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  #201  
Old Posted Aug 23, 2004, 4:05 AM
harrisburger harrisburger is offline
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sorry i couldn't meet up with with you in harrisburg, i was getting my senior pictures taken.....how was it though?
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  #202  
Old Posted Aug 23, 2004, 11:03 PM
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Really good. Check out the other thread about it, harrisburger (the one that says bpg88, ColDayMan & Paradox21 coming to your town...).

:carrot:

CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF

New HIA terminal offers security, convenience

Sunday, August 22, 2004
BY ELLEN LYON
Of The Patriot-News

Two years and two days after a ground-breaking ceremony at which an artist's drawing of the new terminal at Harrisburg International Airport was displayed, the real thing will open next Sunday.

Contractors are putting the finishing touches on what airport officials boast is the first airport terminal in the country designed with post-9/11 security considerations in mind.

In the basement of the Y-shaped terminal is a 3/4-mile-long maze of green and yellow conveyor belts resembling a giant pinball machine powered by 306 motors. The system moves checked luggage through one of three $1.2 million baggage-screening machines.

"This is the latest, latest technology," HIA Aviation Director Fred Testa said.

Questionable bags are diverted to one of six stations for inspection by a human screener. Oversized baggage will be hand-scanned in a separate area.

The basement won't be open to the public. "It's a very secure basement," Testa said. "The president couldn't get down here without an ID."

Six wells drilled inside and four wells drilled outside the 18-foot-deep basement divert about 30 million gallons of water a month, according to Testa.

"We're built on fill. This all used to be the river," he said of the site, which has a 14-foot water table.

The $240 million construction project, which also includes a new parking garage, aircraft apron, 10,000-foot parallel taxiway and instrument landing system, is financed with federal and state grants, passenger facility charges and airport funds.

The new terminal has 12 multi-use jet gates and can serve up to 3 million passengers a year, Testa said. Last year, 1.5 million travelers used the airport in Lower Swatara Twp.

The building can be expanded to serve up to 14 million passengers with 26 gates, although Testa doesn't expect that much growth any time soon.

"It's built for the future," he added.

The terminal houses an airport police station, complete with interrogation room, two holding cells and multiple computer screens to display images from security cameras throughout the terminal and parking garage.

Travelers and their relatives and friends can eat at Varsity Grill and Sports Bar and in a food court with a Hudson News/Euro Cafe, McDonald's counter and Hershey's Ice Cream and LaVazza Coffee stand.

While the existing terminal has only two passenger and carry-on baggage screening lines, the new terminal will have three lines, with the potential to expand to six lines.

The longest walk from the security checkpoint to the farthest of the 12 boarding gates is 491 feet.

On the secure side of the terminal will be a Perfectly Pennsylvania Gift Shop selling only Pennsylvania-made items, a Hudson News and Hershey's Chocolate World shop, and a Capital Cafe and Lounge.

Frequent fliers who travel more than 25,000 miles a year can use the Susquehanna Club, which has work areas with Internet access, a conference room, copy and fax machines and a 52-inch television.

The terminal's other amenities include:
  • Free wireless Internet access.
  • Women's rest rooms twice the size of men's rest rooms.
  • Electronic ticket check-in machines for travelers without baggage to check.
  • Twice as many baggage-claim carousels (four) as the old terminal.
  • Four smoking lounges equipped with separate exhaust and air-filtration systems.
  • A third-floor observation deck, open to the public, overlooking the airport's 9,500-foot runway, which is capable of landing the world's largest aircraft. *ahem ahem HBG forumers...picture time? *
Across from the terminal, and connected to it by a sky bridge and moving sidewalks, is a four-story, 1.1 million-square-foot ground-transportation center and parking garage.

A disk on top of the garage gives it a space-age look but is actually designed for the more mundane task of diverting snow and ice from the building.

Travelers will have access to rental cars, taxis, limousines, hotel shuttles and buses on the first floor of the garage. A double-threaded helix with both entry and exit ramps leads to the top three levels and 2,474 public parking spaces.

Each level has multiple security cameras and eight "panic stations" where someone can set off an alarm to contact airport police.

HIA spent an additional $1.2 million on white concrete to brighten the interior of the 58-foot-tall garage.

