Broad Street Market reconstruction ‘back to square one’

The reconstruction of Broad Street Market‘s brick building is “back to square one,” according to Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams. 

Williams released a statement following the Harrisburg City Council’s 5-2 vote Tuesday night to delay the construction with its rejection of proposal that would have assigned the rebuild to Alexander Building Construction Company. The historic and iconic building was destroyed by fire on July 10, 2023. Until reconstruction can be completed, a temporary structure housing 16 vendors has been built. 

In her statement, Williams called the council’s rejection “reckless” and “careless”. 

“Earlier tonight, five Harrisburg City Council members set the rebuild of the Broad Street Market Brick Building back even further due to a decision that can only be described as careless,” said Williams.

The mayor said that after her administration issued a request for proposals for construction managers, Alexander was chosen “because it scored highest on the independent scoring system which has awarded public projects for decades.”

The statement added that when the city council expressed concern in the decision, the mayor and administration officials met with members to provide information. Williams said that in rejecting Alexander as the market’s construction manager, the council is denying a Harrisburg-based business and the one with the most experience handling historic architecture, fire restoration, and projects of this size and scale.

“The reckless decision by these city councilors this evening to not award the Broad Street Market construction manager to the most qualified proposal – the one with the experience and support of the Central Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council – means vendors will have to wait even longer to get back into their permanent home, and city residents will watch the one-year anniversary of the fire come and go without any work being done,” said Williams. “The selection process now goes back to square one.”

Per reports, council members cited miscommunication between the council and the proposers, along with equity issues as reasons for their rejection.

Eric Hagarty, chair of the Broad Street Market Alliance, said the alliance is “deeply disappointed” with the council’s vote. Citing the Alexander Building Construction Co.’s “decades of experience” overseeing the construction of major projects like Beaver Stadium, Chocolatetown at Hershey Park, and the Lancaster Medical Center, Hagarty said council members “inexplicably” rejected the selection.

Hagarty added that the council’s decision means the procurement process needs to be redone and reconstruction will not begin for another six months at least.

“Local small businesses who were displaced by the fire will continue to go on without income and the community members who depended on the market for their groceries in an area otherwise defined as a food desert by the USDA will have to wait even longer now – despite on-the-record admissions by many members of Council that Alexander Building Construction Co. had the most qualified proposal,” said Hagarty.

Hagarty said the alliance is urging the city council to reconsider its decision.