Lancaster County Progress 2023

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Photo by Suzette Wenger. Page 34 Ted Houser, Chris Caldwell and Nathan Baker of Hush Money Bikes are among

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in an art class at Lancaster Catholic, which saw a slight increase in

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ECONOMY

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Jessie Tuno, owner of Butter and Bean, got her start at Southern Market in downtown Lancaster and will soon expand to a second location this spring.

KARYL CARMIGNANI

BUSINESS LEADERS HAVE OPTIMISM, CONCERNS AND CONTINUING LABOR QUESTIONS

LISA SCHEID LSCHEID@LNPNEWS.COM

Lancaster city clothing boutique owner Timbrel Adidala is trying to fathom whether in-person shopping will rebound this year.

Adidala has grown her business from an Etsy shop to a 1,700-squarefoot boutique at 101 N. Queen St. formerly called Lush Bazaar. Last year, she was forced to rebrand her slow fashion shop to Chyatee (pronounced key-AH-thee) when a California fast fashion juggernaut, Pinkette, which does business as Lush, threatened to shut her down for the use of the word “Lush.”

“I think for me, my biggest question for 2023 in my retail business is: Do shoppers still want in-person retail services or has online and shopping with a click of your finger become the future?” she says. “I think after COVID many people have noticed the ease of shopping from home, as well as many employees have jumped on the work-from-home bandwagon, so I am curious to see how three years after COVID-19 if shopping habits will change and move more towards online or do people still want in-person shopping? The talks about a recession and higher gas prices seem to keep people more indoors and shop-

ping behind a screen. Will that last in 2023?”

Adidala’s concerns are among several others expressed for this year by business leaders including Marshall Snively, president of the Lancaster City Alliance; Heather Valudes, president of the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce; Lisa Riggs, president of the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County; and Ed Harris, president and CEO of county tourism agency Discover Lancaster.

The final quarter of 2022 saw key headwind trends in the county’s economy continue, the Economic

Development Company of Lancaster County said in its January economic intelligence report. Low unemployment, increasing interest rates and inflation are vexing business leaders looking ahead into 2023, while consumers indicate concerns over current conditions. Local business people and consumers, however, reflect a steady optimism about Lancaster’s overall economy, the report said.

As household financial conditions continue to worsen and inflationary pressures remain a constant burden on household finances, a key question becomes whether consumer

SUZETTE WENGER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Timbrel Adidala, owner of Chyatee, formerly known as Lush Bazaar, organizes clothing in her boutique at 101 N. Queen St.

Business

demand will begin to contract in the early part of 2023, the EDC said.

Labor force still a worry

“It definitely feels like there’s a question mark over economic performance in 2023,” Riggs says. She says the biggest question continues to be the labor force.

“ We’re at 2.5% unemployment and still have our labor force lower than pre-pandemic levels,” Riggs says. “Do we start to see that shift at all?”

Small businesses downtown are also focused on filling open positions and keeping the workers they have, Snively says. Restaurants in the city are asking when remote workers will return to offices in the city, and if they aren’t returning they want to know how to adapt, he says. More residential housing may bring more customers, possibly remote workers living in the city.

Another sector focused on its workforce is hospitality and tourism, which saw a strong 2022 despite losing workers. Leaders are optimistic.

“ We ended last year with lodging demand and revenue up 11% and 25%, respectively, over 2021 numbers, and an increase of nearly 24% in visitors to our website,” Harris says. “So while there are some potential economic headwinds from remaining inflationary pressures and

how the job market performs in the near-term, we’re hopeful Lancaster County tourism will continue to succeed in 2023 in light of our driveable location and good-value reputation.”

Some businesses with large capital expenditure plans (such as a physical expansion or major investments in equipment) have reported taking a step back to reevaluate project budgets in light of surging interest rates and costs of materials, the EDC report said.

The construction industry, which has a strong presence in Lancaster County, continues to report solid 2023 pipelines; however, it will be important to track project demand and timing in 2023 as a potential indicator of a local economic slowdown, the EDC report said. Inflation and interest rate hikes are eroding business conditions.

“There’s certainly a feeling that the

PYFER REESE STRAUB GRAY

economic climate is different from 2021,” Valudes says.

She says a recent chamber survey of 307 county business people revealed that 35% feel the economic climate for their business is improving, 44% say it is about the same and 18% say it is declining. That is a decline from 2021, when 41% felt it was improv-

ing, but a bit higher on staying the same, she says.

The biggest concerns for business and employees were employee recruitment/retention (65%); supply chain disruptions (35%, down from 43% in 2021); employee morale (24%); uncertainty for the future (23%); maintaining continuity of work (19%); steady business income/ revenue and liquidity (19%); and government mandates and compliance requirements (13%, down from 33%).

Respondents identified opportunities in mergers, technology, expansion of services and expendable income and threats from cyber-security, supply chain, wage inflation, political leadership/overregulation, inflation and recession.

The top three most important local/regional priorities identified in the survey were workforce availability, current economic conditions and the cost/choice of health care.

Timbrel Adidala, right, helps customer Melisa Baez of Lancaster look through clothing in her downtown shop.

SUZETTE WENGER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

SPREADING HER WINGS

After successful start in Southern Market, Jessie Tuno expands Butter and Bean to 2nd location

KARYL CARMIGNANI FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE

Jessie Tuno hasn’t always been a wizard in the kitchen, patiently parsing ingredients and meticulously melding flavor notes. But after an arduous two-decade journey, she is now a certified chef and business owner of Butter and Bean at the Southern Market — with expansion on the way.

This spring she is opening the Butter and Bean Café in the Tanger Outlets.

“I got married at 20 and I couldn’t cook to save my life,” Tuno says. “My specialty was all the Helpers —Hamburger Helper and Chicken Helper.”

Fortunately, she met a retired chef while working at Panera Bread. The way he talked about food was intriguing, she says, and really opened her eyes to the possibilities. Later, she became the food service manager at her church and one event in particular changed her life.

“It was a breakfast for about 50 people and we ran out of meat,” Tuno says. “And I put the prepared eggs in an aluminum pan, and the chemical reaction turned the eggs green!”

While Tuno loved the job, she knew she needed more education, so she enrolled in the culinary and pastry arts program at the Pennsylvania School of Culinary Arts when she was 30.

“I was the oldest person in my class, so the other students avoided me at first,” she says. “But soon they were asking me questions.”

The school left an indelible mark on her skills as well as her heart. “I knew I wanted to go back there and teach.” After graduating, Tuno became the program director there for four years.

Opportunity knocks

While Tuno was honing her culinary skills, and friends and family were encouraging her to step out on her own, she heard about Southern Market seeking vendors for their

new food court. Tuno knew she wanted to be part of that and applied.

The revitalized space at Southern Market welcomes flavors from around the world. The original concept for Southern Market of being a business incubator for new entre-

preneurs has expanded to include established food vendors.

The market also provides up-andcoming businesses owned by women and people of color with low-cost training to help them learn and grow, says Mike Mason, chief programs officer with ASSETS. He says the organization strives for an “ethical and equitable economy that works for everyone.”

The goal, Mason says, is to eliminate barriers for people to start their business and to transform communities for good.

Tuno says her training at Southern Market was a huge blessing. Learning the back end of running a business, like payroll and accounting, is key to being a successful entrepreneur. She says her culinary background has been instrumental in creating her signature breakfast pastries as well as her not-too-sweet flavored syrups made in-house for Butter and Bean’s featured drinks, such as the French toast latte and bourbon cherry coffee with caramel and toffee notes.

Even the coffee beans used at Butter and Bean were thoughtfully sourced.

“I tasted a lot of coffee to find the roaster we wanted,” she says.

Tuno discovered Máquina Coffee, a roaster in Coatesville, on Instagram. “He’s passionate about giving back to the coffee bean farmers and he’s fantastic to work with,” she says of the roaster who, like Tuno, is Puerto Rican.

The journey

It hasn’t all been sugar and cream along the way for Tuno.

“As a woman — and a woman of color — we have to prove ourselves a lot

KARYL CARMIGNANI

After honing her culinary skills, Jessie Tuno got training through ASSETS to learn the back end of running a business.

Tuno

more,” she says. “It’s improved in recent years but sometimes they don’t look at the work you’ve put in.”

She says that culinary school is 70% to 80% male, and as a woman you always have to push and prove to people you know what you’re doing. She’s been told she’s “too pretty” to work in the kitchen and should stick to front-of-the-house positions. She’s had people ask for her husband when seeking the manager of Butter and Bean.

Sexism aside, Tuno loves her work. “We’re the morning bartenders” she says, referring to her early-bird customers.

Tuno has faced challenges beyond the business world as well.

Five years ago, her home burned

down. Everyone got out — including the dogs — and they rebuilt from the ashes, grateful to be alive.

