Columbia Market House continues to operate at a loss; Borough officials acknowledge financial shortfall with no clear end in sight

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

The Columbia Market House is still running in the red, borough officials acknowledged at the May 5 Columbia Borough Council workshop held at the Columbia Fire Hall. Council members warned that the deficit could persist for years to come.

Heather Zink, council vice president, confirmed that finance reports show the market is not breaking even. When resident Frank Doutrich asked, "Are we in the hole?" Zink replied: "Yes." The amount of the shortfall was not disclosed at the meeting, since the financial reports weren't on hand.

Doutrich said that since the borough currently lacks a finance manager, "Somebody should be on top of this." He also questioned whether the borough's accounting firm, Brown's, was monitoring the market's finances. Zink said the firm was not focused on that particular issue.

Zink, who reviews the market's finances as part of council's finance committee, suggested the market will remain in the red for the foreseeable future. She added that the financial situation could persist for a long time unless the market increases the number of renters, or stand rents are raised.

Doutrich noted that standholders appear to be turning a profit, and questioned whether borough taxpayers should at least be breaking even on the investment.

Columbia Spy previously reported on the Market House's troubled finances HERE.

The Columbia Market House, built in 1869, operated as a market until 1996, when it closed amid concerns about costs and a dwindling number of vendors. It reopened in 2005 but closed again just before Christmas in December 2017, according to lancasteronline. The building at 15 S. Third St. closed in December 2017 to undergo a several million construction and renovation paid for with a combination of state and local funds.

The borough-owned facility reopened after renovations in May 2021 under CHI St. Joseph Children's Health management. Ten months after reopening, the market saw several vendors leave and was welcoming shoppers only one day a week. CHI eventually stepped away from its management role, and the borough took over operations.

Truist Bank to depart, leaving Columbia without a bank; Officials consider moving borough accounts to Fulton Bank

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

At the May 5 Columbia Borough Council workshop, officials discussed Truist Bank’s upcoming departure from Columbia Borough scheduled for July 28, 2026, which will leave the borough without a bank. A council member noted that it's the third bank to leave town over the past 10 years.

Eric Kauffman, council president, said he was unsure of how to go about getting another bank in town and whose responsibility it is to do so. “I don’t know how you get another bank in Columbia,” Kauffman said. “I don’t know if that’s the borough’s responsibility, if it’s merchants’ responsibility, to try and get a bank in Columbia.”

According to Kauffman, the bank building can't be sold to another bank due to stipulations of sale.

Kauffman said that when the borough was searching for a loan a few months ago, one of the banks they dealt with was Fulton Bank. “We were very pleased with Fulton Bank,” Kauffman said. “Fulton Bank not only wanted to give us a favorable loan, but they also wanted our services.” He recommended moving the borough's accounts to Fulton, noting that the issue will most likely be on next meeting's agenda. Fulton has a branch located right off Route 30 at the Mountville exit, Kauffman said.

After Truist leaves Columbia, the only convenient options remaining for borough residents (besides online banking) will be the Wells Fargo ATM at the Columbia Plaza, and Northwest Bank on 18th Street, which is in West Hempfield Township. 

Truist Bank, located at 325 Locust Street, has technically operated under its current name in Columbia Borough since its formation in December 2019, following the merger of BB&T and SunTrust, according to public records.

Public health experts and retired leader offer insight into Columbia schools' high vaccination rates | Health | lancasteronline.com

ANNE GARBER | Health reporter | LNP

Students at Columbia Borough School District have some of the highest measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rates in Lancaster County. For the 2024-25 school year, 100% of Columbia 12th and seventh graders had received both doses of the MMR vaccine. Of kindergartners at Park Elementary School, the district’s lone primary school, 94% of students were vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella.

Vaccination rates as high as those among Columbia public school students are important because measles, which received elimination status in the United States in 2000 by the Pan American Health Organization, has seen a resurgence. Last year, there were 2,288 cases of measles nationwide, more than any other year this century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. This year, the U.S. is on track to surpass that number with 1,814 cases reported as of April 30.

MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/health/public-health-experts-and-retired-leader-offer-insight-into-columbia-schools-high-vaccination-rates/article_f78cac82-083a-4827-90ba-2fda06ab2e34.html 

Columbia Borough Public Works Dept. Report for March 2026

○ 2026 Proposed Paving Projects

The 2026 Co-Stars pricing for 9.5mm is $80.50 per/ton compared to $78.95 per ton in 2025. As scheduling permits, crews will begin patch repairs in various locations in the Borough and begin preparations of scheduled streets to be paved, that have no utility conflicts.

