COLUMBIA SPY

As part of the Route 441 bypass construction project, traffic will soon enter Route 30 from Cedar Street via another route, according to a workman at the site. The existing entrance ramp from Cedar Street onto Route 30 heading east will soon be closed permanently. Traffic will be directed along another route, shown on the far left in the photo above (where a workman is standing). Vehicles entering Route 30 will first have to stop at the stop signs (partially covered in the photo) and then turn right and proceed onto 30. (Click on the photo to see a larger view.)

Workers in bucket trucks replaced aging wires on utility poles near Third and Locust this morning.  A portable transformer (shown in last photo below) was set up to avoid power interruptions.

Monday morning at Third and Locust . . . (Click on this pic for a clearer view.)

Several presentations on Columbia's history, particularly its role in the Civil War, were offered at the opening of the Northwest River Trail Services Building at Columbia River Park on Friday.    Columbia's Glenn Bachert portrayed Captain Henry Haines, who served as captain of Co. B, 45th Pennsylvania Regiment. Historian Randolph Harris (above) and Chris Vera, president of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society, led several historic river tours during the event. Of particular note were the remains of the piers of the Civil War-era bridge that was burned by Pennsylvania militiamen from Columbia to prevent the advance of Confederate forces. At the time, the structure was the longest wooden covered bridge in the world.  Harris rightly asserts that this area was the high water mark of the confederacy, and the bridge burning directly precipitated the Battle of Gettysburg and changed the course of the war and the nation.  A rendering of the bridge bu...

TV personality Jack Hubley entertained a packed audience at the opening of the Northwest River Trail Services Building on Friday with an assortment of animals, including several mice, a skunk, a rat snake, a red-tailed hawk, and a horned owl.  With the skill of a seasoned showman, he waded back and forth through the crowd, showing and explaining various species, all of which are native to this area.

Ben Burner, who hails from the Harrisburg area, will be the summer intern at the Northwest River Trail Services Building at Columbia River Park.  Ben is a graduate of Cumberland Valley High School and is currently a sophomore at Millersville University, where he is majoring in Marketing and Management.  He will be managing the building Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays this summer.

The ribbon was cut, and the Trail Services Building was officially opened today at Columbia River Park.