"Patriotic Paint A Plug," a borough-wide art project, has transformed 11 ordinary fire hydrants in Marietta to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.
JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY
If you've traveled through Marietta lately, you may have noticed fire hydrants wearing stars, stripes, and other designs.
"Patriotic Paint A Plug," a borough-wide art project has turned 11 ordinary fire hydrants into mini-canvases celebrating America's 250th birthday. Local businesses and residents sponsored the project. L. Weber handled the paint, prepping, and priming. Local artists, community groups, and students did the painting.
Students from Under The Willow School in Marietta teamed with the Marietta Community House to decorate a hydrant of their own.
Each hydrant comes with its own yard sign, numbered and ready for visitors to scan a QR code and cast a vote for their favorite. Voting closes July 4, 2026 at 4:30 p.m.
Proceeds and goodwill from the project benefit the Marietta Community Carnival.
Thanks Zachary Lape of Lape Brothers Photography for the news tip.
A newly formed LLC tied to Kleen-Rite Corp.'s Columbia headquarters has acquired the longtime home of R&S Manufacturing on Mill Street in a deal worth just under $9 million, according to property and corporate records.
A deed recently recorded in Lancaster County shows R&S Manufacturing LLC and R&S Manufacturing Corp. conveyed the Mill Street property to an entity called 525 Mill St. LLC for $8,959,680.
Records filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State show 525 Mill St. LLC was formed on April 3, 2026, as a domestic limited liability company. The LLC's listed address — 257 S. 9th St., Columbia — is the corporate headquarters of Kleen-Rite Corp., the car wash supply and equipment company that has operated out of Columbia for more than 50 years.
R&S Manufacturing at 525 Mill Street
R&S Manufacturing has operated at 525 Mill St. for nearly three decades, making steel rolling doors, dock levelers and related commercial hardware under the R&S Manufacturing and Lasko Metal Products names.
Neither Kleen-Rite nor R&S Manufacturing has publicly confirmed a connection between the companies or announced plans for the property. It's not yet clear whether Kleen-Rite intends to use the site for warehouse or distribution space, or whether R&S will continue operating there under a lease arrangement.
Kleen-Rite, headquartered at 257 S. 9th St., also operates distribution centers in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, as well as in Nevada, Texas and Missouri.
This story may be updated as more information becomes available.
Officials and others from Columbia Borough and PENNDOT "surveyed" various intersections in need of improvement around town. Reportedly, the design work will be free, but Columbia will need to find grant money to fund any projects.
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Railroad workers were doing whatever it is that they do on the railroad, but they turned the entrance to River Park into a skull-rattling, teeth-chattering nuisanceafter they buried a rail under the asphalt.
The mayor recently inspected the site of last week's fire on South 4th Street.
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Columbia Curiosities is going with a beach theme these days.
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US flag, properly hung
A house with a steeple
(Not really)
Something happened to Ganymede.
Her left arm is missing.
She used to look like this.
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A weird but determined cloud was coming across the river the other day.
Vehicles with trailers only?
Line painting around town
The Shawnee Run foliage is looking abundant. Someone's bike is at the lower right.
The South 9th project is moving right along.
PennDOT workers trimmed trees along 462.
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A few people at Columbia River Park helped a boater in distress near the shore. West Hempfield Township Police arrived an hour-and-half later and successfully avoided the problem.
Raven Ridge was at Columbia Crossing the other day.
Columbia Borough celebrated three centuries of history Friday evening with a ceremony in Locust Street Park that drew state lawmakers, local officials, and a few hundred residents to mark the town's founding in 1726 as Wright's Ferry. Center City Orchestra provided the musical entertainment.
State Senator James Andrew Malone opened by noting the town's founding in 1726, when Quaker businessman John Wright purchased 250 acres of land along the Susquehanna. He recalled that Columbia was considered as a potential site for the U.S. capital in 1790.
Malone said the town's most profound legacy is its role in the pursuit of freedom, describing Columbia as a vital station on the Underground Railroad, where freedom seekers found refuge and assistance from a sizable free Black population and their Quaker allies. He paid tribute to William Wright, a descendant of the town's founder, and Robert Mooney, a free Black man who helped people cross the river to safety. Malone closed by presenting a certificate from the Pennsylvania State Senate congratulating the borough on its 300th anniversary.
Public Grounds Company marks 200 years
The evening's ceremony also recognized the 200th anniversary of the Old Columbia Public Grounds Company, the organization that has owned and maintained Locust Street Park since the 19th century. PA State Rep. Brett Miller presented the company with a citation. Mark Zeamer, the company's secretary-treasurer, detailed the company's history:
Conceived by town founder Samuel Wright before his death in 1811, the company was created in 1814 and formally incorporated on April 10, 1826, to administer a land grant to the new town of Columbia. Through its trusteeship, the company established the town's first water distribution system, created Columbia's first institution of higher learning — the Washington Institute — and provided Locust Street Park for public recreation.
In 1854, the company purchased land from John L. Wright using proceeds from its stock in the Columbia Water Company, forming the large city block bounded by Lancaster Avenue, Cherry Street, Cemetery Road (now Sixth Street), and Locust Street. The park is now maintained by a volunteer board of nine members, with support from the Columbia Borough Highway Department, Columbia Park Rangers, the Columbia Lions Club, and the Columbia High School National Honor Society.
