COLUMBIA SPY

Recent photos of Columbia  (Click/tap on photos to see larger, sharper images.) Bob Smith was Grand Marshal of today's Memorial Day Parade. He spearheaded the Hometown Hero banner project in Columbia. Matching curtains have been added to the windows at the mural behind CVS. That albatwitch is still hanging around. The docks are in. Train car with a shipment of sumac (?) Bath time Flower power Works by a budding graffiti artist under the bridge Speaking of the bridge, these guys were inspecting it the other day. When you run out of red paint (?) Dayspring Christian Academy students replaced flags at Mount Bethel. These old ones will be disposed of in a dignified manner. More info  HERE . Habitat for Humanity gettin' 'er done Thursday afternoon on the 200 block of South 5th Street. There are those bridge inspectors again, this time a little further down. Memorial brick walkway at Mount Bethel The Sheltering Sky, once again Habitat project, Friday morning Habitat project, Frid...

When: Columbia Borough school board meeting, May 18. What happened: The school board approved a partnership with the Healthy Kids Program, an initiative providing supervised care before and after school for the 2023-24 academic year. The program would hire teachers and outside staff to supervise students at Park Elementary School. All students enrolled in the district are eligible to participate. Cost: Tuition for the Healthy Kids Program has yet to be determined; however, most locations the program serves cost between $100 to $200 per month, excluding fees. Families may also qualify for a tuition waiver. There will be no cost to the district. MORE: https://lancasteronline.com/news/regional/columbia-borough-school-board-mulls-plans-for-after-school-program-increasing-graduation-rates/article_f8fa28de-f903-11ed-83ea-772188178eb4.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share  

Abandoned factory on one of the Ridge Avenue  parcels  Council voted 6-1 on Tuesday to acquire 9.4 acres of property on Ridge Avenue to relocate the borough's public works department there. The borough needs to move public works, because a company wants to buy the parcel where the department is currently located (known as the "borough sheds") on the 400 block of South Front Street. The company, JG Environmental, which already leases the borough's wastewater treatment plant, wants to buy the parcel to expand its operation.  The borough plans to spend $1,350,000 for the Ridge Avenue property (several parcels) to move public works there. Funds for the purchase will come from the borough's Wells Fargo money market account. The account will theoretically be reimbursed with revenue from the sale to JG Environmental and sell-offs of the former Columbia #1 firehouse (currently leased to KT Graham), 26 acres of the borough farm on Blue Lane, and excess acreage (about 5 acr...

 Video by Howard Stevens  HERE.

Sendoff for Quincy Stewart to states for track and field. They will meet at the high school Thursday, May 25 @ 5:00 PM. From there, they will travel down the back hill to Ironville Pike, over Ninth Street, down Locust Street, and over Third Street to Route 30. Come out and show your support for this young man and show him how proud our town is of him.

In a 5-2 vote, Columbia Borough Council voted to sell a .12-acre vacant lot at 400 Locust Street to Cimarron Investments, even though it had offered the LOWER of two bids. Realtor Jeff Seibert conveyed offers from Cimarron and Habitat for Humanity to council at Tuesday night's borough council meeting, with Cimarron bidding $60,000, while Habitat offered $58,000 with an escalation clause that would allow them to outbid by $500 any counter offer - up to $75,000, so in this instance, their offer automatically became $60,500. Columbia Borough paid $75,000 for the property in 2017, so acceptance of the $60,000 offer represents a loss of $15,000 to the borough. Cimarron's stated goal is to build 4 to 6 rental units with a commercial space on the first floor, while Habitat had planned two condominium-style homes with a commercial space. Mayor Leo Lutz seemed to have difficulty understanding Habitat's proposal, which had to be explained to him several times. Councilors Todd Burgard...

https://lancasteronline.com/sports/highschool/trackandfield/a-comeback-puts-columbias-quincy-stewart-on-fast-track-to-gold/article_b8a2e296-faaa-11ed-b12a-b7806330259a.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share