Columbia Borough Council weighs spending options on parking to receive reimbursement from grant

When: Columbia Borough Council meeting, Dec. 5.

What happened: The borough must spend $500,000 on parking or economic development to receive a $1.5 million reimbursement from a Pennsylvania grant program.

Quotable: Borough Manager Mark Stivers noted the irony to council members. "WE ARE IN A TIGHT BUDGET — AND WE ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SPEND MONEY," he said.

Finances: Council plans to take the needed $500,000 from reimbursement dollars once it receives them.

Background: The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, a state grant program, awarded Columbia $1.75 million in August 2019 to renovate the Columbia Market House and provide additional downtown parking or economic purchases or construction.

More: The borough agreed to match the state money with an additional $1.75 million from the 2016 general obligation bond proceeds. Paperwork committed Columbia to refresh and reopen the Market House, and to work on parking at Columbia River Crossing.

Dilemma: Recent structural problems on the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which links Columbia to Wrightsville, have delayed a planned $79 million renovation until 2025, according to the state Department of Transportation. The borough can't start its own project at Columbia Crossing until PennDOT finishes, Stivers said.

Quotable: "We just don't feel comfortable waiting that long," Stivers said during a Dec. 6 phone call. However, the state won't reimburse Columbia at all until council decides what construction it will do, and how much that will cost.

Specifics: Council members must decide how to spend almost $237,000 — the amount earmarked for parking at Columbia River Crossing.

More: Council members suggested repairing the roof of the Market House, fixing a timepiece on the clock tower that is five minutes off, and assisting costs for property owners who agree to put in a paved parking space behind their homes.

Also on the list: In addition, staff recommended projects that include buying license plate readers for parking enforcement, purchasing equipment and software to enforce ParkMobile, putting up three "Welcome to Columbia" signs plus a digital information sign at Columbia River Park, and providing parking. Another project would make Borough Hall and the Market House accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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