Gov. Tom Wolf Powers Up Conveyors At Opening Of New Urban Outfitters Fulfillment In Gap

If Gov. Tom Wolf wanted to see his campaign promises in action, he came to the right place Thursday morning, said Urban Outfitters CEO Richard Hayne.

Jobs that pay? “You’re looking at them,” Hayne said at the grand opening for Urban Outfitters’ massive 1 million square foot e-commerce fulfillment center in Salisbury Township just outside Gap on Route 30.

The site will ramp up from the existing staffing of 150 people to 500 as the year progresses, and could reach 1,000 to 1,500. Standard starting pay is $11.50 per hour, director of fulfillment Carl Carbonell said.

It also exemplifies “schools that teach” and “government that works,” Wolf’s other two priorities, Hayne said.

Read more:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/watch-gov-tom-wolf-powers-up-conveyors-at-opening-of/article_a09c1d32-0ad2-11e5-b006-43c0ef88a8ae.html

“Gap Bottleneck Project” Starting New Phase, With New Traffic Pattern, This Week

Work on the “Gap Bottleneck Project” is beginning to pick up, with a new traffic pattern established this week in the project area in eastern Lancaster County.

The new work is another step in the overall $9.9 million project that’s set for completion in October 2016.

For now, the new pattern is in place during overnight hours in the area of the Route 30/Route 41 project, the state Transportation Department announced.

A concrete barrier is being installed along the north side of Route 30 just east of the intersection with 41.

Read more:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/gap-bottleneck-project-starting-new-phase-with-new-traffic-pattern/article_1f89be2e-f9cb-11e4-86d9-f390befce9c3.html

With New Owners, Haines Shoe House Becomes Bakery & Treat Shop

Where else in the world can you eat cake pops from inside a gigantic work boot?

Probably nowhere.

Melanie Schmuck is banking on that novelty, as she and her husband, Jeff Schmuck, convert the ground floor of the Haines Shoe House into a bakery and dine-in treat shop.

“We wanted something quirky,” Jeff said. “Something that would stand out.”

Read more:

http://www.ydr.com/business/ci_27751427/new-owners-haines-shoe-house-becomes-bakery-treat

Columbia Bypass Work Beginning

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When explaining to various officials the problems truck traffic causes in Columbia, Mayor Leo Lutz liked to give tours.

In the basement of Hinkle’s Pharmacy, they could see old brick and mortar being turned to powder, and feel the heavy trucks travel on Locust Street.

On the sidewalks, they could see, hear and feel the trucks rumble by in the center of the historic town.

“Then they knew what we were talking about,” Lutz said.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/columbia/news/columbia-bypass-work-beginning/article_d65b79c6-beb7-11e3-9333-001a4bcf6878.html

Planner: Despite $90 Million Cost, Route 222 Widening Not A Return To Big PennDOT Projects

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Friday evening, just as it is most evenings, traffic was backed up as drivers coming from U.S. 30 waited to merge onto Route 222 in Manheim Township.

Friday morning, just as it is most weekday mornings, the Route 222 traffic backed up merging onto U.S. 30.

The situation is nothing new to PennDOT.

With additional money coming from the new state transportation law, state Transportation Department officials will soon begin looking for ways to address the problem.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/conestogavalley/news/planner-despite-million-cost-route-widening-not-a-return-to/article_de7c88b6-bc32-11e3-a1a1-001a4bcf6878.html

Miller’s Smorgasbord, Plain & Fancy And AmishView Offered For Sale

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Three major tourism businesses and their properties in eastern Lancaster County are for sale, it was announced Wednesday.

The businesses are Miller’s Smorgasbord, Plain & Fancy Farm and the AmishView Inn & Suites.

They employ a combined 280 people and post annual revenues exceeding $12 million.

“There will be a transition, but it doesn’t have to happen tomorrow,” said Al Duncan of Thomas E. Strauss Inc., which owns the businesses.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/business/local_business/miller-s-smorgasbord-plain-fancy-and-amishview-offered-for-sale/article_d0c5d524-a4b8-11e3-bfa2-0017a43b2370.html

Police Nab 2 Suspected Drug Dealers In Columbia

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Two suspected heroin dealers were arrested during an aggressive driver detail in Columbia on Friday, police said.

Columbia Borough police were conducting the detail on Route 30 East at the Route 441 overpass.

Officers stopped a silver 2012 Mazda sedan traveling 82 mph in a 55 mph zone, police said.  They discovered that Norristown police reported the vehicle as stolen on July 14.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/876213_Police-nab-2-suspected-drug-dealers-in-Columbia.html#ixzz2aIXfJM4B

Urban Outfitters Eyes $105 Million Expansion In Gap

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Urban Outfitters, with sales rising rapidly, figures it must add to its merchandise-distribution network to keep up.

And as part of its strategy to meet that need across North America, the firm wants another distribution center in this region.

Not just any old distribution center, though.

Urban Outfitters calculates that it has to be huge — a million square feet, or nearly the size of Park City Center — and state of the art.

What Urban Outfitters hasn’t yet determined is where to put the $105 million facility.

But among four sites under consideration is a farm across the street from an existing Urban Outfitters distribution center in Gap.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/861181_Urban-Outfitters-eyes–105M-expansion-in-Gap.html#ixzz2WCCoQp2H

$63.3M Project Will Expand Route 202 To Six Lanes

Southbound U.S. Route 202 past the interchange with U.S. Route 422 in Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

EAST WHITELAND — A $63.3 million project to expand 2.6 miles of U.S. Route 202 to six lanes to improve travel and reduce congestion will begin Monday night, April 1.

The project is the final one in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s program to expand 6.2 miles of Route 202 to six lanes from just south of the Chesterbrook Interchange in Tredyffrin Township to the Route 30 Interchange.

“The start of this second Main Line contract is another positive step forward in our plan to transform Route 202 into a modern highway capable of moving travelers smoothly and safely through the Great Valley area of Chester County,” PennDOT District Executive Lester C. Toaso said.

Allan A. Myers LP, of Worcester, was chosen as the project contractor and will reconstruct and widen Route 202 from four lanes to six between the Route 401 and Route 30 interchanges. This project is scheduled to finish in May 2016.

Read more:   http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20130326/NEWS01/130329515/-63-3m-project-will-expand-route-202-to-six-lanes#full_story