 Walnut Street (Front to Third)

*S 2nd St (Locust to Cherry)

*S 3rd St (Locust to Cherry) 

*Locust St (600 block)

*Maple St (500 block)

*Poplar St (600 block) 

*Tann Ave (Lancaster Ave to Elbow Ave)   

 Union St (300 block) CDBG New Curb and Sidewalk 

*Indicates streets to be paved by Public Works staff

○ Water Main Replacement

The Columbia Water Company is currently working on the water main and service replacement in the 600 block of Locust Street. This work is being done ahead of the 2026 proposed paving projects.

○ Makle Park

At present, Makle Park is 99% complete. The restroom is set in place, and all concrete work has been completed. The new basketball court is complete with all the lighting upgrades. A final walkthrough with the contractors was held on April 10th. A punch list was generated with several items to be completed, such as turning on water for restrooms, ensuring plumbing is working properly, painting lines in the parking lot, having all lighting working, timers and sensors adjusted and regrade and seed areas where needed,

○ Street Sweeper

Street sweeping started on Monday, March 16th. During the first three weeks of sweeping, 37 tons of debris was collected from Borough Streets.

○ Borough Yard Waste Recycling Facility

Four of the 15 participating municipalities dropped off 55.89 tons of yard waste in March. Crews finished processing yard waste materials from last fall and are currently screening compost material.

○ Yard Waste Pick Up

Yard Waste pick-up began Monday, March 30th and will continue every Monday through November 13th. Crews picked up 10/8 tons of yard waste on the first collection day.

[Source: Jake Graham, Columbia Borough Public Works Department]

Agenda — Columbia Borough Council Meeting — May 5, 2026

The meeting packet is HERE.

Elwood "Tim" Deeg named Grand Marshal of Lancaster County Firefighters Parade

[Photo: Joe Lintner]

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Elwood "Tim" Deeg was named Grand Marshal of the upcoming Lancaster County Firefighters Parade at a "surprise" dedication Monday evening at the Columbia Borough Fire Hall. The parade is scheduled for Saturday, June 6, at 2 p.m. in Columbia. 

Further details will be provided in an upcoming article. 

Deeds Recorded — Columbia Borough — May 4, 2026

Arredondo Martin A., Arredondo Mary E. conveyed 645 Fairview Ave. to Gilot Rivera Elvin Yudiel, Rivera Elvin Yudiel Gilot, Ramos Jesstony Angelynn for $239,900.

Eberly Korey Breyer, Eberly Korey, Eberly Leah Rose, Eberly Leah conveyed 134 S. Second St. to Mercer Ryan, Carpenter Courtney for $270,000.

Gloria D. Millar conveyed 36 N. Sixth St. to Mugabo Jerome, Bukuru Floriane Mabako for $225,900.

John C. Shepard conveyed 1110 Central Ave. to Sarah R. Blevins for $175,000.

Ramos Jacklyn, Bonilla Luis A. conveyed property on Chestnut Street to Luis A. Bonilla for $1.

Debra L. Frankhouser conveyed 447 Union St. to Impact Real Estate LLC for $80,000.

M&M Realty Co. conveyed 245 N. Fourth St. to Whelpley Zachary, Pappas Victoria for $320,000.

Precision Home Builders LLC conveyed 905 Spruce St. to Bradley Whismany for $256,000.

MAY 5 COUNCIL MEETING LOCATION CHANGED TO FIRE HALL

[Photo: Google Maps]

NOTICE is hereby given that the location of Columbia Borough's Council meeting scheduled for May 5, 2026 at 7:00 pm has been changed. The meeting will be held at the Columbia Borough Fire Hall, located at 726 Manor St., Columbia, PA 17512.

COLUMBIA BOROUGH COUNCIL

By: Evan M. Gabel,

Solicitor

The meeting will start at 6 p.m. for a celebration of Jack Brommer's retirement as chief and Hollv Arndt's promotion. The celebration will be from 6 to 7 p.m. with a re-swearing in. The regular meeting will start at 7 p.m.

About Town — May 3, 2026

This week's photos of Columbia 

Click on photos to see larger, sharper images. 

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Keys on the Street

*****************

Truist is leaving soon — the last bank in the borough. 

