Sunday, June 3, 2018

About Town

Pics (and videos) from around Columbia over the past week...


 Thursday morning: Moving supplies into the DAC

 Saturday morning: Moving items out of the DAC

 Or, more precisely, out of Luthercare, on the ground floor of the DAC

 There's a chance that the borough might move its offices to the space vacated by Luthercare.

According to School Superintendent Tom Strickler, Luthercare had been scheduled to move out on Saturday. The facility had operated at the Columbia location since 2005 but is relocating to Marietta. According to the Luthercare website, the Columbia location reduced its services on June 1. The school-age summer program will continue to operate at the Columbia location until the 2018-19 school year begins.

 Work begins anew at 208-210 Locust.

 This time, towards a more productive end

 Brookline Builders has taken over restoration of the building.

 The building has been a thorn in the borough's side for the past few years. (Enter "208-210" in Columbia Spy's search field for background information on this property.)

 Spell check, please.
(On second look, maybe it's OK.)

HERE is one of the many articles Columbia Spy wrote about the troubled property that was once thought to be in danger of collapse. The borough obtained the property by "eating" a nearly $52,000 debt owed to it by former owners Sam and Cynthia Bigler. The borough then conveyed it to the Lancaster County Land Bank, who subsequently conveyed it to Brookline Builders for $1. The borough also gave the Land Bank $70,000 to assist Brookline with the property, as we reported HERE. After much discussion by borough council, this plan was considered the best of several less-than-desirable options.


The Columbia Hero Walk Saturday morning.
The walk was sponsored by Columbia Catholic War Veterans Post 1306, and proceeds go toward helping veterans.


 For all your "spatial data" problems

 Clothes-pinned flag

 The dumpster at 747 Walnut got an extension.

 But the trashcans next to it didn't.

 The extension expires June 10.

 Down at Bootleg Antiques . . .

 A sinkhole

 Shortly after this photo was taken, the road was repaired.

 Replacing ties out near the Columbia Plaza

 Some people park wherever they feel like.

 The former Prudhomme's building . . . 
The old girl is now bedecked with bedsheets and bath towels.
Classy

 US Solar Development
Their website is HERE.

 Melons for sale at Keagy's

 A tree grows in Columbia, right out of the Amvets.

Clogged drain on the Veterans Memorial Bridge

 Not to worry, PennDOT's got this.

 They cleaned out the bridge drains on Friday.

 Seen over in Wrightsville, during the Donsco fire

 Columbia bridge burners are buried in Mount Bethel Cemetery

 Renovating the steeple?

 Is the Veterans Memorial Bridge falling apart?

The answer would be "YES."

 Some of the metal plates on the sidewalk are sinking, among other problems.

 As we reported HERE, PennDOT is planning a major rehabilitation project, but it won't begin until 2022 at the earliest.

 Let's hope things hold together until then.

 Back in town - an unattended Heineken...

 an unattended "baby" . . .

 and a hubcap on a door.
Aaah, Columbia!

Down at Bank Avenue: Part of the road has been fenced off to allow for construction of the planned apartment building.

The road is till passable by going through the parking lot.

 Columbia Spy reported on the building project HERE.

 Saturday morning: Friday night's heavy rains washed gutter debris down to the sewer grate here...

 and here.

 Another tree getting straightened at Columbia River Park-
Last winter's river ice bent over a few of the bald cypress trees along the shore.

 One brown mouse . . .
Jethro Tull performed a song about a brown mouse HERE, based on a poem by the Scottish poet Robert Burns.

 A food truck at River Park on Saturday

 Canoe trips available

 Strickler Run Saturday morning after the heavy rain

Video of the same

Speaking of rain: Here's a rain gauge on Manor Street on Saturday morning after heavy rain. It had been empty the night before.
[Photo: Heather Shenk]

 Coming soon on the 400 block of Locust: Boost Mobile

 Lighted flagpole down at the bridge plaza

Four well-fed ferals on Locust

55 comments:

Unknown said...

