Water snakes spotted at River Park

Columbia Spy spotted two water snakes at Columbia River Park this morning. The snakes, which measured 20-24 inches long were swimming in shallow water near the first metal dock to the left of the boat ramp.

Although water snakes are non venomous, they are aggressive and will try to strike if agitated. 

Truck gets stuck, blocks traffic

Just before noon on Thursday, a Dollar Store tractor trailer got stuck at the rear inclined exit of Columbia Plaza shopping center, blocking Barber Street. As the driver was making the tight left turn onto Barber, the trailer's landing gear became hung up in the sidewalk concrete. Police arrived, setting up cones and flares and directing traffic, as three tow trucks - including a large rollback - attempted to free the landing gear. The large rollback backed under the trailer and lifted the back wheels off the ground, and the driver then broke the trailer free. Delivery trucks and other vehicles were redirected for over an hour.

Above photos by Angel Rodriguez

CASH ONLY AT WINE & SPIRITS STORES

We just learned that Wine & Spirits stores across Pennsylvania are able to accept cash only today (Thursday). Credit/debit cards cannot be used. According to a local store employee, the state attempted to implement a new chip system in its card readers today and consequently crashed the system statewide. Each cash transaction takes about three minutes.

Historic house was Underground Railroad station

Historic house was UGRR station:

http://www.ydr.com/story/news/history/blogs/cannonball/2016/06/15/historic-house-in-wrightsville-was-ugrr-station-and-later-a-confederate-artillery-position/85915916/

Barry Ford resigns from Council

On Monday night, Columbia Borough Council accepted the resignation of Barry Ford, a longtime councilman. Barry allowed us to share his resignation letter, shown below. We will miss his presence on council and wish him all the best.

Ground-penetrating radar used to scan bridge

Penetradar Corporation used ground-penetrating radar to scan the Veterans Memorial Bridge today. Several radar devices were used to investigate aspects of the bridge's construction, including the location and condition of rebar buried within the bridge's concrete deck. Two technicians used a portable device to scan sidewalks. They also used a van with four units mounted on the front to scan the roadway. Columbia Spy caught up with them on the Wrightsville end of the bridge.

According to the technicians, a month-long process will follow today's collection of scan data about the bridge. All information will then be relayed to RK&K, an engineering firm, to be analyzed in conjunction with PennDOT, as a possible first stage in an upcoming bridge renovation project. According to PennDOT officials, the planning phase could take four to six years.

Penetradar technicians discuss the project.

Penetradar van at the Wrightsville entrance to the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

A portable radar unit used to scan the bridge sidewalk.

Brackets on the front of the van hold four radar units for scanning roadways.

Yet another painting project, this time on the river

A much-needed and long-awaited painting project was underway at Columbia River Park this afternoon. Using duct tape, cardboard stencils and a small paint roller, this intrepid painter began reviving the faded numbers and level marks on the river level depth marker scale on the first river pier of the Veterans Memorial Bridge. He stood on the deck of a pontoon boat to access the lower numbers.  The higher ones will present more of a challenge. 

The last photo below shows the height of 1972's Hurricane Agnes at 241 feet. Numbers indicate height above sea level. Not shown here but indicated on the pier is a mark denoting the normal height of 227 feet at this location.