Former Colonial Metals building may be up for lease — NOT SALE

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

A source has told Columbia Spy that the owners of the former Colonial Metals building on North 2nd Street are considering leasing the property. According to that source, the building is not currently on the market for sale. In addition, Columbia Spy has found no public listing, filing, or other confirmation indicating the property is for sale at this time. 

Property records show the site at 500 N. 2nd Street, along with several adjoining parcels, is held under the name Columbia Reduction Company, a Pennsylvania domestic business corporation first registered in 1950 and still listed as active with the Pennsylvania Department of State. Corporate filings list Craig Friedman as secretary and treasurer, David Serls as president, and Richard Sanger as vice president.

The plant has a long industrial history under several names:

Colonial Metals Co. operated the foundry beginning in 1946, growing into one of the largest brass and bronze ingot makers in the country. The company shut its doors in June 2018, idling around 100 workers. At the time, Colonial was reportedly appealing its property tax assessment and dealing with financial strain; it's unclear whether it filed for bankruptcy before California Metal-X stepped in.

California Metal-X (CMX), a West Coast red metals and copper alloy producer, acquired Colonial's assets in early 2019 and paid off the company's outstanding debts, allowing it to avoid bankruptcy. CMX reopened the Columbia foundry that May, resuming copper-alloy ingot production using the plant's submerged electric arc furnace — a piece of equipment unique among brass and bronze facilities at the time.

SA Alloys, a subsidiary of scrap-processing firm SA Recycling, later took over the facility from CMX.

The Federal Metal Co., a red metals ingot maker based in Bedford, Ohio, acquired the plant's assets from SA Recycling in the fall of 2022, becoming the third company to own the operation since it was idled in 2018.

In the summer of 2025, Federal Metal held an online auction through PPL Group LLC for surplus assets and equipment no longer needed for its ongoing operations at the site. The sale ran from July 22 through August 5, 2025, with an in-person inspection preview on August 4, and was billed as clearing out equipment tied to the 500 N. 2nd Street facility — not a sale of the building or land itself. On July 16, 2026, there were no signs of activity observed at the building.

That 2025 equipment liquidation appears to be the source of some recent confusion online about whether the property itself is for sale. 

Columbia Borough's new finance manager steps away from the position

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Columbia Spy has learned that Columbia Borough's new finance manager recently changed course and stepped away from the position after council voted to hire her. 

Columbia Borough Council voted 5-2 at its June 23, 2026 meeting to hire Tracey Weaver as the borough's new finance manager, filling a post that had sat vacant for roughly six months. Council members Heather Zink and Joanne Geesey cast the two dissenting votes. The position also carried human resources duties in addition to its finance responsibilities, including payroll, benefits administration, and personnel matters.

According to a borough executive brief, Weaver first applied for the position on May 20, 2025, and applied again on January 30, 2026. She was interviewed by the borough manager, the assistant borough manager, and the borough's finance consultant, all of whom recommended moving forward with her hiring. Council members and staff also conducted separate interviews with her, according to comments made during the meeting.

Councilwoman Geesey raised concerns during the meeting about whether Weaver met the qualifications spelled out in the borough's official job description. Reading directly from the document, Geesey noted that the finance manager role calls for the equivalent of four or more years of post-secondary education at an accredited college or university in accounting or a related field.

Weaver's annual salary was initially set at $81,120, contingent on a background check and medical evaluation. That figure was later increased to $83,200 after Weaver submitted a counteroffer, according to Council President Kauffman. Weaver was also slated to receive training from Brown's, the accounting firm currently assisting the borough.

Weaver's departure continues a pattern of instability in Columbia Borough's finance department. Since 2020, the borough has cycled through six different finance managers or interim accounting arrangements:

• Kyle Watts — Served roughly two years before departing in January 2021.
• BGA&F Accounting Firm — Handled borough finances in early 2021 following a series of brief interim stints.
• Tammy Bennett — Hired in June 2021; resigned in July 2024 after three years in the role.
• Karen Weiss — Hired in September 2024; resigned abruptly after a short tenure.
• Michelle Jenkins — Hired in November 2024; terminated in May 2025.
• Brian Christensen — Hired in August 2025; resigned in December 2025.

Columbia Borough Police make arrests, recover firearms in July incidents

Chief Holly Arndt presented a report to council at its July 14 meeting.

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Columbia Borough Chief Holly Arndt presented a report to council at its July 14 meeting, noting that officers took two wanted suspects into custody, recovered two firearms, and responded within minutes to a shooting that left one victim hospitalized.

Bus Suspect Arrest

On July 1, Officer Frank Ember spotted a suspect wanted in connection with a Lancaster City police shooting riding a Red Rose Transit bus during daytime hours. Ember called in the sighting and took the suspect into custody without incident. A search turned up a stolen firearm in the suspect's possession. Charges related to the weapon are pending.

Shooting at 4th and Cherry Streets

On July 4, Columbia Borough police responded to a shooting at 4th and Cherry streets. Sergeant Snyder and Officer Nate Miller arrived at the scene within two minutes and rendered aid to the victim, who has since been released from the hospital and is recovering.

The ensuing investigation led Sergeant Snyder to file criminal attempted homicide charges, along with several other felony counts, against Skyler Barr.

Traffic Stop Leads to Second Arrest

The following day, July 5, Officer Ember was on patrol when he spotted another wanted suspect in a vehicle. After Ember conducted a traffic stop, the suspect fled on foot. Officer Ember pursued and took Joshua Hussein into custody following a brief struggle.

