Sunday, December 31, 2017

Snow exceeds expectations, Columbia digs out



Columbia Borough got a bit more snow than the weatherman predicted.

From pennlive.com :
While the actual accumulation didn't seem to vary all that much from the early projections, in some places in the Susquehanna Valley region, we got a bit more snow than anticipated.
MORE INFO HERE





















Saturday, December 30, 2017

Residents have 24 hours after end of snowfall to clear sidewalks



According to Columbia Borough ordinance:

§ 186-49Removal requirements.

[Amended 12-16-2003 by Ord. No. 726; 9-11-2017 by Ord. No. 887]

Each tenant, owner or person in charge of any property fronting on or adjoining any street in the Borough of Columbia shall clear a pathway of at least three feet in width on the sidewalk in front of or adjoining such property within 24 hours after the snow which is the cause thereof has ceased to fall, or to be formed, or after the same as been deposited thereon in any manner. The snow cleaned from the pathway shall not be deposited in the street after the street has been plowed. As used herein, "snow" shall mean any precipitation depositing any accumulation on the street and sidewalks, such as snow, sleet, hail, ice and freezing rain.

Editor's Note: Regarding enforcement, see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II, Enforcement of Certain Ordinances.

§ 186-50Violations and penalties.

Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction thereof in a summary proceeding before any District Justice having jurisdiction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $600, plus costs of prosecution, and, in default of payment of such fine and costs, to be subject to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 30 days.

Friday, December 29, 2017

Borough pretreats streets in advance of winter weather

The borough pretreated its streets with an anti-icing product this afternoon in anticipation of inclement weather. The product helps keep snow and ice from adhering to the road surface and makes it easier to remove.  The forecast is for snow showers tonight and into tomorrow, with continued sub-freezing temps.





Thursday, December 28, 2017

Citizens' group and borough officials talk crime, seek solutions

Fisher: “We're not vigilantes. We don't intervene in any situation."


At December’s Safety Committee meeting, Rick Fisher met with borough officials to try to find solutions to crime in Columbia. The upshot was that residents need to be more vigilant, and the borough needs to do more to prevent teens from getting into trouble. To that end, a number of ideas were proffered that have yet to be put into action.

Fisher, whose Crime Watch PA Facebook page (since changed to Neighborhood Watch) serves as a forum for residents, said he was outraged at a wolf pack-style attack of a local man a few months ago and started the page to try to do something about borough crime. The page spawned several meetings with borough residents who held similar concerns. (Those residents were invited to the December Safety Committee meeting, but only a handful attended.) The group has since morphed into a kind of neighborhood watch in which several people have volunteered to become block captains. Police Officer Dave Souders is the liaison with the group.


Officer Dave Souders is liaison with the citizens' group.


One of the goals of the watch is to urge residents to develop relationships with neighbors and to “watch out for each other.” Fisher has urged residents to contact police if they become aware of a crime. Unfortunately, he says, not enough people do so. As an example, he cited a recent incident of vandalism in which perpetrators were seen around 3 o’clock in the morning. Several reports were posted on his Facebook page, but there was only one call to police. "I'm out of breath trying to encourage people to call police,” Fisher said. "We have to be the eyes and ears for the police department." He stressed that police can't help if residents aren't helping but noted, "There's a lot of mistrust with the police." To tackle trust issues, Fisher suggested creating a citizen advisory board in which citizens working with police can handle concerns. He said he has floated the idea with members of this group and has received a positive response. “We want to win the trust back of the people, because if we can't do that they're not going to call the police."

Brommer: "There needs to be an emphasis on contacting the police department.”

Columbia Police Chief Jack Brommer said he supports Fisher's efforts. "There needs to be an emphasis on contacting the police department,” Brommer said. “If there's some mistrust out there then we need to do more to gain that trust back."

Fisher noted that a Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP) has been implemented and proven successful in other communities. The program entails residents patrolling neighborhoods in their cars to look for any suspicious activity. The goal is not to intervene but to report activity to police. “You see something, you say something,” Fisher said, but advised against getting directly involved in an incident. “We're not vigilantes. We don't intervene in any situation."


Lutz: “We check it out and many times we find out no one ever called."

Mayor Leo Lutz re-emphasized the importance of contacting police. “When someone sees something they need to call the police,” Lutz said. He noted that officials monitor social media to determine how many incidents are posted as compared to those reported to police. “We check it out and many times we find out no one ever called." (Residents can request that their name be withheld, that is, not to be broadcast over the scanner/radio.)


Oster: "We get called and nobody wants to talk to us and tell us what happened.”


Police Officer Holly Oster voiced frustration as well. "As a patrol officer, it's frustrating at times. We get called and nobody wants to talk to us and tell us what happened,” she said, adding that police are willing to do whatever they can but need the support of community members.

Fisher noted that adult criminal arrests are down from last year but juvenile criminal arrests are up. He suggested that one factor contributing to the problem might be the lack of things for young people to do. According to Fisher, the mayor and police chief told him that “outside sources” would be coming to town with ideas for program for kids. He suggested introducing a boxing program but noted that it would require funding as well as base of operations. He said another option might be for the school to schedule speakers, such as ex-gang members, ex-drug addicts, and ex-convicts who turned their lives around.

Brommer agreed with Fisher’s assessment. He stated that the community’s top priority is addressing problems with youth. He said young people need to be engaged more. He discussed bringing in an outside consultant to mentor challenged youth. Another initiative in progress is a long-term strategic plan involving the police department, school district and youth, as well as the Department of Education and IU13. The program is due to be rolled out in early 2018.

Lutz suggested bringing a weightlifting program called Benchmark to the borough. "It's been proven to be successful in Lancaster City,” he said. Lutz explained that, under the program, an area like a gym would be set up where teens would come and go as they please. Once they become comfortable and start to trust, mentoring can occur.

