COLUMBIA SPY

The mice visit Club Good Times . . . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Advanced Auto Parts will be moving into the space about to be vacated by Columbia Family Restaurant at the Columbia Plaza. 

Or at least it was, until borough workers returned it to its rightful place. As was the case yesterday morning, someone had moved this picnic table onto a dock at Columbia River Park this morning.

A blue moon is a second full moon in the same month. MORE: http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/29/world/blue-moon-july-31-irpt/index.html?sr=tw072915bluemoon8pStoryPhoto

An observant visitor to Columbia River Park submitted this photo of a bag of trash that was deposited next to the trash cans there. Trash is to be deposited into the cans, not next to them. Even so, this location is not a drop-off for one's household trash.

This afternoon, Columbia Spy noted that the 100 block of South Fourth Street is quite a bit cleaner, which is interesting, considering the street sweeper was reported to be out of service this week.  Previously, this block had been lined with trash and litter. The photos above were taken today.  Below is a video showing the condition of the block at the beginning of the month: And here's how it looked this past Sunday:

This gentleman was seen this morning trudging up the hill on Lancaster Avenue, near Glatfelter's. When asked why he was doing this, he replied, "No English." It turns out he is Chen Guan Ming, a Chinese rice farmer who is on his way to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More info can be found on his website  HERE . He was seen entering Little's Beverage before departing east on Route 462.

An alert resident took this photo this morning at Columbia River Park. Is that really a picnic table on the dock? Why, yes, it appears to be. Columbia Borough Police reportedly made them put it back shortly after this photo was taken.

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY  At Monday night's meeting of the whole, Columbia Borough Council once again discussed safety concerns about the property at 208-210 Locust Street, which was recently thought to be in danger of collapse. Norm Meiskey, acting borough manager, said the building's front wall was reinforced, and barricades have been installed at the front of the building. "At present, the structural integrity was enhanced under the guidance of the borough's registered professional structural engineer," Meiskey said, and added that if the initial remediation had not been done, the facade probably would have come down.  Meiskey also said the borough had the barricades erected, because the owner did not comply with the requirements to do so by the deadline of June 26. Three separate charges have now been filed against owner Sam Bigler.  In addition, council said that any charges for the borough engineer will be passed on to property owner. According to Meiske...

GO HERE: http://fox43.com/2015/07/27/strip-club-wants-pasties-off-in-columbia/

The following video and photos were shot this afternoon on the Columbia end of the Veterans Memorial Bridge, showing crabgrass, and weeds - some higher than a yardstick - that have sprung up along the sidewalk. Although PennDOT is ultimately responsible for bridge maintenance, Columbia Borough had been cleaning the bridge and billing PennDOT, at least during the recent mayfly invasion. Regardless of who is responsible, however, the weeds and crabgrass need to be removed. They are an unsightly mess and create a negative first impression for motorists and pedestrians entering Columbia.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

In citing his opposition to the recent court decision on Club Good Times, the mayor mentions "quality of life issues for residents in the area" of the establishment and specifies trash and public urination (LINK HERE ). Possibly valid points, but are those issues any worse than at some other areas of town, in particular, the 100 block of South Fourth Street, where trash routinely lines gutters and after-dark activity reminds one of lines from a Guns N' Roses song:     "Welcome to the jungle, it gets worse here every day,      You learn to live like an animal in the jungle where we play . . ." Although Columbia Spy has no evidence of public urination near the club or elsewhere, we did endeavor to check out the trash situation at Club Good Times this morning and found the following: A few small items and a plastic straw.   Granted, the club needs to get rid of a small number of weeds at the front entrance and in the alley - which, by the way,...

In June, Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas Judge Margaret C. Miller reversed a Columbia zoning board's decision banning  nude dancing at Club Good Times. MORE: http://m.lancasteronline.com/columbia/news/columbia-strip-club-wins-court-ruling/article_73c6991c-330f-11e5-9141-27bf083ba33e.html?mode=jqm

Work continued at the Columbia Water Company Friday morning as workers moved a large piece of equipment during the ongoing upgrade project.

These boys were riding their bikes the wrong way on the 900 block of Barber Street the other day and were almost hit by incoming traffic. (Barber Street is one-way going east, from Plane Street to Twelfth Street.) Although most of them swerved to safety, and oncoming cars stopped in time, one of the boys collided with a fellow biker and fell onto the street, as seen above.  After he assured us he was all right, he rode away with his friends, apparently none the worse for wear but probably slightly embarrassed.

Parking enforcement officers were recently issued new dayglo uniforms, as shown above.  The new outfits look professional and give officers more visibility in traffic but also allow nonpaying motorists to see them coming.

This camera-shy squirrel, trying to enjoy a private meal, couldn't completely avoid the eye of the Columbia Spy .