$12,900 feasibility study yields questionable results

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Columbia Borough commissioned a feasibility study last year to determine the possibility of moving the borough offices at 308 Locust Street to one of two other locations: 430 Walnut Street or 200 N. 5th Street. According to officials, the borough has outgrown its present location and needs more space for offices, storage, etc.  430 Walnut Street is currently owned by Cimarron Investments LLC, and 200 N. 5th Street is the district administration center (DAC) for the Columbia Borough School District. 

Results of the $12,900 study were discussed at a joint meeting of borough officials and the school board on May 24, but ultimately no location was chosen. The 430 Walnut Street location was not discussed. Also, options other than those presented in the study were considered, such as expanding the borough hall or moving into the market house.

Information pertaining to the study was obtained from the borough by Columbia News, Views & Reviews through a right-to-know request and can be downloaded HERE. The information provided by the study, however, seems cursory and incomplete.

Comments

Anonymous said…
just another way to spend money , Columbia has way to much money , it collected taxes that were way more than it should have, that's why they can spend it like the 208 and 210 loss of 125,999 dollars . if they consolidate there is room in the building. (get rid of Helm and his mess of a desk that has papers 20 years old just to shuffle around to make him look busy)Rebbecca has to clean house to get this borough back to were it was 20 years ago were the people had say and council spent money like it was there own,or else it will be more of the same, and a few pet prodjects get all the money like the river park . New blood now lets see where we go from here.
May 31, 2018 at 7:20 AM
Anonymous said…
Schools office is to small , the old lucas building is not that much bigger, at least a million to make it work . Stay with current building and move codes to part of the market house because they don't have any plans for it anyway,and that saved 12,900 dollars . By putting maybe 30,000 in the market house to use part for codes office it will save the tax payers millions.
May 31, 2018 at 7:37 AM
Anonymous said…
PLEASE don't get the mayor and Strickler in the same office it will bank rup this town and all we will have is the money pit and a failing school system.
May 31, 2018 at 7:40 AM
Anonymous said…
INCOMPLETE , THAT is the boroughs way of smoke and mirrors, study was completed in a day or two after the pics and measurments . A good income for 12,900 tax payer money , pissed away again.
May 31, 2018 at 7:44 AM
Anonymous said…
How many kitchens does a borough and school offices need? this study is a embaresment , 12,900 dollars , is mostly hand done and is not worth near that amount ..Don't pay for this incomplete peace of half assed work!
May 31, 2018 at 8:08 AM
Unknown said…
Actually, we already have both.
May 31, 2018 at 9:24 AM
Unknown said…
We already have both.
May 31, 2018 at 9:24 AM
Unknown said…
I wonder how much it will cost to fix up that old building and build offices.
May 31, 2018 at 9:25 AM
Anonymous said…
Read the study. A five year old could have done better. Nice waste of money.
May 31, 2018 at 11:35 AM
Anonymous said…
The borough could expand across to the market house. Or put codes offices in part of the market house rather than it remain empty. The town will look stupid without the municipal bldg which has been there for many many years.Let the people vote on what's best for this town.
Also we have too many code officers anyway why do 2 travel together I saw that this morning. Someone needs to overlook all the working people instead of letting they do as they please. We never had all these employees in the past are we just giving people jobs? I still think Rebecca's job should be advertised she doesn't even pay taxes to Columbia.
May 31, 2018 at 2:02 PM
Anonymous said…
Dead horses! Stop beating them!
May 31, 2018 at 2:41 PM
Anonymous said…
Borough Offices should be along the river somewhere, maybe where the Storage Buildings are
May 31, 2018 at 8:01 PM
Anonymous said…
oops, I almost forgot - they sold that prime land
May 31, 2018 at 8:02 PM
Anonymous said…
Maybe give Murphy's another 600,000. to renovate the KL building, and then rent it back.
May 31, 2018 at 8:05 PM
Anonymous said…
Make the codes department finance their own existence. Just like in the free market world, you can spend what you earn. If you want new office space, enforce the codes and collect when they are not followed. Read the book....I believe there is a charge per day for non compliance. I believe it is in there...or maybe we just need the parking meter employees to teach the codes department how it is done. That might just work !
May 31, 2018 at 8:52 PM
Anonymous said…
What prime land are you talking about
May 31, 2018 at 9:30 PM
Anonymous said…
Front and Union St.
June 1, 2018 at 9:08 AM
Anonymous said…
It is not these few peoples decision to just make it should be on the ballet about the town hall , tax payers should have the say not just the council
June 1, 2018 at 10:10 AM
Anonymous said…
I actually posted a reasonable response to this but it was not posted. I guess it made too much sense and was not derogatory enough at the expense of the borough leaders.
June 1, 2018 at 3:41 PM
Joe Lintner said…
Please send it again. It might not have come through. There aren't any other comments pending for this post.
June 1, 2018 at 4:38 PM
Anonymous said…
Or we could just eliminate those code enforcers (and their need for $81,000 of vehicles). Then we wouldn't need the office space. Seems to be win-win.