Construction of a $10 million train station is stalled in talks between Amtrak and Norfolk Southern railroad, the state Department of Transportation and HIA. The next meeting of all the parties is scheduled for Aug. 31.

Eventually, HIA officials hope a hotel will open across from the old terminal. Moving sidewalks would connect it to the new complex, "so you're inside from the hotel to the plane," HIA spokesman Scott Miller said.

The Buccini/Pollin Group of New Castle, Del., is working on a plan to redevelop the old terminal as office space. It also will house customs operations and two boarding gates for international travelers.
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  #203  
Old Posted Aug 25, 2004, 6:25 PM
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It's amazing how far the HBG school district has come. And as you can see, things will only get better!!!


Harrisburg High School renovation to begin

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

From staff reports

Work will begin this fall on a $55 million renovation and addition to Harrisburg High School, the most extensive renovation and upgrade ever of the 77-year-old building.

The project includes a 190,000-square-foot addition built on the existing site of the gymnasium, cafeteria, music room and industrial arts wing. Twelve classrooms and seven science labs will be added, and all existing classrooms will be enlarged.

Along with the construction, the high school will be divided into five small learning communities to aid with groupings of students in similar areas of study. Ninth-grade groups will be separated from older students.

Mayor Stephen R. Reed said improvements to the 33-acre John Harris campus will take two years to complete because classes will be in session during construction. The school is being designed to accommodate 1,600 students.

"It is critical that Harrisburg's young men and women and their teachers have a state-of-the-art, 21st-century educational environment, capable of fully accommodating technology and sufficient in space to allow for the range of educational and extra-curricular functions essential to a modern education," Reed said in a prepared statement. "This project accomplishes that."

Some of the work is already under way, including the construction of a 28,438-square-foot field house that will include locker rooms, a weight training room, ticket booths and an indoor practice area.

At Severance Field, the seating capacity will more than double to 6,500 seats.

The start of renovations comes after more than seven years of planning. Details of the construction plans were released yesterday, the same day Superintendent Gerald Kohn welcomed back the district's 1,400 teachers and staff.

Reed said the classroom trailers parked in front of the school will be moved to the side and back of the campus once demolition is completed.

Among the renovations planned are an upgraded auditorium with new seating, lighting and sound system; a 4,500-square-foot library more than double its existing size; a 2,000-seat gym; and two cafeterias.

Also this school year, the Harrisburg University Science and Technology High School in the 200 block of Market Street will be unveiled.

The $12 million renovation will open next Monday with 300 students, twice the size of last year's inaugural program of Sci-Tech High at Rowland School.
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  #204  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2004, 3:42 AM
wrightchr wrightchr is offline
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Dave, that's great news about the high school. i recently heard that the district has greatly improved its testing standards and only a few of it's elem schools are below par. a far cry from a few years ago. i think it speaks volumes about the turn around of the city's bad reputation.

on another note, i came across some information about the southern gateway project. you might have already seen this but i'll share anyway, for those who don't know anything about the project.
http://www.hbgsoutherngateway.com/

http://www.harrisburgpa.gov/governme...rnGateway.html

the project is scheduled for construction during 05/06 with the planning and design going on now. the best thing about this project is that it will extend the grid of center city further south to the I-83 interchange. it will also allow for an extension of 3rd street to allow access from I-83 to front, second and third streets which will speed the flow of traffic and provide more access. this will inturn allow for more dense commercial development downtown.

there are already plans to build a new highrise federal building somewhere downtown. millions have been allocated for a study to determine a location....maybe the southern gateway project will provide a new site? also, with the new university taking shape, i would expect to see a set plan to provide student housing and academic buildings in the area.

Last edited by wrightchr; Aug 26, 2004 at 1:19 PM.
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  #205  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2004, 7:32 PM
wrightchr wrightchr is offline
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well it looks like things are getting better. good news!

City schools send more to higher education
Thursday, August 26, 2004
BY PHYLLIS ZIMMERMAN
For The Patriot-News
Things are continuing to look up for the Harrisburg schools.

This year, 214 of 289 members of Harrisburg High School's Class of 2004 are going on to continue their education, school officials said yesterday.

<b>That represents a staggering 306-percent increase in the number of such graduates from the Harrisburg schools, compared to 2001. </b>

The number of students graduating from Harrisburg schools is increasing, too. This year's graduating class was the largest in decades.

