JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY
At the February 24 Columbia Borough Council meeting, council unanimously approved an agreement of sale of the plant at 430 South Front Street with the Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) for $565,000. The plan is for the CEDC to market and sell the property so that a buyer can improve it and return it to the tax rolls.
Pennsylvania law allows boroughs to conduct such transactions with economic development corporations for selling specialized properties such as wastewater facilities.
Pennsylvania law allows boroughs to conduct such transactions with economic development corporations for selling specialized properties such as wastewater facilities.
The CEDC will earn a 1% commission on the purchase price for facilitating the sale and will be allowed to recover marketing and broker costs from the borough's proceeds.
During the council meeting, members noted that Exhibit A and Exhibit B — containing the legal property description and the lease — were missing from their packets. Evan Gabel, borough solicitor, told council that the exhibits would be included in the final agreement before closing, scheduled on or before March 31. Council also noted that the agreement document incorrectly stated the borough's address as 1200 Corporate Boulevard. Gabel said the address will be corrected to 308 Locust Street.
The backstory
Columbia Borough sold its wastewater conveyance system to the Lancaster Area Sewer Authority (LASA) in 2015 and shut down operation of its 1952-era treatment plant in order to avoid costly upgrades required by law. LASA now assumes sewage operations in the borough.
In November 2021, Columbia Borough entered into a lease-to-own agreement with JG Environmental, a waste services company. (Shamrock Environmental acquired the company in February 2024.) JG Environmental/Shamrock is currently subleasing at least part of the property to another entity.
Part of the delay in the sale of the plant was due to a holdup by Norfolk Southern in allowing changes to the railroad crossing near the site. Apparently, that issue has been resolved, but it's still unclear whether JG Environmental will proceed with the purchase. (Some details during council's discussion were sketchy, at best.)
As part the deal, the company had aimed to acquire an additional riverfront property where borough maintenance vehicles and other equipment are currently stored. The plan was for the borough to move those assets to a recently acquired property at 11th Street and Ridge Avenue to facilitate the sale. However, that plan has been delayed, because a building at the site needs extensive repairs — or a new one may need to be built — with either option potentially costing several million dollars.
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