About Town

Many pics about town over the last few weeks . . .

 Thumbs up from Columbia's "Rock"

(At Columbia Crossing)

 Daytime moon

(Overhead)

 Even the Grinch says, "Support your local EMS services."

(At Tacos to Go)

 Patriotic revelers on Memorial weekend

(5th & Chestnut)

Above the fray

 Shrine of the dog gods

(Mifflin Mansion on Walnut)

 More sticker shock
(Off Ironville Pike)

 Big Blue
(Little's Beverage)

***

Boy Scouts (Troop 35) fix bricks at the DAC:

***

 Boat race!

With angelic glow, what appears to be a heavenly emissary . . .

is just an immature cardinal (female).

 And here's an immature male.

New use for an old contraption

(Bootleg Antiques)

Read and heed.

You must carry a bag with you when walking your dog.

For cleanup.

Borough ordinance.

No kidding.

 Sound advice

 There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear.

 Deadhead

 Whoa - low!

(Over Laurel Hill)

 Connivers conniving atop Columbia United Methodist Church

 Foggy morning

Side by side

But not eye to eye

 X marks the spot.

 Three in a row

 Wired

 Redhead

 300 block of Avenue G - Enough said.

 Power nap

Polarized

 In training

***

The honeybees are making a tentative return . . . 

(Columbia River Park)

 The mantises are still with us.

***

 Which way again?

 Mummified cat - shellacked and mounted

(Tollbooth Antiques)

 Tax protester.
Columbia's new millage rate

This sparrow looks like he just saw the sign above.

 Parochial school sign on public school property

 Spanish - English - Arabic

(Near Sixth & Cherry)

 Moon-tipped finial

(500 Chestnut)

Here's something good in Avenue G.

 Walkways crossing Columbia Crossing

 There's that hearse again.

(North Second)

 Who needs AC when you have an open-air ride?
((Avenue F, near Fourth Street)

 Laptop in the sewer. Can Jesse the Computer Guy fix it?

 Down 'n' dirty

 Like the sign says . . . 

Yard sale on the 300 block of Locust

***

Mighty oaks being executed on the 800 block of Chestnut . . .

***

Work continues on the self-storage facility along Front Street . . . 

Joint Feasibility Meeting to be held June 14

A Joint Feasibility Study group, consisting of representatives from Columbia Borough and Columbia Borough School District, will meet in the Council meeting room, 308 Locust Street, on June 14th at 5:00 p.m. to consider whether there is sufficient interest to pursue a study concerning the possible consolidation of  School District, Borough administration offices and the Borough Police Department at the School District Administration Office, 200 N 5th St, Columbia.

NORTHWEST RIVER TRAIL EVENTS

There are two (2) events being held along the Northwest River Trail today starting with the Catholic War Vets Hero Walk. Registration for the event starts at 7AM and participants will leave River Park and head north on the trail around 8AM. The second event is the National Trails Day event that runs from 10AM to 3PM. Fire Police should be at river park as well as Front St. and Bridge St. to assist with pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the area. Drivers are asked to watch out for bikers and walkers crossing the road in the area. If you are coming to one of the events or just planning to visit river park please take a look at the picture attached for additional free parking in the area.

Trail Day

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-trails-day-celebration-tickets-32350906432?aff=ehomecard

PA Hero Walk

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/catholic-war-veterans-pa-hero-walk-tickets-29802545215

Source: 

Columbia Borough Police Department

What gifts did local Pa. lawmakers accept in 2016?

• Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster County: Accepted a $1,965.18 gift from Family Policy Alliance for transportation, lodging and hospitality.

MORE:

http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/05/what_gifts_did_local_pa_lawmak.html

Alumnus tells Columbia graduates: 'Without failure, there is no success'

During the school's 145th commencement ceremony, 74 students received their diplomas, and each one had their own story, with countless numbers of people who supported  every one of them along the way.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/alumnus-tells-columbia-graduates-without-failure-there-is-no-success/article_a80bd4a8-47fd-11e7-923c-b70dbe90519b.html

Columbia Crossing needs volunteers

Susquehanna Valley EMS to start covering 3 municipalities in York County

SVEMS President and CEO Michael Fitzgibbons said that it signed a two-year contract to cover those municipalities and that "since we serve Columbia borough also, it was just a natural transition for us to move across the river."

