Friday, April 11, 2025

Restaurant Inspections - Columbia Borough - April 11, 2025


Chickies Rock Moose Lodge No. 307219 Locust St., ColumbiaApril 3. PassObserved raw shell eggs stored above drinks in the walk-in cooler. Coleslaw, a refrigerated, ready-to-eat, time/temperature-control-for-safety food in the walk-in cooler, was date-marked by the facility, but was beyond the seven-day use- or sell-by date and requires discarding. Food facility preparing pulled pork using reduced oxygen packaging without the required written procedures and HACCP plan. Observed a pink slimy residue on the cuber of the ice maker and a black mold on the inner wall of the ice maker. Ice will not be used until the unit is washed, rinsed and sanitized. Mold observed on the underside of the shelving in the walk-in cooler.

Columbia Sunoco, 1414 Lancaster Ave., Columbia, April 3. Pass. Food employee observed in the food preparation area wearing a wristwatch. Observed boxes of food stored directly on the floor in the walk-in freezer, rather than 6 inches off of the floor as required.

Stover's News, 24 N. Third St., Columbia, April 3. Pass. Food employee observed changing tasks that may have contaminated hands without a proper hand-washing in between. Food employee was on cellphone. An employee's open beverage container (twist-cap variety) was observed on the food preparation table with food and food equipment. Food employee observed in the food preparation area not wearing proper hair restraints, such as nets or hats. Hemp Bomb CBD Gummies by Global Widget contain an unapproved additive as specified in 21 CFR 170-180 relating to food additives. Such products are under U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulation and at which time CBD is not recognizable as a safe substance to be added to food. Prepackaged food: all sandwiches, all desserts, packaged cheese and bologna ends are not labeled to clearly indicate any "Big 9" allergen ingredients and/or the allergen warning statement. Prepackaged food: all sandwiches, all desserts, packaged ice, packages of cheese ends and bologna ends, are not labeled properly with the ingredient statement, net weight and distributed-by statement. Observed an accumulation of static dust on the fan guard of the walk-in cooler. Observed a plastic food container in the hand-wash sink, indicating uses other than hand-washing. Observed an extreme amount of peeling paint in the storage room.

St. John Neumann School for Children and Families, 401 Locust St., Columbia, April 1. Pass. An irreversible registering thermometer or thermal labels were not available for monitoring the rinse temperature of the high temp mechanical dishwasher.










Thursday, April 10, 2025

A few final words on the bus shelter


During Tuesday night's borough council meeting, Mayor Leo Lutz addressed concerns about the recent removal of the Locust Street bus shelter. According to Lutz, the South Central Transit Authority (SCTA) made the decision following reports of unsanitary conditions and safety issues.

Police Chief Jack Brommer explained that while he had requested SCTA conduct a site survey due to reports of human waste and excessive litter, "it was ultimately the bus authority's decision to remove it," Brommer noted.

According to an April 8, 2025 LNP/LancasterOnline article:
"Greg Downing, SCTA executive director, said the shelter was removed at the borough’s suggestion. He said a cleaning service stopped by the shelter once a week, but the conditions would become so bad in the interim that people wouldn’t wait inside of the shelter unless it was raining."

"I don't care how it was removed, I do care that it was removed," Lutz stated during the meeting. He emphasized that the shelter's design, which included a back wall where people could hide from view, contributed to ongoing maintenance challenges.

Lutz explained that the shelter was originally installed through a federal grant in conjunction with Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA) and an advertising company. Initially, the advertising company was responsible for maintaining the structure, but those duties eventually fell to SCTA, with borough employees often assisting with cleaning.

"We can't ask our employees to clean up those kind of messes," Lutz said, referring to the unsanitary conditions found at the site. Since the removal, though, Lutz said,"I have not heard any comments from those that ride the bus. I think they're glad that there's a sanitary place there now for them, and a clean place for them. It had to go."

