HARRISBURG- Today is May 5th, so you know what that means: Sinkhole de Mayo.
What. You've never heard of that?
Well, that's because it's a stunt by an advertising company to have a little fun at the city's expense while highlighting a problem with their property. Namely, they haven't been able to use their parking lot since November, when a hole opened up in the street in front of their parking lot.
Employees at Pavone, at 1006 Market Street, initially thought it would take three, maybe four weeks to repair. But here they are, six months later, and still, no access to their parking lot.
To draw attention to their plight, they came up with an employees-only celebration called Sinkhole de Mayo, which will start in their "sad, vacant lot" at 4 p.m. Friday. They plan to string banners around the barricades in the street that prevent vehicles from driving over the hole, which is covered by a steel plate. One banner will read: "Six months and counting. Pls! Pls! Fix Market Street!"
The owner of the company, Michael Pavone, is particularly peeved because he's seen no work on the street, received no updates on the project and has to pay for 22 parking spaces in another lot while his lot remains off-limits.
City officials, for their part, clarified that the hole in the street is not technically a sinkhole since there is no dirt involved. The hole in the street is in a bridge over Paxton Creek.
Further, city officials said, they're not to blame for the delay. They earmarked the money and hired a contractor to design the repair last May but they must wait on the required permits from the Department of Environmental Protection's bureau of waterways, engineering and wetlands.
"It has not been forgotten," City Engineer Wayne Martin said. "Once we have the permits, we can bid out the work."
A DEP spokesman did not return an email for comment Wednesday.
The hole represents a failed bridge repair from many years ago, said Martin. A steel plate was placed on the bridge and asphalt was put on top, but the plate bent and started working its way downward, pushing through rocks of a stone-arch bridge below.
The deficiency was noticed on a routine bridge inspection last year, Martin said. It looked like a pothole forming from the surface, but a large hole was opening up underneath. The damage started getting progressively worse, so in November, PennDot insisted that the city shut down a lane of Market Street and restrict access to the Pavone lot to decrease the stress on the area until the street could be repaired.
And that's the rub for Pavone: they're not sure when the work will get done.
"We're fortunate to draw national clients and top shelf talent from around the nation to this forgotten and neglected area of the city," Pavone said. "I'm very proud of my team and our clients. However, when StarKist Tuna visits us this week and Sun-Maid Raisins flies in from California next month, I'll be embarrassed because they can't even park in our parking lot."
Pavone also feels its unfair that his business has to absorb the cost of the 22 parking spaces indefinitely, especially after facing an increase in the city's local services tax that was just tripled this year.
"I'm happy to pay my fair share of taxes," he said. "But, the fact is, I'm not seeing any value whatsoever. We're trying to bring more national business and talented employees to the city. I would hope that more people--including the city of Harrisburg--would recognize that and make it easier for us to do that."
The section of Market Street that is reduced to one lane is just off Cameron Street and causes confusion for motorists, Pavone said.
But Martin said city officials haven't noticed any traffic backups or disruptions at the location. He said he had not been contacted by anyone from Pavone to ask about possible alternatives, or if there could be a way for them to access their lot.
City officials are just as frustrated as everyone else by the delay, Martin said, but the repair work is complex and involves several agencies. He noted that the bridge is 119-years old and needs to be replaced entirely.
City officials are trying to get the bridge, which is federally funded, on a prioritized list for replacement, Martin said. But that project is likely at least 15 years away.
As an interesting side note, Martin pointed out that the Pavone parking lot was constructed over a portion of an old, unused city bridge for Lyme Aly, which formerly linked to Cameron Street.
City officials will eventually want to dismantle the old bridge, since its not being used and to avoid required inspections every two years. It's unclear, however, how intertwined the old bridge may be with the parking lot's foundation.
Pavone said the parking lot appears to have been in existence since the 1950s. The building was constructed in 1921 and formerly housed a bank.
Pavone renovated the building in 1999 and moved in.
Market Street never posed a problem for the company. Until now.
"We're a nationally-recognized communications firm, so we're handling things the best way we know how -- with smart, breakthrough, attention-grabbing communications," Pavone said. "We also like to have fun, so if we can send that message while having a good time, that's even better."