In 2001, only 70 out of 176 graduates planned to pursue higher education.

Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed, who took control of city schools three and half years ago, says he has seen a change in the district since beginning his tenure.

Previously "they had no expectations for students from the inner city, which is outrageous. That is flatly unacceptable," Reed said.

"Students in Harrisburg can learn, and they do learn well when presented with the opportunity and encouragement."

Harrisburg Schools Superintendent Gerald Kohn, hired six months after Reed took over the district, said he has also noticed a positive change in the way the district's youngsters view school.

"The students are much more focused and much more engaged in their learning," Kohn said.

Reed said this year's graduates are attending a range of post-secondary schools, from Harrisburg Area Community College to Harvard and Bucknell universities. "That definitely wasn't the case three years ago," he said.

This year, 105 Harrisburg grads plan to attend two-year colleges, while 89 more will go on to four-year colleges. Another 20 will sharpen their professional skills at trade or technical schools.

Three years ago, only 25 graduates went on to four-year colleges, while 45 started at two-year colleges. None went to technical or trade schools in 2001.

Each fall, Harrisburg has started with a ninth-grade class of 700 to 800 students, sometimes more. In past years, the ranks had thinned to fewer than 200.

Next June, school officials anticipate the number of graduating seniors rises to 375.

The mayor attributes the changes to many factors.

"The first thing you want to focus on is literacy. Everything flows from that," Reed said.

Kohn said the district will provide more teacher in-service training this year.

Seven Harrisburg schools met state standards in the 2003-04 school year. Only two schools did so a year ago.

Eight Harrisburg schools missed at least one of their performance targets on state tests for two or more consecutive years, according to a state Department of Education report released Tuesday.
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  #206  
Old Posted Aug 26, 2004, 10:44 PM
harrisburger harrisburger is offline
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with the growing reputation of the city's schools, it seems that more people will be moving to the city with their kids....the schools are an important step to get people back into the city....let the renaissance continue
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  #207  
Old Posted Aug 28, 2004, 1:01 PM
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Thanks a lot for the info, Chris!!! I am REALLY excited about the Northern and Southern Gateway projects. :carrot:

Some more great news. This stepped things up a knotch for the area IMO:

SCITECH'S HOME

New school offers hands-on learning

Saturday, August 28, 2004
BY MEGAN WALDE
Of The Patriot-News

Imagine a classroom with no single point of focus.

A classroom where the podium serves as a technical control center as much as it does a place for a teacher to rest his elbows.

A classroom where lessons can be instantly delivered to the floor above or below, even to the home of a student out sick.

That kind of classroom is now in downtown Harrisburg. Harrisburg University's Science and Technology High School, called SciTech High, at its new home on Market Street.

Mayor Stephen R. Reed, state officials and representatives of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology and the Harrisburg School District officially opened the doors to SciTech High yesterday as a crowd of students, staff and parents filled Market Street with cheers.

SciTech opened last year in the Rowland School with an enrollment of 155 students. The new SciTech welcomes more than 300 students for classes Monday.

Reed said he hopes the SciTech students eventually go to the four-year Harrisburg University, which the mayor said is to begin offering classes next year. Reed says that might still happen, even if it means using temporary sites during construction of other university buildings.

On Monday, SciTech High students will walk through doors secured by key card access, down locker-lined halls filled with natural light and into classrooms buzzing with the latest technology, all to the same end -- to help them learn.

"It's not that the technology is there for technology's sake," said Joe Chiarella, senior technology officer for Harrisburg University. "It's about what the technology enables. It's there to make personal, individual and collaborative learning possible."

It's personal, starting with the way students sign on to their wireless laptops: Their fingerprints are the key to their machine's software.

Common areas, such as the library/resource room on the first floor, offer a variety of places for students to do their thing. Some students will work better in a comfortable chair by a window onto Market Street. Others will prefer standard table-and-chair study areas or wooden bench seats behind a large projection screen.

And while SciTech has classrooms and labs for each subject like any other school, its teachers and students have unique tools there to communicate and collaborate.

Traditional lecture-style classrooms are set up with diagonal rows of desks, a podium (with a docking station for the teacher's laptop on top and cup holder on each side) and projection screens on two walls.