The mayor was careful to note that he doesn't believe the issues stemmed from Columbia's homeless population. "I don't think it came from those folks that are in our shelter seeking help," he said. "I think it comes from transients or people who just live like animals. It's a shame that some people have to lose because of the acts of others, but we'll try to make it better."

Borough Council President Heather Zink said of the removal, "Council had no knowledge that it was happening before it happened," but expressed support for the decision.

Currently, the bus stop remains active with two benches available for waiting passengers. Mayor Lutz mentioned that during inclement weather, people are welcome to take shelter in the lobby of the borough office when it's open. The borough also maintains a public restroom at borough hall for bus passengers, according to Lutz.

No definite plans for a replacement shelter have been announced, though officials have indicated openness to future options, including relocating it. 

Agenda - Columbia Borough Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Meeting - April 10, 2025




The Columbia Borough Parks and Recreation Board will hold its monthly meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall, 308 Locust Street. The board is set to discuss several programs and upcoming events for the community.

Night Wonder of Astronomy Program
The board will discuss the "Night Wonder of Astronomy" program, which aims to bring stargazing opportunities to Columbia residents. 

Upcoming Events for 2025
Planned events for the remainder of 2025 will be presented, including summer concert series, holiday celebrations. 

Go Green Columbia Event Participation
The board will discuss the "Go Green Columbia" event at Columbia River Park. 

Makle Park Groundbreaking Ceremony
The board will discuss the groundbreaking ceremony at Makle Park. 

Digital Sign at River Park 
The board will discuss an update on the progress of a digital sign at River Park. 

Trail Front Program at River Park
An update on the Trail Front Program at River Park will be discussed.



Columbia's 300th Anniversary
The ad-hoc committee working on Columbia's upcoming 300th anniversary celebration will provide an update. 

Calendar of Year's Events
A calendar of parks and recreation events for the year will be reviewed.

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The public is encouraged to attend this meeting. For more information, please contact the Columbia Borough office at (717) 684-2467 or visit the borough website at www.columbiapa.net.

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Columbia Catholic Mental Health Ministry to offer suicide prevention training

Crisis intervention counselor Jayne Miller will conduct suicide prevention training at the Columbia Catholic Mental Health Ministry event.

LANCASTERONLINE | Staff

Young people can gain suicide prevention skills and mental health awareness at a free training event hosted by the Columbia Catholic Mental Health Ministry.

Set to take place May 10, the two-part event will provide education on common mental health conditions and will train attendees in suicide prevention, the ministry said. Children 12 and up, as well as adult counselors, can attend the training, which will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Holy Trinity Church Parish Center, 404 Cherry St., Columbia Borough. Those under 18 must get parental permission if they want to participate in the suicide prevention portion of the day.

“Our community has recently suffered the heartbreaking loss of two young lives to suicide, deeply affecting their families, friends and our local schools,” said the ministry’s Deacon Jim Doyle. “By learning to recognize and support someone who may be feeling lonely, despondent, or having suicidal thoughts, you could help save a life. This training provides the tools to offer that support when it’s needed most.”

The training will be conducted by Jayne Miller, WellSpan’s Lebanon County crisis intervention counselor. At the mental health awareness session, attendees will learn about conditions including depression, addiction and eating disorders, and will learn to recognize symptoms and offer help. The session also aims to promote emotional wellness and reduce stigma.

The suicide prevention session will teach participants to recognize and address suicide warning signs through an evidence-based certification program called Question, Persuade, Refer. Participants who complete this session will get a QPR booklet and a certification.

Pizza will be provided at the event, which is held in partnership with Columbia Catholic Youth Ministry.

Attendees must register by May 5. Donations to cover the cost of materials and food are welcome.

For more information, contact Doyle at ccmentalhealthministry@gmail.com or (717) 343-1102.

GET HELP

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate help, contact the following organizations:

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, suicidepreventionlifeline.org, or call, text or chat 988. (The previous number 800-273-8255 still works.)

Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline via TTY at 800-799-4889.

Lancaster County Crisis Intervention, 717-394-2631.

LGBTQ+-specific resources: thetrevorproject.org/get-help.