Zeamer noted that a statue of a World War I American soldier ("The Returned Soldier") at the park's Fifth and Locust Street entrance was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1926 — 100 years ago.
Over the decades, the company has donated park land for the construction of the Columbia Public Library in 1960 and the Columbia High School school. The Columbia Lions Club built the park's gazebo in the early 1980s.
The park has hosted some of the region's most significant historical moments, Zeamer said, including service as a field hospital for wounded Union soldiers after the Battle of Gettysburg, a 1960 campaign stop by presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, and a dedication ceremony in September 2002 honoring victims of the September 11th attacks.
Today, the park hosts annual Memorial Day services, the Thunder on the River car show, an Elks Club flag ceremony, a 9/11 memorial service, weddings, prom photos, and the town's annual Christmas tree lighting.
Zeamer closed by recognizing the company's current board: President Andy Ohrel, Vice President Bill Kloidt, Jr., and board members John Meshey, Steve Deets, Jack Gamby, Jeff Seibert, Glenn Bachert, and Tom Fleckenstein, along with himself as secretary-treasurer.
A town once considered for the Capital
Rep. Miller delivered a commemorative address reflecting on Columbia's deep roots and resilience over 300 years, describing the borough as a "gem among communities" and its residents as "gemstones" for their strength, pride, and dedication to one another.
Miller presented an official citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives outlining several milestones in the town's history.
Founded along the Susquehanna River, the settlement was renamed Columbia in 1788 and was once considered as a candidate for the capital of the United States, with support from Benjamin Franklin. The citation also noted the town's role as an important stop on the Underground Railroad and its standing as a 19th-century commercial hub known for tobacco processing, iron foundries, and boat building. Today, Columbia is home to roughly 10,000 residents and the campus of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors.
Miller formally presented the citation to Mayor Leo Lutz, offering "Godspeed" for the borough's next 300 years.
Mayor reflects on "Columbia Pride"
Mayor Leo Lutz spoke about what he called "Columbia Pride," pointing to recent examples of community spirit: the Lions Club and Old Columbia Public Grounds Company members preparing the park for the celebration, a local business assisting with town repairs, the successful Lancaster County Firefighters Parade, and the community's outpouring of support following a fire on South Fourth Street.
Lutz traced Columbia's evolution over 300 years from an early transportation hub built around ferries and canals, to an industrial center, to its present-day identity as a destination for culture and recreation citing, in particular, the National Watch and Clock Museum and the Columbia River Park areas along the Susquehanna. He closed with a quote from Congressman Lloyd Smucker expressing optimism for the town's future, and a personal statement of pride in being a "Columbian."
Council President Eric Kauffman thanks committees
Council President Eric Kauffman thanked the members of the Columbia 300 committee for more than a year of planning. He noted the effort grew out of meetings at the market house hosted by Chris Vera and the Columbia Historic Society, and recognized committee members Mike Barton, Rick Fisher, Fred Gerfin, Paul Hines, Michelle Kauffman, Bonnie Link, Linda Morningstar, Tiffany Nell, John Reitzel, Mark Stewart, and Pat Weaver.
What's next
Organizers encouraged residents to follow the Columbia PA 300 Facebook page for a schedule of upcoming anniversary events and lectures throughout the year. The celebration continues with a Community Day on July 4th at Glatfelters Field from 6 to 9 p.m., featuring food, activities, live music from "Hopscotch," and fireworks.
Rehabilitation of the Veterans Memorial Bridge between Columbia and Wrightsville and the widening of Route 222 in Manheim Township are among the Lancaster County projects included in a four-year state transportation plan that is now available for public comment.
From now through June 30, the state Department of Transportation is accepting public comment on its 2027-2030 statewide transportation improvement plan. Last updated in 2024, the plan includes road, bridge and public transit projects that are expected to get state and federal funding.
A total of $29.4 billion in federal, state and local funding is expected to be spent on transportation projects in the state between 2027 and 2030, according to the plan, including nearly $475 million in Lancaster County.
The start date for rehabilitating the Veterans Memorial Bridge has been pushed back from 2027 to 2028 at the earliest because of ongoing coordination between PennDOT and federal agencies on protection of several threatened and endangered species, according to PennDOT spokesperson Michael Crochunis, who declined to identify the exact species. It was originally set to begin in 2024, but PennDOT pushed back the timeline and did interim repairs after discovering more extensive rehabilitation was needed. The project will require a three-year bridge closure for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians and a total cost of over $230 million. Widening and reconstruction of Route 222 in Manheim Township is expected to take place between 2028 and 2030, costing $75 million.
Projects in the plan are selected by regional transportation planning boards across the state, including the Lancaster County Metropolitan Planning Organization, which held a public comment period last month on its four-year plan. The majority of the comments on that plan were from people supporting the inclusion of funding to extend the Warwick-Ephrata Rail Trail into downtown Lititz.
A draft of the statewide plan and comment form are available now at lanc.news/PennDOTcomments. More details on the Lancaster County portion of the plan are available at lanc.news/TransportPlan.
