Robbery | Columbia Borough Police Department

Created Nov 16th, 2023 The Columbia Borough Police Department is investigating a robbery that occurred at the Columbia Mart located at 890 Lancaster Avenue. A white male entered the store on 11/15/23 at 10:06PM displayed a handgun and demanded money. The male was wearing all black clothing with a camouflage mask. He was last observed walking across Route 462 towards Ninth Street. 

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Columbia Borough Police Department at 717-684-7735 or by texting "LANCS" to 847411. 

Location 890 Lancaster Ave. Columbia, PA 17512

Date Nov 15, 2023 

Incident Type Robbery 

Case Status Current 

Case Type Criminal

Sourced via CRIMEWATCH®: https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/columbiapd/10552/cases/robbery-7?fbclid=IwAR3uqMh9-FRSJ_FEONkI4f_HHgyf2kG5sYJwmTq1vlpXNVXsFCJn4m6RF3k

Restaurant Inspections - Columbia Borough - November 17, 2023

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

Rocky's BBQ, 28 N. Third St., Columbia, Nov. 9. Fail. The hand-wash sink in the mobile attachment of the facility does not have water.

American Legion No. 372, 329 Chestnut St., Columbia, Nov. 6. Pass. A bowl of tomato sauce in the two-door cooling unit is spoiled, moldy and adulterated; repeat violation, Feb. 23. The hand-wash sink between the kitchen and bar was blocked by two boxes and not accessible at all times for employee use. Raw chicken stored above cheese and barbecue sauces in the two-door cooling unit; repeat violation, Feb. 23. Potatoes stored directly on the floor in the kitchen rather than 6 inches off the floor as required. A skeleton stored on the food preparation table, contaminating the table. Old food splatter inside the interior of the microwave. Refrigerated, ready-to-eat time/temperature-control-for-safety foods in the two-door cooler were not compliant with date-marking; repeat violation, Feb. 23.
A buildup of grease and food crumbs on the floor beneath and on the side of the fryers. Single-service, single-use articles (to-go boxes) stored in the kitchen directly on the floor and not 6 inches above the floor.

[Source: LNP/lancasteronline]

Agenda - Columbia Borough School Board Meeting - November 16, 2023

 

Agenda - Columbia Borough Council Meeting - November 14, 2023

 

The meeting packet is HERE.

Dozens gather in Columbia to address homelessness

Swartz: “At night time I'll go for a walk and they're everywhere. I'm talking everywhere."

Tim Swartz doesn't like seeing homeless people downtown. Swartz, owner of Griddles Malt Shoppe on Locust Street, claims the homeless are everywhere in town, and he is scared to walk the streets after dark.

“At night time I'll go for a walk and they're everywhere. I'm talking everywhere. Beside the church, all up and down Locust Street, in the alleyways,” Swartz said. “You gotta be scared. You gotta be scared to walk the streets.”

Swartz was one of about 60 people who attended a meeting on homelessness at Columbia Borough Hall last Monday, November 6. About 15 attendees spoke at the meeting, most in favor of helping the homeless. The meeting also included a panel of borough officials, some of whom have not visited the shelter.

Swartz’s comments were increasingly aimed at the Columbia Presbyterian Church at 4th and Locust, which currently houses a shelter, the location of which he opposes. The underlying message seemed to be that the homeless are hurting downtown business, although none of the other merchants present spoke to confirm that.

Swartz said he is helping the homeless behind the scenes but claims they have “an attraction to the church.” He questioned what goes on there, but admitted he refuses to tour the facility. 

Dreisbach: “The one thing that is super important in battling homelessness in this county is collaboration..."

Chris Dreisbach, CEO of Blueprints for Addiction Recovery, spoke in support of the shelter and its director, Pastor David Powers. Dreisbach stressed the importance of working together to find solutions to the homeless problem.

“The one thing that is super important in battling homelessness in this county is collaboration, is coming together, not fighting, not battling…“ Dreisbach said. “The problem in Columbia is real but is not nearly as bad as the problem in other areas.” He advocated supporting the people fighting for the homeless, citing Powers and the staff at Columbia Presbyterian. Dreisbach also suggested forming an interdisciplinary team of individuals from the police department, mayor’s office, borough manager, and borough council to help people move into a better life so they can contribute to the community.

Dreisbach shared his own story of being homeless and addicted to drugs 17 years ago, and said he's grateful for the people who gave him a second chance.

He urged the gathering to remember that the homeless are just people. “They are people,” he said. “They are our neighbors. They are our friends. They are our brothers. They are our sisters. Any squabble beyond that is pointless,” Dreisbach said, apparently referring to Swartz's comments.

 

Harris: “We can't end the problem by ignoring it or by shipping people out."

