PSoTD

According to this site, it's $38K per year.

As a parent, I am impressed with how much the Cumberland Valley School District has improved their parent notification of school delays and cancellations with their auto-call and email system. On many occasions, the time of doubt - not knowing whether arrangements need to be made for the kids the next day or not - has been greatly reduced.

Camp Hill's Mayor is expressing a need for a change in the water company. I'm sure Hampden Township's gonna hear that sentiment from residents now, too.

Cumberland Valley High School earned another bronze award in U.S. News and World Report's second annual list of America's Best High Schools but two other local schools on last year's honor roll didn't make the grade this time.

I did this a few years ago with a friend on January 1st, and I've created a bit of a monster. The day we went, it was in the 40s, no snow on the ground, little wind. Yes, the river was cold and my feet went numb almost immediately, but still, you really couldn't ask for better conditions.

And I recognize that. Last year my buddy wanted to do it again, and I wavered, explaining that I would go if the weather was similar but not if it was 10 degrees and windy, or freezing rain, or any of the nastier weather combinations that are more likely than mid 40s on New Years Day. We didn't end up going. This year he's back with more push to get me to go.

The problem really isn't the time in the river itself, because that is relatively quick, maybe a minute or so. The problem is the wait before, and particularly the cold walk and change afterwards. Especially if you're planning on going to Flinchy's directly afterward for the free buffet, because you're going to end up changing somewhere on City Island behind the bushes.

So... I'm noncommittal. Well, sorta. I've told my buddy that I'm not going if it's windy or raining or there's snow on the ground. He claims I am a "once and doner" which may be true. Maybe, but I'm also getting to the age where I should use my brain to keep my body from getting sick. Maybe this event is for the younger folks.

Sara Bozich has a good list of local Harrisburg area bloggers.

And speaking of Capitol area bloggers and tweeters, there's a tweetup in Harrisburg on December 18th - anyone here going? I haven't been to one before, but thinking about going to one.

I wonder why Hampden Township changed Operation Ho Ho so much. They didn't get the word out very well to residents as to the new operation and schedule, and we missed it as the fire truck raced down the street.

Maybe next year.

There's a phone scam going on, we've received two recorded calls in the past two days from different number claiming to be Susquehanna Valley Federal Credit Union telling us that a block has been put on our credit card because of a charge they believe was from an fraudulent source. Then they ask you to give your credit card number to check your account. It's all automated, and sounds pretty business-like, and it's a complete scam. It is NOT the credit union. If you call Susquehanna Valley Federal Credit Union, they are well aware of the scam and warn callers immediately NOT TO GIVE THE CREDIT CARD NUMBER. Of course, that was easy for us since we do not even have a credit card or any other account with their credit union.

Snow!!!

Those of us that live near Harrisburg know of a climate challenge that awaits for those who go downtown during the coldest days of the winter. It's that time of year we all think about it, since we've already had a taste of bitter winds and chilly temperatures, and there's plenty more of that, and more extreme versions of it, that await us over the next 4 months or so.

Harrisburg, being a state capitol and all, is full of larger buildings that house the state government, from the Capitol Building to various office buildings and parking lots. In addition, all the other organizations that huddle near state government - associations and lobbyists and public interest groups and law firms and the rest - need office space as well. So, Harrisburg, which didn't have that many tall office buildings when we moved here in 1991, has been building them to keep up with demand since that time.

Anyone that has walked in Harrisburg on a wet and blustery winter day knows what these buildings can do - accentuate the gusts of wind. Umbrellas take a beating here, like any other cityscape with similar weather and taller buildings.

But there's a greater risk to umbrellas - and anyone else - walking through Harrisburg on our coldest days. From the heights fall the weather-delivered terror, potentially fatal: frozen pigeons. Once we've had a few days with temperatures never tipping past 20, the risk is there. Pedestrians must keep an eye to the sky in case a gust blows a frozen bird off its ledge and tumbling to the sidewalks below. We are a friendly folk, however, and good samaritans will shout "look out" to those not looking, and all will duck as quickly as possible towards doorways or other protection. Pity the poor individual that slips on ice and can't avoid the falling block of pigeon-ice, a fate of pain or perhaps worse.

