Sunday, July 26, 2015

The score so far: Club Good Times vs 100 block of South 4th

In citing his opposition to the recent court decision on Club Good Times, the mayor mentions "quality of life issues for residents in the area" of the establishment and specifies trash and public urination (LINK HERE). Possibly valid points, but are those issues any worse than at some other areas of town, in particular, the 100 block of South Fourth Street, where trash routinely lines gutters and after-dark activity reminds one of lines from a Guns N' Roses song:

   "Welcome to the jungle, it gets worse here every day,
     You learn to live like an animal in the jungle where we play . . ."

Although Columbia Spy has no evidence of public urination near the club or elsewhere, we did endeavor to check out the trash situation at Club Good Times this morning and found the following:

A few small items and a plastic straw.  
Granted, the club needs to get rid of a small number of weeds at the front entrance and in the alley - which, by the way, are much less obtrusive than at many other areas of town. Overall, though, the condition of the property was not bad for a Sunday morning, after what one assumes would have been a Saturday night of "activity."

Speaking of the 100 block of South Fourth, here's a quick video we shot as we walked there this morning:

We believe the video speaks for itself.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Columbia strip club wins court ruling


In June, Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas Judge Margaret C. Miller reversed a Columbia zoning board's decision banning  nude dancing at Club Good Times.
MORE:
http://m.lancasteronline.com/columbia/news/columbia-strip-club-wins-court-ruling/article_73c6991c-330f-11e5-9141-27bf083ba33e.html?mode=jqm

Your money at work, working at the water company

Work continued at the Columbia Water Company Friday morning as workers moved a large piece of equipment during the ongoing upgrade project.








Near accident on Barber!

These boys were riding their bikes the wrong way on the 900 block of Barber Street the other day and were almost hit by incoming traffic. (Barber Street is one-way going east, from Plane Street to Twelfth Street.) Although most of them swerved to safety, and oncoming cars stopped in time, one of the boys collided with a fellow biker and fell onto the street, as seen above.  After he assured us he was all right, he rode away with his friends, apparently none the worse for wear but probably slightly embarrassed.

New dayglo uniforms for parking enforcement officers


Parking enforcement officers were recently issued new dayglo uniforms, as shown above.  The new outfits look professional and give officers more visibility in traffic but also allow nonpaying motorists to see them coming.

The saga of a squirrel and his ear of corn

This camera-shy squirrel, trying to enjoy a private meal, couldn't completely avoid the eye of the Columbia Spy.








Tax notices posted around town

Several tax notices like the one shown above were recently posted at various properties around town. 
Even if your mortgage is paid off, you don't really own your property; you just rent it from the government.