The first photo is food being delivered not moving anything

Anonymous said...

I love the photo of the mouse! How did you get so close to it?

Anonymous said...

The clogged drains show just how many people litter in this town. Pig pen.

Anonymous said...

Clearly the first caption states the man is moving supplies INTO the building. Yes, that qualifies as moving.

Joe Lintner said...

I wasn't very close, just used a zoom lens.

Anonymous said...

Great job Cole , you show it all.

Anonymous said...

Is the Boro going to sell the House at 208-210 Locust St back to the Biglers so that they can sell it to someone else to make a HUGE profit. Sit back and watch Citizens?

Anonymous said...

How can the borough through all the money away it does , and don't have a working web site ? It reflects all the dead wood there,mayor ,council, managers , employees ,and why they (not the people of town) are a HUGH laughing stock of the county! Rebbecca you will be right with them if you don't straighten this mess out, I hope you don't tarnish your name with the crew there now.

Anonymous said...

Gone are the days when folks actually cleaned their sidewalks and gutters.

Anonymous said...

I love the Boost Mobile coming to town. Back in my younger days when I moved to a few different states, (work relocation), one thing I did then was to survey an area for rental centers, low cost wireless stores, etc. This gave me a good indication of the demographics of a neighborhood or town. Rent-a-centers, payroll loan offices, low budget cellular, clinics say a lot to newcomers. Columbia does check a lot of those boxes. At the same time, Columbia is well poised for growth with all of the new development that is going on. It really is an interesting study in gentrification and I'm looking forward to all the good stuff coming to fruition.

Anonymous said...

is colonial metals is closing any truth in this??

Radical rag said...

Where was the street drains with all the trash in them located?

Anonymous said...

I just dont see my taxes going down any sooner!!

Joe Lintner said...

At the bottom of Walnut Street

Anonymous said...

Yes, for crying out loud!

Anonymous said...

Move if you're not happy.

Anonymous said...

If we have a food truck at the river park , why would people use the trolley to go up into town to eat? Is the truck there because someone put a fork on the sign with the parking signs? The river park advisors need to get it straight , looks like right hand and left hand aren't communicating.

Anonymous said...

No they spent $90,000 to study expanding the money pit, read between the lines.

Anonymous said...

This is so right , I hope she can clean house get it back on tract , start with Helm and the so called controller , then the people can elect a better council or at least some of them.

Anonymous said...

With this group anything is possible.

Anonymous said...

Where is right coast located?

Anonymous said...

Looks like the mouse is on falking or chipping paint , CALL CODES.

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure if they will ever go down at all.

Anonymous said...

How much are the tax payers paying for the food truck to be at the river park?

Anonymous said...

Question Why did the tax payers pay $20,000 for a slab of concrete under the river park building for vendors when the food truck is in the parking lot??

Anonymous said...

Borough employees straighten trees and putting in docks , what does the management company do, there is more work on streets (like the drains) that need done. WHO IS THE BOSS OF THE BOROUGH?

Anonymous said...

We the people!

Anonymous said...

I wonder who is responsible for all the new handicap parking in front of residences. This town seems to have a very high number of them.

Joe Lintner said...

300 block of Avenue F

Anonymous said...

I heard one house is getting 2 how can that be? The one was for someone who passed away is still there and now another person in the house applied for one. People get them to save parking spots. They should check them out from time to time.

Anonymous said...

No they will just keep raising taxes to fund there pet prodjects. MONEY PIT!

Anonymous said...

To the trail and or river park , grab a bit and drink ( off the truck ) and home they go , wow look at the money the town made , and what it cost the tax payers of Columbia. THANK YOU mayor ,council , money pit board , youall should be happy and now a $90,000 study to spend more taxes on more park .

Anonymous said...

