Friday, April 14, 2023

Columbia Borough Public Works Report for March 2023


2023 Proposed Paving Projects by Borough Crews
Borough crews will begin working on patch repairs throughout the Borough. Scheduling is underway to begin preparations of scheduled streets to be paved that have no utility conflicts. 

The following streets are expected to be paved: Mifflin Street (900 block), Locust Street (1100 block), South Tenth Street (Houston to Ridge), Blunston Street (900 block), Chestnut Street (1200 block), Poplar Street (600 block), Avenue W (1200 block), Walnut Street (1000 block), Chestnut Street (800 block).

UGI Gas Main Replacement project
Kinsley Construction, the contractor for the UGI Gas Main Replacement project, has completed all service connections to the new main. There will still be a few roadway excavations in order to retire the old gas main. Trench restoration on the affected streets will begin immediately following the completion of the gas main retirements. This project is expected to be completed in early April 2023.

Storm Drains and Inlets
The Borough has been making repairs to storm drain inlets, utilizing the Borough’s vacuum truck to clean the basins. Borough street sweeping began on Monday, March 6, 2023 and has already netted 18.67 tons of debris in the first four weeks. This does not represent the numerous small truck loads of debris collected by Public Works personnel over the winter.

Curbside Yard Waste Pick Up

On Monday, April 3, 2023, Borough crews began curbside yard waste pick up, which will run through November 6, 2023. The first day of pickup yielded seven tons of yard waste. 

The Borough recycling facility is open the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month 8 am-12 pm for resident drop-off, up to October 28, 2023.

Borough Yard Waste Recycling Facility

At the Borough Yard Waste Recycling Facility, contracted municipalities dropped off 6.21 tons of yard waste in February and 19.80 tons in March. Contractors purchased 195 cubic yards of compost in March.

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Agenda - HARB Meeting - April 12, 2023

 

The meeting packet is HERE.

Council votes to support legal action against Airbnb appeal

732 Chestnut Street 

Columbia Borough Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to file a Notice of Intervention in an appeal by Awakened Properties LLC to a recent decision by the Columbia Borough Zoning Hearing Board.

According to the appeal notice, Awakened Properties believes that the Board committed errors of law and abused its discretion on several points when it denied the use of a property at 732 Chestnut Street as a short-term rental (also known as an Airbnb). The backstory is HERE.

The appeal was filed in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas, according to a March 24, 2023 letter containing the Notice of Appeal from Awakened's attorneys Gibbel, Kraybill and Hess LLP.

Audio recording of April 11, 2023 Columbia Borough Council Meeting

Many residents were disappointed by the poor quality of the audio on Tuesday night's Columbia Borough Council meeting livestream. Fortunately, Columbia Spy independently recorded the audio, which is posted HERE.

Two Columbia police officers recognized for lifesaving efforts

 

L to R: Councilman Todd Burgard, Life Lion Manager Adam Marden, Officers Bryan Keyser, David Sauders and Nate Miller, Mayor Leo Lutz, Chief Jack Brommer.

Columbia police officers Bryan Keyser and Nate Miller received letters of commendation for their lifesaving efforts in reviving a resident from cardiac arrest. The officers were recognized by Chief Jack Brommer, Mayor Leo Lutz, Adam Marden of Penn State Health Life Lion EMS and council members at the April 11 Columbia Borough Council meeting. On March 11 of this year, the officers responded within three minutes to a call for a person in cardiac arrest. The officers applied CPR and an AED and revived the patient, who was then transported to the hospital.

Officer Keyser has 20 years of service with the department, and Miller has just under a year, having been sworn in at the June 14, 2022 borough council meeting.

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Columbia's Community Safety Officer Joel Hopta resigns


Joel Hopta

At the April 11, 2023 Columbia Borough Council meeting, Council accepted the resignation of Community Safety Officer Joel Hopta. Hopta is a retired Police Officer with 28 years of experience and was a Junior High School football coach. Hopta mentored students and mediated issues in addition to providing security at the Hill Campus. He was hired for the position in January of this year. No reason was given for his resignation.

Watch for Artists! The River Towns Plein Air event is back


The River Towns Plein Air event is back and better than ever, now in its third year. From April 12-23, over 60 artists from across multiple states will gather along the Susquehanna River and the surrounding towns to create art in the great outdoors.

During the first week of the event, from April 12-19, the artists will be dispersed throughout the area, capturing the stunning natural beauty of the region on canvas. Then, from April 21-23, the artwork created will be displayed and sold at Studio 264, located at 264 W. Market St., Marietta.

But that's not all. There will also be another exhibition showcasing the artists' work at MH Art Gallery, located at 42 W. Market St. in Marietta, from April 22-26. Visitors can expect to see a wide range of artistic styles and skills on display during both exhibitions.

Additionally, there will be a special event called the "quick-draw painting challenge" on Saturday, April 15, from 10 a.m. to noon. During this two-hour challenge, artists will create a new piece of work on site at the Columbia Market House, located at 15 S. 3rd St. in Columbia. Visitors can observe the artists at work and purchase their pieces directly from them during the sidewalk show and sale.

The River Towns Plein Air event is a unique and exciting opportunity to witness artists at work and purchase one-of-a-kind art inspired by the natural beauty of the Susquehanna River and the surrounding towns. Don't miss out on the chance to experience this event for yourself.