Other rooms are set up similarly, but with desks in a U-shape or groupings.

The teacher can project an image on one screen, a video on the second, and an assignment on the students' laptop screens. A social studies class might use the screens to compare and contrast two TV news broadcasts.

Cameras in each lab and classroom mean a math class on the second floor can use a physics experiment happening on the third floor to help them solve an equation.

"They need to learn it now, learn it in context," Chiarella said. "This is really about how they learn."

Architect Benedict Dubbs designed the building around the idea that students learn best in a place they like.

His goal was to give students and staff as many kinds of spaces as possible to keep them engaged and motivated.

"We don't think there's any limit to what this building can do to help them learn," he said.

Reed suggested there is little the building can do, period. He said the strength of the program is obvious from looking at the number of suburban students who have applied.

"May this project begin to break down the artificial barriers that have long segregated and separated southcentral PA," Reed said.

SciTech's fourth floor will house a high-tech business incubator, with the first companies moving in by January, said university President Melvyn D. Schiavelli.
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  #208  
Old Posted Aug 28, 2004, 1:02 PM
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Campus completes transition to 4 years

The Patriot-News
Saturday, August 28, 2004
BY JAN MURPHY
Of The Patriot-News

Penn State Harrisburg ushers in a new era today as it welcomes 150 freshmen, its largest crop ever of first-year students.

And the campus is now operating as a four-year institution for the first time.

For most of its 38 years, the campus in Lower Swatara Twp. served only juniors, seniors and graduate students.

Now the Harrisburg campus opens its doors as another entry point for freshmen seeking a Penn State degree in any of the university's more than 160 undergraduate degree programs. It also will offer a full four years of study in 26 degree programs.

In 2001, the campus began serving freshman pursuing degrees in information science and technology. Last year, it added more four-year degree offerings and drew 83 freshmen.

Making the change to a full-service campus for first- and second-year students "is the logical and natural next step," said campus Dean and Provost Madlyn Hanes.

Preparing the campus for this expanded role, which will draw dozens more 18- and 19-year-olds, took considerable work, Hanes said.

General education class offerings had to be expanded from a handful to nearly 100. Faculty accustomed to teaching juniors and seniors had to be trained to teach first-year students.

"It's funny how all these adults with Ph.D.s are worried about teaching 18-year-olds," said Penn State Schuylkill professor Marianne Goodfellow, who assisted with the faculty training.

To better serve the needs of full-time first-year students, Harrisburg campus officials added more morning and afternoon classes to the typically evening-course-laden class lineup. After years of being on the receiving end of student transfers, advisers had to brush up on the needs of students planning to transfer after their sophomore year to other Penn State campuses.

The staff in charge of student housing and activities also had to prepare for first-year students.

As a result, for the first two weeks of the semester, the campus activity schedule is packed with programs to entertain and orient students to college life. Opening day activities feature an outdoor movie, a pizza party and all-campus picnic.

"We want to front-load the first days and weeks so that there is a healthy menu of things for students to select from so they can interact and meet and network with students," said Janet Widoff, student affairs director and coordinator of student activities.

Research shows students who become involved in campus early on tend to complete their degrees and are more successful.

The number of campus clubs and organizations has been expanded, as have internship and field trip opportunities with local businesses, to extend learning beyond the classroom, Hanes said.

Students serving as community assistants -- known as CAs -- who are paid to serve as a resource for residential students were trained to handle issues that can arise with first-year students, such as binge drinking and homesickness.

"We kind of expect those things," said Lamon Harris, a senior from Baltimore serving as a CA. "Hopefully, we won't have them. But we have to know how to try and deal with them."

Widoff, like Harris, said she looks forward to having more younger students on campus.

Harris said they'll broaden the perspective of professors and "make it a little more lively around here."

Widoff said she expects younger students will bring more energy and zeal than Penn State Harrisburg has known -- and she can't wait.

"We're excited and ready," Widoff said.
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  #209  
Old Posted Aug 28, 2004, 2:04 PM
wrightchr wrightchr is offline
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btavo
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  #210  
Old Posted Aug 29, 2004, 3:11 PM
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On the front page of the Travel section in today's paper they have a pretty cool map of the new terminal. Good stuff!!!