But, she adds, “The smell stays with you a long time.”

These days, the scents of coffee beans and fresh pastries fill her days.

The new Butter and Bean Café opening this spring at Tanger Outlets will replace the Hershey Farm Café. Tuno’s café will have longer hours than her downtown shop and serve an expanded menu with sandwiches, salads, soups and her gourmet coffee drinks. Tuno is excited about this new endeavor, though the fear of failure is never far away.

But she has a motto she’s been living on as an entrepreneur: “It’s easier to do nothing and tell yourself it will never work out, than to attempt something and find out.”

Words to live by for us all.

KARYL CARMIGNANI

The revitalized space at Southern Market has served as a business incubator for new entrepreneurs such as Jessie Tuno.

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COMMUNITY

PAGE 10

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Chris Caldwell, left, Ted Houser and Nathan Baker, co-owners of Hush Money Bikes, say they believe in community over competition.

SUZETTE WENGER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

COMMUNITY OVER COMPETITION

Local businesses, other organizations find that supporting one another helps everyone succeed

REBECCA LOGAN FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE

A rising tide lifts all boats is an old expression.

John F. Kennedy used it. So did Ronald Reagan.

The phrase has specific economic connotations that can be, and have been, debated. But in many ways it simply fits for more broadly describing a vibe — one that’s nebulous and difficult to define — but that nonetheless exists in much of what’s happening in communities across Lancaster County.

“I use it all the time,” says Nathan Baker, one of the owners of Hush Money Bikes in Lancaster. “It’s actually a philosophy I kind of hold dear to my heart.”

He’s not alone. When word got out late last year that Hush Money was throwing an open house party for its new digs in West End Market, calls and texts flooded in from businesses that wanted to be part of that.

“I didn’t really even have to reach out to get raffle donations,” Baker says. “I had our vendors reaching out to us saying, ‘We want to contribute.’ ” Community over competition is another phrase he uses for Hush Money Bikes’ business plan.

“I know it’s just three words, but it’s something we live by,” Baker says. “We want every bike shop in Lancaster County to be thriving. ... We’re more worried about seeing that community do well than with competing with other like-minded businesses.”

He acknowledges that bike enthusiasts may be in some ways particularly well suited to that sort of thinking. But it’s not just them.

Owners of and vendors at a few retail collectives interviewed for a November article for LNP |LancasterOnline were quick to point out how much solid and sometimes unsolic-

ited advice they received from other competing owners and vendors.

The same thing is happening in churches, community groups and even government meetings.

“I see it more and more … There’s a recognition that our fates are linked together,” says state Rep. Izzy SmithWade-El. “Not just that we fail together. But that we have an easier time succeeding together. I think that attitude is more present.”

Before being elected to represent the 49th Legislative District, SmithWade-El was president of Lancaster

City Council. In that role, he would frequently tell people who spoke at the podium that he wanted to introduce them to someone after a meeting.

Connections are key, Smith-WadeEl says. Barriers do exist.

“There are always going to be folks who feel that what is a gain for other communities constitutes a loss for their community,” Smith-Wade-El says. “But I don’t let that knock my hope of expanding the rising-tidelifts-all-boats viewpoint.”

Social media is clearly helping mo-

bilize a response to whatever cause someone is bringing to the forefront, he says. But Smith-Wade-El cautions that an initial response is only short-term success. The long game is deeper and still requires investment in relationships, he says.

“People see … calls kind of going out into the ether and people responding seemingly out of nowhere,” he says. “That’s not really the case. Even in the digital space, those responses come along avenues and relationships … that have been structured and developed over time.”

Solid, longtime relationships were key to the success of the first-ever Christmas in Qville in December, says Michelle Evans, administrative assistant for Quarryville.

She got the ball for that rolling and was joined by a crew of enthusiastic organizers. They were hoping maybe 1,000 people would turn out. Attendance was estimated at between 3,000 and 5,000.

“We do live in a special community down here,” Evans says. “Everything was paid for by sponsors. Businesses (and others) in this community. It was overwhelming just how much we raised and could pay for everything.”

The rising tide associated with that event was easy to track on social media. The buzz on Southern End pages became increasingly palpable throughout 2022. More and more people wanted in.

By the time the day arrived, volunteers were out in force doing things like running hayrides, passing out marshmallows at a bonfire, and making sure Santa stayed hydrated. A fair building full of tables was staffed by groups such as sports teams and nonprofits that each came prepared with activities and crafts. One church pre-assembled hundreds of graham

BLAINE SHAHAN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

An elf dash was part of the first-ever Christmas in Qville event last December. Quarryville businesses and others came together to make the event a success.

‘A LOVE LETTER FROM FATHER TO SON’

Manheim Township author celebrates inspirational Black role models in new children’s book

MIKE ANDRELCZYK MANDRELCZYK@LNPNEWS.COM

Ali Kamanda is a kind of alchemist. Kamanda, 45, who lives with his wife Julia, their 12-year-old daughter, Cienna, and 10-year-old son, Sekani, in Manheim Township, has a unique ability to transform the negative into the positive.

Kamanda is always trying to illuminate the good in life. He uses his powers of creativity to provide aid through his nonprofit work to the people of his native Sierra Leone — which he left at age 13 due to the civil war raging there. And he recently coauthored a children’s book with his best friend, Jorge Redmond, which began in the darkness of the 2020 murder of George Floyd and eventually found a path toward positivity.

Kamanda and Redmond’s first draft of what became “Black Boy, Black Boy: Celebrate the Power of You” had a very different tone. Angered, frustrated and confused by Floyd’s murder and the conversations Kamanda had to have with his son about it, the initial draft listed all the negative things young black boys often witness and experience.

“I said, ‘I think we need to do something different,’ ” Kamanda says. “We need to make this more hopeful. We need our sons to see what’s possible.”

“Black Boy, Black Boy” features Black role models from history and present day, including President Barack Obama; civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick; artists like singer Sam Cooke, dancer Arthur Mitchell and Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe; the inventor Elijah McCoy, the aviation pioneer Emory Conrad Malick and first Black Navy Seal member William Goines.

“It’s a love letter from a father to a son,” Kamanda says. “It’s an inspira-

tional ode to believe in yourself and your capacity to do great things.”

The title of the book may be specific, but Kamanda says the book is really for everyone.

“It’s really a book for all children to learn about Black history but do it through the life of a young Black boy,” Kamanda says.

The 40-page book radiates hope and positivity from its subjects, the father-son relationship told in a playful but impactful rhyming style and the vibrant artwork of Ken Daley. Daley’s work earned “Black Boy, Black Boy” its first award when it won Best Illustrations in the Black KidLit Awards 2022.

The subjects in the book are all heroes who paved a positive path for young Black children, but Kamanda and his collaborators are unsung heroes doing the same kind of work: providing inspiration and acting as role models for young people.

“Ali is one of those people who makes everyone around him feel special. In his work, his art and in his interactions with others he is always

finding the good in people,” says Kamanda’s wife, Julia. “I think that is what he has done with this book. He put so much love into each and every word, so the reader feels special. Our son, in particular, really connected with this project and is super proud to tell people his dad wrote it.”

Leaving home

Kamanda fondly remembers swimming in the rivers and playing games outside in Njala — a college town located in the Moyamba District of the Southern Province of Sierra Leone.

“There was a sense of community,” Kamanda says. “You lived basically as one big family.”

Kamanda recalls Njala — home to the second-largest college in Sierra Leone — as a town full of college professors, nursing students and people on a professional track.

When Kamanda was in middle school, his family moved 200 miles to the west to Freetown — the capital city located on the coast of West Africa.

When he was 13 years old, civil war broke out in Sierra Leone, and the family was forced to flee. He was abruptly cut off from everything he knew — playing with his friends, carefree days spent swimming in the river, going to school. That was all gone.

Kamanda’s mother was able to reach out to two Americans, Hope and Les Law, who had taught at the college she attended. Ironically, Hope and Les turned a hopeless situation into a hopeful one when they were able to move the family into their Colorado home until Kamanda’s family could find a place of their own. Kamanda and his family were able to escape the war, which lasted more than a decade and cost tens of thousands of lives.

Kamanda says he feels blessed to have been able to live with the Laws — who he still calls Granny and Grandpa.

“It’s one of those bittersweet things,” Kamanda says. “Because I still have family back home, but some of them were not able to leave. They suffered through the war and had experiences you can’t even fathom.”

Kamanda and his wife lived in Los Angeles for almost 10 years. After their first child was born, they moved to Lancaster where Ali’s mother was studying at the Lancaster Theological Seminary. They thought it was just going to be a stopping point along the way, but ended up loving the area.

“It’s really just turned out to be the home that we’ve always wanted,” Kamanda says. “I like the pace and love our neighborhood. So we decided to stay and we purchased our first house.”