The last few years the frozen pigeons have caused a bit of a fashion statement in Harrisburg - the shield. I, myself, now bring one when I have to go downtown, rather than an umbrella, on those coldest surly days.

It's heavy but far better protection than an umbrella. If you come to Harrisburg in January, you might want to stop by Hank's in Strawberry Square, you can get a newspaper and a shield at a reasonable price.

Are there any leagues in Central Pennsylvania for adults? I'm not sure this trend has reached here.

Orrs Bridge Road, Camp Hill.

Last night's light rain knocked down almost all the rest of the maple leaves in our front yard.

The things you find out on CraigsList - apparently this "cleaning" service is coming to Harrisburg. They bill themselves as the "Tri State Areas Premiere Adult Cleaning Service".

Waltz's Barbershop is where I go, on Williams Grove Road in Mechanicsburg. Don's a good guy and a good barber. If you're looking for a place, I recommend him.

Which I am one... check out this new blog, Conodoguinet Creek Critter Chronicle.

Which ran on WHTM.

We used to go to this when the kids were smaller.

Photo by Spotobe

Issue still building in Camp Hill.

Pennsylvania American Water has delayed for 30 days a water pressure increase in Camp Hill that was scheduled to begin next week.

The borough had filed a petition this week asking the Public Utility Commission to issue an emergency order delaying the pressure increase for at least 60 days.

The borough claims the increase is unnecessary and poses the danger of water line and property damage and loss of service. The water company says the project, which includes gradually increasing water pressure for all its West Shore customers, will improve reliability and service.

"It's a start but not enough," Borough Council President Rick McBride said Friday.

They're having some issues with customers as they increase water pressure on the West Shore. But homeowners don't want water pressure increases that cause leaks around the house and generate large plumbing bills...

There's a surprising amount going on...

Gone. I liked My Place Pizza, too. I think it had been there, under different ownership, since we bought our house here in 1995, but I might be wrong.

Revenue for the West Shore Recreation Commission are down about 20 percent from what they budgeted. In the past few years, fees have gone up for various activities, and I suspect they've learned a bit about the elasticity of activity prices, because they don't appear to think they can go back to that well this time...

The West Shore Recreation Commission is bringing in about 20 percent less revenue than expected this year, which means municipal members may be asked to contribute more money, officials said.

"Our revenues are down this year because of the economy. People are cutting back," commission executive director Carmen Williams said on Friday. "We just had fewer adults participating in summer activities," starting when gasoline jumped to $4 a gallon.

Participation in youth programs has remained steady, she said.

In response to the reduced revenue, the commission laid off one of its five full-time staff members and has cut expenses, Williams said. "I don't know what else we can cut without the organization disbanding. We already had a pretty frugal budget to begin with," she said.

The commission -- whose municipal members include the West Shore School District, Lemoyne, New Cumberland, Goldsboro, Lewisberry and Lower Allen, Fairview and Newberry townships -- offers about 600 fitness, hobby and recreational classes and activities a year, led by part-time instructors and independent contractors, Williams said.

The commission's budget this year is $566,000 and the board recently approved a 2009 budget of $531,000, Williams said. About 70 percent of the commission's revenue comes from participation fees, with member municipalities making up the rest.

The commission will meet on Oct. 14 to discuss the "unforeseen revenue shortfalls" and consider what to do about them, board president Doug Goodlander said. The options include fundraising activities and asking the member municipalities for more money, he said.

Lemoyne Borough Council rejected additional funding for the commission at its meeting Thursday night.

I don't think they're going to have a lot of luck getting more money from local governments who are under a lot of budget pressure of their own. Fundraising is going to be difficult in this environment as well. I suspect that there's going to be an activity by activity audit to determine which programs over the past several years have been revenue losers, and those are going to get cut.

In the last two years, this soup kitchen in Harrisburg has seen a 20 percent increase in clients, yet contributions are dwindling.

One of the economic tactics I want to try to save money in the near future is to buy a quarter side of beef and store the cuts in our freezer. So... any suggestions where to do this at?

Both kids are now registered in the Cumberland Valley Youth Basketball Association. Evaluations are in late October, practices start pretty soon after that. Basketball season around our house is a very busy time, but a fun time - I really enjoy it.