If the people were in charge there would be a lot of things done different , and taxes could be lower , council president Murphy said they have NOT raised taxes in ten years so that means all this spending (208 210 , money pit , fence , 402 locust st , and the rest ) would be in the bank , not blown or given away or lost ,this council should spend our money like they would spend there own.

Anonymous said...

More than the borough wants anyone to know.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait till they move the school out , then the kids can go to a school that will teach them , not just let them do whatever they want , and act out against any one in there path , throwing rocks at a truck is what is happening now.

Anonymous said...

Get a handicap placecard and you can park there .

Anonymous said...

Why don't one of the code guys check out who really needs them some have a few in one block.
They are not to save parking spots. If one can't get around too good that's a good reason.

Anonymous said...

OCT 30 2015 on the spy Columbia should hand food and food vendor inspections to the state , State has NO charge to Columbia to do the inspections , why after 3 years do we still do these inspections, this will free Helm up to do more than shuffle papers and do the zoning - building inspection that has lacked for years. common sense lacking at this borough.

Anonymous said...

Yes the controller or what ever they call her doesn't want a window at the borough , every thing should go to the drop box , she has said they (borough) should not cater to the citizens any more . I think she got this all wrong , we the people are her boss not the way she thinks.

Anonymous said...

With the high taxes they (borough ) should clean them and haul the trash too.

Anonymous said...

I know of one that I see the person getting around JUST FINE!!!! All the sudden handicap spot. On street cleaning days car plopped on the other side of the street right in front of someone else's house!!! What gives??? Can shovel snow, tend to the planting etc. but can't walk an extra 25 steps to their front door.

Anonymous said...

That's probably how the mouse cut his toes (on hind leg), the chipping paint. And stop telling people to move if they don't like it. Instead, the borough needs to right the wrongs. I expect something for my tax bill other than to be told "move out." Lots of people in charge here don't live in the borough so what do they care?

Anonymous said...

A doctor must fill out part of the forms, then codes approves them. I doubt they are just giving then away.

Anonymous said...

Reputable doctors being arrested for dispensing copious amounts of Opioids , yeah okay. You can tell a lot of doctors ANYTHING and they'll write it up. Codes now that is a different story, I'm sure they're all over any type of fraud in the community.

Anonymous said...

I guess a good old fashion sense of pride in your environment means nothing to you. Keep crying about high taxes and yet here you are!

Anonymous said...

The food truck was there for the event that was being held. I do believe there will be other days throughout the summer that a food truck may be scheduled to be there.

Anonymous said...

There's been a few bigger name recording artist that have used that studio in the past.

Anonymous said...

we have pride but we are tired of being screwed and only borough employee would say move out

Anonymous said...

codes people are mostly out of towners , what do they care as long as they get a check.

Anonymous said...

One lady got one because she had to carry her groceries too far and she lives alone so how many does she get? Questionaires should go out as to the need for handicap signs. One did get one because of no parking when she came home at night. More employees should be from our town too and pay taxes.

Anonymous said...

True.

Anonymous said...

People really need to crowd a council meeting and let them know we are tired of what these code guys are doing invading people's privacy. Can't we do what we want on our own property for which we pay high taxes? We never had code officers before who started all this. Not too many show up they need a shake up in there.

Anonymous said...

The whole thing is completely out of hand. I'm all for letting the truly disabled have these parking spots but most of them seem to be a matter of convenience not truly of need. Put a P.I. on these people like insurance companies do and you'll see footage of how handicapped they really are!!!

Anonymous said...

Shake up and get rid of Helm. He was afraid of some and picked on others , time for him to go! Give the health inspections to the state , and clean up his mess, but they can't do this in a year. Hire people from Columbia not out of town people , people who know the story behind the Helm mess. The controller who hates Columbia people should also go , with a police escourt across the bridge to Wrightsville where she lives . The new borough manager has to clean house or she will be known as the one who expanded the madness that has gone on for years. All will be seen in the next year, and the mayor has to drop the pet project. 

Anonymous said...

So does the PI follow them in the house to complete the investigation?