COLUMBIA SPY

A $50,000 study continues to examine whether a five-mile trail can be built between Columbia and Washington Boro to connect two existing recreation paths in western Lancaster County. But officials at railroad company Norfolk Southern said they already have the answer, and it's time to put on the brakes. "Norfolk Southern has advised that this project is not feasible due to safety and liability reasons," railroad spokeswoman Rachel McDonnell Bradshaw said. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/norfolk-southern-doesn-t-like-trails-railroad-company-concerns-could/article_2d72e892-5a62-11ea-894d-47e404eab9f5.html?utm_medium  

The council packet is  HERE .

On Tuesday, the board ratified its decision to terminate former interim manager Candice L. Johnson's contract effective Feb. 19. It also voted to appoint borough police Chief Jack Brommer to replace Johnson. The board also unanimously approved hiring Mark Stivers as borough manager at salary of $90,000. His tentative first day is March 30. The personnel moves involving Johnson and Brommer were decided at an executive session held on Feb. 18. The meeting was attended by all seven council members and labor attorney Michael McAuliffe Miller. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-council-makes-interim-borough-manager-changes-official-hires-new/article_7c241b68-59aa-11ea-bafb-abde00d494ba.html?utm_medium  

Rachael Smith Kedney, who has resigned, was sworn in as Columbia Borough School Board director by District Magistrate Miles Bixler at the April 6, 2017 Committee of the Whole meeting . Rachael Smith Kedney resigned from the Columbia Borough School Board, effective February 21, 2020, it was announced at this evening's school board meeting. Kedney was not present at the meeting. She was sworn in as school board director on April 6, 2017, when she filled the seat vacated by former director Iris Garrido, who resigned in March 2017. Interviews for a replacement will be held March 19, 2020. No other details are available at this time.

The 14-mile Northwest Lancaster County River Trail (which includes Marietta and Columbia) and the 5-mile Enola Low Grade Rail Trail in lower Manor Township have drawn praise over the past half-decade But they are isolated from each other, and linking the two river trails will not be easy. Two options, each with pros and cons, are under consideration in Manor Township. — A mostly level route from Columbia to Turkey Point would closely follow the Susquehanna River between Norfolk Southern railroad tracks and Route 441 for 5 miles. It would require permission from the railroad, the likely construction of a fence and the OK of private landowners along the route. — The second route is 2 miles longer and “would mostly follow an existing PPL power line through Columbia and up-and-down hills through farmland,” Crable wrote. It would feature an elevation gain of 1,260 feet, perhaps limiting its appeal to casual walkers and bikers. MORE  HERE .

Police are investigating a theft that occurred on 1/10/20 at approximately 2:40 pm at the Burning Bridge Antiques, 304 Walnut St., Columbia, PA. The pictured suspect stole an item from one of the stands.  If you can identify the male please contact the Columbia Borough Police at (717)684-7735 or text LANCS to 847411.   Date:  Friday, January 10, 2020  Reference ID:  CB-20-00204  Case Status: Current  Case Type: Criminal  Source:  Columbia Borough Police Department Sourced via CRIMEWATCH ® :  https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/columbiapd/10552/cases/theft-8

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania legislature is attempting to shield records showing why it spends some of the roughly $360 million in taxpayer money it receives each year, citing an obscure protection it claims gives lawmakers immunity from total transparency. The House and Senate have turned over thousands of pages of financial records in response to recent public records requests from The Caucus and Spotlight PA. But many contained vague descriptions of expenses or had redactions that made it impossible to see their purpose. The redactions primarily concealed who legislators were meeting with, and why. In defending their decision to keep the information secret, legislative officials cited an obscure clause in the state Constitution that they claim protects lawmakers' ability to speak and debate without retribution — a right they call the "legislative privilege." But good-government advocates countered that such an interpretation warped the intent of the speec...

