COLUMBIA SPY

Friday, October 20, 2023

Columbia Borough Police Department officer completes training for the Crisis Institute Team | Columbia Borough Police Department

Police Officer Frank Ember is most recent of 7 Columbia Borough Police Officers to complete a 40-hour course and become a member of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT).

MORE:

https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/columbiapd/10552/post/columbia-borough-police-department-officer-completes-training-crisis-intervention-team

Columbia's National Watch & Clock Museum needs volunteers!

Columbia's National Watch & Clock Museum

Do you love clocks, watches, history, art, and meeting new people? We have the perfect volunteer opportunity for you at the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia!

The museum needs volunteer gallery attendants and docents to welcome Museum visitors, demonstrate the impressive Engle clock, assist with admissions and gift shop sales, and ensure that our visitors enjoy their TIME with us. If this sounds like a fun way to spend a few hours each week, contact Sarah at sgallagher@nawcc.org, or fill out the volunteer application on our website.

Added bonus: volunteers receive a discount in our fantastic gift shop and at select museum events!

Restaurant Inspections - Columbia Borough - October 20, 2023

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, 866-366-3723, uses a risk-based inspection reporting process for restaurants and other food handlers.

Hinkle's Restaurant, 261 Locust St., Columbia, Oct. 13. Pass. An open employee's beverage container was observed on a shelf in the dishwashing area. Observed raw chicken stored above sausage in the drawer-style cooling unit beneath the flat grill. Observed containers of food stored directly on the floor in walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer, rather than 6 inches off of the floor as required. Observed working containers of cleaners and sanitizers stored on a shelf next to food and food equipment in the kitchen and in the dessert service area.

Smoke & Chill, 353 Cherry St., Columbia, Type 2 Follow-up, Oct. 13. Pass. Food facility does not have available sanitizer test strips or test kit to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration of quaternary sanitizer; repeat violation. Observed an accumulation of static dust on the fume hood; repeat violation. Observed milk crates being stored in the restroom, a prohibited area; repeat violation. Ceiling tiles missing in the back and need to be replaced; repeat violation. Observed working containers of Ajax cleanser, Formula 409, and Windex, stored on a shelf above the three-compartment sink with food equipment; repeat violation.

Stover's News, 24 N. 3rd St., Columbia, Follow-up, Oct. 13. Fail. Prepackaged subs, sandwiches, seafood salad, chicken salad, dirt pudding, sliced ham, sliced cheese and packaged ice are not labeled properly with the name of product, ingredient statement, and distributed by statement; repeat violation, March 31, 2022, and Oct. 13. Prepackaged subs, sandwiches, seafood salad, chicken salad and dirt pudding are not labeled to clearly indicate any "Big 9" allergen ingredients and/or the allergen warning statement; repeat violation, March 31, 2022, and Oct. 13. Food facility does not have available sanitizer test strips or test kit to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration; repeat violation. The inner lid of the chest freezer is missing leaving exposed insulation, risking food and ice to possible physical contamination. Observed a slimy, black residue inside the ice maker; repeat violation. Paper towel dispenser empty at the hand-wash sink in the kitchen; repeat violation.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Columbia among seven contested borough races this fall [Voters Guide 2023]

Economic revitalization is a constant talking point in Columbia Borough, be it on the street or in the chambers of borough council.

A centerpiece of that discussion for the past two years has been the McGinness Innovation Park, a business park anchored by a drone research center slated for 58 acres at the borough's southern edge.

The borough bought the land, formerly home to McGinness Airport, in 2021 for $1.5 million. In July 2022, Commonwealth Financing Authority approved a $3.3 million grant and a $5 million loan for development of the park. Borough Manager Mark Stivers says some of the specifications of the project are still on the drawing board, but dirt should be moving sometime next spring.Councilman Eric Kauffman, one of three Republican incumbents up for reelection in the Nov. 7 general election, said the business venture has the potential to generate some much-needed revenue in a borough that struggles to balance its books.

One of his opponents this fall, Democrat Brad Chambers, isn’t quite as sold on the idea.

“I think it’s speculative investing,” said Chambers, a labor administrator for Penske Corp., who would like to see more money invested in infrastructure such as dog waste stations and more trash cans. “I think that our taxpayer funds should be going toward improving the lives of the citizens and not toward real estate projects or special interest groups.”

Kauffman and Chambers are among seven candidates competing for four four-year seats on borough council. Kauffman is joined by fellow GOP incumbents Heather Zink and Joanne Price, as well as Kelly Murphy, a former council president. Chambers is accompanied by fellow Democrats Aimie Kellers and Nathan Roach.

Other key issues on the minds of candidates this fall: transparency within the borough police force, after residents in the neighborhood of Third and Cherry streets said the department failed to adequately communicate with them following a shots-fired incident in early August; and decorum at council meetings, which have become at times tense and contentious.
MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/politics/columbia-among-seven-contested-borough-races-this-fall-voters-guide-2023/article_5d598eee-6a0d-11ee-a237-6b128dfa6958.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share