AUTHOR, page 13

SUBMITTED

Ali Kamanda, above, wrote “Black Boy, Black Boy” to help all children learn about Black history through the life of a Black boy.

NEW LANCASTER PRIDE PRESIDENT PROMOTES ACCESSIBILITY AND LOVE

MICKAYLA MILLER MJMILLER@LNPNEWS.COM

Tiffany Shirley may be a newcomer to Lancaster County organizational leadership, but she already has some big plans.

The 33-year-old Hempfield High School graduate is the new president of Lancaster Pride, an organization that hosts several LGBTQ events in a given year.

Lancaster Pride’s biggest project is its Pride festival, which last year brought in more than 5,000 people to Clipper Magazine Stadium in downtown Lancaster. The event was at capacity and had to turn people away.

This year’s Lancaster Pride celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 17 at a new location, the Lancaster County Convention Center.

Shirley ’s biggest obstacle in her presidency so far was figuring out a new location for Pride. Among the potential choices were Long’s Park and Franklin & Marshall College, but the organization chose the Lancaster County Convention Center in downtown Lancaster because of its accessibility.

“ When people brought their wheelchairs or walkers and sank into the sand and can’t move, that’s a problem,” Shirley says.

Accessibility is just one of her many goals as the new president of Lancaster Pride. She not only wants people to know that her events are open to anyone who wants to come, but also wants people to feel loved in the process, too.

Shirley, who lives in Manheim with her husband and two children, never intended to be president. When former President Alex Otthofer, now the community engagement man-

ager at Lancaster City Alliance, announced he would leave his position, several people at Lancaster Pride encouraged Shirley to apply.

“It was a joke, ‘Tiff, you should be president,’ and I was like, that sounds terrible. Why would I do that to myself?” Shirley says. “And then I really, really thought about it and was like, I can do this. I want to do it,

and I want to make Pride successful.”

Shirley started with Lancaster Pride in 2021, though she wasn’t out as a queer woman at the time.

“I didn’t come out as queer until my mom died,” Shirley says. “Everybody was like, why are you straight and working with a queer organization?”

Shirley serves as the face of the organization, and she’s often one who

delegates tasks to her 14 board members. All members of Lancaster Pride are volunteers and don’t receive payment for their jobs.

“I’m not the only one who makes Pride happen,” Shirley says. “Now is my year to shine and showcase my board. I’m really excited for 2023.”

This year’s Pride at the Lancaster County Convention Center will feature more space for vendors, more stage space for drag performers, a kid’s section and food stands, among other activities.

One of the main complaints about the Pride celebration at the Clipper Magazine Stadium last year was that there wasn’t enough room for people to walk, and that people couldn’t watch the drag performances. Shirley says it’s a priority to make Pride easier to access this year

“We’re going to be open, and everyone’s going to be able to hear (the performances),” Shirley says.

More than anything, Shirley wants people to know that Pride is not just a party.

“Pride just wants to be there for the community, and we’re here to support any queer organization in Lancaster County in any way we can,” Shirley says. “Pride is 24/7, 365 days a year.”

When Shirley isn’t working to organize the largest Pride event in the county, she lives her truth of inclusivity and love while working as an expanded functions dental assistant at Smiles by Stevens.

“I am really passionate about my dentistry,” Shirley says. “I am very intentional at making people feel safe. My mantra in life is that I am a safe space. ... I want everybody to feel loved. It breaks my heart when I see people not being loved.”

SUZETTE WENGER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

SUBMITTED

Tiffany Shirley with activist Mark Stoner, above, at the 2022 Lancaster Pride celebration and at work, left, as an expanded functions dental assistant at Smiles by Stevens.

Community

cracker gingerbread houses for kids to decorate.

“We’re in a time when people are tired,” says Quarryville Borough Manager Scott Peiffer. “We’ve been through a pandemic. Coming out of that … it can be a little harder to organize.”

But there is power in vision, he adds.

“When an idea comes to fruition people are quick to grasp ahold of it,” Peiffer says. “You just need champions. You need committees. You need people who have a drive to do that type of thing.”

Evans said they found them. Many were millennials, which she says is probably good for ensuring Christmas in Qville’s longevity. But Peiffer says he got a reminder about age at the event.

It was held at the Solanco Fairgrounds, which put the Next Gen Senior Center in the midst of the action.

“ We didn’t even think about talking to them. I guess you make the assumption, you know, that they’re older and tired and not going to do anything. Which is wrong,” Peiffer says. “But they came forward and said, ‘Hey, we want to do this.’”

Center volunteers ended up showing holiday movies and serving cookies and hot chocolate throughout the day.

“They weren’t going to run the Elf Dash,” Peiffer says. “But that’s another generation that wants to contribute.”

In downtown Lancaster in a shop called Foxduck, there’s a wall of Tshirts designed to highlight community organizations such as Church World Services, Susquehanna Area Heritage and the Lancaster Farm Land Trust.

When those particular shirts sell, those organizations get a piece of the profit. And they spark plenty of conversation.

“ We talk to a lot of people who have just moved to the area and they’re already getting their hands dirty,” says Foxduck co-owner Ryan Keates. “They’re getting involved and not just sitting idly by. They’re excited to be here and want to do something with everyone else.”

Keates relates to that sentiment.

“Honestly, it’s kind of contagious,” he says.

“When you witness others that have success, look at what’s working and what the common denominator is amongst them,” he adds. “It’s giving back to the community. Making sure the community is OK.”

Remembering his roots

“Black Boy, Black Boy” may be Kamanda’s first book but he has always had a creative streak in him. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communications, and while he was there he took a master class in screenwriting with a Hollywood producer named David B. Sontag. Kamanda shined in the class, writing an original script about the civil war in Sierra Leone, called “Soldier Boy,” that impressed the Hollywood producer.

Eventually, Kamanda abandoned the idea for his movie, deciding it was not his story to tell. He makes short films on his YouTube chan-

nel and has hopes to get back into filmmaking. But, for now, he says he puts all his creative energy into the nonprofit Salone Rising, which he helps run along with the Harwell Family Foundation. The nonprofit provides small loans and offers support to women in Sierra Leone who sell things like peppers, onions or tomato paste in local markets or who have kiosks that sell bigger quantities of items such as toilet paper or biscuits. The organization also built a home for orphaned children called MamaLand.

Even though Kamanda lives more than 4,000 miles away, he remains deeply connected to Sierra Leone and the community spirit there.

“Sierra Leoneons are resilient and my hope is the culture survives,” Kamanda says. “Muslims and Christians worship together. It’s a really great example of how people can live together peacefully.”

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PAGE 19

Lancaster County homebuyers are weighing the pros and cons of building a new home or buying an existing one.

|

SOLAR FORECAST: BRIGHT, BUT COMPLEX

REBECCA LOGAN FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE

With the price of oil and natural gas causing recent consternation, are more homeowners and business leaders turning their eyes to the sky seeking solar?

The answer is complicated.

“A lot of this is hype, because energy prices didn’t go up that much. That wasn’t really a big deal,” says Jakob Speksnijder, digital marketer for Belmont Solar, a Gordonville-based solar panel installer. “Energy security is the biggest deal.”

The pandemic drove a growing interest in self-reliance, Speksnijder says. There’s also a growing reluctance to — as he likes to phrase it in pitches — “throw money in a black

hole” by paying utility bills without having anything physical to show for it.

But despite such sentiments working in the solar industry’s favor, Speksnijder expects this year to stay on a steady pace. That’s in part because market upsides are being offset somewhat by many potential customers suddenly finding themselves in less of a hurry to install solar.

A federal tax credit for doing so was expected to expire in 2024. In August, President Joe Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, extending the 30% solar credit for 10 years, with the percentage stepping down after that. With the 2024 deadline gone, there’s no longer the same sense of better-get-it-done-now that

previously fueled some business, Speksnijder says.

“We had a lot of people buying quickly because the tax credit was going to go away,” he says. “So we’ve lost that edge a little bit.”

Market research group Guidehouse Insights says losing that urgency is among the reasons the tax extension was “a breath of relief rather than a revolutionary measure” for the solar industry.

The extension doesn’t help with pressing issues like supply chain snags and labor scarcity, Guidehouse reports, adding that solar activity should pick up after the eventual resolution of those issues and consequential pricing drops. Guidehouse writes that those changes, in com-

bination with players growing to a point where they ’re ready to take full advantage of tax-credit-spurred business, “will set the industry on a new growth trajectory.”

‘I wish they would get their act together’

Brian Kreider is getting a tad tired of waiting.

It’s been nearly 10 years since 250 people gathered on what was once his family’s poultry farm in East Drumore Township for the official dedication of the Keystone Solar Project. Ceremony attendees looked out that day over a 30-acre sea of about 20,000 new solar panels at the SOLAR, page 17

BLAINE SHAHAN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Brian Kreider’s family farm, at Route 272 and Deaver Road in East Drumore Township, is home to a solar array known as the Keystone Solar Project.

