Friday, August 30, 2019

West Shore Home employees help students ring in new school year

By Michael Yoder
myoder@cpbj.com
Photo: Submitted
To help kick off the new school year on Thursday, a Lancaster County-based home remodeling company donated hundreds of bags filled with school supplies to city students.
Employees of West Shore Home in Manheim Township were on hand at Lafayette Elementary in the School District of Lancaster to hand out the school supply bags that were packed into a company truck. In total, 544 drawstring bags were handed out to students by local volunteers.
“West Shore Home is happy to help make a significant difference for students in our local communities,” said B.J.  Werzyn, owner of West Shore Home. “We want to be exceptional teammates in every aspect of what we do. Whether we are supporting our employees, or supporting our community, being exceptional teammates is at the core of what we do every day.”
Werzyn said West Shore Home’s philanthropic mission is to support various groups in the communities they serve through corporate donations, sponsorships and events.
Founded in 2006, the remodeling company now operates in Lancaster County and parts of Florida.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Applications sought for revitalization program

By Michael Yoder
myoder@cpbj.com

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency announced Monday that it is pursuing requests of proposals for new construction or rehabilitation of mixed-use projects that need financial support.

The funding, which is provided through the Community Revitalization Fund Program, was created as part of the state’s fiscal year 2017/18 budget and was designed to help facilitate mixed-use projects to serve as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization. A total of $3 million in state tax credits has been authorized in this year’s budget for the program.

"We're looking to fund projects that not only will bring a direct benefit to communities but that also have the potential to attract additional investment to areas seeking redevelopment," said PHFA executive director and CEO Brian A. Hudson Sr. "Our goal is to use this funding in a way that achieves the maximum benefit for communities and stimulates revitalization beyond each individual project receiving financial support."

Examples cited as projects eligible for program funding include:
  •          Rehabilitation of old or under-utilized buildings for re-use by the community.
  •          Preparation of buildings for business leasing.
  •         Designing or changing buildings for new usage.

Eligible applicants for the program include local government entities, redevelopment authorities, for-profit companies, non-profit groups and economic development organizations. Officials said applications coming from third-class cities will be given higher priority in evaluations.


The deadline for all applicants is 2 p.m. on Oct. 18. For more information go to the PHFA website or contact Bryce Maretzki at 717-780-1867.

WellSpan breaks ground on $45M cancer center expansion

By Ioannis Pashakis
ipashakis@cpbj.com

An early rendering of the WellSpan York Cancer Center.
(Photo: Submitted)
WellSpan Health broke ground on Tuesday on its $45 million expansion to the WellSpan York Cancer Center in York Township.

First announced in January, the expansion is intended to consolidate WellSpan’s oncology services throughout York to one building at the system’s Apple Hill Health Campus.

The build is expected to finish in early 2021 and will grow the cancer center from approximately 16,900 square feet to nearly 84,000 square feet.

“Cancer care and technology have evolved in the 25-year history of the cancer center, and so have the needs of our patients,” said Dr. Roxanna Gapstur, president and CEO of WellSpan Health. “Our expanded center is designed to treat the whole person through the whole journey, from cancer diagnosis through treatment, all in one place.”

WellSpan’s expanded center will include services such as radiation oncology, outpatient infusion, infusion pharmacy, clinical trials and research, patient navigators and social workers. The size of the new facility will allow the cancer center to offer massage therapy, yoga, an on-site cafĂ©, conference spaces and treatment rooms.

WellSpan also operates cancer care centers in Hanover, Gettysburg, Chambersburg, Ephrata, Lebanon and York.

Marriott hotel planned for North Cornwall development

By Michael Yoder
myoder@cpbj.com

The site of the planned Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites
that will be part of North Cornwall Commons
(Photo: Michael Yoder)
A hotel project planned for a Lebanon County development is set to be under construction by this fall, according to the developers.

Blackford Development of Manheim Township and Byler Holdings LLC of Cornwall announced the construction of a 90 room, 4-story Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites that will go up on a lot of the North Cornwall Commons development. The nearly 150 acre development taking shape at the intersection of Rocherty and Cornwall roads in North Cornwall Township stands as one of the largest mixed-use housing and retail projects in the history of Lebanon County, costing at least $158 million.