Buntings galore at Borough Hall for the 300th

*****************

More work on Manor Street 

The unannounced road closure caused difficulty for the bus driver.

*****************

Sunbathing 

Something's been added to the roof of the Von Hess building. 

Work continues there.

Curbing was installed at the project on South 9th.

There's a wandering minstrel.

A meeting at 1020 Manor with . . . interested investors?

Sometimes a train blocks the entrance to the borough sheds. 

When ya gotta go . . .

Two Air Force helicopters flew over loudly on Thursday.

There's one of them.

The Water Company at work on the 1000 block of Manor

Pedal Power!

Setting up for Saturday's bike rodeo 

*****************

The governor ordered flags at half-staff to honor fallen firefighters. Columbia didn't comply...

...but West Hempfield did.

###

Bill for Columbia Crossing improvements jumps to $500,000

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Columbia Borough Council voted to increase its grant request to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) from $200,000 to $250,000 for renovations at the Columbia Crossing building. Derek Rinaldo, borough engineer, recommended the increase at the April 28 Columbia Borough Council meeting.

The request comes after Rinaldo undertook a facilities feasibility study that identified opportunities to improve the building, in addition to repairing existing problems. The total estimated project cost has jumped to $500,000, with the borough on the hook for half that, at $250,000.

The centerpiece of the proposed improvements is the removal of a large stone wall separating the interior exhibit space from the outdoor river view deck, to be replaced with a set of large glass doors. Rinaldo described the wall as the main barrier preventing the two spaces from working together.

"Those are the best views," Rinaldo said of the deck area. "When you're in the building, you can't even really see the river."

The proposed glass doors — which could be accordion-style, sliding, or hinged — would remain closed and locked to the public and opened by staff only when needed for larger events. A preliminary structural evaluation found the design to be feasible using the existing framing and columns, though Rinaldo noted engineers may look at eliminating a center column during final design.

Rinaldo: "The number one thing that we identified that would enhance the site is the ability to host larger events."

Currently, the facility must limit program attendance to 75 to 80 participants due to separate capacity ratings for interior and exterior spaces. With the spaces unified, staff estimates the center could host up to 150 or more people at once.

Columbia Crossing staff members Hope Byers and Megan Salvatore told Rinaldo that schools have often been turned away because the building lacks the capacity to accommodate full classes. Canoemobile programs, for example, typically bring 100 students, a number the facility currently cannot hold.

The grant application also includes improvements to ADA accessibility. Rinaldo said the borough would expand accessible parking, which earns additional credit in the DCNR scoring process.

The current proposal is not the first renovation at Columbia Crossing. In 2016, a three-phase plan (shown above) for customizing the building's interior was introduced. Several repairs have also been done, including roofwork and recoating the concrete steps.

 

Structural repairs

The project also addresses deteriorating columns on the outdoor deck. Currently, they're wrapped in stone veneer — a design that trapped moisture and contributed to structural decay. The interior columns would become black painted metal. Rinaldo noted that the wide stone-wrapped columns create tight clearances that make navigation difficult for wheelchair users.

Corner columns and any structural or facade-facing columns will keep their stone veneer appearance so the building's exterior aesthetics remain unchanged. Deteriorating horizontal beams will be replaced with a glue-laminated material to match existing materials.

What happened to the paperwork?
Renovation is necessary due to construction deficiencies dating to the building's completion around 2014–2015. Some issues were known as early as 2013, as Columbia Spy reported HERE. Rinaldo and Evan Gabel, borough solicitor, acknowledged that pursuing legal action against those responsible is unlikely to succeed due to expired statutes of limitations and a significant lack of documentation.

The building as it appeared in July 2014, when it was known as the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail Services Building.

Resident Sharon Lintner recalled that a prior council had voted to have the original firm re-evaluate the structure and paid several thousand dollars for that report, but no record of the outcome can be found.

"If you paid several thousand for something, you certainly hope it exists somewhere," Lintner told council.

"There was a prime engineer, an architect — there were others brought on at various times," Rinaldo explained. "By the end of construction, there wasn't adequate as-built documentation." He added that the original engineer of record was removed from the project before completion, breaking the chain of professional responsibility and leaving no one clearly accountable for the faulty connections now causing problems.

Gabel confirmed the borough has explored legal options but concluded the case would be difficult to pursue. The borough has since pivoted to grant funding as the most viable path forward.