Solar

Continued from 16

intersection of Route 272 and Deaver Road.

There were supposed to be more panels in that vicinity by now, says Kreider, who owns and leases the land beneath them. He’s still hoping his still-empty fields will also soon be covered in panels but says legislators need more focus on incentivizing such projects.

“I wish they would get their act together a little bit,” he says. “It seems like everything was good when we put this in. Then they kind of sort of put a halt to everything, as far as any grants, which made it possible to do something like this.”

The cost to build the solar farm in East Drumore was more than $20 million. The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority awarded $1 million in grant funding to the project.

“ We do tours down here with different senators,” Kreider says. “But it just hasn’t worked out. It seems like they’re too busy promoting electric cars and not worrying about how you’re going to charge them.”

A picture of Kreider’s land is on the cover of a 2018 report from the Pennsylvania Department for Environmental Protection. That details what it would take to expand the state’s solar powered generation from less than 1% to 10% of total energy production.

The report takes into account everything from panels on home rooftops to major grid-scale projects. Lancaster County has examples of both. Amish customers often order one or two panels to power watercooled refrigerators, Speksnijder says. Jobs for homes outside the Plain community typically involve several more panels, he says. Some businesses are installing them on warehouse roofs and selling that power into the grid. Then there are the bigger projects that are increasingly popping up for discussion at various township meetings.

As an example, Martic Township’s zoning board last year denied an energy company’s plan to install 44,000 solar panels atop a former coal ash dump and adjoining land.

In December, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture published nonbinding recommendations for townships trying to navigate increasingly busy solar waters. Those encourage keeping solar panels off the most productive farmland and guiding it toward less valuable areas.

“Why rush out with solar and put it on prime land?” said Pennsylvania Ag Secretary Russell Redding during an on-stage interview with Lancaster Farming news editor Phil Gruber at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in January. Redding told Gruber some have called the recommendations anti-solar.

“To the contrary. It’s about being pro agriculture and pro good land use, right?” Redding said. “You fit the solar in among that. There’s plenty of soils around Pennsylvania to put solar.”

The 2018 report said it would likely take between 89 and 124 square miles of Pennsylvania land (56,800 to 792,000 acres) to meet that 10% target. That’s less than half the total acreage of abandoned mine lands in Pennsylvania, notes the report.

Kreider says solar is allowing him to keep his family land, which is near some massive power lines cutting across Southern End farms and over the Susquehanna River to Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in York County. He says with his parents no longer living and no children of his own, he is in no position to farm solo. He’s hoping his fields that don’t yet have panels will have them soon.

Looking to the future

Community Energy Solar installed the ground-mounted solar system that has been running on Kreider’s land since 2013 as well a $6 million array at Elizabethtown College. Community Energy Solar was acquired in late 2021 and is now part of The AES SOLAR, page 18

Solar

Corp., an Arlington, Virginia.-based global power company.

“AES does intend to develop a community solar project there (next to the existing panels in East Drumore) should community solar legislation advance in Pennsylvania,” says Amy Lobel, senior manager of strategic communications. She notes that groups such as the PA Community Solar Economic Alliance are pushing for same.

AES doesn’t own the existing panels in East Drumore. Those have changed hands over the years — most recently in November when Stamford, Connecticut.-based Altus Power closed on its purchase of 88 megawatts of operating solar assets from New York-based D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments.

The East Drumore panels were

part of that deal. Chris Shelton, head of investor relations at Altus Power, says he can only give an approximation for how many of those 88 megawatts come from the East Drumore farm, but that it’s at least 7 megawatt hours annually.

Energy from Keystone is delivered to several universities surrounding Lancaster, Shelton says.

“We’re hopeful there will be additional opportunities to develop projects in the Lancaster region and more broadly across PA,” Shelton says. “Part of our process includes leasing the land or rooftop where we will site an Altus Power project. To the extent there are additional customers signing up, we would certainly be looking to lease additional sites for our projects.”

During a November earnings call, Altus Co-CEO Lars Norell said the company sees a couple of reasons its larger clients are lately leaning in to their solar project pipeline.

“We think it’s predominantly because of higher power prices and a sense that energy security has focused big operations and enterprises on both resiliency …(and increasing) the pace of their shift toward clean electricity while obviously remaining connected to the grid, continuing to use natural gas, etc.,” Norell told analysts.

It’s another big name in solar, London-based Lightsource bp, that has a deal with the state of Pennsylvania — and Constellation, an Exelon company — to help the state reach a goal of sourcing half its state-facility-required power from renewable energy. Lightsource was tapped to develop 191 megawatts of solar on seven sites spanning six central Pennsylvania counties including York.

That’s part of Pennsylvania PULSE (Project to Utilize Light and Solar Energy) which was announced in early 2021 by then Gov. Tom Wolf. At the time, PULSE was supposed

to be running by January 2023. Supply chain issues caused delays, says Troy Thompson, spokesman for the state’s Department of General Services. PULSE is now expected to be operational sometime in May, he says.

Lightsource is the same company that in 2020 finished installing 150,000 solar panels on 500 acres in Franklin County to power 25% of Penn State University’s needs.

“The PULSE project is progressing well. Currently, six of the sites are under construction. We have been developing the sites in a phased approach, working closely with the local communities and going through the local permitting processes,” says Mary Grikas, head of communications for Lightsource in the U.S. “The first phase of PULSE will be coming online this year.”

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TO BUILD OR TO BUY

Lancaster County homebuyers still face challenge with both new and existing construction

CHAD UMBLE CUMBLE@LNPNEWS.COM

In the year they spent trying to find the perfect first home to buy, Kyle and Kate Rosen of Elizabethtown learned some hard lessons about trying to compete in the hot housing market of 2022.

Frustrated after being outbid on half a dozen homes, the Rosens decided what they were looking for didn’t exist — although it could be built.

After more than a year of looking, the Rosens, both 28, signed a contract in January to build a new home in a development outside York where they expect to move by early June.

“We were pretty refreshed by not needing to have an offer two hours later and not needing to commit on the spot in order to compete with

other offers,” Rosen says of opting to build a duplex in Brownstown Manor, a J.A. Meyers housing development near Dover.

Preexisting homes comprise the largest share of home sales in Lancaster County, but new construction homes offer buyers a path to homeownership that doesn’t include home inspections, bidding wars and worries about massive repair bills on day one.

In 2022, there were 5,465 homes sold in Lancaster County, 389 of which were listed as new construction, according to data from the Multiple Listing Service.

Adrian Young, a real estate agent with Century 21 Home Advisors in Manheim Township, works with buyers of both existing and new construction homes. He says the number of new construction homes sold

was likely higher than the MLS data show since many builders don’t list all of their new homes on the service.

Young says existing home sales in Lancaster County probably outpace sales of new construction homes by 5 to 1 or even 10 to 1, an estimate borne out by U.S. Census data for 2021, which shows 1,039 building permits issued for new housing in the county.

Price and availability

The Rosens, who began their search in January 2020, were looking in areas close to either of their jobs that cost less than $275,000. Kate Rosen is a marketing manager for Haller Enterprises in Lititz and her husband Kyle is director of e-sports at York College of Pennsylvania. Kate Rosen says they hadn’t considered a new construction house until they

learned of a development where one would fit in their budget.

In 2022, the median price for all homes sold in Lancaster County was $295,000, up from $260,000 in 2021, according to MLS data. Reliable median price data for new construction isn’t available, but Young says most new construction homes in Lancaster County begin around $300,000.

While rising interest rates have cooled the residential housing market somewhat, Young says a nice house in an attractive area can still start the kind of bidding war that left the Rosens on the outside looking in.

“You’re still typically seeing prices over listing and people waiving contingencies, although not quite as much as they were,” Young says.

Rising costs of building materials and labor as well as the lack of build-

With an available lot in the foreground, an excavator moves dirt on a lot at Bluegrass Road and Homestead Lane in Somerford at Stoner Farm, a Keystone Custom Homes development in Manheim Township.

SUZETTE WENGER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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able land have boosted prices for new construction. Municipal requirements for land development plans as well as the time spent seeking local approvals also add to the cost.

Jeff Rutt, president of Keystone Custom Homes, says the supply chain issues that constrained builders and boosted prices for some building materials have largely eased and this year he expects to build 522 homes in Keystone’s area, which includes Pennsylvania, Maryland and North Carolina.

Keystone Custom Homes has seven active neighborhoods in Lancaster County, including Devon Creek, a housing development begun in 2013 at Route 23 and Horning Road in East Lampeter Township but where an additional phase was delayed until Keystone could build a new water treatment plant. Single-family homes there start at $450,000.

