COLUMBIA SPY

Letter from Columbia Borough explaining procedure for obtaining Certificate of Occupancy Columbia Spy spoke with a Lancaster County businessman late today, who voiced an opinion about a recent ordinance (Ordinance 875-2016) regarding home inspections and certificates of occupancy. He requested that his name be withheld. He believes the ordinance will lead to increased vacant and blighted properties. Owners will walk away from properties due to heavy-handed inspections and repair requirements, he said, leading to an increase in crime and a situation like that of Harrisburg, which he calls "the capital of blighted." Citing one such home inspection lasting three-and-a-half hours and resulting in a 13-page repair list, he said that such scrutiny requires too many repairs for homes valued at only $30,000. He surmises that every borough property decreased in value when the ordinance was passed, adding that it "borders on illegal." He said Columbia is in the shape i...

Monday, Monday . . . In the morning, three-car accident on Route 30, near Laurel Hill Road . . . In the afternoon, fender-bender at North Fifth and Chestnut . . . Flag-raising at the Columbia Water Company . . . On Locust Street -   Mr. Liberty . . .   Mr.? . . . Things sure have changed in Trump's America. On 18th Street - another bank robbery at Union Community Bank. Two suspects were apprehended. The story is  HERE .  On Avenue G - Ready for demo. The backstory is  HERE . Monday, Monday

https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/easthempfieldpd/14203/post/update-hhs-situation-resolved

Ammunition found; K9s brought in. MORE: https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/easthempfieldpd/14203/post/update-hempfield-high-school-ongoing-situation Notice to parents from Hempfield School District

Columbia Borough Council will interview for a vacant council seat this coming Thursday, February 2, at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 308 Locust Street. The same night and at the same time, the Columbia Borough School Board will hold its Committee of the Whole meeting at the District Administration Center, 200 North Fifth Street. Both meetings are open to the public.

For the backstory on the following article go  HERE ,  HERE ,  HERE ,  HERE , and  HERE Frank Doutrich's petition for an open school board seat was dismissed by Judge Dennis E. Reinaker at 3:16 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, a little more than two hours before the board was to convene for a special meeting. A January 23, 2017 legal notice in LNP listed the meeting's agenda, which included items to un-table a previous motion and appoint a candidate to the seat. Doutrich learned of the dismissal only after calling the courthouse that afternoon. He subsequently drove to the courthouse to retrieve the documents. Order from the Court of Common Pleas dismissing Frank Doutrich's filing During the citizens' comments portion of the meeting, Doutrich asked Michael Grab, the board's solicitor, if there had been any contact with the school district and the courthouse prior to the judge's decision. Grab said there was not. "The Lancaster County Court contacted my ...

The 1st floor gallery at Garth will be closed for renovations during the month of February into early March. The frame shop and 2nd floor exhibiting areas including the cafe will be open our normal hours. There will be NO 4th Friday Exhibit for January or February, and our next opening will be our Annual Abstract Exhibit in March with date to follow. Thank you.

Interested in learning to paint a Georgia O'Keeffe? We have openings for our January 27, 6-8 p.m. workshop with Master Teacher, Ange Bentivegna. The workshop is designed for beginners or intermediate, with step by step instruction, creating a 16x20 inch painting. All painting supplies included. To sign-up:    https://www. eventbrite.com/o/susquehanna- center-for-the-creative-arts- 8528419952 Thanks, Susquehanna Center for the Creative Arts 224 Locust Street Columbia, PA 17512 717-576-9628 717-580-9031

Returning on February 18, 2017, Susquehanna Heritage will continue its monthly "Susquehanna Saturdays" program at the Columbia Crossing River Trail Center. "Susquehanna Saturdays" will present fun hands-on activities for all ages on a variety of topics that explore nature, history, and culture. This hands-on educational program is available anytime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., while supplies last. All Susquehanna Saturdays are free for all ages, but a suggested donation of $2 per participant is appreciated. Coming up: March 18, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. – “Harnessing the Wind” – Explore how wind is a force that can cause movement, motion, and power, and how to use this force in our everyday lives. Create a sailboat, make something fly high into the air, and discover how a turbine moves and uses wind to create energy with Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA). This program is sponsored by LCSWMA. April 15, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. – “Upcycle! With LCSWMA” – ...

Jenna Geesey The Columbia School Board voted unanimously to appoint Jenna Geesey to fill a vacancy at a special meeting Wednesday night. Geesey was not present. She interviewed for the position before the board at a special meeting on January 18. Judge Dennis Reinaker dismissed Frank Doutrich's petition for the seat on Wednesday afternoon. MORE TO FOLLOW

The Columbia School Board is poised to reverse a previous decision and appoint a board director to a vacant seat at a special meeting tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the district office. According to the meeting agenda (posted at the district website), the board will attempt a reversal of its January 18 vote to table an appointment in order to fill the vacant seat. (The vote was tabled pending a judge's decision.) The solicitor will then present an argument challenging Frank Doutrich's petition for the seat. The seat was vacated by Leo Lutz, Jr. when he resigned from the board effective December 9, 2016. When the board failed to fulfill the legal requirement to appoint a new board member within 30 days, Doutrich filed a petition with the Court of Common Pleas for the seat. Doutrich told the Spy late this morning that he had not received any notification of the judge's decision.