New HIA lifts economic hopes sky-high

New HIA boosts economic hopes

Sunday, August 29, 2004
BY ELLEN LYON
Of The Patriot-News

Jim Salinger expects the opening of the new terminal at Harrisburg International Airport today to make business there just "blossom."

"It's a blessing for Harrisburg [and] this area," said Salinger, the owner of Unique Limousine, which picks up and drops off corporate clients at the Lower Swatara Twp. airport. "I think we have something to be proud of when people come in."

Salinger's wife, Josie, is president of American Taxi company in Harrisburg, which has an exclusive agreement to pick up passengers leaving HIA.

The drivers are excited about the new facilities, which include a ground transportation center where travelers can find cabs, buses, limousines, rental cars and hotel shuttles, he said.

"Ultimately, it's going to give them a better living," Salinger said. "Everybody's business is going to increase. ... I think it's just going to be a mushroom effect."

Several local officials agreed.

Mario Pirritano, a Fairview Twp. supervisor and a member of the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority, which owns and operates HIA, predicted the new terminal will be "a major economic driver for this region."

David Black, president and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber, said, "We expect it to have a very positive impact on the region because of the increase of flights and traffic, people coming and going to the airport."

There are 1,113 full-time employees and 250 part-time employees working for the 35 companies with offices and businesses at HIA, according to an airport water-usage survey.

The survey estimates that another 25 to 30 full-time and about 40 part-time jobs will be added over the next 18 months.

Plans also call for a hotel to be built near the new terminal on airport property and for the old terminal to be redeveloped into office space.

A study for the state Bureau of Aviation found that, in 1999 -- the most recent figures available -- on-airport businesses and government activity and visitors were responsible for $518 million in spending, 13,276 jobs and an annual payroll of about $239 million.

On-airport business and government activity included airlines, airport sponsors and the Federal Aviation Administration. Visitors spent money at area hotels, restaurants, stores and entertainment venues.

Fred Testa, aviation director at HIA, predicted the new terminal and ground transportation center will bump up the airport's annual economic impact to about $570 million.

An airport providing freight and commercial service to major cities in the South, Midwest and Northeast is "critical" to businesses considering locating in the area, Black said. "The new terminal will be an added selling point."

Tom Wright, vice president of travel for AAA Central Penn, described the 18-year-old existing terminal -- which at 200,000-square-feet is 150,000-square-feet smaller than the new one -- as "overtaxed."

HIA's expansion "encourages businesses to want to relocate here," he said. "Good air service is a necessity to building the economy of the area."

The eight airlines serving HIA offer a significant choice in routes and fares for a region this size, Wright said.

Last year, 1.5 million travelers used HIA, and 47,135 tons of air cargo passed through the airport.

Testa predicted that a more convenient, comfortable and efficient terminal with the latest amenities, along with more flights, will continue to lure back local travelers who have been using Baltimore-Washington International and Philadelphia International airports for cheaper fares.

A 2001 study showed that 30 percent of Harrisburg's air-traffic market used BWI. At that time, HIA had lost more than 100,000 customers, or 13 percent of its yearly departing passengers, over three years.

In the last few years, HIA fought back, advertising the airport's convenience and accessibility compared to big-city airports, and lobbying airlines for lower fares and more flights.

Some airlines had begun to lower fares at HIA but increasing fuel prices this year are threatening that trend, Testa said.

In 2002, when most airports suffered passenger declines after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, traffic at HIA grew by a near-record 15.6 percent, and last year it held steady.

The Boyd Group/ASRC, an aviation research and consulting firm in Colorado, has ranked HIA the 15th-fastest-growing airport in the nation.

Citing the new terminal project, Forbes.com recently ranked HIA as one of the five best small airports in the Northeast.

Some travelers are willing to spend a little more to fly out of HIA to save the time it takes to drive to BWI and to avoid higher parking fees there, Black said.

"Regional flight is becoming more popular. The airlines are getting away from the huge jumbo jets to smaller jets doing more efficient flights," he said.

