Did Heritage Drive become a $40,000 gift to cottage owners?

River cottage owners will be the main beneficiaries of the latest phase of the ongoing Heritage Drive project that aims to extend and expand improvements at Columbia River Park.  Cottages within the riverfront tract will become even more of a cloistered community when all upgrades are complete.

A security fence was recently installed on the boundary between Heritage Drive and the private tract that contains 33 individual properties.  In addition, new trees are being planted behind the fence - on private property - for privacy and beautification. The cost: $40,000 and change. Although the project is being funded by a municipal bond, it will be up to borough taxpayers to foot the bill when it comes due.

Shown above: recently installed security fence along Heritage Drive.  The cottage owners' tract is shown behind the fence.

At the November public works committee meeting, officials said the improvements were needed for privacy and aesthetics, and to resolve trespassing issues. Public Works Director Ron Miller said cottage owners told him that, due to the increased number of visitors to Columbia River Park, people are entering Riverfront Drive, a private road that runs through the tract. He said the new fence was a way to make a boundary. Mayor Leo Lutz added that the fence will also prevent encroachment on Heritage Drive by the cottage owners. “By putting the fence there, that's stopping that encroachment,” he said.

“They [cottage owners] thought they needed a fence for some privacy or some delineation between the property and the park,” Miller said. A slightly more expensive fence was preferred over a plain chain link fence for consistency. “I thought it would be pretty ugly to put a chain link fence along there, so we matched up what we had at the parking lot [at the bottom of Locust Street]," Miller said. "It's the same exact fence.” Miller said he decided on the security fence due to the minimal cost difference. The borough paid about $32,000 for the fence, according to Miller. The borough will be responsible for maintaining the fence.

Miller said the original plan for a fence on the boundary between Heritage Drive and the railroad tracks was nixed because Norfolk Southern, which owns the railroad, didn't want a fence that was only 25 feet from the center line of the tracks. Consequently, the fence was moved to other side of the road, toward the cottages. “I talked with the homeowners down there and the people - they thought it would be great to put it on that side,” Miller said. He added that Norfolk Southern plans to put "riprap" along the bank on the railroad side of Heritage Drive. (Riprap consists of rocks and chunks of concrete used to stabilize sloped areas and prevent erosion.) Officials are pleased that the borough and the railroad have been able to reach common ground on several projects, including this one. “Norfolk Southern is happy with the relationship we now are developing,” Lutz said.

Some of the 52 trees ordered for the project.

The borough also ordered 52 trees for the project - at a cost of $8,200. The trees, intended to increase privacy at the tract, are being planted "behind" the security fence, on private property, to replace old trees that were removed during roadway construction. “It's part of what we tore up," Miller said. "It's part of taking the old trees down and opening that roadway up.” Miller said restoration on private property can include trees. Many of the old trees that were removed were on public property where cottage owners had encroached. (Some of the new trees are also being planted elsewhere around the borough.)

A few trees planted on private property

Initial talks for the project began about a year ago, according to Miller. He said he held three night meetings with cottage owners at borough hall prior to starting the project. “We've been in constant communication since day one,” he said.

Final details for Heritage Drive include signage and "fairly extensive" rain gardens near the parking area between Locust and Walnut Streets. Miller said environmental agencies DEP and DCNR give points for such projects. “We tried to do as much as we could with the money we had in the budget. We're still under budget for that project, because we did 99% of it ourselves,” Miller said.

In 2010, cottage owners banded together to form the Columbia Heritage River Cottage Association, Inc., whose profile is HERE.  Riverfront Drive is a privately owned and maintained "common area" of the Association.

As shown above, the tract owned by the Columbia Heritage Cottage Owners Association is bounded by Heritage Drive (in green), Locust Street extended (yellow), Union Street (orange), and the Susquehanna River.  Railroad tracks are shown in purple.


Although the cottage owners' private tract claims a portion of shoreline, everyone can still access the river in that area via Union Street on the south side of the tract, and Locust Street extended on the north. There is also a public boat ramp at the bottom of Union. Even though a fence was erected on Locust Street extended, the property is owned by the borough and is considered public. “We didn't want to open that street up the whole way," Miller said. "It's no need to.” He said borough workers keep the property as a stormwater right-of-way and use it to do storm drain outfall cleanouts. “I see no reason to open it unless council directs me to,” Miller said. “It is ours if we so choose to open it and pave it.”