In Manheim Township, Keystone Custom Homes has just begun building this year in Somerford at Stoner Farm, a 124-unit development planned between Eden Road and Route 222, next to Stoner Park. Single-family homes there start at $590,000.

Originally proposed in 2018, Somerford is in a zoning district that allows such development by right. Nevertheless, the plan drew strong opposition at several Manheim

Township commissioners’ meetings from residents who objected to the loss of farmland and worried about the development’s impact on the property’s historic farmhouse as well as the adjacent neighborhoods. Commissioners eventually approved the preliminary plan for development in February 2020 by a vote of 3 to 1.

While Rutt says the process for getting municipal approvals for new housing developments in Lancaster County isn’t much different than other areas, it still adds time and cost to any project.

“It’s unfortunate that it takes a disproportionate amount of the cost and the time to deliver a new home,” Rutt says. “The inventories of homes to purchase are tight. … The huge answer to that in my mind is (new construction) homes.”

SUZETTE WENGER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Preexisting homes comprise the largest share of home sales in Lancaster County.

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EDUCATION

Lancaster Catholic student Jaevon Parker works on a still-life painting. Many private schools in the county are seeing enrollment growth.

PAGE 24

SUZETTE WENGER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

PRIVATE SCHOOLS SEE GROWTH

ASHLEY STALNECKER

ASTALNECKER@LNPNEWS.COM

Growing political tensions, including those surrounding transgender athletes, as well as rules temporarily put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, appear to be prime drivers behind an increase in enrollment at many private religious schools in Lancaster County and nationwide.

As many public schools remained virtual in 2021 or enforced mask mandates, parents turned to private Christian schools where mitigation efforts weren’t as restrictive, Ephrata Mennonite Head of School Joshua Good says.

“In the private nonpublic sector, we weren’t bound in the same way and that allowed us to be more re-

sponsive to our community needs,” Good says.

International and national evangelical school networks such as Association of Christian Schools International have cited parental desire for in-person instruction and faithbased education, and parental concern about the political tension in public schools as matters that have led to increased enrollment at private Christian schools in the United States. ACSI has 25,000 member schools including 10 in Lancaster County.

Prior to the pandemic, however, many of Lancaster County’s largest private schools were seeing an overall decline in enrollment.

Lancaster County’s largest pri-

vate school, Lancaster Mennonite, saw a 54% dip in enrollment — from around 1,500 to 690 students — between 2008 and 2021.

The school separated from its Hershey and Kraybill campuses, sold its Locust Grove and New Danville campuses, and as of the 2022-23 school year operates from one campus at 2176 Lincoln Highway East in East Lampeter Township.

Faith-based interest

While Lancaster Mennonite consolidated campuses, Ephrata Mennonite is opening a $12 million to $15 million new, larger campus in the 2023-24 school year.

In the last two years its current

building at 598 Stevens Road in Ephrata Township hit its 385-student max, and the school had to turn away a few families this year, Good says.

From the 2008-09 to 2020-21 school years, enrollment at Ephrata Mennonite grew by 76%, from 188 to 332 students, according to state Department of Education data.

Good expects continued growth as the new building a quarter-mile north of its current location leaves room for 100 more students, and a later addition to the building could double the school’s current enrollment.

Public school parents who are becoming disillusioned with public schools are turning to conservative PRIVATE, page 25

SUZETTE WENGER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Front row from the left, counter clockwise: Lily Fry, Shea Ziegler, Rowan Ziegler, Haidyn Zimmerman, Ian Koch and Jacob Lee, third graders in Amanda Krause’s class, settle into their morning routine at Lititz Area Mennonite School, where enrollment is up by 23 students since 2021.

private Christian schools like Ephrata Mennonite, Good says.

“Many parents feel like the approach to gender issues in the public schools sector is just at this point beyond common sense,” Good says.

In the last year, Conestoga Valley, Hempfield and Manheim Township school districts discussed developing a policy to limit student-athletes to participating on a sports team aligned with their sex at birth. Hempfield School District became the first in the state to pass such a policy.

“While I think most of Christian school patrons certainly want kids who have gender identity questions, want them to feel safe, want them to learn,” Good says, “at the same time, they’re not ready for a boy using the girls’ bathroom.”

Whether or not they attribute it to the cultural atmosphere of public schools today, private Christian school administrators recognize a growing desire for faith-based education.

“The families that I have talked to are more so looking for that biblical integration that the public schools cannot provide,” Lititz Area Mennonite School admissions counselor Nicole Zimmerman says.

Currently, 332 students are enrolled at the 1050 E. Newport Road

school in Warwick Township, Zimmerman says, up from 309 in 2021 and 318 in 2019.

Conestoga Christian School at 2760 Main St. in Caernarvon Township enrolled 382 students in 202223, up from 323 in 2021-22 and 304 in 2018-19, according to Head of School Ken Parris.

Predicting further enrollment

increases, Parris says the school is building four classrooms and renovating its gymnasium to increase its capacity to 500 students in 2026.

A decline in Catholic school enrollment

As schools like Conestoga Christian and Ephrata Mennonite expand, however, Lancaster’s Catholic school system population is declining.

In 2021-22, Lancaster Catholic High School enrolled 506 students, down from 596 in 2018-19 and half of what it was 50 years ago, according to the school’s president, Tim Hamer.

U.S. Catholic school enrollment decreased from 1,915,836 in 2015-16 to 1,626,291 in 2020-21 before increasing marginally to 1,688,417 in 202122, according to the National Catholic Educational Association.

Hamer attributes the drop in enrollment at the 650 Juliette Ave. school in Manheim Township to a decline in the state’s overall schoolage population.

In 2011, children between 5 and 19 represented 19% of the state’s total population, or 2,421,940, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. That number was 17.9%, or 2,292,830 in 2018 and 18%, or 2,330,290, in 2021.

The school-age population in Lancaster County, however, has held steady and even slightly increased in recent years.

In 2011, children ages 5 to 19 represented 20.8% of the county’s population of 523,996, or 108,991, the data shows. That number dipped to 19.7% of 543,960, or 107,160, in 2018, but rose to 19.8% of 553,652, or 109,623, as of July 1, 2021.

In a statement to LNP | LancasterOnline, Daniel Breen, superintendent of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Harrisburg, said Lancaster-area Catholic schools reported steady enrollment from 2021 to 2022 and a small increase in total enrollment in 2022-23, which he attributed to the diocese’s commitment to in-person instruction.

SUZETTE WENGER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER PHOTOS

Nicholas Tongel, left, Melky Escalante and Ryan Saez work in Susan Ulrich’s art class at Lancaster Catholic High School. While Catholic schools have seen a decline in enrollment over the years, the diocese reports a slight increase in total enrollment this school year.

Lititz Area Mennonite School third graders, from left, Brennan Hoover, Hannah Robinson, Ian Koch and Rowan Ziegler work on a special project for a fellow student who is leaving on a missionary trip with his family. Private Christian schools are seeing a growing desire for faithbased education.

‘A REALLY SPECIAL CONNECTION’

Penn Manor’s Unified Club aims to make all students feel welcome

REBECCA LOGAN FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE

In order to offer a little flavor for what happens in Penn Manor’s newly formed Unified Club, some of its members take turns ticking through highlights of their “Friendsgiving” 2022.

A bean bag toss. Music. Mashed potatoes and gravy.

Joey Spinelli, who communicates using a hand-held speaking device, chimes in.

“Cake,” he says.

Laughter erupts from club members who are fully aware of Spinelli’s fondness for baked goods.

“Joey, I knew you were going to say something like that,” says Nate Habecker, one of Spinelli’s life skills classmates.

More chuckles follow. It’s an easy laughter — the kind that comes from comfortable friendships and trust. And that’s exactly what members say exists in the year-round club that grew out of Penn Manor’s Unified track team.

Unified track and field pairs students with disabilities (athletes) and those without (partners) in running, jumping and javelin events. The Special Olympics Interscholastic Unified Sports program is supported by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and the Bureau of Special Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Special Olympics of Pennsylvania’s website notes that the organization is working with 91 schools in 12 counties (plus the cities of Phila-

delphia and Pittsburgh) for Unified programs for indoor bocce, track and field and soccer.

Penn Manor is one of a few schools in Lancaster County with a Unified track team. McCaskey took the state crown at the 2022 Unified Track & Field state championship meet at Shippensburg University in May.

Columbia Borough School District does bocce. The Penn Manor Unified Club is gearing up for a fundraiser that would help them start a bocce team, too, in order to keep the excitement going during winter.

Members’ faces light up as they talk about the intense cheering they’ve heard on the track. Speaking on a chilly January day, the students were clearly anxious to be back out there but in the meantime were concentrating

on an upcoming bowling outing.

