About Town

Far too many photos of our town over the last week...

An eclipse watcher?

No, a Pokemon Go watcher!

 Pokemon Go players periodically congregate in various areas of town in pursuit of the game.

 Here they are at South 4th & Locust.

And here are more at the clock plaza at North 5th & Chestnut.

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The mayor recently discussed cracking down on uninspected, unregistered, or abandoned vehicles in the borough. Here are a few:

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 The secret way to Manor Street School. For some reason, students would get in trouble with the teacher if caught using these steps to enter or leave school.

 Today's eclipse created a weird, white, LED-type light, seen here at places on the surface of the bridge.

(This photo was taken about an hour after peak.)

 The bright glare is seen here also, as this tank truck driver took a water sample.

Gargoyles on Locust

(An eagle, too.)

 Taping a crack at North 3rd & Locust

 Staring heavenward

 Atop the former Columbia News building

 Backless and strapless

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Council considered approving the purchase of the following two properties - 400 Locust and 166 Bridge Street (including a portion of 185 North Front) - at last week's borough council meeting. Each motion failed due to the lack of a second. The seller proposed a purchase price of $125,000 for the Locust Street lot. A purchase price of $375,000 was requested for the Bridge Street property.

400 Locust Street

166 Bridge Street

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 New sign at Columbia Life Network

 Video Pipe Services: For doing a colonoscopy of your pipes.

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The following eight photos show a heron on a fishing expedition at Columbia River Park.  Photo #5 shows him catching something.

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Censored!

 This hulk, possibly named Cerberus, blocked the sidewalk on the 400 block of Locust the other day. Although leashed, he was allowed enough leeway to stand in a TREE well.

 New nail salon in town

 427 Locust Street

 About those trucks cruising through the center of town...

 Reflecting on flies

 Low ri-der

 By God, here comes another one!

Wasn't that 441 bypass supposed to keep these things out of here?

 CLOSE CALL!

 New fashion?

 Photo essay on the 200 block of Locust.

Nice pics, but they were attached to a poster board that was attached to the outside of a shop window.

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This building and the mobile home shown below might be getting "demoed" soon to make way for an apartment building. More on that story later - stay tuned.

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 A little furniture and a bike - what else could you possibly need?

 In the golden light of morn

 This varmint must not have seen the sign when he knocked over the trashcan.

(Actually, high winds the night before probably did the job. The squirrel was just taking advantage of the opportunity presented to him.)

 Another ghost sign - This one's on Bridge Street.

 The top reads "KEYSTONE."

 Really?

 So, is someone supposed to mow the alley?

 We often see these markings spray-painted on borough streets prior to digging or drilling.

Here's what the colors signify:

 This notice is posted on the door of the house near the church at North 6th & Chestnut. This is the house with the consistently overgrown, unkempt yard.

 This mattress has been here a while, so it's probably good and infested by now - if it wasn't before. 

(400 block of Avenue I)

 Ordinances are passed.  Some are enforced. Others just fade away.

 Shoo-mac!

 And here's a secret "arboretum" on the 300 block of Avenue I.

 It's time for this to be fixed.

(200 Block of Avenue I)

SHOO-MAC!!!

 Downed horse - a result of high winds

 Another feral. Back in the day, they were called alley cats.

 Progress on the Front Street storage bins

 They're a bit behind schedule. The goal was for completion in late July/early August.

 But contractors always have an excuse...

 Supply shortages, manpower shortages, plagues of locusts, etc.

 A part of Shawnee Run

 The secret lair of the borough vehicles

 Pipes for the new LASA plant.

Projected completion date: March 2018.

Think they'll make it?

 Under the railroad bridge at the bottom of Plane Street.

We used to call this "the tunnel."

 Patriotism on display along Rink Row

 Sunflower shining down

 On Plane Street, a tribute to veterans

When items become obsolete, they sometimes become objets d'art.

38-pounder is the winning catch in "Catch the Fat Cat" tournament

Columbia's first annual "Catch the Fat Cat" catfishing tournament was "a great day for Columbia," according to organizer Chris Vera. 22 boaters and 11 shore fishermen launched from Columbia River Park Saturday afternoon in search of the big one, following a send-off from Vera.

A 38-pound whopper was the linker winner, with a 35-pounder to follow. Team Benedict and Shultz caught the big one. "There was a nice crowd for weigh-ins," Vera said. He added that boaters were pleased and will be returning for next year's tournament.

The prizes were as follows:

Grand Champion - $500 and trophy (for biggest cat)
First place - $1,000 and trophy (for boating champion with 3-fish weigh-in)
Second place - $750 and trophy
Third place - $500 and trophy

Tournament organizer Chris Vera

A close-up of a tournament trophy

Columbia students will not have indoor recess during eclipse

At last Thursday's school board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Robert Hollister addressed the district's plans for the upcoming solar eclipse on Monday, August 21. Hollister announced that students in the Columbia Borough School District will not be held inside for recesses, unless parents make such a request. Hollister said the danger of looking at the eclipse is the same as looking at the sun on any other day. "There's no significant danger to students if they're outside," he said.  Students will be dismissed at the normal time on Monday.

