Lock Box ordinance causing concerns in Columbia Borough, business owners expected to protest
Knox Box at a business at 6th & Walnut
Fox 43 reported from Fricke's Hardware in Columbia this morning.
VIDEO AND ARTICLE HERE:
Columbia's decision to ban former employee from its property may be 'unconstitutional' [Lancaster Watchdog]
Chris Vera [Columbia Spy file photo] The following information is excerpted from a December 6, 2025 LNP Watchdog article by LNP | LancasterOnline reporter Jade Campos. Still reeling from an abrupt firing from his role as head of the Columbia Market House in March, Chris Vera was surprised to get a letter in the mail from a Columbia Borough attorney two weeks later telling him he was banned indefinitely from borough property. The letter gave no reason for the ban. Nine months later, Vera, who has served as president of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society for more than a decade and has helped with the borough’s comprehensive plan, is still banned from borough property. He believes the ban includes borough parks, which is part of the reason he moved his annual Albatwitch Day festival, which celebrates the myth of a local cryptid, to Wrightsville. Vera said he’s not sure why the borough went to such lengths to keep him away from public spaces given his termination from the borough s...
Comments
What I saw and heard is they were opposed to the mandated requirements on business owners. In a superficial Internet search, we found dozens of municipalities across the state and many more across the nation that provided for the voluntary installation of the lock box (in this case Knox box) systems.
They, too, voiced concerns whether the ordinance would be equitably applied.
The meeting was about business in the boro to put KNOX BOXES WITH KEYS outside my store to enter in case of a "EMERGENCY" . I sat thru the whole meeting and their were some good points as well as bad ones. Myself owning my own store in the boro making me purchase one of them. I ask a question that me living in the same building and there is a fire upstairs how would they enter MY LIVING quarters???. I was told it would be the fasts way they could. Ok let's see if I got this Flying Circus ideal right...... Upstairs on fire bust the door down ... But wait if the store is on fire they will call 911 waiting to find the code number to the KNOX box then give it to the fire or police to enter!!!! I have all the repect in the world for the Firemen as well as the Police ( Oh let me not forget about are SERVICE Men and Lady's that keep me FREE}. Everybody says to me in all the years being a shop owner (22 Yrs) I need to go to the Boro meetings... Well this being said I did .There will be Hell freezzzzing up to the moon before I enter another one.. There were very good questions ask just to be shot down!!!! There was a DR he asks the ROBOT MAN from the knox box company about havivig his business broken into if the key was stolen from the lock box and the patients records removed would the KNOX BOX Co be liable for the HIPPA law???? Insurance co would not cover it if the building was not forced entered... ROBO KNOT MAN told the Dr to find another Insurance company.... There are very good and friendly shop owners in the meeting just didn't matter to this one guy on the COUNCIL seat. I was listening to him and if I would have shut my eyes I would have thought I was listening to "KIM JONG LU" and I was in North KOREA!!!!!! That meeting was DECIDED way before I entered that room... I would like to thank the Mayor Lutz as well as The Gentleman I think his name was Mr Murphy as these 2 do care about the boro...This Boro always seeking DONATIONS from business owners... Quess What the BUCK stops here!!! If you want any money take it out of my HIGH TAXES !!!!!! Better maybe the cats litter box!!!!!! PS I was told they want to make this boro a LITTLE LITITZ.. Good Luck with that...You should be working with the shops instead of throwing codes down our throats!!!!!!!!!!!