If you don’t read Burg Life, my other blog, now would be a good time to start.  i liked the following post so much, I reposted it here too.

With an unemployment rate of 5.1%, the Harrisburg area appears to be holding its own in the current economic tsunami. It’s safe to say that a willing body can find some way to earn a little money around here. Of course, the unstated truth in employment numbers is that not all jobs are good jobs, and sometimes money’s not even the deciding factor in what makes a job “good.”

Consider, for a second, the situation of Kenynn Pattillo.

Kenynn Pattillo had pieces of his future in his hands, but he didn’t hold on tightly enough.

Pattillo had wheels, a 1993 Plymouth Voyager with a sagging front door he tied shut with a shoelace. He had his own apartment with a view of the Harrisburg rooftops. Above all, the 22-year-old had a steady job.

Then, one night, the minivan broke down on Paxton Street. He was flagging passing vehicles for help when the police car pulled up. The pieces were about to shatter.

Pattillo did not go home that night in the Voyager; he went downtown in the back of the police car. Pattillo did not wake up the next morning in his apartment and go to his job; he woke up in a jail cell and went nowhere for the next three weeks. He could not post bail on a handful of old charges, including driving without a valid inspection or insurance.

When Pattillo got out, his minivan was gone – and so was his job.

Here’s a guy who was try to make it work with what he had, hardly perfect, but one thing is consistently dogging him: transportation. In Harrisburg, as in most of the nation, owning a car is mandatory for all but the determined and the destitute.

Nearly a quarter of the residents of Harrisburg are trying to scrape by on an income below the poverty line. That a level of income that makes keep a roof over your head and food on the table a challenge. Little is left for big ticket items like a car.

For decades now, we’ve developed our communities and our economy in a way that makes both car ownership and auto industry bailout necessary for survival. Our culture has glamorized the automobile and become dependent on it, without an answer for those who choose not to own a car or can’t affort one.

The time has come for us to acknowledge the land use – transportation – poverty link. They was we build impacts the way in which we get around. By spreading out, we have built our communities in a way the requires driving to live conveniently. Those without are left out and locked out of employment opportunities in dispersed locations.

We originally looked at a house in the suburbs as the American dream, and a car in the driveway as the ultimate symbol of freedom and mobility. But all decisions have unintended consequences, and our decision to hitch our fate to the automobile has had plenty — from global warming to drunk driving.

It doesn’t have to be this way. In 2009, the federal “highway bill” will be up for renewal, and people from all perspectives are coming together to ensure that this year Congress passes a “transportation bill” instead. This coalition is convening under the banner of T4America, and we’ve got a bold agenda shape the future of our movement. Be sure to check them out, and join in the chorus if you too feel that our transportation system is broken.

Making PA proud on Faux News.

Carbon dioxide per passenger mile

Originally uploaded by rllayman.

Think about it.

For anyone who has been with me from the beginning of this blogging journey way back in the dark ages of 2004 knows that Karns Quality Blog has undergone something of an evolution over time.  What began as a personal blog focused mainly on my rock climbing and other adventures, over time, evolved into a blog mainly about Harrisburg life.  Recently, I have struggled with where to go next, and I feel that Karns Quality has spent its recent existence drifting at sea.

So, the time has come for change.  Karns Quality is not going away, but it will be reverting back to its original purpose as a personal blog for me to share photos and stories of my adventures.  I’m launching a new blog too, called Burg Life.  Burg Life will be my outlet for any and all news Harrisburg related.  As part of this transition, I am also moving the popular Harrisburg Development Page over to Burg Life.

Additionally, Burg Life will at least one other author!  This is a newer venture for me, as I begin exploring group blogging, but I think it will make for a better product for everyone.  Hopefully, this will allow us to have both more frequent posts and greater diversity in the points of view presented.

Please!  Bookmark Burg Life!  I know there is not much there now, but I hope to see the content quickly expand.  And, of course, check back here at Karns Quality Blog from time to time to get the personal view of what I’m up to.

Since the deal was announced to lease the Harrisburg public parking garage system, I’ve held off on chiming in so that I could watch the scene unfold from the sidelines.  This does not occur everyday, and I didn’t want to be the first into the fray.

The noisy and growing Anti-Reed faction was quick out of the gates to denounce the whole idea as just another attempt by our mayor to send our city to financial ruin for personal gain and to cover past blunders.  This squawking is of no surprise.  Everyone, including the mayor, knows that there is a a vocal contingent in opposition of his every move.  I appreciate that they are presenting as a counterpoint to the Mayor’s rosy picture.  But there is merit in this proposal that should be considered.

The city would abdicate virtually all control of the 11 parking garages and parking lots, as well as the parking meters.  In return, we as a city would receive $215 million in one lump sum, plus additional annual payments.  This is not pocket change.  Harrisburg is a city that has been burdened with financial troubles for many years.  That $215 million is real money that would immediately enter the city coffers and change the financial picture.  According to the mayor’s proposal, this would include major improvements to city services, such as the immediate hire of 15 additional police officers.  For a community that has been struggling with crime recently, additional cops on the beat could make a real difference.

There are drawbacks to this.  Parking rates surely will rise, but this was bound to happen anyway.  There is troubling language in the contract that would allow Harrisburg Public Parking (HPP), the leasee, to place meters on residential streets.  Rates could be increased astronomically, and vaguely defined “compensation events” would require the city to pay HPP.  HPP representatives claim that they have no intention to double rates overnight or put meters up and down Green Street, but they could if they chose to.  These sections of the contract are unacceptable to the people of Harrisburg who use these streets daily.

For these technical reasons, I am opposed to the deal as the language stands.  The residents of Harrisburg deserve contract language that preserves the residential feeling of our neighborhoods and the living economy of our city.

The idea of leasing the parking facilities is a good one, given the current state of affairs.  We as a city need to consider this openly.  We should demand of elected officials not to scrap the deal, but to renegotiate parts of the contract.  We should put the promises of HPP into the legal, binding document.

If the lease agreement kept meters off of residential streets, and only allowed for modest, realistic rate increases, I would be in favor of it.  Bankruptcy for the city is not an option, and this is the best idea proposed to get the city on its feet.  We need to consider this now.

I’ll rest for the night, now that I’ve drawn a line in the sand.  I’m on stay-at-home vacation until Tuesday, and I need to celebrate.  In the next few days, I plan to post part 2, and perhaps 3, of my take on the Harrisburg parking deal.  I’m just getting started, and I think that there is much about this topic that needs to be discussed.

6pm.  Every last Friday of the month starting today.

Meet at Front and Walnut Streets by the walking bridge.

Bring friends with bikes.

For more info on Critical Mass Check out the wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Mass

Watch, and then contact City Council.

I have decided to document the status of major development projects in Harrisburg.  To accomplish this, I have begun the Harrisburg Development Page.  None of the information hosted there is new.  It all has been recorded in press releases, newspaper articles, and public records.  This information has not been consolidated into one place, until now!  I plan to keep it updated, and I look forward to your tips for new or missed projects or updates.  In the future, you’ll always find a link to it in my sidebar.

Joanna Kirby of Smoke the Groove, acoustic, with Kristyn Beeman on percussion and harmonies.

Friday night above Mangia Qui on North St. in Harrisburg.

Arrive early for table seating.

They’ve been practicing, and it sounds great!

Fellow Pennsylvanians, get out and vote!

I did.