Senior Caity McGough has run Unified track as a partner before but will be sitting out the spring season due to a scheduling conflict. She’s staying, however, in the club that was formed to keep the Unified athletes and partners in contact throughout the year.

“Inclusivity is really important. ... We need to make sure that everyone at our school feels welcome,” McGough says. “I wanted to be part of that process. ... I thought it was an amazing opportunity to meet everyone here.”

Tess Porter, a Unified athlete and longtime fan of running, says she was nervous at first to join — because she can be shy — but that the feeling is

BLAINE SHAHAN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

From left, Nate Habecker, Abby Ames, Lexi Rhoads and Olivia Cox, all members of the Unified Club, meet at Penn Manor High School.

Continued from 26

now long in the past.

“I wouldn’t describe you as shy, Tess,” says Unified partner Cassidy McCollum.

As with many things, the benefits of the club come down to taking that first step, says senior Abby Ames.

“One thing that is really important is getting yourself uncomfortable first,” Ames says.

Last year, a teacher told her she would be a good fit to help in adaptive gym class for students with special needs.

“At first, I was really skeptical. I was just nervous because I’d never done anything like that before,” Ames says. “And after the first day I was like, ‘I love this.’ ”

She asked what else she could do, and her teacher directed her to the Unified team.

“Right away I was like, sign me up,” Ames says. “You might not be able to do everything, but everyone can do something. Unified just celebrates whatever it is that you can accomplish. So I just fell in love with that whole environment.”

So did Lexi Rhoads, who found a particular bond with Spinelli. His first speaking device word to her was “vanilla.”

“Joe can be a little bit particular about who he will do work for,” says Kyle Lainhoff, Unified Club adviser and special education and life skills and inclusion support teacher. “Joe and I have a really good relationship. But I’ve got like 40 other kids in track. Lexi was willing to put in the work to make that connection.”

It can be difficult for parents of students with special needs to step back from activities like other parents do, Lainhoff says.

“I think that was one of the first times in Joe’s life that Mom was able to just be Mom,” she says. “I remember at the McCaskey meet she sat in the bleachers ... and could just relax.”

Spinelli hits some keys on his device.

“Lexi is great,” he says. “We do stuff outside school.”

They’ll meet up for walks in the park. She was planning to accompany him to a dance for students with special needs.

“He’s a very special person to me,” Rhoads says. “At first, we were teammates, but then we became friends ... no different than any other friends. It took a lot of work, but he’s gotten used to the idea and knows, ‘I can trust her.’ ”

Habecker says he also was nervous to join as a Unified athlete at first, but quickly found comfort in an overall attitude that’s without judgment.

“We don’t judge your speed,” Habecker says.

Lainhoff nods.

“Because who are you competing against?” she asks.

“Yourself,” Habecker says.

That’s right, says his teacher.

“That’s what we say,” Lainhoff adds. “You’re competing against yourself. And every week you just want to get a little better. That was a huge thing for Joe to complete the 100 meters by himself.”

Habecker beams at Spinelli.

“And you were able to do it, Joe,” he says.

Rhoads remembers that day.

“I was crying,” she says.

She and several other club members say the gist of their focus comes down to kindness.

“This is so much fun. It’s such a loving atmosphere,” Olivia Cox says. “I don’t know if you can see that from the outside ... but we all love each other and we have a really special connection.”

Asked if they think their generation has an easier time forming such connections, their expressions politely indicate that is the kind of question someone in a generation before theirs might typically ask. But they do suspect theirs is up to the task.

“I think we are making more of an effort than maybe we have in the past,” McCollum says. “We’re starting to understand what including everyone means.”

ENVIRONMENT

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Farms such as Kreider Farms in Manheim are increasingly focused on sustainable practices.

SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS

How farms are working to improve environmental and economic health

ANGEL ALBRING FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE

Sustainable agriculture isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a growing trend because it addresses the environmental, economic and social concerns that people have about agriculture.

However, defining “sustainable farming” practices isn’t as easy as explaining why sustainable farming is catching on.

What is sustainable farming?

Now more than ever consumers are looking for labels that let them

know that a farm uses humane and sustainable practices, says Rob Barley, co-owner and chief financial officer of Star Rock Farms.

“This is what the consumer sees as a value, but the truth is, farmers have been one of the most sustainable groups out there and what we do is generally regenerative,” Barley says. “We are learning every year how to do it better.”

But what “it” is hasn’t really been defined in regard to specific farming practices, Barley says, and farmers are often left to figure out what they need to — and what they can — implement on their own farms.

“ We can say that sustainable farming is making sure the environment is not being hurt, and part of it is animal care, part is soil care. And farming also has to be economical,” Barley says.

Star Rock Farms is a commercial farm with thousands of acres of crops in Lancaster and York counties, and it has beef, swine and dairy farms in Brogue and Seven Valleys in York County, and Conestoga Township, respectively. Barley says that while larger farms may have the resources to engage in sustainable practices, smaller farms may need more help with tools, learning and implement-

ing new practices and even with the money needed to make changes and get certifications that show the public they employ sustainable practices.

Current farming practices that fall under the description of “sustainable” include planting cover crops, doing no-till farming as much as possible, and rotating crops so that the soil has enough time to replenish nutrients, Barley adds.

Barley, who is also the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board chairman, says he sees farms of all sizes and in all stages of using sustainable pracFARMS, page 31

CONNOR HOLLINGER | FOR LNP/LANCASTERONLINE

Cows get milked in a rotating milking parlor at Kreider Farms. The Manheim-based farm recently re-earned its American Humane Certified standing for its treatment of dairy cows.

Farms

tices, and each farm has its own way of doing things.

“And that’s part of what makes it so hard to define what is considered sustainable practices,” he says.

Defining sustainable farming goals

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture is a Pennsylvania nonprofit, and its content coordinator, Marie Hathaway, points out that the National Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture has given a comprehensive definition of sustainable farming.

According to the coalition, sustainable agriculture is “an integrated system of plant and animal production practices” that meet consumption needs, enhance the environment, make efficient use of nonrenewable resources, sustain the economic viability of farms and enhance the quality of life for farmers and society.

“The basic goals of sustainable agriculture are environmental health, economic profitability and social and economic equity,” according to the coalition.

The National Corn Growers Association has issued some sustainability goals for corn farmers, which include reducing soil erosion, increasing irrigation water use efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing land use efficiency.

“Pasa takes a pretty inclusive view of sustainable farming practices: For some farmers in our community it means maintaining organic or regenerative certification, for others it’s reducing tillage, adding cover crops, or grazing livestock to improve soil health — and many do a combination of those things,” Hathaway says. “In broad strokes we think of sustainable agriculture as farming with a focus on improving and protecting ecosystems, natural resources and public health.”

Getting public attention

For one major Lancaster County farm, letting the public know about its humane and sustainable practices hasn’t been hard.

Kreider Farms recently re-earned its American Humane Certified standing for its treatment of dairy cows. In operation for more than 85 years, Kreider was the first farm on the East Coast to earn the certification and it is now one of only six dairy farms certified nationwide.

Manheim-based Kreider became certified for dairy in November 2020,

but its cage-free hen laying operation has been certified since 2016. It farms more than 3,000 acres in Lancaster, Lebanon and Dauphin counties and employs about 450 people.

The American Humane Certified program is the country’s first independent animal welfare program ensuring humane treatment of farm animals. Certified farms must undergo inspections and pass more than 200 welfare standards, including housing, nutrition, health, safety and transportation.

Kreider marketing manager Khalee Kreider says the farm was already

The county is home to more than 100,000 milk cows, and Kreider Farms houses more than 1,700 of those.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

meeting many of the requirements for certification before applying, and it has gone above and beyond on some standards, such as having custom-made water troughs installed at milking stations and installing misting stations for hot weather.

She says the farm’s day-to-day practices are “just good animal husbandry,” but having them acknowledged in a way that alerts consumers points to a growing trend — consumers want to buy from sustainable, humane farms.

Kreider adds that even with the farm obtaining and maintaining the certification, defining what sustainable farming truly is can be hard.

“There can be a lot of confusion on how to quantify and put numbers and context around it,” she says. “Larger farms are ahead of the trend, because they have more resources, but there are different levels to farming, and just about every farm can do something, like planting cover crops or no-tilling, that leads them to more sustainability.”

Lancaster County produces more milk than any other county in the Commonwealth, and it is the 10th biggest milk producer in the nation.

CONNOR HOLLINGER | FOR LNP/LANCASTERONLINE PHOTOS

Sustainable practices at Kreider Farms in Manheim include planting trees, top, to protect the watershed from runoff, and using recycled tires, above, to cover bunker silos.

” “SECONDOPINIONS

HEALTH

PAGE 34

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Kerry Egan of My Interventionist enjoys time with her dog, Rexilyn, when she’s not helping others fight addiction.

ANDY BLACKBURN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

‘SHE FOUGHT THE BEAR’

Inspired by her own journey, interventionist Kerry Egan now helps others reclaim their lives

GAYLE JOHNSON FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE

Kerry Egan’s family deliberately lied to her. The Lancaster woman thought she was heading to a client’s office to provide an estimate for security cameras to protect an expensive painting.

Instead, Egan wound up in a locked hotel room confronting seven family members and a certified interventionist about her alcohol addiction. It was April 2011. The professional coach from Maryland arranged and led the meeting, where each relative cited a specific instance where Egan’s drinking caused problems. She was so drunk she fell down the stairs at a restaurant. She kicked the door of a police car. She needed an ambulance. She wrecked cars. She had a DUI. Police arrested her for public drunkenness.

“I saw the look on my mother’s face,” Egan recalls. “Fear was married with disappointment.”

Then, each loved one described what would happen if Egan continued to drink. Her mother and father would fire her from the family security company. One sister said Egan would no longer see her nieces and nephew. Another sister said Egan would no longer be welcome in her Florida home.

She got part of the message. Deep inside, Egan denied she was an alcoholic. She merely wanted to learn how to manage drinking — say, have two drinks and then stop. “I had zero intentions of never drinking again.”

That changed after the interventionist drove Egan to a Maryland rehabilitation facility, where she stayed 28 days.

“Addiction steals everything from us,” says Egan, who embraced sobriety but found it hard to practice once she returned to Lancaster. She failed to locate any sober living options for herself and her boxer, Kyla.

So the former security consultant then started a new career: She turned her own home into a sober living environment and recruited people in recovery through word

a piece of the puzzle toward recovery,” says Steven Schedler, executive director of The Samaritan Counseling Center in Lancaster. “Interventionist protocols and techniques are grounded in solid research.”

An intervention starts with a confrontation where loved ones describe specific instances where addiction has hurt the addict or the family. An interventionist will outline a treatment plan. For Egan, her packed suitcases waited in the hotel room. Relatives also provide consequences should the addict refuse help.

Now sober almost 12 years, the 44-year-old works with an addict’s family members, plans and stages interventions and has clients and their families sign up for at least one year of coaching to remain free from addiction.

Egan became a certified case manager interventionist through the Joint Commission, a nonprofit that accredits about 22,000 health care programs and organizations in the United States.

“She fought the bear, and she’s still standing up,” says Patrick Egan, her father and former boss.

“What keeps Kerry sober is her desire to help others and to be successful at whatever she does,” says Carolyn Slover, an aunt.

Andre Gibout credits Egan for helping him reclaim his life.

“She is a cornerstone of my recovery,” says the 34-year-old former Lancaster resident who now lives in Sacramento. “We were recovery warriors.”

of mouth. She also began coaching others and became a certified interventionist.

Certified interventionists — who plan and stage confrontations — “are

Gibout, who has been sober for 11 years now, met Egan at a sober living party and ended up moving into her home. “Her enthusiasm and energy for recovery was infectious.”

“I can’t tell my story without talking about her,” he says. “I built a life. I have a job, a pension and I can pay

ANDY BLACKBURN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Kerry Egan of Lancaster Township left her career as a security consultant to coach others through recovery.

Egan

my bills.”

Peter Graustein met Egan during an online meeting in March 2020 and then worked with her on a client placement. He serves as a certified recovery specialist and outreach coordinator for Mountain Laurel Recovery Center in Westfield.

“If anyone in my family needed help, the first person I would call would be Kerry,” Graustein says. “Her first priority is getting people the right treatment.”

The beginning

Egan recalls occasionally drinking after she played on the basketball team in high school. A lost state championship game in 1996 pushed the senior toward consuming more alcohol as did friends who had older boyfriends with easy access to liquor.

“My drinking was to drink to excess to black out,” Egan says. “I liked the way it made me feel.”

She graduated from Drexel University with a major in business administration and a minor in psychology in 2003.

She worked for her family’s Lancaster security business. “I wasn’t always operating at peak performance,” she says. “I never lost a job. I still went to work every day.”

Egan’s motto was to work hard and then party hard. She started going to bars Friday and Saturday nights and began adding more days until she spent every evening drinking.

She also discovered she was attracted to women, and began dating one. “I used alcohol to feel comfortable.”

Then came the intervention. Sobriety, however, uncovered another complication. Egan was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has been hospitalized 13 times since she stopped drinking.

“I had no one to guide me,” she says. So Egan put a sobriety and mental health plan together.

Today

These days, Egan lives with wife Timalynn and boxer Rexilyn in Lancaster. Referrals provide clients. An addict’s relative often contacts Egan, and she meets with family members to plan an intervention. She holds a practice run-through with relatives usually the day before an intervention.

Then, Egan offers coaching for at least a year. Clients can reach her at any time, in addition to a 50-minute coaching session once a week. The interventionist also meets at least once a month with those family members who participated in the intervention and now form a recovery team. Egan also keeps in contact with a client’s doctors and therapists and then shares that information

with family members, if the client has given permission.

She also instructs clients to use monitored Breathalyzers three times a day and conducts random urine analysis several times a month to catch relapses as soon as possible.

Egan chooses not to discuss how much she charges. Schedler, from Samaritan Counseling, says certified interventionists can be expensive. Egan says she’s never turned away a client and will offer a sliding scale depending on income.

She also tailors recovery to each client. Some people want a spiritual approach; some don’t.

“I help my clients structure their days to include feeding their physical, mental and emotional well-being,” she says.

ADDICTION AND INTERVENTION

Assigning numbers to substance abuse can be difficult, experts say, because addicts usually report themselves. Still, those in the industry say alcohol claims the top of the list.

“Alcohol continues to be the most commonly used substance for addiction,” notes Steven Schedler, executive director for The Samaritan Counseling Center in Lancaster.

Peter Graustein, outreach coordinator for Mountain Laurel Recover Center in Westfield, and a certified recovery specialist, says alcohol “is the No. 1 abused drug in this county and in this state.”

Pennsylvania ranked sixth in the nation in overall alcohol consumption in 2022, according to data released by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. People in the state drank 25 million gallons of liquor, beer and wine. California, with 85.7 million gallons, ranked first, followed by Texas (56.9 million), Florida (50.4 million), New York (36 million) and Illinois (25.3 million). Wyoming was last with 1.4 million. Some states have higher numbers partly because of larger populations, says Tim McKirdy, managing editor of VinePair, a New York-based digital magazine that reports on the alcohol industry.

In addition, SafeHome.org, a security research company, reported in a 2020 study that 28.8% of Pennsylvania adults said they binge drink.

For drug addiction, Pennsylvania ranked 30th out of 50 states and The District of Columbia, according to a 2021 study released by WalletHub, a personal finance website.

A certified interventionist can help guide a person toward recovery. Do some research, Schedler says, to find the right person. Here is his advice:

n Look for someone who is certified, either by the state or a mental health organization.

n Ask how long the interventionist has been practicing.

n Ask about this person’s track record What percentage of clients maintain recovery?

n How does the interventionist handle a relapse?

n What recovery methods does an interventionist use? A client who wants a spiritual-based recovery may not be happy with fact-based programs.

Kerry Egan rides her motorcycle for relaxation.

ANDY BLACKBURN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

NEW OLD-FASHIONED MEDICINE

Direct primary care practices gaining traction nationally and in Lancaster County

CAROLE DECK FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE

Unhappy working in a health care system that he felt was broken, Dr. Patrick Rohal opened one of Lancaster County’s first direct primary practices in January 2016.

“I was looking for a way to practice medicine the way I dreamed it would be while going to medical school,” Rohal says.

His practice, CovenantMD Lancaster at 930 Red Rose Court, Suite 104, fulfills passion to build relationships with patients, which he believes is at the heart of primary care.

Direct primary care is a health care option gaining in popularity nationwide. While there is no official registry of direct primary care practices, an unofficial source published by National Institute of Health, National Library of Medicine in August 2021 reports there were 125 practices in 2014, 620 in 2017 and over 1,500 in 2021.

All the practices disclose fees, services and medication costs on their websites.

Many doctors dissatisfied with health systems driven by insurance companies rather than the needs of patients are choosing direct primary care practices.

Lancaster County lists seven independent practices delivering direct primary care, including Rohal’s.

The Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland School of Medicine graduate says direct primary care offers patients more affordable care through a monthly membership without insurance and eliminates co-pays and high deductibles. Hospitalization insurance is recommended and the staff will help explore options for it through government programs or Christian costsharing ministries.

Rohal’s staff includes Dr. Jason Bai-

ley and Janelle Gregory, a certified physician’s assistant. A second location, CovenantMD York, opened in January 2019 and is staffed by a certified physician’s assistant.