Veterans who are in crisis can call the toll-free Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and then pressing 1, by texting to 838255, or chatting online (lanc.news/help4vets). This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All calls are confidential.


Agenda - HARB Meeting - April 9, 2025

 
234 Locust Street is on the April 9 HARB agenda.





Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Columbia Borough Public Works Department releases March 2025 report


The Columbia Borough Public Works Department has released its monthly operations report for March 2025.

Paving Projects Face Rising Costs
According to Jake Graham, manager of the Columbia Borough Public Works Department, 2025 paving projects are facing price increases.

Co-Stars pricing through Heidelberg Materials, formerly Highway Materials, has increased significantly. The 2025 pricing for 9.5mm is $78.95 per/ton, compared to $69.90 in 2024. Pricing for 25mm is $66.55 per/ton compared to $58.55 in 2024.

These streets are scheduled to be paved:
Walnut St (Front to Third)
Walnut St (900 &1000 blocks CDBG) 
Chestnut St (800 block)
*S 2nd St (Locust to Cherry)
*S 3rd St (Locust to Cherry)
*Maple St (500 block)
*Poplar St (600 block)
*13th St (Ironville Pike to Chestnut)
*Locust St (600 block)
*Tann Ave (Lancaster Ave to Elbow Ave) (*Indicates streets to be paved by Public Works staff.)

Street Maintenance Activities Underway
Crews have been actively performing crack sealing on borough streets to prevent water erosion and pavement failure. 

Street sweeping operations began on March 10th, with 44.66 tons of debris collected from borough streets during the first three weeks.

Yard Waste Services Resume for Spring
Curbside yard waste collection resumed on March 31, 2025, with crews collecting 9.18 tons of yard waste on the first day alone. Collection will continue every Monday throughout the borough, with Tuesday pickups scheduled when Monday falls on a holiday (Memorial Day on May 26 and Labor Day on September 1). The final curbside collection for the season is set for November 10, 2025.

Starting in April, the yard waste recycling facility will open twice monthly—on the second and fourth Saturdays from 8 am to 12 pm—through October 25, 2025.

The report notes that four participating municipalities deposited 31.02 tons of yard waste at the borough yard waste recycling facility in March. Crews have completed processing materials from last season and are currently screening compost material.

The report also mentions that two public works employees recently completed a PennDOT flagger recertification course.



Trash, human feces lead to removal of Columbia bus shelter

 

JADE CAMPOS | LNP Staff Writer

A downtown Columbia bus shelter was removed in March after borough officials determined it had become a public safety issue.

Police Chief Jack Brommer said the borough received multiple reports of human feces at the Locust Street shelter in addition to a growing amount of litter. Brommer contacted the South Central Transit Authority, which operates the bus route, to assess the state of the bus shelter. Ultimately, he said, officials agreed the shelter was in poor condition.

An SCTA statement shared online by the borough resident who runs the Columbia Spy blog, noted Brommer requested SCTA remove the shelter because of “vagrancy, safety and hygiene issues.”

“I think the shelter itself was limited in size and didn’t really accommodate the number of people using the bus stop,” Brommer said. He added that he told SCTA that one solution could be to relocate the shelter.

The bus shelter was erected 20 years ago, Brommer said, and had not been properly maintained. Maintenance fell to SCTA, though Brommer said the authority contracted workers who did an “insufficient” job that left borough staff cleaning up afterwards.

Greg Downing, SCTA executive director, said the shelter was removed at the borough’s suggestion. He said a cleaning service stopped by the shelter once a week, but the conditions would become so bad in the interim that people wouldn’t wait inside of the shelter unless it was raining.

Brommer said the borough would be open to adding a new shelter at the stop in the future, though nothing is concrete. He noted that buses still stop at the location, which has two benches.

MORE: HERE


Agenda - CBSD Committee Meetings - April 8, 2025

 


Columbia Borough to auction off dump truck


Columbia Borough Council has approved a resolution to auction off a dump truck following recent updates to the borough's fleet.