Consultant Tom Walsh, of Leigh Fisher Associates in San Francisco, estimated that projected annual revenues for the airport authority will climb from about $17 million to about $25 million with the new terminal. He said he expects annual expenses to increase from about $13 million to $15 million.
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  #211  
Old Posted Aug 29, 2004, 10:25 PM
harrisburger harrisburger is offline
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there are little rumors going around about the unoccupied gates...i heard that they are maily to get southwest to come to the airport...and if usair continues their problems, it would be really ripe pickings for southwest.
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  #212  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2004, 3:06 AM
wrightchr wrightchr is offline
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Dave...i noticed your away message yesterday and the change in your avatar...what's up? anyway, thanks for the post about HIA...i read it in today's paper and was really excited to see some promotion of the new terminal. there was also an article about CorridorOne...i'll try and find it.

harrisburger...i think there are 3 or 4 gates that are unoccupied right now. it's been the goal of the airport authority to plan ahead for the future and adding gates now will do just that. eventually other carriers will occupy them but for now they won't be used. as for US Airways, i have an uncle who works for them at HIA. he told me that things aren't really looking good for them and they might be asking for more cuts in the salaries of the employees. worse case scenerio: they become liquidated before xmas. good news is US Airways only leases two gates in the new terminal, but the bad news is they provide a sizable percentage of the flights in/out of HIA. at any rate, new low cost carriers are needed.
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  #213  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2004, 3:28 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrightchr
Dave...i noticed your away message yesterday and the change in your avatar...what's up?
LOL sorry to scare ya, Chris. I do have a rather bizarre and morbid sense of humor at times. My away message yesterday is an inside joke between me, my friends and the girl I am dating now. I took a line from one of Jay-Z's songs and changed a word to make it funny. My "new" avatar is one I used before, but I figured I would put it up again. The avatar + the saying above it is a tongue-in-cheek kind of thing. It's been a :nuts: last few weeks, man LOL Check out this thread. Thanks for caring, though.

My aunt is flying back to England tomorrow out of HIA. I can't wait to hear what she has to say about the new terminal. I won't be able to go with her because of work but I hope to get there soon, especially because of the new observation deck.
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  #214  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2004, 2:17 PM
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it's ok...i was just a little concerned lol i want to make a trip down to the airport sometime to check things out. my brother is in the air guard and his unit is at HIA. he drives by there quite often and keeps me informed to the progress. i'm not sure if the new ramps to the terminal from the airport connector are done yet? i also hope that they jazz up the new terminal somewhat. i mean the old one was really drab and dark inside and looked more like a warehouse then a people mover. maybe adding flags of international nations inside or placing more art and sculpture throughout. i dunno, just a thought. it would also be cool if they extended the A terminal further south to connect to the old one and develop a mall connected to the terminal. with the addition of a hotel, the airport would become a great attraction and draw more people.
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Old Posted Aug 31, 2004, 7:21 PM
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<b>Pupils say Sci-Tech has professional atmosphere</b>

Tuesday, August 31, 2004
BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News

At Harrisburg's Sci-Tech High, school has become another day at the office.

Natasha Jones rose early and rode a Capital Area Transit bus to the downtown building. The Harrisburg University Science and Technology High School has done away with the standard yellow school bus as an outdated mode of transportation.

Once downtown, Jones moved among the hustle and bustle of business men and women marching to office jobs. And when the 11th-grader arrived at the former YWCA building in the 200 block of Market Street, renovated at a cost of $16 million, it didn't look or feel like a school at all.

For Jones, the experience was more like reporting to work than showing up for the first day of classes.

"It's more businesslike," said Jones, who was among the 300 Sci-Tech students who got to tour the just-completed building yesterday. "I feel more like a grown-up."

Indeed, the building's slick and sleek design, inside and out, has the feel of a high-tech company. Students sit in swivel chairs, not at old-fashioned desks. The cafeteria looks more like a restaurant, complete with multiple mounted televisions.

Signs of all the latest technology -- whether it's the video projectors dangling overhead or the blinking wi-fi wireless Internet servers located throughout -- are everywhere. And the science labs would make a Ph.D. jealous.

"It's different," sophomore Aundra Mills agreed. "It's a different environment here. We're part of the downtown community. You've got people walking around with briefcases."

School officials, meanwhile, said they hope all the building's bells and whistles will promote the business of learning.