Timeline and Funding
The DCNR grant application was due April 30. Rinaldo said the borough would not learn the outcome until fall, putting construction on track for spring 2027. Council members also discussed using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds as part of the local match, with staff confirming that federal funds can be used to match state grants.

"I feel pretty strong that we're on the right track," Mayor Leo Lutz said, noting that the DCNR engineer present at their planning meeting was enthusiastic and offered tips to help bolster the application. "It was probably one of the better meetings I've had with DCNR when you're asking for funding."

Columbia man claims contaminants at Columbia Water Co. tower exceed maximum federal level

JULISSA RODRIGUEZ | FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE

What happened: [On April 13] Columbia resident Adam Copenhaver told Mountville Borough Council that water test results sampled at a tower operated by Columbia Water Co. at 224 Eagle Path, Mountville, exceeded the federal maximum contaminant level for total trihalomethanes by 36% at 109 parts per billion versus 80 parts per billion, on Oct. 14, 2025. Columbia Water provides Mountville, Columbia and several other communities in Lancaster and York counties with public water.

More: Copenhaver asserted TTHMs are a carcinogen. According to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, total trihalomethanes, or TTHMs, are a byproduct of a reaction between a disinfectant and natural organic matter in water.

Acknowledgement: Council members thanked Copenhaver for bringing this issue to their attention.

Public matter: The information Copenhaver provided is readily available on DEP’s website, where LNP | LancasterOnline found the most recent sample date for 224 Eagle Path, Mountville was Jan. 12 of this year when TTHMs were measured at 19.5 parts per billion.

For comparison: TTHM levels for the other dates in 2025 besides the October water sample Copenhaver referenced were the following, according to DEP: Jan 14 at 23.6 parts per billion; April 14 at 29.5 parts per billion; and July 14 at 91.5 parts per billion.

Columbia Water statement: “Recently, statements shared online have suggested that our water system is automatically in violation of federal drinking water standards because one TTHM sample result was above the maximum contaminant level. That is not how the federal compliance rule is applied,” Columbia Water posted on its website to explain how the annual average is calculated. EPA sets the maximum contaminant level of TTHMs based an annual running average at each monitoring station based on the most recent four quarters of sampling results at that location.

More: After the meeting, Copenhaver said he maintains that the human body does not consume TTHMs by the annual average; contaminants are consumed per day. David Lewis, president and general manager of Columbia Water Co., did not immediately respond to a reporter’s attempts to reach him for comment.

Columbia Borough Officer Jack Kopp promoted to Corporal

Lieutenant (soon to be Chief) Holly Arndt honored the promotion of Corporal Jack Kopp at Tuesday's Columbia Borough Council meeting. 

[Photos: Joe Lintner]

The promotion of Officer Jack Kopp to the rank of Corporal was recognized during the Columbia Borough Council meeting on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. The promotion was presented by Lieutenant Holly Arndt, who is set to assume the role of Chief of Police on May 1.

Corporal Kopp, who came to Columbia from the Harrisburg area, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a focus in Criminology, graduating with honors from Millersville University in 2022. He also minored in Psychology. Before joining the department, he briefly worked for the Lebanon County District Attorney's Office as a booking agent.

Kopp began his tenure with the Columbia Borough Police Department in December 2022 and attended the 122nd HACC Municipal Police Academy, where he graduated near the top of his class. He was formally sworn in as an officer on March 11, 2025, and was recognized as the department's Employee of the Month for December 2024.

Since joining the force, Corporal Kopp has become a certified bike officer, a certified field training officer, and serves as the department's community anti-threat officer. He has also received specialized training in crime scene investigation and evidence collection, skills he regularly uses in major incidents in the borough.

In her remarks, Lieutenant Arndt praised Kopp's development as both an officer and a leader. "Throughout his tenure with the Columbia Borough Police Department, Corporal Kopp has demonstrated strong work ethic, sound judgment, and a commitment to the community we serve," she said. "Whether handling calls, supporting fellow officers, or stepping up in challenging situations, he has proven himself to be a dependable and professional leader."

Arndt, who helped train Kopp at the police academy, said, "The rank of corporal carries a new responsibility — it's a transition from being solely responsible for your own work to helping guide others, setting the tone on a shift, and mentoring younger, or older, officers, and leading by example."

She remarked to Kopp: "Wear the stripes with pride. Stay grounded and continue to lead the way you always have — with integrity, professionalism, and respect. Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge."