Press And Journal
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2014
VOLUME 124 - NO. 39
28 PAGES
75 CENTS
Lower Swatara approves subdivision plan that could lead to expanded PSU-Harrisburg campus By Jim Lewis
Press And Journal Staff
Lower Swatara Twp. commissioners have approved a subdivision of land at the Middletown Home that allows the home to sell about 60 vacant acres to Penn State Harrisburg. Commissioners unanimously approved the subdivision during a meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 17. The Press And Journal Photo by Jim Lewis The Middletown Home plans to sell about 60 vacant acres to land abuts University Drive on the university’s campus. neighboring Penn State Harrisburg.
Lease of water, sewer systems topic of public meeting By Dan Miller
Press And Journal Staff
Whether Middletown leases its water and sewer systems to an outside party for 50 years – and who that party could be – could be decided during a special meeting between Middletown Borough Council and the Middletown Borough Authority at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29 in the MCSO Building at 60 W. Emaus St. The borough is hoping that in return for the value of the water and sewer systems, a bidder would agree to pay off the borough’s total current debt – roughly $26.2 million – and another $10.8 million that Middletown needs to cover its pension and post-employment benefits to retirees. If you are doing the math, that comes to $37 million. The borough also wants bidders to consider paying an additional amount of money that
Penn State Harrisburg would be “thrilled’’ if it could acquire the property, said Don Holtzman, the university’s senior director of student services and special projects. “It’s been something we have looked at for years,’’ he said. He referred questions about negotiations on the sale of the property to officials at Penn State’s main campus in University Park, Centre County. A call asking for comment was not immediately returned. There are no specific plans for the
property, if it is acquired, other than for future “expansion,’’ Holtzman said – though a master plan published on Penn State Harrisburg’s Web site indicates it could be used for athletic fields. “If it was to be, we will get a little more serious,’’ Holtzman said. The Middletown Home, meanwhile, will be “keeping enough land to move forward’’ with its future operations, said Rik Longacre, a representative Please See CAMPUS, Page A7
WE BURIED PAUL
Please See Page C1
Quick
NEWS Intersection of Spring and North Union to close for project
Please See LEASE, Page A7
MIDDLETOWN
Council keeps human relations commission By Dan Miller
Press And Journal Staff
Now that Middletown Borough Council has decided to keep the borough’s Human Relations Commission, the question becomes: What to do with it? Council voted 6-2 on Monday, Sept. 15 against a proposal pushed by President Christopher McNamara to do away with the commission, which has been defunct for decades. McNamara had floated the idea on the advice of borough Solicitor Adam Santucci. According to McNamara, Santucci said the local commission not only was defunct but also was no longer needed due to the existence of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the federal Equal Employment Opportunties Commission. Council’s discussion of the issue before its vote was basically a rehashing of the debate that occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 2, when council voted 5-3 to publicly advertise an ordinance to eliminate the commission.
Photos by Noelle Barrett
Local historian Don Ruth pulls a Beatles record out of the 1964 Highspire time capsule buried in Memorial Park.
A Beatles record and a beloved baseball are among the memories released from Highspire’s time capsule By Noelle Barrett
For The Press And Journal
The steel box was caked with dried dirt. Forty screws, evenly spaced around the lid, sealed away moments frozen in time. A crowd of people surrounded the box in Memorial Park. Curious children stood on the tips of their toes, peeking around their parents’ legs. Highspire Borough Council members Michael Anderson and Tyler Thatcher had moved stones and dirt in the park, unearthing the 50-year-old time capsule minutes before. The capsule was kept beneath a concrete slab and a plaque marker during the Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1964. Now more than 100 people gathered on Saturday, Sept. 20 for Highspire’s Bicentennial Celebration – and to see what was inside the capsule, lured by the mystery and stories of the past. The clicking of camera phones was barely audible through the crowd’s chatter and cheers at the sight. Please See BURIED, Page A8
Holding the baseball they signed as children in 1964 are, from left, Jack Bolash, Tom Bates and Michael Otzel.