Sci-Tech is a venture of the Harrisburg School District and the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, which is to begin university classes next fall. Sci-Tech, with its science- and math-heavy curriculum, was launched last year in Harrisburg's Rowland School with about half as many students.

But officials said yesterday's opening marked a new era for the city schools.

"It's a splendid edifice for education," declared Clare Jones, a member of the five-person Harrisburg Board of Control, which oversees the district with Mayor Stephen R. Reed.

"It lays the foundation for a bright future for the students, as well as a prosperous city," she added. "The future starts here."

The city school district opened yesterday with about 8,400 registered pupils. But Superintendent Gerald Kohn said that number is sure to climb, matching last year's enrollment of about 8,600.

At Harrisburg High School, some students were assigned classrooms in trailers as the district prepares for a two-year, $50 million project to renovate and expand the John Harris campus.

On a humid day when the temperature neared 90, the air-conditioned trailers were a cool respite from the rest of the sprawling building, officials said.

Also yesterday, Harrisburg completed the transition to kindergarten-through-eighth-grade schools. It's now possible for a city pupil to enter his or her neighborhood school at age 3 for all-day preschool and remain there through eighth grade. Officials said the new format eliminates disruptive transitions during the middle school years.

But by far the biggest buzz was about the new Sci-Tech building.

"All I've heard from the kids is 'wow, wow and wow,'" Clare Jones said.

The next student-pleasing milestone will occur when Sci-Tech distributes free laptop computers to students.

Officials said the computers have arrived, but technology workers are still loading their software. The laptops should be available in a few weeks, they said.

For Mills and other students, it will be just another step toward feeling professional.

"I feel like a business person, which is what I want to be when I grow up," he said.
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  #216  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2004, 7:30 PM
wrightchr wrightchr is offline
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here's the press release from the mayor's office about kipona... http://www.harrisburgpa.gov/pressRel...01_kipona.html

<b>Summer in Harrisburg winds up with Kipona</b>
Patriot-News
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
It's that time again.

Kipona, Harrisburg's annual salute to the impending ending of summer, will liven things up along the normally sleepy Susquehanna Saturday through Monday.

As usual, the Labor Day weekend festival will feature an array of carnival rides and other youth-oriented activities, along with sporting events, performing artists, food and arts/crafts booths, and -- of course -- fireworks.

The festival will have a literal kickoff event, the Breath of Nature karate tournament. Presented by Joerg's American Karate Studio in Mechanicsburg, the tourney will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Skyline Sports Complex on City Island.

Two other events will start at 9 a.m. Saturday: the Sand Beach Volleyball Tournament and the Pennsylvania State Chili Cook-off, both on City Island. Mayor Stephen R. Reed will present the cook-off awards at 4 p.m.

Kipona's official opening, including the Belco Children's Village and PSECU Artfest, is 10 a.m. Saturday. The popular Popcorn Hat Players will perform at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Kunkel Plaza. The Delaware Valley Drag Boat Races begin at 10 a.m. on the Susquehanna, subject to river conditions. Danzante, the Latino performing arts company, will strut its stuff at 11 a.m. on the plaza.

Calling all kids! Belco Community Credit Union will sponsor free carnival rides for the youngsters until 2 p.m. all three days.

Sunday's highlight will be the fireworks, choreographed to music and simulcast on radio station WRVV 97.3 The River, starting at 8:35 p.m.

The Gittlen 5-kilometer run to benefit cancer research will begin at 9 a.m. Monday on City Island.

Kipona hours are from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday.

Last edited by wrightchr; Aug 31, 2004 at 8:17 PM.
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  #217  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2004, 8:07 PM
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<b>306% INCREASE IN HARRISBURG HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES GOING ON TO HIGHER EDUCATION COMPARED TO 3 YEARS AGO</b>
http://www.harrisburgpa.gov/pressRel...Education.html

Harrisburg, PA – Mayor Stephen R. Reed today reported that the number of Harrisburg High School graduates going on to higher educational or trade schools has increased 306% over the number who did so three years ago.

Of the 289 graduates in June, 2004, 214 of them will be continuing their education and have been accepted at various colleges, universities and trade schools. Three years ago, for the Class of 2001, it was 70 students out of 176 graduates going on to higher education.

