What I saw recently

Moving a giant refrigerator into the basement of the Columbia Presbyterian Church at 360 Locust Street.

 Hey, isn't that Bill Morehart (in the cap) helping out?  They had quite a time of it, but I think they finally got it in.

 Look closely - he's in there.

 A torpedo (?) at Through the Fire Studios on Locust Street

 In the window at the borough office

 At BHI Properties on Locust Street - Interesting how the owner of many properties in Columbia shows little respect for the town's history, at least judging from how that mailbox post was slammed into the historic entranceway floor.

  An ornate door handle assembly on the 200 block of Locust Street

 Outside the borough office - Could this transport belong to a council meeting attendee?

(Nah, I think it was someone paying a bill.  They may have needed the Radio Flyer to carry all the coins.)

 The always-interesting Chris Vera of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society gave a presentation on the tunnels of Columbia recently.  The term "Underground Railroad" is more than just metaphorical.  It (the term and the tunnel network) originated here, folks.

 National and team loyalty

 A camera-shy bluebird

 A close-up of the fence at Mount Bethel Cemetery

 Shadows

 A red-tailed hawk takes a look around

 Looking good

 Leaf imprint in the concrete at Locust Street Park

 Mill stones on Manor Street

 Street signs down - intentional or accidental?

 Cardinal in the grass, alas!

 Red-tail in a tree - I don't think this is the same one shown above.

 Another look

 At the Prospect Motel

 Almost ready for pizza

 I didn't notice all these before.

Love is in the air, or at least on the bridge.

 Parting of the ways

 Interesting ornament on a gravestone

 Anyone remember these? I'm sure Clark Kent does.

 I saw those booths here on Third Street.

 Bluebird at Laurel Hill - This one wasn't camera-shy.

 Chopper overhead

 A work-in-progress progressing

This bust at Mount Bethel Cemetery is often mistaken for Lloyd Mifflin, second best poet from Columbia, but is actually his father, John Houston Mifflin.

 The painting of Lloyd Mifflin is near here (on the back wall of the Foresters).

 Ready to pull some wire (seen near Front and Locust)

 At the Columbia Water Company - Are these The Donald's bags of gold?

 Cones and More at 411 Locust Street - This was slated to open yesterday.  Did it happen?

 At Mount Bethel Cemetery

It's triplets! Another successful peregrine falcon nesting on Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge

On Saturday morning, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and local volunteers used a "bucket boat" to reach a trio of three wide-eyed falcons, not quite ready to fly and smothered in down.

After being hoisted in a boom provided by Harcon Corp., a bridge design consulting firm from Strasburg, Arthur McMorris, the Game Commission's peregrine falcon program coordinator, was able to reach the nest, located on top of one of the arches under the deck of the bridge.

MORE:
http://m.lancasteronline.com/news/local/it-s-triplets-another-successful-peregrine-falcon-nesting-on-columbia/article_ff46e2fc-ea64-11e3-9a27-0017a43b2370.html?mode=jqm

Memorial Day Parade - May 25, 2014

 Yes, this guy really did fly over as the parade was happening.

UPDATE: Columbia postpones vote on LASA wastewater offer

Columbia officials met twice this week — on Tuesday and Wednesday — but failed to call a vote on a proposal for the Lancaster Area Sewer Authority to take over the borough's wastewater treatment system.

MORE:
http://m.lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-postpones-vote-on-lasa-wastewater-offer/article_2c36403e-e761-11e3-9956-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm

A few thoughts about LASA

At last night's borough council meeting at Columbia No. 1 Fire Company, the issue of opting for Lancaster Area Sewer Authority (LASA) to handle borough sewer waste was discussed. Both sides were represented - with citizen comments evenly divided.

The LASA offer is appealing in several respects, in that some borough debt could be reduced, and the borough's responsibility for plant maintenance would be eliminated, but other aspects are troubling.

First, the borough will not have a seat on the LASA board without the unanimous vote of all seven municipalities. In essence, Columbia might not have a voice in the decisions affecting it. Also, the cost of representation is two million dollars, according to LASA executive director Mike Kyle. Such a sum would significantly reduce any potential cost savings from the deal.

Second, current borough sewer employees will not be guaranteed a job with LASA. Simply put, workers will lose their jobs.

Third, there are no real guarantees that opting for LASA will be a better deal in the long run for Columbia than if we keep and maintain the system we have.

At this point, LASA seems to be dictating all the terms. At the very least, the borough should demand some sort of representation on the board, as well as continued employment for the handful of current employees.

David Bush, who was hired by the borough to look at the figures, said costs would increase to a lesser degree under the LASA option due to economies of scale. He said, "The offer made by LASA is very fair."

Councilwoman Mary Barninger asked Mike Kyle what was in it for LASA. He replied that having more customers to share costs would help maintain stable rates and mitigate future rate increases.

Committee member Norm Meiskey said that even with upgrades to the current plant, it still would not continue to be in compliance. He said that if we go with LASA, the borough could get out of debt.
"Not to do it is a travesty," he added.

Mayor Leo Lutz said he had spoken to an employee of the plant who said the upgrades would keep us in compliance and wonders about the "not in compliance" comment.

Some other considerations:
* If Columbia keeps the plant, it will need to be continually maintained and upgraded.
* LASA doesn't handle storm water, which, according to the mayor, will be an issue in the future.
* It's not clear whether LASA's offer is "once and done" or if it will be offered again in the future if the borough does not opt for it this time.
* It was made clear, however, that a decision to go with LASA, once made, is irrevocable.

If regionalization is the wave of the future, then Columbia needs to get on board and accept LASA's offer. If, however, the financial benefits of doing so do not significantly outweigh the liabilities, we should hold on to the assets we already have. Since we cannot accurately project what our actions will engender in a generation or two, the decision is a difficult one that will ultimately have profound and far-reaching consequences for Columbia Borough.

In Columbia, no vote yet on wastewater plan; council meets again Wednesday evening

GO HERE:
http://m.lancasteronline.com/news/local/in-columbia-no-vote-yet-on-wastewater-plan-council-meets/article_787dee7c-e691-11e3-a61e-0017a43b2370.html?mode=jqm

The probable cause of the fly infestation

Shown below are several photos of piles of chicken manure seen at McGinness's field (also known as McGinness Airport, according to Google Maps) on April 25, 2014.

The original blog post is HERE.

WGAL's follow-up is HERE.