Words and Light

I’m really excited to announce that The York Daily Record/Sunday News has published what we’ve been calling “the Mt. Rose project.” It’s my first big project for the paper, as my editors had me tackle it shortly after I was hired.

Graphic/presentation by Carrie Hamilton. Click on the image above to check out the interactive graphic and article.

I was assigned to provide visuals for the entire project, which meant I shot building mugs of all the businesses that will or may be affected, and covered a few more businesses more extensively.

Mexitaly — Mexitaly is a local eatery that claims a legion of fans. One side of its menu features Mexican offerings while the other side features pizzas and strombolis. In addition to making some general ambiance photos in the restaurant, I also produced a video featuring a few of Mexitaly’s regular customers.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Brian Carr of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Nathan Hess of Springettsbury Township chat as Kateri Michos of Springettsbury Township places her order with Mexitaly owner Greg Skirboll on Friday, June 3, 2011.

Nello Tire — For both my video and stills, I focused on the medium/commercial truck shop. Nello has a garage servicing your everyday cars and vans, but much of its business comes from larger sets of wheels like tractor trailers, recreational vehicles and medium-size trucks. The medium/commercial truck shop is directly adjacent to the 10,000-square foot tire warehouse, which is what would probably be directly affected by PennDOT’s plan to revamp the Mt. Rose interchange.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Tire/lube technician Scott Cramer chats with medium truck tire specialist Roy Hoffman as Hoffman fills up a tire with air at Nello Tire on Saturday, June 4, 2011.

Par Tee Mini Golf — It may seem strange to think about a mini golf course on the sloping side of an interstate, but business is booming. I went there one evening to make pictures during the evening “magic hour,” and for the video, I returned a few more times to talk to the girls who work there. Turns out they’ve worked the counter for a number of years, and have become best friends.

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Zakary Kelm, 5 of New Freedom, races up one of the mini-golf greens at Par Tee Mini Golf on Saturday, May 28, 2011.

The businesses that will be “full takes” — that is, PennDOT would need all their property for the interchange reconfiguration — will receive their official letters from PennDOT this fall. The businesses that will be “partial takes” will be notified next year. Even after everyone receives letters, construction won’t begin for another three or four years, or so say most of the business owners.

Everyone with whom I spoke, including business owners and customers, agrees that the interchange makeover is needed. I’m inclined to agree, as I pass through that intersection every day on my way to and from work. But in the past few months, I’ve learned a lot about how much these businesses mean to their owners and customers, and I’m interested to see how everything pans out over the next few years.

We’ll see. In the meantime, these businesses have a few years yet.