the district was con-
sidering.
Helm defended taking ac-
tion without notifying the
workers as something done
on the advice of the dis-
trict’s attorney.
“We discussed the order
in which things would be
handled, then discussed
with our solicitor,” Helm
said. “It’s on his advice that
this is the way that it had to
be done.”
Before the board voted on
the motion and the amend-
ment, the board opened
public comment on the
item. None of the affected
workers were present.
Past board President An-
gela McMaster, who was
at the meeting, spoke out
against the item.
She said the workers were
loyal to the district and de-
served to be treated better.
Immediately after vot-
ing to fire the workers, the
board unanimously voted
to amend the five-year con-
tract it has with Aramark to
include the 28 positions un-
der their management.
Haas explained his vote
in favor of the item, saying
that he was put in the same
situation as an employee
and that it was a positive
experience for him.
“They’ll have opportu-
nities beyond East Penns-
boro,” he said.
Helm and Superintendent
Bruce Deveney said the
board has been discussing
the decision for about two
months in executive ses-
sions.
“It was a very long, hard,
thought-out process,” De-
veney said. “Our goal is a
smooth transition in going
from East Pennsboro em-
ployee to Aramark employ-
ee working for East Penns-
boro.”
place over the next few
weeks through informa-
ing to know that you’re
living in a good area,” said
Maya, who moved to the
right, as he and his wife, Suzanne, shared their
memories of raising their family in Camp Hill
737-3456 or visit www.
camphillborough.com.
tional sessions. As of Oct. borough over the summer. people, it’s here,” he said. community. “I can walk
31, the employees will be Jake Malis, 14, of Camp The park has been a everywhere, ride my bike though, she said, is the
terminated by the district. Hill, said he likes to hang landmark of the commu- everywhere,” she said. sense of community.
On Nov. 1, if they choose out in Willow Park every nity for generations. She raised her four chil- “Everybody knows each
to keep their job, they will day because he likes to Jane Coover has lived in dren, now adults, in the other or wants to,” she
be employed through Ara- watch the people who pass the borough for 39 years. borough, but they’ve all said. “We want the com-
mark. through it. She likes how close she left the area. munity to be strong and
The jobs aren’t guar- “If you want to find is to everything in the Her favorite thing safe.”
anteed, though, and they
have to go through the hir-
ing process through Ara-
mark.
Currently, the custodial
and maintenance staff are
classified employees and
are not unionized.
Some employees are full
time and others are part
time.
“We believe it will be a
good thing for the employ-
ees, it will be a good thing
for the district and the tax-
payer, and the students will
see no difference,” Helm
said.
It’s a decision the board
has considered in previous
years, but not done, mem-
bers said.
“The time is now to have
the courage to go forward,”
Ostot said.
Ostot, who had also
served on the board in the
past when she said similar
discussions came up, said
the time wasn’t right be-
fore.
In the past, the district
has outsourced other dis-
trict services.
They outsourced the
management of the custo-
dial and maintenance staff
about 10 years ago to Ara-
mark.
The cafeteria staff was
outsourced 36 years ago and
now work for the district as
employees of Chartwells,
a division of the Compass
Group-USA.
The bus drivers have al-
ways been outsourced as
employees of Rohrer. The
copy center employees
are outsourced to Xerox.
These employees, although
outsourced, work in district
buildings, Helm said.

HARRISBURG

Fire Marshal recommends

status quo aiding city
SWATARA TWP. l How a possible cutback by Harrisburg of its
fire department could affect its neighbors was a cause for
concern at a recent Swatara Twp. commissioners’ meeting.
Swatara is continuing to support sections of Harrisburg
under its long-standing mutual aid agreement, said town-
ship Fire Marshal Darrin Robinson at Wednesday’s com-
missioner meeting.
But at the meeting, officials said rumors have swirled
that Harrisburg firefighters below a certain level of senior-
ity might be cut, resulting in reduced service levels. Some
Swatara officials wondered if suburban fire departments
would have to pick up the slack.
City spokesman Chuck Ardo said the rumors have no
basis in fact. The city has made no decisions regarding
firefighters or on the much-discussed possibility of closing
one fire station.
— Lara Brenckle, lbrenckle@patriot-news.com