How do you win? All you need to do is:  1. Show Up (get a ticket)  2. Bring adult friends (each friend is worth a ticket)  3. Engage with employers (get a ticket) That's pretty much it: show up, bring friends and be engaging!  The winner of these awesome prizes shown will be  drawn next day at school! Full information and details about the prizes will be at the Career Fair.  When is the career fair you ask? When:  Thursday, February 27, 2020 Where:  Columbia High Cafeteria and Gymnasium Time:  Dinner from 5 to 6pm, Career Fair 6 to 8pm Who:  Students Grades 7 to 12 – Friends, Parents and Family Dinner:  Pork BBQ, Roasted Potatoes, Peach Cobbler & Assorted Cakes No Need to Register, this event is FREE! Meet employers that want to hire immediately! https://www.columbiabsd.org/article/197200?org=cbsd  

"There's drama," said Columbia athletic director Rob Kedney, "every time somebody lets that ball go." At the high point of the drama, Columbia's Unified team, consisting of a proportional number of athletes (teammates with intellectual disabilities) and partners (teammates without), scored final-frame points to defeat a pair of Dallastown teams, 8-4 in the semifinals and 3-2 in the championship game, to clinch the regional title. It advances the Crimson Tide, along with 14 other regional champions, to the Special Olympics Pennsylvania/PIAA State Championships scheduled for March 18-19 at Hershey's Giant Center. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/sports/columbia-unified-bocce-continues-to-roll-advances-to-state-championships/article_1dbcf368-5907-11ea-9924-a33888a53e4f.html  

Councilwoman Pam Williams once again "attended" the meeting via phone, as she has done regularly since the January 14, 2020 meeting. Early in the meeting, it became apparent that the livestream would be a problem. The picture was tilted about 90 degrees from horizontal, and the sound quality was poor, according to online comments. The borough manager typically operates the phone providing the livestream. However, Interim Borough Manager Candie Johnson's contract ended last week and she was therefore unavailable. Council unanimously voted in Mark Stivers as Columbia's new borough manager, with a start date to be determined, but Council President Heather Zink said he could possibly start on March 30. Stivers will receive an annual salary of $90,000. (By comparison, former borough manager Rebecca Denlinger started at $95,000 when she took the reins on January 1, 2018.) In the meantime, Columbia Borough Police Chief Jack Brommer will serve as interim, overseein...

The video report is  HERE .

Jack Brommer, Columbia's chief, also said its cars have cameras and the topic of body cameras has been discussed. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-county-police-departments-cite-costs-as-hurdle-to-body/article_7ec2f6b4-574d-11ea-83f0-cfbe9478f599.html?utm_medium  

The cost to create the 5-mile trail has not yet been determined, but Strohecker guessed it could cost upward of $10 million, a cost township officials can't afford on their own. He said grant dollars to cover project costs will be aggressively pursued. "We know this is going to be difficult," Strohecker said. That's true, in part, because trail construction would require easements through privately owned properties, he said. Much of that property, he said, is owned by Norfolk Southern. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/proposed-trail-extension-draws-crowd-of-supporters-naysayers-in-manor/article_697024bc-5770-11ea-9d00-fb4be7717118.html?utm_medium  

Columbia Borough Council met in an unannounced executive session last week and appointed police chief Jack Brommer its second interim borough manager in as many months. The Feb. 18 meeting raised compliance issues under Pennsylvania's Sunshine act, according to Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/council-made-columbia-borough-manager-changes-last-week-in-unannounced/article_8826404c-54e3-11ea-a08a-17ea3d630379.html  

This week's photos of Columbia Leftward wind  Served, serving  100 block of Avenue H  Spring is springing.  Big four-footed ball at Mount Bethel  They seem to be complaining about the guy in the middle.  WORLD  One (or two) stop shop: checkup, prescription, lottery tickets Everyone wants to hit it.  Hung up Hung up  Vigilant  The engraver chose an unusual font.  And just in case you don't think the place is haunted...  Archway  The old stovepipe behind Colonial Metals, now CMX  FedEx: Not just for deliveries anymore  Metal detecting in Locust Street park  Big Brother is watching. (So is Little Brother.)  Wooden woodpecker  An alleged drunk driver smashed into several cars at AAG Auto Sales this week.  This stone wall at Lincoln Highway & Locust Grove Road was reportedly damage...