Pastor Mark Harris of Salem UCC Church said the homeless situation is worse than he has ever seen it but blamed the problem on economic factors. “The increase in the housing prices has caused it to be that the people who are in the homeless system aren’t able to move through it and into housing as easily as they have been in the past.”

Although Harris admitted that the location of the shelter along Locust Street is not ideal, he praised the team at Columbia Presbyterian, especially Pastor Powers, for being able to move people through homelessness and into housing and jobs. “I think that Reverend Powers is a leader in compassion in our community,” Harris said.

“We can't end the problem by ignoring it or by shipping people out,” Harris continued. “We can't do like DeSantis or Governor Abbott and ship everyone to Manheim Township,” Harris said, referring to how those two governors transported immigrants to other states. He said there are services in Columbia. “I consider it a welcoming town,” Harris said. “That is one of the reasons that I think homeless people end up here.”

Harris stressed that the solution is not to get rid of the shelter without an alternative. He said the community must find an alternative that's going to work on a more permanent basis and that could be in a more appropriate place. "All of us who are sitting in this room have a part in this,” Harris said.

Powers: "We need a place to help people move through the system so they don’t get stuck, because when they get stuck, that's when the breakdowns happen."

Pastor Powers, who spoke near the end of the meeting, noted that in October of 2022, he had appeared at a borough council meeting and asked everyone to work together.

Powers said there are 18 homeless people at the Hands Across the Street Dream Center shelter at Columbia Presbyterian. (The shelter was previously located at 291 South 4th Street, until the owner leased it to another group.) ”We are packed to the gills,” Powers said. “It’s like a miniature ecosystem. We cannot expand any farther than we are.”

In answer to questions from the audience, Powers said the staff does background checks in a number of different ways, including the Unified Judicial System and Megan's Law. He also said the shelter is inspected by the Department of Agriculture at least once year, and the building gets safety inspected. An exterminator comes four times a year. 

Currently,  Powers is hoping for a location with 40 beds. “I pray to god that the property becomes available before someone decides that we need to go,” he said.  “We need a place to help people move through the system so they don’t get stuck, because when they get stuck, that's when the breakdowns happen."

In October 2022, Columbia Spy conducted a series of interviews with shelter residents:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Columbia Borough Council proceeding with $8.617 million budget

When: Columbia Borough Council meeting, Nov. 9.

What happened: Council members informally agreed to proceed with a 2024 budget of $8.617 million, up from $8.229 million for this year. In addition, council tentatively split $30,000 in donations to five local nonprofits.

Budget: The borough has enough cash to cover the $387,436 spending increase, Mark Stivers, borough manager, said via phone Nov. 10.

Quotable: "We have extra money," Stivers said Nov. 10. "It's just going to be tight."

Money: Columbia may use about $300,000 left over from the American Rescue Plan Act, and the borough's general fund can pay the remaining amount, Stivers said Nov. 10.

Donations: Under the current budget version, Columbia Public Library will receive $15,000, while the Columbia Historic Preservation Society and Mount Bethel Cemetery should get $5,000 each. In addition, council plans to give $4,000 to the Columbia Cat Action Team, while $1,000 will go to the Columbia United Veterans Council.

Next steps: Council plans to vote to advertise the budget at its Nov. 28 meeting, said Heather Zink, council president. A final vote should happen Dec. 12.

https://lancasteronline.com/news/regional/columbia-borough-council-proceeding-with-8-617-million-budget/article_81de6154-80d3-11ee-aa9d-43aedcd45d2e.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share 

Deeds Recorded - Columbia Borough - November 13, 2023

Dumkopf LLC and R. Christopher Smiley conveyed 828 Blunston St. to Gabriela M. Henriquez and Gian A. Henriquez for $100,000.

Dajo Properties LLC and John M. Stoltzfus conveyed 311 Perry St. to Linda Stahl Sinclair and Kerstin S. Edmonds for $135,000.

Carroll J. Kern and Jane A. Kern conveyed 155 S. Fourth St. to Christopher T. Dames for $190,000.

Dumkopf LLC and R. Christopher Smiley conveyed property on Blunston Street to Kinsmen Holdings LLC for $600,000.

The estate of Catherine Draper conveyed 112 Walnut St. to Milledge Draper for $60,614.

Terry Lee Worall Sr. and Anita M. Worall conveyed property on Ironville Road to Todd M. Kramer and Diana L. Kramer for $175,000.

James Schmucker, James F. Schmucker and Greystone Enterprises 401K Plan conveyed 639 Manor St. to John Patrick Baldauff for $129,900.

Thomas M. Adams and Morgan L. Adams conveyed property on a public road to Jonathan Cameron for $125,000.

M&M Realty Co. conveyed property on a public road to Integrity First Home Buyers LLC for $115,000.