About Town - July 24, 2022

Recent photos of Columbia

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

Official Pace Car at Prospect Diner this morning

Here are two newly painted parking meters on the 200 block of Locust Street. Columbia High School student volunteers (under the guidance of borough staff) painted meters on the 200, 300, and 400 blocks of Locust Street on Tuesday in preparation for a new payment system for meters. 

Vandalism at Columbia Crossing

Statuette at Our Lady of the Angels/Holy Trinity

The spotted lanternflies are getting big very quickly. Kill them whenever you can.

The Columbia Water Company's water intake project continues. Water is being pumped from an inner area (shown above) to allow access for installation.

This was seen at Fragments of the Past on the 300 block of Walnut Street.

So was this.

This is all that's left of a Columbia taxpayer. Just wait until we start paying for the innovation park. Oh wait - we already are.

Cement truck at the corner of 3rd & Cherry

Here's the Utility Locator. It's a good gig if you can get it.

Baby on board?

Mayflies make a tasty breakfast for some.

Skid row? More like skid columns.

Cart for carrying planks and fenceposts

Stars on exterior walls, like this one, actually have a purpose. Go HERE to find out what it is.

Time for a morning coffee

New address?

Pentecostal church at 3rd & Cherry

Morning flight

Here's a cool cat trying to beat the heat, but he's going the wrong way.

Oil leak in the 300 block of Avenue F

That's a mighty big crane that crane is.

Architectural elements from the Glatfelter Field entranceway

The entranceway is being restored.

The Veterans Memorial Bridge rehab project can't come soon enough.

The bridge is literally falling apart.

A restoration project is underway at Zion Hill Cemetery.

Trees are being cleared to open up the space.

Friday's late night fire left two buildings damaged/destroyed on South 5th Street.

Firefighters from several companies were on scene for five hours.

Is this the McGinness Innovation Cornfield? No, not really. It's actually the former McGinness airfield - soon to be the McGinness Innovation Park. But if Columbia Borough is truly trying to promote itself, why wouldn't it be called the Columbia Innovation Park. After all, we're paying for it. The McGinnesses don't live here. Columbians do.

By the way, as things stand now, the project is estimated to cost $12 million to develop.

Firefighters brave hot weather to battle vehicle fire on Manor Street

Firefighters from the Columbia Borough Fire Department braved 90+ degree temperatures early Saturday afternoon to battle a vehicle fire on the 400 block of Manor Street. Personnel fought the blaze for about 20 minutes, using firefighting foam. More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Video by Zachary Lape. Used with permission.

Agenda - Columbia Borough Council Meeting - July 26, 2022

 

Download the meeting packet HERE.

Columbia Borough Council authorizes updated stormwater management ordinance

Borough Council authorized staff to advertise an updated stormwater management ordinance that changes the amount of square footage property owners may add before they need an engineer's report on how to handle water runoff.

Details: Previously, property owners could add up to 1,000 square feet before they needed a professional's report on how to deal with excess water. The rewritten document raises that amount to 2,001 square feet but adds a new provision for projects from 501 to 2,000 square feet. In these cases, owners will need to submit a written plan that explains how water runoff will be handled.

Quotable: "You can come in, and borough staff will help you design the appropriately sized stormwater facility," said Derek Rinaldo, borough engineer. This section aims to help people planning smaller projects, such as a pool, garage or shed. Borough stormwater solutions may include a ring garden, trench or other water infiltration systems, Rinaldo said. Additions of more than 2,000 square feet still will require an engineer's stormwater report.

Why now?: The state Department of Environmental Protection has released new guidelines for stormwater management, and the updated ordinance will follow those rules, Rinaldo said.

More: Property owners planning additions up to 500 square feet still have to account for water runoff even though no written plan is required. "You are still responsible for your stormwater," Rinaldo said, noting that no water may spill onto a neighbor's property. "We will be looking at that."

MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/regional/columbia-borough-council-authorizes-updated-stormwater-management-ordinance/article_36c24308-07b6-11ed-bd5b-ef220885faef.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share