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/susquehanna-valley-ems-to-start-covering-municipalities-in-york-county/article_cb066a10-461b-11e7-b8e9-2baa5e3a1ac0.html

Police don't know why man shot himself during pursuit after hit-run

There were no warrants out for the man's arrest, he had a clean driving record, and there were no 911 calls to his residence. The man had not been driving erratically, but he ended up shot.

MORE:

http://www.pennlive.com/news/2017/06/police_dont_know_why_man_shot.html

PUC alerts consumers of price changes beginning June 1

PPL Electric, with an estimated increase from 7.439 cents to 8.493 cents per kWh, a 14.2 percent increase.

MORE:

http://fox43.com/2017/06/01/puc-alerts-consumers-of-price-changes-beginning-june-1/

Draft Agenda- School Board Committee of the Whole - Thursday, June 1, 2017

June 2017 Columbia Public Library Calendar of Events

Driver shot himself in Columbia after police chase that began in York County

A 52-year old man is being treated at Lancaster General hospital after a police incident that closed Route 441 in Columbia Wednesday evening.

The man shot himself after a police chase that began in Hellam Township, York County and ended in Columbia on Wednesday evening, said Brett Hambright, a spokesman for the Lancaster County district attorney's office. No officers fired shots, Hambright said.

MORE:
http://www.pennlive.com/news/2017/05/police_incident_closes_route_4.html#incart_river_mobile_home

Police chase ends with car crash at Route 441 bypass; possible shooting

PRELIMINARY: At about 6:15 p.m., medics and QRS units were dispatched to the Route 441 bypass near Bridge Street for a medical emergency.

Upon arrival, Columbia Spy observed police vehicles and officers from Hellam Township, Lower Windsor Township, West Hempfield Township, and Columbia Borough. One officer was carrying rifles.

A silver-colored car was off the road on a grassy area just below the Colonial Metals storage units.

A white male was placed on a stretcher and was bleeding profusely from the head. He was transported from the scene by ambulance.

Bystanders claim to have heard "officer involved shooting" on scanner, but this was not confirmed. Another bystander said the chase started in Hellam Township.

A witness said he saw the car go off the road on the Route 441 bypass, with police in pursuit. He said officers approached the car with guns drawn.

The scene was completely cleared by 8 p.m.

LNP reports the following:

"A police pursuit that started in York County culminated with a the driver shooting himself Wednesday evening in Columbia, an official said."

$25 fine for trash that's not in a container

Columbia School Board to consider 2.9% tax hike

The draft agenda for this Thursday's Columbia Borough School Board Committee of the Whole meeting includes the following item for consideration:

"The final budget includes a proposed tax increase in the total amount of .8508 mills or 2.90%, which is within Columbia Borough School District's approved index of 3.7%, and use of $800,000 ($250,000 is in Budgetary Reserve) of Fund Balance. The real estate tax rate for 2017-18 will be 30.1908 mills."

With the increase, the annual tax liability for an assessment of $100,000 will be $3,019.08. (The increase of .8508 mills translates to $85.08 a year for a $100,000 assessment.) At the current 29.34 mills, Columbia already has the highest school tax of any district  in the county. The proposed increase will further cement that position.

With the increase, the TOTAL millage for Columbia Borough (county millage + municipal millage + school millage) will be 41.9258.  The total annual tax liability for an assessment of $100,000 will be $4,192.58.

Current millage rates for Lancaster County are shown below.

Paint removed from vandalized Buddhist statues

The recently vandalized statues at the Chua Phap Hoa Buddhist Temple at South Second and Cherry have been cleaned of the black spray paint. Unfortunately, faint residue remains in some areas.

Serving on a local school board is difficult and thankless, but still necessary

Some school boards turn down citizens who want to serve.

http://lancasteronline.com/opinion/editorials/serving-on-a-local-school-board-is-difficult-and-thankless/article_d832ae52-424b-11e7-8029-73e311a87b50.html