CovenantMD monthly fees range from $45 (for children up to 18) to $85 (for patients 65 and older). For those over 100, the cost is $1 per month.

Medications are dispensed in the office or by mail to patients at low self-pay prices. The lower costs are possible through a bulk distributor and mail-order pharmacy. The cost savings for medications often pays for the monthly fee.

Visits can take place in the office, the patient’s home or their workplace.

“Health care should be about wellness, not just illness,” says Rohal, who emphasizes the importance of proactive health choices for patients.

Because of limited patient numbers, he says his practice can give the extended time necessary to discuss lifestyle and diet which can lead to less need for medications.

“Once a patient experiences direct primary care, they don’t want to go

back to primary care insurance feefor-service,” he says.

CovenantMD has many local employers who see the value of direct primary care.

Legacy Electric Services Inc., Manheim, has been offering direct primary care through CovenantMD Lancaster as an employee benefit for the past six years. The company pays the monthly fee for employees and family members up to five children.

“ We’re a small company and our people matter. We want to take care of our employees and Dr. Rohal’s practice provides the absolute best care for them,” says Joshua Mellott, president.

Employees like the care so much they stay with the practice even when no longer employed by the company, Mellott says.

He likens CovenantMD direct primary care to the TV show “Little House on the Prairie,” where the country doctor knew and cared for all the family members.

“The cost savings is huge for the premium care provided. I hope more

people discover direct primary care and more doctors do it,” Mellott says.

For Dr. Danielle J. Miller, direct primary care offers a new approach to old-fashioned medicine.

Graduating from Drexel University of Medicine, she worked in a local health system until opening her direct primary care practice, Luz Medicine, 29 Cloister Ave., Ephrata in October 2020. It was the third direct primary care to open its doors in the county.

The name of the practice comes from a Spanish/Portuguese word meaning “light.” Miller says the practice seeks to bring light to medical issues with understanding and help for patients to be well.

“Taking care of patients is important to us and being available to deliver prompt available care means a lot to them,” Miller says.

She believes having access to their physician after hours is a big benefit.

Kristy Arey, a certified medical assistant, works with Miller at the Ephrata practice.

The monthly membership fee range is $60 (ages 0-17) to $85 (18 and older) with a one-time enrollment fee of $150 per household.

She says unlimited office visits in person, virtually and by phone appeal to her wide mix of young and older patients

Without insurance fees for service, costs are discounted and less expensive for many services such as lab work, radiology, bloodwork and office-dispensed medications.

Miller recommends insurance coverage for hospitalization, but doesn’t require it since some patients cannot afford it. Medicare recipients can use their plan.

The practice also offers fertility wellness and ongoing wellness for chronic illness.

Dr. Chris Lupold examines Natalie Sherack at Alere Family Health in Ronks.

VINNY TENNIS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Care

Continued

Working in the health system, Miller saw thousands of patients. Now, she says, she sees hundreds and is able to give them more time.

The practice isn’t accepting new patients, but there is a waiting list.

For Miller, the decision to be a direct primary care practice physician was the right one.

“It’s wonderful to enjoy taking care of patients again,” she says.

Though uncertain about the future of health care, Miller thinks direct primary care is a current solution to a system that is broken and overwhelmed.

Dr. Chris Lupold agrees. In 2017 he opened his direct primary care practice, Alere Family Health LLC, 334 Hartman Bridge Road, Ronks.

growing up in “the good ol’ days of medicine.”

“Doctors knew the families. They took time with a patient and neither felt rushed,” Lupold says. “Medications were given during an office visit.”

After 16 years working for a health care system, the Bucknell University and Jefferson Medical College graduate was no longer happy going to work and needed a change. Direct primary care was an attractive option to return to the way medicine was practiced in the past.

The smaller patient load gives him more time to foster relationships. He says a visit becomes “one-stop shopping for patients.” Along with primary care, Alere also provides hearing, vision and sleep testing.

The staff includes Lupold, Dr. Elizabeth Van Aulen, and certified medical assistants Amanda Keller-Aston and Brandi Parry.

Monthly fees are $20 (for children up to 18), with a $10 charge for three

or more children, up to $95 (for ages 65-plus). The fee covers unlimited visits per month. There’s an initial enrollment fee of $25 for the first family member and $15 for each additional one.

With no insurance or Medicare billing, paperwork is significantly reduced. Patients are billed for the fee on a monthly basis. Lupold encourages patients to have hospitalization insurance, but accepts those without it.

Getting patients hasn’t been a problem, and Alere isn’t currently accepting new ones. There are over 100 names on a waiting list. The practice is in the process of hiring a new physician, and Lupold says he is optimistic about having another doctor on staff soon.

Lancaster resident Lyndsey Sherack cannot say enough positive things about Alere Family Health. She says direct primary care is “the best kept secret in the county.”

Sherack, 41, husband John, 38,

daughters Natalie, 9, and Kylie, 6, have been with Alere since the practice opened its doors.

“Dr. Lupold really knows our family and has a personal friendship with us,” she says.

Sherack, a Realtor and LampeterStrasburg School District employee, says she likes the unhurried time Lupold spends during visits, whether in person, by phone or video chat. She’s also impressed with the “instant” response and the ability to have a same-day or next-day office visit.

The family has insurance for hospitalization through John’s employment at Constellation Energy, Delta.

“Dr. Lupold and I are birthday buddies and he never misses mine,” young Natalie adds.

Sherack says she hopes others will check out direct primary care.

“For our family, Alere is a perfect combination of simplicity and efficiency with a friendly personal touch,” she says.

ON THE ROAD TO BETTER HEALTH

New sections of Greater Lancaster Heritage Pathway scheduled to open this year

CHRIS REBER CREBER@LNPNEWS.COM

One of the most ambitious projects to boost public health in Lancaster County by revising the use of already developed land will begin to blossom this year.

The proposed route of the Greater Lancaster Heritage Pathway stretches 12 miles — from Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health’s Suburban Pavilion in the west to Leola in the east. It will follow a mix of trails, dedicated bike lanes and a small section of boardwalk over the Conestoga River beneath the Stone Arch Bridge on East Walnut Street.

The trail was first announced in 2014. Technically, some of it is al-

ready complete. An existing 1.5-mile section of protected bike lane along Walnut Street in Lancaster city carries the trail westbound through the city. And new sections of the trail are scheduled to open in the next 12 months.

Health-development connection

In creating and advancing the pathway, planners and elected officials across several municipalities took a good deal of motivation from stark statistics about health and recreation access in the county.

The state Department of Health says 60% of adults, 40% of teens and

36% of children in Lancaster County are considered overweight or obese.

“Part of that is that there is not direct access to safe places for people and families to exercise and recreate,” says Mike Domin, principal planner with the Lancaster County Planning Commission. “We have a population of 235,000 in the Lancaster metro area, and they really don’t have direct access to a longdistance recreation trail.”

The relationship between development and public health, and the need to revise older development that may not have grasped this connection, is among the reasons LG Health plans to open a trailhead at its pavilion in spring 2024, where a future section of the pathway is proposed. Nearby, plans call for the pathway to connect with the Little Conestoga Creek Blue/Greenway, a 2.5-mile multi-use trail which recently began construction.

“Having convenient access to places for physical activity, such as parks and trails, encourages community residents to participate in physical activity, and to do so more often.

Residents are also more likely to walk when they feel protected from traffic and safe from crime and hazards.” LG Health spokesperson Marcie Brody said in an email.

Safety and transportation roles

Adriana Atencio, director of The Common Wheel, a nonprofit which promotes cycling in the Lancaster area, says that the design of the city’s streets encourage high speeds at the expense of residents’ safety.

“We keep seeing that our city is ranked one of the best places to live, however our streets are treated as if

they are still highways. We can barely cross them without taking our life into our hands,” Atencio says.

The City of Lancaster has made improving the safety of its streets a priority. In 2020, the city adopted a goal of eliminating traffic deaths by 2030 by redesigning the most dangerous intersections and roadways in the city

Atencio says there is still much work to be done, but projects like the pathway are a good start. She also believes that drivers should support them because they mean more people on bikes, and less traffic on the roads.

“Any project that allows people to adopt alternative forms of transportation as their main form of transportation is one that should be supported and applauded,” she says.

Due to the large number of residents and employers in the area, supporters believe that the trail will be used by people commuting to work. LG Health foresees employees from the city commuting to its suburban pavilion on the western end of the trail. And through the Walnut Street extension, workers could commute to employers in Greenfield and Leola.

“ We think it will be a utilitarian commuter opportunity as well as a recreation opportunity. We hope to serve both those areas,” says Ralph Hutchison, East Lampeter Township manager.

When the first sections open, they will be relatively short and disconnected. But past projects have demonstrated that support for trails builds after one section opens

“Once people see something on the ground, and enjoy it, it has this contagious effect,” Domin says.

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