About Town - February 28, 2021

 This week's photos of Columbia

(Click/tap on photos to see larger, sharper images.)

These are the hands of the workman who operated the control unit that guided the trailer that held the transformer that rolled through town on Friday.

There's more information, photos and videos on the spectacle at the end of this post.

Someone is dungin' out, out at the Visitors Center.

Here's a good man at work.

The lamp at the Von Hess building on Bank Avenue is now chained to the front wall.

And in case anyone's wondering where we are ^^^

Dropped scarf on North 4th

Yes he is.

Vigilant, that is.

A fierce feral on South Second

According to a lifelong Columbian, the witch hazel plants on the right were planted in memory of Fred Abendschein for his service to Columbia. His obit is HERE.

This plaque was recently installed at the Shannon Armory (named after General Edward C. Shannon) on the 200 block of Walnut Street.

Here's a look at the armory.

And here's the general's former home at 500 Chestnut.

This plaque is mounted there.

Bye

Looks accurate.

At last Tuesday's meeting, borough council voted to spend $144,000 on studies of the McGinness property on Manor Street with an eye towards purchasing it.

Vultures in Columbia - 

They are in all walks here.

Down at Toll Booth

This truck may have seen better days.

An abundance of skulls

Here are two snow photos (above and below) from last Monday, by Todd Stahl.

Chairs to hold parking spaces on North 2nd Street

Not surprisingly, snow was still hanging around on Tuesday.

Here's a waterlogged ADA access.

Stocked up and ready to go

On the way home

The secret lair of the Colonial Metals trailers

Scarf-bombed tree on Locust

Skid row

Graffiti, signed by the artist

The two photos above are from an accident scene at 2nd & Bridge earlier this week.

[Submitted, name withheld by request]

The following two photos from this past Thursday were submitted by Todd Stahl. The first one shows a flatbed on Bridge Street delivering a section of the trailer used to transport a large transformer through town on Friday.

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And finally, the saga of the transformer:

The 18-foot high load made its way slowly up Walnut Street 

as workers lifted utility wires to allow it to pass.

As mentioned earlier in this post, a trailer carrying a large transformer slogged through Columbia on Friday on its 2-1/2-mile journey to a PPL substation on Stone House Lane in West Hempfield. On Friday morning, the 210,000-pound transformer was offloaded from a railcar just north of the Veterans Memorial Bridge and onto a 36-wheel trailer that was operated remotely by a worker with a controller. A crew of about a half a dozen men from Edwards Moving out of Kentucky lifted utility wires along the route to allow the 18-foot high load to pass. The step-down transformer was built by Delta Star, Inc. and reportedly will replace another transformer that was installed in the 1970s. 

Workers lifted lines en route.

The worker with the controller can be seen on the extreme right.

The trailer made its way past the traffic lights at 5th & Locust.

The transformer came to rest at this PPL substation on Stone House Lane in West Hempfield.

Here's a closer look.

Transformer makes its way slowly through Columbia to West Hempfield

https://www.wgal.com/article/transformer-makes-slow-journey-to-ppl-substation-in-west-hempfield-township-lancaster-county/35649509

Columbia council still mulling new member, decides it's time to upgrade Borough Hall clock

Gayle Johnson | For LNP. Meeting, Feb. 23.

What happened: Council members failed to choose a replacement for a vacant council seat, rescinded their previous decision on a public relations firm, and decided to upgrade the inner workings of the clock at Borough Hall.

Vacant seat: Council members interviewed three applicants and, after more than an hour of discussion, no candidate received a majority vote. Ryan Sexton, a truck driver and veteran, and mechanic Peter Stahl each received three yes votes from the six-member council. Chris Misciagna, a nurse, received two yes votes.

Discussion: Council President Heather Zink noted that Sexton, who lives in the first ward, would bring additional voices into council. Currently, three council members live in the sixth ward, two live in the fourth ward and one lives in the seventh ward. Council member Todd Burgard recommended Stahl because the applicant expressed enthusiasm for the proposed purchase of the McGinness airport property.

