Last Week in Carlisle, PA | December 1–7, 2025 | A Week of Change: New Leaders, $98M School Plans, and Holiday Joy!

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Key Events and Decisions That Will Shape Our Future

The first week of December 2025 was busy in Carlisle, blending critical governance decisions with the cheerful start of the holiday season. Our local leaders reorganized key boards and advanced large community projects, while cold weather moved in just in time for our major festive events.

Here’s a quick look at the most important things that happened last week in our community:

• School Board Leadership Confirmed: The Carlisle Area School District (CASD) held its annual reorganization meeting, electing new leadership and formally seating new members to guide the future of our $98 million middle school construction project.
• Borough Endorses Youth Power: Our Borough Council strongly supported creating a formal Youth Council, ensuring that the voices of young people aged 14 to 19 will have a direct channel to local government.
• Real Estate Market Holds Steady: The local housing market saw the same number of homes close this week compared to last week, though the median sale price dropped slightly.
• Police Heroes Honored Amid Waste Reform Talks: The Borough recognized two top police staff members while discussing important changes to our solid waste and recycling program due to rising costs.
• Holiday Season Swings Into Action: We celebrated the start of December with the Holly Jolly Jubilee, the Making Spirits Bright Holiday Parade, and a major fundraiser to protect Big Spring Creek.

School District Reorganization Moves Major Projects Forward

On Thursday, December 4, 2025, the Carlisle Area School District (CASD) held its mandatory Annual Board Reorganization and Committee Meetings, establishing the leadership structure needed to manage our ongoing long-term goals. Paula Bassard was successfully reelected as the Board President, and Anne Litson was elected as the Board Vice President.

Additionally, the honorable Judge Maslin administered the oath of office to four recently elected school directors: Sue Bower, Anne Litson, Amanda Rudy, and Steven Bruce. This stable leadership is essential as the board continues managing the proposed construction of a new Carlisle Middle School for grades 7-8, a necessary response to growing enrollment, outdated facilities, and the need to balance elementary class sizes. This major project is estimated to cost nearly $98.3 million and is planned for the campus adjacent to the existing high school and Wilson Middle School.

Borough Council Backs Youth Engagement and Honors Public Safety

Our Carlisle Borough Council held an important workshop meeting on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, where they gave strong support to integrating young people into local government. The Council endorsed a proposal to establish the Carlisle Borough Youth Council, a body that would serve as a formal advisory group for students aged 14 to 19, empowering them to conduct research and present recommendations on topics like park upgrades and safety.

During this meeting, our Carlisle Police Department proudly recognized two key members: Staff Sergeant Andy Von Bokenberg, who celebrated his 20th anniversary of service, and Officer Joe Tedaro, along with his certified K-9 partner, Rambo, who is trained in narcotics and apprehension. The Council also discussed the rising cost of our mandated recycling program, noting that contract costs have doubled from $800,000 to $1.6 million, prompting the Borough to consider bringing waste collection in-house by 2028 to achieve long-term cost stability for our residents.

Carlisle Area Real Estate Market Snapshot: December 1–7, 2025

The Carlisle real estate market recorded consistent transaction volume but a drop in median price during the first week of December, indicating that while homes are still selling, pricing points shifted slightly downward compared to the previous weeks.

Here are the sales statistics for the entire Carlisle School District area for this week:

• Total Home Closings (Dec 1–7, 2025): 9 sales (Same as previous week; Up from 7 sales year-over-year)
• Median Sale Price (Dec 1–7, 2025): $249,900 (Down from $315,000 previous week; Down from $285,000 year-over-year)
• Highest Sale Price: $411,000. (Down from $770,841 previous week)
• Lowest Sale Price: $146,500. (Up from $135,000 previous week)
• Average Days On Market (DOM): 24 days. (Up from 13 days last year)

Even though the total number of sales remained consistent with the previous holiday week, the median sale price pulled back both week-over-week and year-over-year, suggesting some price cooling despite the relatively high sales volume for the beginning of December.