For the Class of 2004, 105 are going on to two-year colleges, 89 to four-year colleges or universities, and 20 to technical or trade schools. Three years ago the respective numbers were 45, 25 and 0.

Due to a 63% increase in the graduation rate at Harrisburg High School in this time period, there are actually more students going on to higher education today than there were high school graduates three years ago.

Reed said: “One of the goals of the current reform and improvement efforts is to assure the best of opportunities for Harrisburg’s students. With a focus on learning, bolstered by the dedicated work of teachers, administrators and staff, and backed by many parents and community members, we are making strides in assuring a bright and promising future for many more talented young men and women in this city.”
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  #218  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2004, 11:07 PM
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it's ok...i was just a little concerned lol
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Thanks for the articles, Chris. So much good news!!! Check this out:


Region posts lowest jobless rate

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

The Harrisburg region's unemployment rate dropped to 3.6 percent in July, after posting a 3.8 percent rate in June.

The region's unemployment rate was the lowest in the state among Pennsylvania's 14 metropolitan statistical areas. The second lowest was Lancaster at 3.7 percent. State College, which usually has the lowest ranking in the state, had a 3.8 percent unemployment rate in July.

York's unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in July.

For Pennsylvania, the July unemployment rate was 5.3 percent. The national average was 5.5 percent during the month.

The number of jobs for July totaled 369,200, down 3,200 from the previous month but up 400 from July 2003. Goods-producing jobs were down by 100 from the prior month, and service jobs were down 3,100, most of them education related.

Manufacturing jobs are down 300 from the prior month, as well as the prior year. The region's average manufacturing wage was $15.52 an hour during July, compared with the statewide average of $15.08.

The Harrisburg region comprises Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon and Perry counties.
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  #219  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2004, 11:09 PM
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This is a pretty good editorial from the paper yesterday:

RENAISSANCE

Monday, August 30, 2004

The start of classes today at Harrisburg's new SciTech High School on Market Street is emblematic of the educational renaissance that is under way in Pennsylvania's capital city.

These are exciting times as the city's schools undergo a remarkable transformation that, after 31/2 years under Mayor Stephen R. Reed's control, are showing improvements both in educational performance and student aspirations.

Seven Harrisburg schools met state test-score performance stan dards this year, compared to just two schools two years ago. And 214 of the 289 members of the 2004 graduating class at Harrisburg High School are moving on to higher education. That's a 306 percent increase over the Class of 2001.

These are impressive gains that will be tested next year when the performance bar is raised. Under the No Child Left Behind initiative, 54 percent of students will be required to be proficient in reading next year, up from 45 percent this year, and 45 percent of students must be proficient in math, up from 35 percent. The ultimate aim of the program, to be achieved by 2014, is to have students at every school in the nation scoring at 100 percent proficiency, an impossible goal short of watering down educational requirements.

Nevertheless, the Harrisburg School District is pulling out all of the stops in its efforts to elevate the quality of education in the city schools to that which is second to none. There are many impressive elements to this strategy, but the most novel effort of all is the SciTech High School, a joint undertaking of the district and Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

This is the school's second year, but the first in its new quarters in the heart of Downtown, the totally refurbished building that once housed the local YWCA. This unique educational institution has begun by taking city children of promise, along with other students from the region, and placing them in a very hands-on educational environment of high expectations. This is intended to provide SciTech students with the skills to enable them to enter Harrisburg University, which is slated to open its doors three years hence, to further their careers in science and technology, along with other high-school graduates who apply and are accepted.

This represents a most unusual direct integration between high school educational programs and university programs, but one that makes obvious sense.

In addition, the building's top floor also will house a business incubator where faculty, students and other entrepreneurs can nurture commercially viable products and services. This closely links the theoretical side of science education with the practical, real-world environment of turning ideas into marketable goods and services.

Eventually, Harrisburg University will spread beyond its impressive new home as it grows and establishes itself as an institution of higher learning. Everyone in Harrisburg and surrounding communities can take pride in this budding enterprise. What we are seeing is the early days of something special that will play a growing role in shaping the region toward a better and more prosperous future. And we suspect that it will soon prove to be a model for integrating the teaching of science into the economic development of the community that others will copy.
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  #220  
Old Posted Sep 1, 2004, 1:44 AM
wrightchr wrightchr is offline
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