Brommer mentioned a similar program called BOOM (Boys Overcoming Obstacles of Maturity) that currently has 15-20 students enrolled. Columbia’s school resource officer and the high school principal started the program to mentor youths. "We're trying to engage the youth,” Brommer said.

Strickler: "What I have seen from this community is they’ll step up for kids."


School District Superintendent Tom Strickler also praised the success of the BOOM group as well as 5th Quarter, a group that meets after home football games to provide a place for youth to go. He said the Black Olive Family Diner has regularly donated to 5th Quarter (as have a lot of other businesses in the community.) "Every 5th quarter this year has been donated by Black Olive,” Strickler said. “He [Black Olive owner Fatih “Mike” Sivri) has no problem giving more." Strickler also said the district’s athletic programs and other groups are desperate for participants. Committee member Mary Wickenheiser concurred: "There are programs that are starving for kids to be part of." Strickler offered his support for the neighborhood watch group by providing a meeting place during library renovations.

Wickenheiser: "There are programs that are starving for kids to be part of."


 L-R: Strickler, Brommer, Souders, Oster

Upcoming changes are slated for the borough’s camera system, which will be expanded and updated, according to Lutz. Currently, 21 camera feeds appear on one 25-inch monitor, but the borough plans to buy bigger screens and additional cameras. Borough Manager Greg Sahd also said there will be an increased number of cameras in the borough. "Naturally we don't want to share where those cameras are and where they're targeted to go, but that would be a another tool in your box to combat vandalism,” Sahd said. (So far, Columbia Spy has currently located 20 surveillance cameras in plain sight around town we believe to be under borough control. At November’s Borough Council meeting, Lutz said the borough has “exactly 50” cameras, but did not reveal their location. He said some cameras are “covert.”)


Novak: “This evening you've seen a show of community commitment from the schools to the police department to the mayor to the council president to the safety committee that is behind what you're doing.”

Safety Committee Chairman John Novak expressed confidence with the direction of the citizens’ group. “You're on the right track. We're here to support you and conversely for you to support us,” Novak told Fisher. “This evening you've seen a show of community commitment from the schools to the police department to the mayor to the council president to the safety committee that is behind what you're doing.”


Columbia Borough Police Department Report of Monthly Offenses, Nov. 2017

Columbia Borough Police Department Monthly Report to Borough Council, Nov. 2017

Experts offer safety tips for firing up the furnace


The Columbia Borough Fire Department provides and installs smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in residents' homes, free of charge, based on what they currently have in supply.

Call the department at (717) 684-5844 and dial extension 108. Leave a message and a phone number and they will call back with more information.

MORE:

http://fox43.com/2017/12/27/experts-offer-safety-tips-for-firing-up-the-furnace/

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Rocky's BBQ opens location in Columbia; food truck operator adds bricks-and-mortar store

After operating solely with a food truck for three years, Rocky's BBQ has opened a bricks-and-mortar location in Columbia.

The 20-seat restaurant at 28 N. Third St. takes a spot next to Columbia Kettle Works

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/business/local_business/rocky-s-bbq-opens-location-in-columbia-food-truck-operator/article_d539c140-e683-11e7-beed-13dda3bdb1ae.html

Partnership pumping $10.5M into Lancaster, Columbia properties


In Columbia, the partners see an opportunity to create apartments that would appeal to people working in either Lancaster or York counties, Myers said. Proximity to the Susquehanna River and other outdoor amenities, like hiking trails, could add to the units' appeal.
"We actually really like Columbia borough," Myers said. "We think there's a lot of value from a locational standpoint."
MORE:

http://www.cpbj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20171226%2FCPBJ01%2F171229944%2Fpartnership-pumping-105m-into-lancaster-columbia-properties&template=mobileart

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Big changes to Pennsylvania's fireworks law prompt excitement & concern


In October, lawmakers quietly included big changes to Pennsylvania's fireworks law as part of House Bill 542, the revenue bill for the state's budget.
Those changes are now starting to go into effect, prompting excitement from industry advocates and concern from fire and emergency services organizations.
MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/big-changes-to-pennsylvania-s-fireworks-law-prompt-excitement-concern/article_cbcac798-e1b6-11e7-b16b-f3264d1a75f4.html

Monday, December 25, 2017

About Town

'Tis the season...

Santa watching the skies

 Frosty painting the railings

 All the flagpoles are in at the bridge plaza.

 Sun-kissed snowflake

 Bridge lights

 A lot of snowflakes but not quite a blizzard

 Is this the bicycle "beam-up" zone?

 Christmas icons at the Lazy K

 More propaganda from the Williams Company

 There they go in the land of commerciality.

 The Columbia Fire Company needs volunteers.

 Night lights by day

 Santa welcoming you at Hermansader's

 Cellar grate spirit

 Christmas books at Mullen Books
(First block of Walnut)

 Out for a Christmas Eve drive

 Stars and STRIPS

 A unique snowman - and a unique way to recycle tires
(North 2nd)

 You know who they are.
(At the Knights of Columbus)

 Another unique snowman

 Christmas flowers on North 4th

 There's a nasty little tripping hazard.
(Along 462, near Columbia Plaza)

 Construction continues at the library.

 Another painted rock
(St. John's Lutheran)

 Reflecting

 Tree lights

 All lit up on South 15th

 Santa with offering

 Santa and reindeer conspiring to keep the secret from Mrs. Claus over who knocked over that candlestick.

 Attack of the clones?
(Twin sheep and twin people)

 Santa welcomes you.

 Electric flag

 Santa has been militarized.

 Where's the other eight?

 Christmas lights on North 5th

 Cross
(St. James Lutheran)

All lit up
(The tower at General Shannon's house)