Now that we have two kids in this league, I've had to make a decision, and this year I'll coach our oldest and assistant coach the youngest. Games and practices will conflict and the head coach really should be there unless of an emergency - that's the commitment you make to the kids on the team, and their parents.

The sad part of that is that this is likely to be my last year of head coaching hoops for the oldest. She and I have already discussed it, and the three of us (including the youngest) are in agreement - next year she'll need a different coach, hopefully someone who can bring coaching and kid talents to the table that I don't, and I'll head coach his team as well.

Have a Meetup Group.

I just can't bring myself to call it camping, but we had a great time the past two days at Twin Grove Park Campground outside of Pine Grove. And the cabins were pretty darn nice!

Sounds good to me.

For fliers, this is a winning plan. When new airlines join the mix, especially discount carriers, fares generally go down. In Philadelphia, for example, a year after Southwest Airlines entered the market in 2004, fares had dropped by 25%. Airlines paying for slots would want to get the most for their money: They might switch to larger jetliners, instead of smaller regional jets, to maximize profit. Fewer planes, carrying more people, could cut delays.

I have been supporting the same local coffee shop for over 4 years. During that period of time, it has had 4 different owners, and it is commonly thought amongst current and former regulars of the shop that the shop's overall quality has diminished over each owner.

One of the things that has annoyed me about this particular shop, and the past three owners that have run it, is that I have offered good business advice to each owner, and none have taken me up on it. To me, a coffee shop has to offer a few things to be successful, at least one that runs in a competitive marketplace in a smaller suburb:

1 - quality product at reasonable prices
2 - a comfortable environment to consumer said product
3 - a sense of community

The community is key - coffee shops succeed, or fail, on the basis of their volume and return rate of "regulars".

I've watched the current ownership of this coffee shop fail for over a year now in at first maintaining the existing regular base, and now in building a new one. It is clear to me that the shop isn't going to make it under current ownership. What they need to do - immediately - is outreach to the most likely people that can become regulars for their shop - the people that live and work within a 1 mile radius or so.

Signs aren't enough, and neither are ads in the Coupon Clipper. I've told the owners that one easy and cost efficient way to go about this is to contact Hampden Township and Camp Hill Borough, and get a list of the homeowners associations in those two entities with contact persons, and find out if they have newsletters or email lists, and advertise that way. Build community through neighborhoods. Is a person more likely to become a regular at a coffee shop where he or she never sees anyone they know, or at a place where they occasionally run into and talk to neighbors and friends?

Outreach to build their customer base from their neighbors is a freakin' no-brainer, and yet they don't do it.

Anyway, even a creature of habit has to do the right thing once in a while, and I'm not going to stop at the old coffee shop haunt any more. Dumb business approaches do not deserve support, especially when hope of change is long past. Bleh.

We went to a baptism a few weeks ago at this tiny church off of St. John's Road in Camp Hill. What a step back in time.

It's a bad sign for the financial industry, when financial institutions that seem healthy have to make room on their web site to explain to customers that although other financial institutions are having big problems, they're doing fine.

On the other hand, it's good to see financial institution marketing messages such as the one below seen as consumer-attractive:

Our net worth (capital) level is strong, the highest category a credit union can achieve from our federal regulator, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). Our delinquency ratio, an indicator of the quality of our assets, is extremely favorable. Any investment we make is federally insured. We do not take risks in the stock market or make speculative investments.

Anyone that lives on the West Shore of the Harrisburg area probably has an opinion about New Kingstown. It's an odd little community, divided by the Carlisle Pike as it becomes more highway like, and actually has buildings in the large island area between the east and west lanes of the highway.

My opinion is more of a question - how does it keep surviving? I know that there's no way I would ever buy a house that essentially sits right on top of a highway, which many of the homes of New Kingstown do. I suspect most of the market feels similarly, which depresses market value. It's relatively prime land for development, well, except that there's already all these people living there, but it's sandwiched between the big commercial zone of the Carlisle Pike and the up-and-coming auto dealership and other large entity commercial zone that leads up to Cumberland Valley High School.

It just seems to me that economic and political pressure is going to grow to, well, I guess "move" that community somewhere else and use that land for other purposes. If you look at the recent history of the Carlisle Pike, you see this kind of thing happening over and over again. I'm not saying this should happen - just that it looks like it will happen.