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Council approves $200,000 for Environmental Teen Core; program marks 10th year
Summary
Harrisburg City Council authorized a $200,000 intergovernmental award to the Harrisburg Housing Authority for the 2025 Environmental Teen Core (ETC) summer growth program; HHA and program leaders described the program’s community and workforce impacts during the meeting.
Harrisburg City Council voted to approve Resolution 45 of 2025, authorizing the city to negotiate and enter into an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with the Harrisburg Housing Authority (HHA) to facilitate the award of $200,000 for the 2025 summer growth program known as the Environmental Teen Core (ETC). The resolution passed by voice vote recorded as five yays, zero nays, with Councilman Rodriguez excused and Councilwoman Daniels absent.
Marcus Williamson, executive director of the Harrisburg Housing Authority, and Clarence Watson, ETC program director, addressed council in support of the funding request. Williamson said the housing authority was “pleased to partner with the city” and committed to participating in efforts to enhance youth employment, character development and leadership training. Watson, the program director, described ETC’s history and community impact, noting the program’s decade-long track record and saying, “We average about over 200 applications a year.” He also described the program as a roughly six-week opportunity that provides employment and community-service experiences, and he offered examples of local businesses benefiting from steady weekday participation by students.
Council members from across the dais praised the program. Councilwoman Davis said she was “grateful” for the city’s investment; Vice President Green called ETC “an asset to the city.” Councilwoman Ross discussed a planned graffiti-removal crew idea — a proposed addition to ETC work that would pair students with Public Works to clean tagged surfaces and provide transferable job skills such as power washing.
The resolution authorizes city staff to negotiate the intergovernmental agreement and transfer the funds to HHA for ETC operations; specific contracting terms, deliverables, timelines for disbursement, and reporting requirements were not specified during the legislative session and will be subject to the forthcoming agreement.
Council then voted to suspend rules for discussion prior to the vote on the resolution; the final recorded vote on Resolution 45 was five yays, zero nays, with Councilwoman Daniels absent and Councilman Rodriguez excused.