Please See COUNCIL, Page A10
MIDDLETOWN
Church youth leader charged with possession of child pornography Tipantiza served as a volunteer youth leader at Valley Baptist Church in Middletown, though he had not attended the A man who had served as a church since April, according volunteer youth leader at a to Pastor Jerry Cowan, the Middletown area church was charged on Thursday, Sept. 18 church’s leader. with 61 counts of possession Tipantiza helped teach Bible of child pornography, authorilessons at Sunday school but ties said. was not an ordained pastor and Daniel M. Tipantiza, 40, of was not a member of the church the 2500 block of Derry St., staff, Cowan said. Harrisburg, was charged with He passed a state police back61 counts of sexual abuse of ground check prior to his stint children-possession of child at the church, Cowan said. pornography and sexual abuse Tipantiza was charged after of children–dissemination of the National Center for Missing Daniel Tipantiza child sex act material. He was & Exploited Children received arraigned before District Judge a cyber-tip from Yahoo! Inc. George A. Zozos of Harrisburg and held in Dauphin County Prison in lieu of that 61 images of child pornography were downloaded to a Yahoo-Flickr account in July, $150,000 bond. Tipantiza was arrested at his home by police according to the affidavit. Police obtained a court order that required armed with a search warrant and confessed to uploading the images – 60 of them featuring boys Sprint to provide the subscriber’s phone number under the age of 18 engaged in sexual intercourse for the Yahoo account, the affidavit said. Sprint and one featuring an adult male and a boy under complied, which led police to Tipantiza, the the age of 18 engaged in intercourse – to his affidavit said. Yahoo and Flickr accounts, police said in an A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 13 before affidavit of probable cause filed in Zozos’ office. Zozos.
By Jim Lewis
Press And Journal Staff
Press and Journal Photo by Dan Miller
Attending the real-estate closing for the Elks Building are, from left, Christopher McNamara, Middletown Borough Council president; Gordon Einhorn, vice president of GMEDC; and Salvatore Bauccio, solicitor for the Middletown Industrial and Commercial Development Authority.
Elks transfer is completed; repairs are next, leaders say
By Dan Miller
Press And Journal Staff
The historic Elks Building in downtown Middletown is now owned by the Middletown Industrial and Commercial Development Authority. Representatives of the authority and Greater Middletown Economic Development Corp., its previous owner, met Thursday, Sept. 18, in
Contact Us
a seventh-floor conference room at the Harrisburg office of McNees Wallace & Nurick – the law firm that is solicitor to the borough and the authority – to transfer ownership of the Elks Building to the authority. The authority’s acquisition of the Elks Building was a cashless transfer where the authority assumed responsibility for a $500,000 mortgage on the building that Please See TRANSFER, Page A10
Write: 20 S. Union St., Middletown, PA 17057 • Phone: 717/944-4628 • E-mail: Info@PressandJournal.com • Home Page: www.pressandjournal.com
Middletown’s water and sewer line replacement project will move up North Union Street on Wednesday, Sept. 24. The intersection of Spring Street and North Union Street will be closed at 7 a.m. on Wednesday so crews can complete the downtown portion of the project. Union Street from Emaus to Spring streets will be closed until the project is completed, which will be on or before Nov. 1, the borough said.
Explosions were firecrackers, police say Middletown police suspect that firecrackers were to blame for reports of explosions in the borough over two days this month. The first incident took place in the area of North Wood Street and Detweiler Avenue around 9:15 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 12. Police were told a firecracker was tossed out of a red pickup truck and exploded in the street. Residue from an exploded firecracker was found in the area. Police said they will place the area under regular surveillance. A second incident took place around 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13 in the first block of Pike St. A caller told police an explosion shook her home, and witnesses told police they saw smoke in the area of Commercial and Scott avenues. Police are asking anyone with information to call them at 717558-6900.
Goat races return to Falmouth It began as a joke 35 years ago. But the annual Falmouth Goat Races have endured, much to the delight of goat owners and goat aficionados. The races return on Saturday, Sept. 27, at Governor’s Stable Park just off Route 441. Opening ceremonies will be held at 10 a.m., and races will begin at 11 a.m. A racing dogs show, petting zoo, food booths and entertainment will be featured. The event is free, though a $3-per-vehicle fee will be charged for parking.
pressandjournal.com
TO:
LISTEN Sound Off Audio SUBMIT Photos & Events SEARCH Back Issues SEE More Photos WATCH Videos
This is Basil Nayduch’s hometown newspaper.