Resolution No. 2025-07, unanimously adopted during the April 8th council meeting, authorizes the sale of a 2001 Chevrolet 3500 dump truck that has been replaced through the borough's lease program with Enterprise Fleet Management.

The truck's estimated value is $2,000 or above. The resolution formalizes the council's decision to dispose of the equipment through public auction instead of direct sale or disposal.

The dump truck with snow plow was originally a wastewater treatment plant vehicle that was handed down to the public works department at 45,412 miles. The department recently received a 2024 Chevrolet 3500 dump truck with snow plow and salt spreader through Enterprise Fleet.

Details regarding the auction date and procedures will be announced.

Relive the magic of a book fair | TownLively

Residents encouraged to "Go Green, Columbia!" | TownLively

With a focus on sustainability and an opportunity for community connection, several organizations are coming together to host "Go Green, Columbia!" The all-day event will be held on Friday, April 25.

Organizers include Sahd Metal Recycling, LCSWMA, Columbia Borough, Columbia Borough Police, Columbia Borough Shade Tree Commission, Columbia Park Rangers, Columbia Merchants Association and the Susquehanna National Heritage Area.
MORE:
https://townlively.com/residents-encouraged-to-go-green-columbia/ 

Agenda - Columbia Borough Council Meeting - April 8, 2025

 

The 40-page meeting packet is HERE.

Monday, April 7, 2025

The Locust Street bus shelter: Here's the rest of the story

The bus shelter on the 300 block of Locust Street was removed on March 26, 2025 by the South Central Transit Authority. 

Following is the text of an April 7, 2025 email sent to Sharon Lintner by the South Central Transit Authority in response to a request for information on the recent removal of the Locust Street bus shelter by SCTA. It is reprinted here with the permission of SCTA.

Ms. Lintner,

Thank you for contacting SCTA about the shelter removal in Columbia.

SCTA was contacted by Chief Brommer to request that the shelter at 3rd & Locust be removed due to vagrancy, safety, and hygiene issues.

Since this shelter was funded with federal funds, we are required to keep the shelter in service for its useful life which is 15 years. This shelter has met its useful life so it was eligible for replacement or removal.

SCTA contacted rabbit transit to make them aware of the shelter removal and hear any concerns they had. They had no concerns.

SCTA has a contract with a company to installs and removes our shelters. SCTA had our contractor remove the shelter.

While SCTA had ownership and maintenance of this shelter, we fully support Columbia in their decision to request that SCTA remove the shelter. We always want to coordinate with the needs of the municipality.

It is unfortunate that the poor choices of a few people have resulted in the loss of this amenity for the rest of the community.

Lauri P. Ahlskog, AICP

Manager of Transit Planning & Compliance

South Central Transit Authority




Lancaster County Coroner’s Office, PSP, attempting to ID human remains | ABC27

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)– The Lancaster County Coroner's Office and Pennsylvania State Police are attempting to identify human remains found on Weise Island in the Susquehanna River on March 18, 1986.
MORE:
https://www.abc27.com/local-news/lancaster/lancaster-county-coroners-office-psp-attempting-to-id-human-remains/ 

Deeds Recorded - Columbia Borough - April 7, 2025


Anthony Rios conveyed 241 N. Second St. to Dana C. Wiggs for $243,500.

Proverb Realty LLC conveyed property on Locust Street to Wilchcombe Schantel, Neal Amin Davenport for $280,000.

Benjamin R. Reisinger conveyed 811 Ridge Ave. to Pazmino Liberio Alfredo, Liberio Alfredo Pazmino for $230,000.

Valley View Capital LLC conveyed 429 N. Third St. to Kim D. Fossett for $190,000.

Cfh Holdings LLC conveyed property on a public road to CFH Holdings LLC for $1.

Manor Street Apartments LLC conveyed 745 Manor St. to WG Sponsor LLC, WG Manor I. LLC, WG Manor II LLC, WG Manor III LLC for $1,500,000.

Trusted Property Group LLC conveyed 533 Manor St. to Blakely Marcus, Hammock Kiera S. for $240,000.

