About Town - March 9, 2025

 This week's photos of Columbia 

Click on photos to see larger, sharper images. 

A seagull alighting on a light

Sunday afternoon at Columbia River Park 

Datestone at 6th & Chestnut 

A crew from a communications company working on overhead lines placed this orange sign near The Elks Lodge on Chestnut Street on Monday morning. 

Unfortunately, they placed it right over an existing NO PARKING HERE TO CORNER sign.

Here's the rear view. 

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There were many clouds driven by high winds this week. 

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On Friday, a tree fell across Route 441, most likely as a result of sustained high winds. The incident occurred near the A-Okay Auto Glass Shop in Columbia and blocked traffic for several hours. 

Various crews cut the tree apart, cleared the road, and repaired fallen power lines. 

This vehicle was damaged in the incident. 

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This business is renting the borough's former sewer plant. The borough wants them to buy the building, but the railroad crossing leading to it needs to be reinforced, and therein lies the problem. Whoever is responsible for doing the job is "dragging their feet."

There's the facility. 

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Yep, the bridge is deteriorating. 

The river's been high over the last few days. On Sunday afternoon, it was at 230, which is three feet above normal.

Apparently,  the water level was even higher yesterday, judging from the location of debris. 

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NO PARKING. SERIOUSLY.

The BOOT

Time for a new plaque?

The bell tower at Manor School is peeling.

Right there

The water company was on Walnut Street again. 

At Saint James Lutheran 

Just hanging 'round in Avenue G

Hawk at 700 Franklin Street -

In a few weeks, Columbia Borough will demolish the house that sits on this property to extend Franklin Street into the planned McGinness Innovation Park. At this point, it's unclear if the road construction will occur, since council seems conflicted about what it wants to do with the park project. The borough paid $229,000 for the house in 2022.

BRINKS

There might be a speed bump behind this door.

Meanwhile, in Washington Boro 

Coming Soon: St. Patrick's Day 

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Coming Soon? The McGinness Innovation Park

This sign at the former McGinness airfield property was installed in February 2024.

During last Tuesday's Columbia Borough Council work session, citizen comments sparked a discussion on the future of the McGinness Innovation Park project.

Local business owner Ron Madar addressed council with concerns, explaining that he initially supported the project because it was to include drone technology. He said he was saddened, however, to hear that those plans fell through. Referring to "DR1," the drone company that was to be the anchor at the park, Madar asked council, "What went wrong?"

"What went wrong?" Ron Madar (center) asked council about the McGinness Innovation Park project.

Heather Zink, council president, explained that a grant (that the borough had applied for on behalf of DR1) was denied, and the company does not currently have funding to set up operations in the park. Madar asked why the grant was denied, and Zink said, "They don't tell you."

Citing a recent LNP article, Madar said he was concerned about the potential for warehouses and industrial buildings moving to the site. Describing Manor Street as “a wide street, a nice residential area,” Madar said truck traffic, noise, dirt and air quality issues would harm the area. "By no means is this low-impact."

Some councillors told Madar they don't want truck traffic at the site and blamed a February 20, 2025 LNP article for omitting councillors’ concerns about warehouses and manufacturing there. [Note: The article did include statements from councilwoman Barbara Fisher and Zink opposing “large trucks” and “warehouses and distributors.”]

The article also captured a dissenting view from councilman Eric Kaufman, in which he said, “I understand we have our opinions and our likes and wants and dislikes. But our intention is to sell this property. We make it suitable to sell for the largest possible dollar and not handcuff ourselves to what our vision was originally. Even if the change results in more traffic and manufacturing noise, that’s just the nature of it. I’m desperate to sell.”

At Tuesday's meeting, resident Frank Doutrich told council: "You're in over your heads," referring to the project. 

Although the meeting was classified as a work session, official action was taken. Council voted to advertise a special joint meeting of the Planning Commission and Council for Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 7 p.m. to further discuss the zoning and permitted uses for the McGinness Innovation Park. 

Gov Shapiro Signs Executive Order to Fill Critical Public Service Vacancies | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

https://www.pa.gov/governor/newsroom/2025-press-releases/gov-shapiro-signs-executive-order-to-fill-critical-public-servic.html 

Set clocks forward one hour this Sunday, March 9, 2025

 

March is Women's History Month

 

Restaurant Inspections - Columbia Borough - March 7, 2025

 

#homegoodies, 336 Locust St., Columbia, Feb. 27. Pass. Food facility is offering for sale chicken jerky made by Hippco, which is an unapproved source. Food facility is offering for sale foods prepared in an unapproved private home. Prepackaged yogurt parfaits are not labeled properly with the name of product, ingredient statement and distributed-by statement. Prepackaged yogurt parfaits are not labeled to clearly indicate any "Big 9" allergen ingredients and/or the allergen warning statement. Observed a rag stored on the hand-wash sink in the front service area, indicating uses other than hand-washing.

Bootleg Antiques, 135 Bridge St., Columbia, Feb. 27. Pass. Paper towel dispenser empty at the hand-wash sink in the food preparation area. Food facility using rodent bait placed in bait stations, which are not covered and tamper resistant.

Grand China, 156 Lancaster Ave., Columbia, Feb. 27. Pass. Raw clams observed stored above onions in the reach-in cooler.

Park Elementary School, 50 S. Sixth St., Columbia, Feb. 27. Pass. No violations.

My Shop, 353 Cherry St., Columbia, change of owner, Feb. 26. Pass. Plumbing system not maintained in good repair: observed water leaking at the drainpipe of the hand-wash sink in the food preparation area. Observed a box of "fryer saver" powder stored on the same shelf with mashed potato mix single-service cups.

[LNP | LancasterOnline] Columbia, Mount Joy, Rapho and West Hempfield sue MESA over ambulance service bills

DAN NEPHIN AND HANNAH SUTTON | LNP / LANCASTERONLINE

Four municipalities are taking the Municipal Emergency Services Authority of Lancaster County to court in an effort to get it to stop billing them when it provides emergency medical services to their residents.

Columbia and Mount Joy boroughs and Rapho and West Hempfield townships filed the action Thursday in Lancaster County Court.

The four municipalities do not contract with Elizabethtown-based MESA to provide EMS services, however under the concept of mutual aid, MESA responds when their EMS provider — Penn State Health Life Lion — is unavailable, and vice versa.

In their complaint, the four municipalities want a judge to tell MESA that it has no legal authority to bill them for services and that they do not have to pay bills that have been sent to them, which total $117,300.

Phone messages left Thursday for MESA’s manager, Wade Amick, were not immediately returned.

MESA essentially replaced Northwest EMS and began providing EMS service in February 2024. It was formed in an attempt to create a fiscally sustainable model for providing emergency medical services in the region Northwest formerly served.

MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-mount-joy-rapho-and-west-hempfield-sue-mesa-over-ambulance-service-bills/article_88b1645a-fad4-11ef-8324-4371036c5fc4.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share