According to the website timeanddate.com, a partial solar eclipse will begin in Lancaster County on Monday, August 21, at 1:18 p.m. It will reach maximum at 2:42 p.m. and end at 3:59 p.m., for a total duration of two hours and 41 minutes. The website also features an animation simulating the eclipse.

Lancaster man accused of attempting to break into Columbia home

A 41-year-old Lancaster man was allegedly captured on surveillance video attempting to break into the home of a friend's residence in Columbia early Tuesday morning, according to West Hempfield Township police.

MORE:

http://fox43.com/2017/08/18/lancaster-man-accused-of-attempting-to-break-into-columbia-home/

Pipeline builder strikes out in early bid for Columbia nuns' land

The nuns say Transco, a subsidiary of Atlantic Sunrise builder Williams Partners, should have no right to take their property because Transco is a private, for-profit company seeking financial gain.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/pipeline-builder-strikes-out-in-early-bid-for-columbia-nuns/article_7e5ffea6-844b-11e7-9150-3fb00da38964.html#comments

Catfishing Tournament at Columbia River Park Saturday, August 19

Draft Agenda - School Board Meeting August 17, 2017

Mayor Lutz featured in video about improving water company

“Bay 101: Monitoring and Modeling the Chesapeake Bay" features Mayor Lutz and includes many beautiful shots taken in Columbia. Mayor Lutz is active in the Pennsylvania delegation of the Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) to the Chesapeake Executive Council. The video discusses tools to determine what local communities can do to improve water quality both locally and downstream.

THE VIDEO IS HERE.

Couple blames borough for flooding on their property

Lindsey Brenner tells council Monday night that a drainage problem at her 1020 Cloverton Drive property is the the borough's responsibility.

A Columbia couple angrily confronted borough council Monday night over an ongoing dispute about a retention basin on their property. At issue is who is responsible to fix a drainage problem with the basin. The couple, Tim Hess and Lindsey Brenner, claim stormwater often floods their 1020 Cloverton Drive property due to an improperly placed drain pipe. They believe responsibility lies with the borough to fix the problem.

Armed with documentation and photographs, Hess and Brenner said that despite appearing at three council meetings over the last four months, they have not had their concerns addressed. "I want to ask you, if this was in your backyard, if you would be okay with it, because you wouldn't," Brenner told council.

Hess said he cannot address the problem himself, because part of the pipe is under the state's jurisdiction. He said that if he would attempt a fix, he would get fined, because the pipe "goes into PennDOT."

"How do you want me to fix a borough and state issue?" Hess asked council. He also said that a retention basin should be able to be mowed, noting that six- to seven-foot cattails are growing in the basin.

Council President Kelly Murphy explained that the borough is not responsible for maintaining the basin. He suggested their attorney contact the borough solicitor. Brenner asked why they should have to spend $3,000 to hire an attorney to have the borough fix a pipe.

Brenner said a letter she received from Public Works Director Ron Miller acknowledges a problem with the basin, specifically a water problem on the surface and a drainage problem. The couple said the borough's engineer told them that no record exists of "how the basin is supposed to be."

Lindsey Brenner, with husband Tim Hess, shows a document to council supporting her claim of responsibility.

Brenner cited a document from the Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds stating the problem is the borough's, because the pipe and the drainage are specific to Columbia Borough. Brenner said information on the street's dedication is somewhere in borough meeting minutes from that date.

Brenner argued that a legal binding document was filed with the county when the signed the deed for the property. Borough Manager Greg Sahd, however, pointed out that the document was not signed by the borough. Borough Solicitor Robert Pfannebecker agreed with Sahd, saying that somebody else put that language in the deed, which the borough did not agree to.

"It's a legal argument that should be resolved by your attorney talking to us." Pfannebecker said.

Lindsey Brenner chides council about 

having to hire an attorney 

to fix a drainage problem on her property.

More information on this issue, including a video of the affected area, can be found at Columbia news, views & reviews HERE.

Two trees vandalized - one by dog, one by person

Incident #1:

The tree shown below was damaged sometime within the last 24 hours on the 400 block of Locust Street. A witness, who was sweeping up the sidewalk, said a dog clawed and gnawed at the tree bark, causing the damage. The photos below show scratch marks and torn bark on the tree, and shavings of bark lying in the mulch. According to the witness, the dog was not tied to the tree. The animal reportedly belongs to new tenants in one of the apartments in the neighborhood.

Incident #2:
The photos below show a broken tree in Locust Street Park. According to Facebook comments, the tree was probably damaged over the weekend. The close-up photos (#2 and 3) show that the tree was broken and then twisted, suggesting that it was intentionally damaged.

Music and movie in the park this coming Friday

Can you ID this woman wanted for retail theft at Bootleg Antiques?

Draft Agenda - Borough Council Meeting, August 14, 2017

Library happenings this week