Cimarron Investments Llc, Cfh Holdings LLC conveyed property on a public road to Cfh Holdings LLC for $1.

Swift Robert Jr, Swift Robert A. Jr, Swift Virginia conveyed 258 S. Fourth St. to Swift Robert A. Jr, Ortiz Swift Francisca, Swift Francisca Ortiz for $1.

Joshua D. Broomell conveyed 479 Walnut St. to Kelsey N. Aument for $190,000.







Sunday, April 6, 2025

About Town - April 6, 2025

This week's photos of Columbia 

Click on photos to see larger, sharper images. 


This Tesla Cybertruck was in town the other day. These vehicles have become controversial ever since Tesla CEO Elon Musk publicly flashed the Nazi salute in January and, as a key member of DOGE, axed government programs and agencies under the guise of rooting out waste and fraud. 

Here's a side view.

A little later, the car was parked briefly at 4th & Locust. 

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This vehicle was out for a spin recently.

The Locust Street bus shelter was removed on March 26, 2025 by workers from the South Central Transit Authority. 


Columbia Spy took a photo of the dismantling, (shown above). At the March 27, 2025 borough council meeting, resident Sharon Lintner asked why the shelter was taken down. Mayor Leo Lutz replied that it was removed due to the expiration of a contract, as well as the cleanliness of the shelter. Some residents speculate that there's more to the story. One theory is that it was removed due to unhoused people lingering there. If that's the case, then it's a mean gesture to remove it, and doing so won't prevent people from gathering there, anyway. All it does is inconvenience bus riders in bad weather.

Three other shelters remain in the borough: this one at St. Peter Apartments...

...this one at Trinity House Apartments...

...and this one on North 3rd, near Linden. At this point, there's no word on whether or not they'll remain.

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Columbia is about to get another Smoke Shop - this one at Plane & Manor.
Back in the day, the house was Jim Morton's barbershop and later, Lee Splain's barbershop. 

And here's a second new smoke shop. This one is at 236 Locust Street. 


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And now there's even a massage business.

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This yellow Penske truck was parked the wrong way for a few days on North 5th, just up from Locust Street. 


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Blue Oyster Cult sang about HIM.

He appears on a new banner at the State Theatre Vintage Emporium. 

Here's another look.

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Council has discussed possible issues with truck traffic at the planned innovation park on Manor Street, but a small army of trucks has been going to and fro at the lot at 4th & Manor. 





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Some heavy clouds gathered the other day.


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Norfolk Southern workers were at the crossing to the former wastewater treatment plant/borough sheds. The crossing must be stabilized so that JG Environmental, which is currently leasing the facility, can complete the purchase from the borough. At the March 27, 2025 council meeting, the mayor said it appears as though there is a resolution to this issue. He said he has been in contact with Norfolk Southern and Rep. Lloyd Smucker. According to the mayor, Norfolk Southern said the situation seems to be easily remedied and they will "put a rush on it."

Note: On February 29, 2024, Shamrock Environmental announced it had acquired JG Environmental.

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The Elks Lodge

Rotary Park regulations

Raven Ridge was at Columbia Crossing on Saturday. 

Steps at the DAC were repaired/replaced. 

Another date marker on a downspout at the DAC

Watch out for that man-eating minotaur on the highway.

Eric and his mom want to buy your house.

Free Halloween costume 

Stars & stripes on a star

Coming in September 

Some bricks at the bridge plaza are lifting and/or sinking.

Just for fun, here's a look at one of the cannons.

Does anyone use chains on their tires anymore?

This is some sort of mythological creature. 

Hola

Forklift vs car: Who would win?

We may never know, because the confrontation was avoided using the time-honored tactic of an illegal left turn. 

Cleaning the camera in front of borough hall 

AEG was under the bridge last week.

This is their surveyor's camera.

A peek inside the front door of the historic society. 

Skelly on North 9th is decked out for Easter.

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Todd Stahl was on the trail and sent these photos:











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