Festive Fun and Environmental Action Kick Off Our Holiday Season

The first full weekend of December officially launched our community into the holiday spirit, despite a quick shift from warm showers at the beginning of the week to noticeably colder temperatures later on. On Wednesday, December 4th, our downtown filled with light and cheer for the Making Spirits Bright Holiday Parade. The main event happened on Saturday, December 6th, in the Downtown Carlisle Square with the annual Holly Jolly Jubilee and Tree Lighting.

This free event offered fun for kids, including visits with Santa, carolers, free hot chocolate, face painting, and even live reindeer, concluding with the traditional Tree Lighting ceremony at 6:00 p.m.. In contrast to the seasonal retail focus, Sunday, December 7th, saw the community come together for a different kind of event: the Save the Big Spring Benefit Bash. This gathering featured live music and had a crucial purpose: supporting the outreach and legal defense fund dedicated to protecting Big Spring Creek, highlighting our ongoing commitment to local environmental concerns.

Major North Hanover Street Project Hits Final Deadline Push

Our town’s biggest ongoing road project, the final phase of the Carlisle Connectivity Project, is currently focused on improvements along North Hanover Street. This project is part of a series of transportation upgrades designed to improve mobility, especially around the northern brownfield sites in Carlisle. The Borough is aiming for an aggressive year-end completion target, with the North Hanover Street phase currently underway and expected to be complete by December 2025.

This final phase follows the successful completion of earlier work, including the water main replacement and the installation of the large four-point roundabout at B Street and North College Street. Successfully finishing this work by the end of December is important to minimize construction disruptions during the busy holiday season and fulfill the project’s long-term goals for improved traffic and utilities.

Looking Ahead

Beyond the weekly news, Cumberland County began selling 2026 Dog Licenses on Monday, December 1st, with a community event held at the Capital City Mall. Our Carlisle High School winter sports season began its competitive schedules on Monday, December 1st, while the Dickinson College Women’s Basketball team achieved a victory against McDaniel College on December 3rd. The forecast predicts that the next few weeks will bring cold temperatures and possibly more snow showers, so we should all bundle up for the rest of December’s events.

Conclusion: Stability and Celebration Define Our Week

This first week of December in Carlisle was characterized by necessary administrative actions and the energetic commencement of our holiday events. We elected new leadership and seated new members on the School Board, ensuring stability as the CASD moves forward with the massive $98 million middle school construction and grade reconfiguration project.

Our Borough Council demonstrated forward-thinking governance by strongly supporting the Youth Council proposal, guaranteeing that the voices of young residents are formally included in municipal planning. At the same time, we celebrated the holiday season with the Holly Jolly Jubilee and the Making Spirits Bright Parade, supported our local economy through the Nutcracker Stroll, and mobilized funds to protect Big Spring Creek. These concurrent activities show that our community remains focused on long-term growth and preservation while embracing the spirit of the season.

SOURCES: https://www.carlisleschools.org/school_board/board_meeting_schedule, https://awesomecarlisle.com/changes-are-coming-to-carlisle-youth-voice-police-heroes-and-the-future-of-our-trash-carlisle-borough-council-workshop-summary-december-3-2025/, https://cumberland.crimewatchpa.com/ , https://www.carlislepa.org/residents/road_work_projects/carlisle_connectivity_project.php , https://patch.com/pennsylvania/carlisle-pa/calendar/event/20251207/251d7c9c-2c2f-4c71-9b83-909b7c103484/save-the-big-spring-benefit-bash https://www.cumberlandcountypa.gov/1197/Press-Releases https://www.carlislepa.org/agenda_detail_T36_R853.php , https://www.almanac.com/weather/longrange/pa/Carlisle , https://dickinsonathletics.com/news/2025/12/6/mens-basketball-devils-clipped-by-no-6-eagles.aspx , https://awesomecarlisle.com/complete-guide-to-december-2025-holiday-events-in-carlisle-pa-and-nearby/ , https://www.carlislepa.org/government/public_meetings/agendas___minutes/2025.php , https://business.carlislechamber.org/events/details/holly-jolly-jubilee-5247178