Columbia officials 'torn' over volunteer work on fountain without approval

GAYLE JOHNSON for LNP | LancasterOnline

When: Columbia Borough Council meeting, April 25. Council member Todd Burgard was absent.

Borough officials expressed surprise after learning that volunteers working to repair the broken fountain in Town Square park replaced its pump and turned on the water before council members voted to approve their actions.

More: Members ultimately approved a motion to allow the Columbia Town Gardeners to fix the fountain, but with caveats. First, volunteers may maintain the fountain for up to a year before going before council again. Also, council members must approve all repairs and any gardening work in Town Square park before they occur.

Why it matters: Allowing anyone to start a project without approval or permits sets a bad precedent and sends the wrong message to Columbia businesses and residents, said Heather Zink, president.

Quotables: “I’m really torn,” Zink said about approving work after completion. “We have people who don’t have permits, and we have to penalize them, and now we’re doing the same thing,” she said. “That group is under the impression they have more authority than they have,” said Mark Stivers, borough manager.

Other comments: “I do appreciate the enthusiasm behind it, but I did not expect to see it running today,” Elizabeth Andrews, who chairs the borough’s parks & recreation advisory board, told council members.

Detail: Barbara Fisher, a council member who previously served on the advisory board, asked fellow members to allow volunteers to maintain the fountain and the park for a year. Peter Stahl, another council member, said the volunteer group’s actions would have been shocking had they replaced the fountain entirely instead of plugging in a new pump.

Background: Council members recently considered removing the broken fountain until volunteers offered to restore it and maintain the water feature as well as the surrounding park. The borough will incur no expense for the fountain.