The Columbia Borough School Board will hold a Special Meeting on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, at 5:30 p.m. in the District Administration Center, 200 N. 5th Street to discuss the vacant board position and take any necessary action, and to address any other matter that comes before the board. The legal notice is  HERE .

The fog comes  on little cat feet.  It sits looking  over harbor and city  on silent haunches  and then moves on. "Fog" by Carl Sandburg The fog crept into town this weekend. Here are a few photos of the spectacle: A heron stood watch from atop one of the Civil War bridge piers. And this seagull seemed befuddled by it all.

A flock of tundra swans flew over this afternoon. A sign of an early spring?  Let's hope so!

The Columbia School Board almost reversed course Thursday night when they rehashed a motion from the previous night’s meeting. At issue was how a vacancy left by Leo Lutz, Jr. in December would be filled. Resident Frank Doutrich had filed paperwork with the court to fill the vacant seat since the board had not made an appointment within the 30-day time frame. During the special meeting Wednesday night, the board had voted to table any motion for a vote pending the outcome of a judge’s decision. At Thursday night’s regular school board meeting, however, President Keith Combs revisited the issue. “I’m looking to make a determination as to whether or not the board can proceed with a vote on the candidates that were interviewed,” he said. Board Director Kathleen Hohenadel pointed out that the board had voted to table the action the previous evening, until the judge’s decision. “We can't just go ahead and appoint someone now, because it’s a very specific motion tabling unti...

(Students in photo are not necessarily in order of names below.) CHS Students of the Month: Emily Stephens - Grade 12 Ciara Arroyo - Grade 11 Madison Simpson - Grade 10 Breanah Mitchell - Grade 9 MS Taylor/Hill Campus Students of the Month:     Kayloni Costello - Grade 8 Shayla Barley - Grade 7 Kiera Brown - Grade 6 Kirsten Resch - Grade 5  Park Elementary School Students of the Month:   Lillian Ross - Grade 4 - Mrs.Redding  Jeinelys DeJesus Colon - Grade 3 - Mrs.Cellucci  Sophia Carson - Grade 2 - Mrs.Aston  Alexis Droege - Grade 1 - Mrs.Herr  Nevaeh Davila Reyes - Kindergarten - Mrs. Winters

Iris Garrido is featured in the January 19, 2017 issue of La Voz Lancaster , a Spanish-language newspaper published by LNP Media Group, Inc. Garrido is a director on the Columbia Borough School Board. The online article can be found  HERE . The hard copy can be found at  THESE LOCATIONS .

GO HERE: http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/07/thats_it_im_outta_here_how_to.html

A Columbia man convicted of a vehicle crash that killed an Upper Milford Township man last February was sentenced Thursday in Lehigh County Court, according to  The Morning Call . Frank N. Snyder Jr., 38, was reportedly sentenced to five to 12 years in state prison by Judge Maria L. Dantos for the fatal hit-and-run on Feb. 23. MORE: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-man-gets---for-hitting-killing-cyclist-en/article_d037b6ba-df5a-11e6-a174-bfcca9a513e8.html

The Columbia Borough School Board had expected to fill a vacancy at a special meeting Wednesday night but ended up tabling the move due to legal action taken by a resident.  During the citizen comments section of the meeting, resident Frank Doutrich announced that he had filed a petition at the Lancaster County Courthouse to claim the seat vacated by Leo Lutz Jr. on December 9, 2016. According to court documents, Doutrich's petition was filed with the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas on January 9 of this year due to the vacancy not being filled within 30 days. "The school board did not fill this within 30 days," Doutrich told the board. "According to the letter of the law, that was my next step, and I did everything right according to the letter of the law." Doutrich added that he paid a $164.25 filing fee. Doutrich also said that the school board's attorney had interceded on the matter with a judge at the courthouse.  "If you che...

The Susquehanna Center for the Creative Arts is offering a painting workshop with Master Artist, Ange Bentivegna this month. You will create a 16x20 painting of high quality in two hours. The workshop is designed for beginners and those with experience. Go  HERE  for more information.

A state law that becomes official today will let beer distributors sell any quantity, including individual 32-ounce bottles, six-packs and growlers. MORE: http://abc27.com/2017/01/17/looser-rules-on-beer-sales-to-take-effect-in-pennsylvania-2/

The calendar can be found  HERE .