What's next: Council members voted to postpone a decision until the March 2 work session. If voting then results in a tie, private citizen William Kloidt, the only noncouncil member on the vacancy board, will cast the deciding vote. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on the borough's Facebook page.

Quotable: "None of us had talked about (the candidates) beforehand," Zink said after the meeting. "We all need to think about the direction we want to go with the council."

New logo: Council voted to rescind a contract with Gavin Marketing, an advertising and PR firm, to design a single brand and logo to represent the borough. Instead, council member Burgard, a graphic designer who owns a business consulting firm, will work for free to design a unifying message and image for Columbia. Zink said council is exploring whether it has to pay a $2,500 termination fee for breaking its contract with Gavin.

Borough Hall clock tower: The borough will seek proposals for updating the handmade timepiece inside the clock at the top of the borough hall tower. Borough Manager Mark Stivers said the antique clock will look the same from the outside but will have an electronic timepiece. The clock's current mechanism will be donated to the National Watch & Clock Museum. The 1,000-pound bell first rang May 30, 1949, during a Memorial Day remembrance of those lost in all wars. A town hall fire in 1947 damaged the original bell, built in 1874. Clockmakers melted down the original bell and used the material to create the new device, according to a souvenir program describing the event.

https://lancasteronline.com/news/regional/columbia-council-still-mulling-new-member-decides-its-time-to-upgrade-borough-hall-clock/article_6c977410-78a3-11eb-9bd0-2b93242b8ac7.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share 

After several tries, council fails to fill vacant seat

Despite several tries, Columbia Borough Council still could not fill the seat left empty by the recent resignation of councilwoman Pam Williams. Three applicants - Ryan Sexton, Peter Stahl, and Chris Misciagna - showed up for interviews for the position Tuesday night but were not chosen. Randy Fletcher, who had also submitted a letter of intent, asked that his application be rescinded, according to council president Heather Zink.

After the six councillors flung questions at the three, several motioned to choose applicants for a vote, as follows:

Sharon Lintner made a motion to consider Chris Misciagna, but didn't receive a second.

Todd Burgard made a motion for Peter Stahl, but also did not receive a second.

Howard Stevens motioned to choose Ryan Sexton. Again, no second.

After all motions failed, borough solicitor Evan Gabel told council that it has 30 days to make an appointment and suggested making a decision at its March 2 work session. Gabel noted that council could not accept more applications in the interim, because the deadline had already been set.

[The meeting then went slightly askew with minor speechifying and feel-good chatter among councillors, as well as citizen comments:

Burgard said he wants a smaller police force, just not at this time. He said it could be achieved through economic development. He also said that residents could grow their own "socioeconomic status." Burgard said he liked that his neighbor Peter Stahl favored development at the McGinness airport property on Manor Street. (Stahl's comment was in response to councilman Eric Kauffman's interview question about the property.)

In a comment, resident Robert Misciagna told council that the question about the McGinness property should be disregarded, but two councillors disagreed with him, especially Burgard, who said he found the question to be relevant, because it shows the applicants' visions for Columbia. (Note: Misciagna's comment is valid, however, because borough officials have not been totally transparent about details of a possible purchase of the property; therefore, applicants could not possibly be informed enough to render a valid opinion.)

(Robert Misciagna is a school board director who is running for council but did not apply for the seat currently open.)]

Hoping for a better result, council tried once again to choose an applicant. Burgard again motioned to appoint Stahl. This time, the motion was seconded by Kauffman. Fran FitzGerald, Kauffman, and Burgard voted yes, for a 3-3 tie, meaning the motion failed. (Normally, the mayor breaks a tie vote, except when council chooses an applicant.)

Stevens made a motion to choose Sexton, and Zink seconded. Fitzgerald, Stevens, and Zink voted yes, once again leading to a tie. Lintner subsequently made a motion for Misciagna, with a second by Kauffman. Lintner and Kaufman were the only yes votes.

Due to lack of a decision, council tabled the issue until its March 2 meeting. The term of the open position expires on January 4, 2022.