The Fairfield brand of Marriott hotels features contemporary building designs with functional space and amenities like complimentary hot breakfasts, a fitness center and a business center.

Jonathan Byler, CEO of Byler Holdings, said the hotel project was finalized at the beginning of August, and construction is anticipated to start later this fall. Byler said the project is expected to be completed by next summer. Expo Center Hotel, LLC, which is also managed by Byler, will serve as the hotel project’s sponsor.

Shaner Hotel Group, which is based in Patton Township, Centre County, is serving as the hotel property manager. The company, located just outside of State College, currently operates 51 hotels in the U.S. and outside the country with another 19 hotels planned for management. A total of 13 hotels in Pennsylvania, all under the Marriott brand, are operated by Shaner in Pennsylvania.

Completed townhomes that are part of the
North Cornwall Commons project.
(Photo: Michael Yoder)
In addition to the hotel, the first phase of the five-phase North Cornwall Commons project — first proposed in 2004 and finally started in 2017 — includes two freestanding restaurants and two other pads that could be used for retail, office or commercial buildings.

The townhome plan calls for 160 units to be built within five years. Kenneth Homes of Manheim Township has already built a large portion of that number.

When completed, the development is expected to be comprised of more than 500,000 square feet of office and retail space.

Campbell Commercial Real Estate of Lemoyne serves as the listing broker for North Cornwall Commons and is marketing the additional land and buildings.

F&M Trust to close on new headquarters

By Ioannis Pashakis
ipashakis@cpbj.com

F&M Trust and its holding company, Franklin Financial Services Corp., plan to both move into a larger headquarters by the end of 2020.

The Chambersburg-based bank said this month that it expects to close on a new corporate headquarters three miles away from its current headquarters this year that would give the two entities room to grow.

The new building, at 1500 Nitterhouse Drive and located in both Chambersburg and Guilford Township, is the former manufacturing facility of Danfoss, a Denmark-based air conditioning manufacturer.
A rendering of F&M Trust’s new headquarters. The building is expected to be completed by the end of next year. PHOTO/SUBMITTED

“F&M Trust’s story began in 1906 in downtown Chambersburg and in many ways it is bittersweet to move part of our team out of the downtown when there are so many new and exciting things happening,” said Timothy Henry, president and CEO of F&M. “Yet, as the bank continues to grow, we need more space in order to continue to bring high-quality service to our customers.”

The Danfoss facility is currently owned by CFDC LLC.

CFDC is operated in equal parts by the Franklin County Area Development Corp. and the Chambersburg Area Development Corp. It was formed in 2009 to redevelop the building into a manufacturing facility for Danfoss.

The building was sold back to CFDC by Danfoss after the manufacturer closed the plant last December. The bank expects to purchase the facility from CFDC for $7 million.

After completing renovations on the building, F&M will have 67,000 square feet of space to be used by roughly 145 employees. The bank has 285 employees total.

F&M’s headquarters currently consists of two buildings, a 41,000-square-foot main building on 20 S. Main St. and a smaller second space on 150 Lincoln Way East. The Lincoln Way East building houses the company’s drive-through bank and loan service and risk management departments, according to Shelby White, the F&M’s corporate communications officer.

The main building is planned to be sold to the Franklin and Chambersburg development corporations for $3.3 million.

 “This represents another $3.3 million investment in the revitalization of downtown Chambersburg,” said L. Michael Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Development Corp. “It’s a win, win, win for everyone. It’s a great win for the community. It’s a win for F&M Trust, and it’s a win for us.”

The services at the Lincoln Way building, excluding the drive-through, will be moved to the new headquarters and the building will be sold to a different entity. White said F&M expects to announce the buyer in the coming weeks.

F&M Trust plans to open a new drive-through bank in downtown Chambersburg but has no plans to open a bank in the borough nor will it have one in its new headquarters.


F&M operates 22 offices in Franklin, Cumberland, Fulton and Huntingdon counties.