Is people want nanny states where every part of their houses is critiqued, they are free to move into a place with a HOA.
June 1, 2018 at 5:16 PM
Anonymous said…
Where Jeff Seibert built storage units
June 1, 2018 at 11:54 PM
Anonymous said…
i agree. KEEP the Boro offices where they are. RUN AWAY FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THEY ARE CLOSING ANYWAY! they MUST be forced to close. codes is such a huge joke. put them somewhere all by themselves. the basement! OR a little corner of the market. they are supposed to be ON THE STREETS ANYWAY NOT sitting in an office! $81,000 for codes cars. hell, you SHOULD be WALKING the downtown EVERY day. people, attend council mtgs. just your presence may help deter the ridiculous spending. why is helm still there? why do they need 10 code officers. WHAT YOU NEED IS TO REMOVE 500 RENTAL PROPERTIES AND TURN THEM BACK INTO SINGLE FAMILY OWNED HOMES!
June 2, 2018 at 1:42 PM
Anonymous said…
All citizens of columbia should join in a class action suit.
June 2, 2018 at 6:25 PM
Anonymous said…
no payment should be made for this , vo tech students could have done better. more tax payer money p----- away , they just did the mayors office and rewired a lot of the building, stay there, get ride of helm and move on with the new manager and see what she can do, SAVE TAX PAYER MONEY .
June 2, 2018 at 6:25 PM
Anonymous said…
yes, oh well - maybe the Borough really needed the cash for the prime river front land, when times are tough, you have to cut some things loose
June 2, 2018 at 7:21 PM
Anonymous said…
it would be easier to run a political campaign
June 2, 2018 at 7:22 PM
Anonymous said…
i agree that the number 1 priority in Columbia is this: REMOVE/GET RID OF/CREATE A PROGRAM TO TURN 500 RENTAL PROPERTIES BACK INTO SINGLE FAMILY OWNED HOMES!!!!!! THERES MORE THAN 800 RENTALS AND IT SEEMS LIKE THERES NO END IN SIGHT. that's the biggest problem in town. second....CONSOLIDATE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
June 3, 2018 at 9:35 AM
Anonymous said…
Codes officers should have to have a drivers license if not goodbye, no other excuse for 2 employees riding together. Wasting tax payers money should be a top subject for Rebbecca , this borough has been doing this since Norm M. retired. Why is there a stuffed chair at 313 cherry st for almost a year, and no action on 371 kinderhook road no permint in window , and up the hill behind high school a roof has been worked on for mounths no permit in window, Why do they need trucks when they don,t do there jobs , and violations should be public news on the spy or Leos faverate lanc. news paper , this will also help , like the shame on the truck parked on third street to close to the cross walk.
June 3, 2018 at 9:57 AM
Anonymous said…
Whole house rentals aren,t bad it us 4 or 5 appartments in one house that causes problems.
June 3, 2018 at 10:00 AM
Anonymous said…
Just like turkey hill experience tax payers lost money and 208 210 locust st the same,why are tax payers paying for this ?
June 3, 2018 at 10:05 AM
Anonymous said…
If the borough had the money it threw away 32,000 fence , 20,000 slab , 7000 sealing steps,208-210 locust ,just a few of the mistakes , they would have money to build the 2nd and maybe a 3rd floors to the town hall, STOP SPENDING ON THInGS THAT Doesn't BENIFET THE TAX PAYERS , REBBECCA IT IS NOW YOUR SHOW TO GET UNDER CONTROL, we will see what kind of borough you are going to run , lets change the Lutz and Wickenhiser money pit its done , lets move on with people that pay taxes here needs not out of towners, if busness that's is how it should work ,not the crap that went on for years.
June 3, 2018 at 10:15 AM
Anonymous said…
Your order is backwards. If you improve the school district, you will increase your chances of home ownership. Taxes are high and the school district sucks. People can put up with one or the other - not both.
June 3, 2018 at 5:52 PM
Anonymous said…
out sorce the school district it is failing and has been failing , and the leader got in the back door , SHUT IT DOWN and move the whole borough building there and lease out the space they don't need , this is a NO BRAINER Columbia
June 5, 2018 at 8:08 AM
Anonymous said…
Why don't they use the old 8-1 Fire Company for expansion of offices and work space nice building with a lot accomodations. Or once the treatment plant is decommissioned use the space in those buildings and garages.
June 5, 2018 at 7:59 PM
Anonymous said…
No doubt the education system failed you.
June 8, 2018 at 1:34 AM
Anonymous said…
It is Columbia what do you expect? The school has been terrible for years , now the teachers just let the students do what ever they want.
June 12, 2018 at 3:37 AM
Anonymous said…
Yes it will accomadate the same substance.
June 12, 2018 at 3:38 AM
Anonymous said…
Get rid of Helm , his salary will way more than cover new trucks.
June 12, 2018 at 3:42 AM
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