During the arrest, Ember recovered a bag Hussein had discarded, which contained multiple narcotics-related items. Hussein was also wanted on separate firearms charges out of Columbia Borough.

Attempted Homicide Suspect Apprehended

On July 7, Officer Ember and Officer Krauss spotted Skyler Barr — the same suspect charged in the July 4 shooting — near Turkey Hill on Chestnut Street. Barr had an active warrant for attempted homicide at the time.

Officers moved to take Barr into custody, and he resisted, but was ultimately arrested without further incident. A search conducted during the arrest turned up a loaded firearm in his book bag.

"We Are Trying Our Best"

Summing up the department's work over the two-week span, Arndt praised the officers involved despite ongoing staffing shortages.

"Even though they are short staffed, they got two guns off the street and have just been doing a phenomenal job," Arndt told council members. "So I just wanted to bring that to everyone's attention. We are trying our best."

Council moves to block data centers at former McGinness airfield site

Above: one of several signs posted on Manor Street, across from the former McGinness property. 

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Columbia Borough Council voted 4-3 Tuesday night to advance an ordinance that would remove data centers from the list of permitted uses in light business zoning districts. The move could block a data center from being built on the long-vacant former McGinness airfield property. (Byers, Cooper, Ziegler, and Geesey voted for the motion. Kauffman, Zink, and Murphy voted against.)

The motion was introduced by Councilman Ethan Byers and seconded by Councilman Tom Ziegler. If ultimately adopted after review by county and municipal planning commissions, the ordinance would designate data centers as "Not Permitted" in light business zones and shift them to "Conditional Use" status in general industrial zones instead.

In a written statement dated July 14, Byers laid out his reasoning for pressing the issue now rather than waiting for a broader zoning overhaul. He said the one-page ordinance had already been reviewed by borough solicitor Evan Gabel and drew on language used in the borough's past zoning ordinances. He also said he had briefed councilors Jeanne Cooper and Tom Ziegler, who lead the community development committee overseeing zoning and planning.

Byers said he'd been mulling the change for weeks as delays piled up around re-advertising the McGinness property, and that data centers had come to dominate public discussion of the site's future. He wanted the property sold without the complications data centers bring, he said, adding that a legal appeal could tie up the sale for years.

Byers had originally hoped to raise the change at a workshop session ahead of a separate, more comprehensive ordinance (numbered 966) covering the same topic. When that workshop was canceled and 966 got pushed to a future meeting, Byers said he decided not to wait: "I believe we should not wait and instead get this simple zoning change in now."

He said he'd asked council President Eric Kauffman twice to add the item to the agenda — first for the July 7 workshop, then again on July 9 for Tuesday's regular meeting — and that both requests were turned down before he brought the motion directly to the floor, asking that it be placed at the top of New Business.

The motion didn't go unchallenged. Councilman Kelly Murphy questioned whether it had followed proper legislative procedure. Byers defended the move, arguing that introducing legislation is not the exclusive domain of any single council member and that, as an elected councilman, he is himself part of that legislative process.

Supporters of blocking a data center at the McGinness site are treating the vote as an early win, but the matter isn't resolved. The ordinance still needs to clear review at both the municipal and county planning commission levels before it can come back to council for a final vote.

The zoning fight follows a contentious meeting earlier this year involving the McGinness property itself. In May, Saadia Holdings LLC — a New York-based company that runs a distribution center in West Hempfield Township — submitted a $6.35 million bid as the property's only bidder. News that the deal involved a data center drew hundreds of residents to a four-and-a-half-hour meeting at the Columbia Borough Fire Hall, where residents voiced concerns about noise, water and power demand, and impacts on property values.

Council ultimately rejected the bid 7-0 on procedural grounds: Saadia's offer didn't guarantee full payment within the 60-day window required by state law for sealed-bid sales, since the company wanted to wait for borough approval of its site plans first.

Council advances motion to remove data centers from light business zoning, affecting former McGinness property

Councilman Ethan Byers introduced a motion to remove data centers from the list of permitted uses under light business zoning.

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

At Tuesday night's council meeting, Councilman Ethan Byers introduced a motion to remove data centers from the list of permitted uses under light business zoning. The change could potentially prevent a data center from being built on the former McGinness Airfield property. The motion received a second from Councilman Tom Ziegler before the 4 to 3 vote in favor of the motion. 

The proposal sparked discussion among council members, including some pointed exchanges. Councilman Kelly Murphy raised concerns that the motion hadn't gone through the proper legislative process. Byers pushed back, arguing that as a councilman, he himself represents part of that legislative process, and that crafting legislation isn't the sole responsibility of any one council member.

While the motion is being viewed as an early win for residents opposed to a data center at the site, the issue is far from settled. The proposal must still move through planning review at the municipal and county levels before returning to council for a final vote.

MORE DETAILS WILL FOLLOW 

Eli Krouse sworn In as Columbia Borough's newest police officer

Eli Krouse was sworn in as a Columbia Borough police officer by District Justice Miles Bixler during the July 14 borough council meeting.

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Eli Krouse was sworn in as a Columbia Borough police officer by District Justice Miles Bixler during the July 14 borough council meeting. 

The swearing-in follows Krouse's graduation from the Reading Police Academy on June 26. The Columbia Borough Police Department announced he completed the program's demanding 919 hours of training over six months to earn his certification.

Krouse's path to law enforcement includes both military and academic credentials. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, having served from 2018 to 2024. He also graduated from Antietam High School before going on to earn a bachelor's degree in emergency management from Millersville University.

Agenda— Columbia Borough Council Meeting — July 14, 2026

The meeting packet is HERE.