COLUMBIA SPY

This week's photos of Columbia   Click on photos to see larger, sharper images.   JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY  Columbians are in a patriotic mood for the town's 300th anniversary.  Cats probably don't understand why humans mow grass.  Tollbooth is on its way back . . . ***************** UPS has gone electric. We won't see much of Brinks after Truist leaves. (By the way, they're illegally parked.) A tractor-trailer reportedly hit this tree on North 9th. It did notable damage.  This plant is growing at 2nd & Walnut.  Someone forgot his signs after election day.  When you're serious about biking When you're serious about fishing  Putting the docks in . . . ***************** Lotsa roses . . . ***************** An accident involving a van and a pickup truck occurred Monday morning at 5th & Chestnut.  The van was marked "School Students," but no students were inside.  ***************** 300 years of Columbia  The parking spaces...

Dearest Gentle Reader, Your faithful correspondent now takes up quill to address a matter of considerable local intrigue, one which has set hearts a-flutter and tempers ablaze.  We speak of rumors of a data center rising up on the former McGinness Airport site. Could Columbia Borough's 41 remediated acres become a shining digital temple, complete with all its attendant promises, problems, and prevarications? The property has attracted a single suitor, a New York company which has tendered an offer of $6.35 million. Its intentions for the property have not been formally announced, although the council president said the company specializes in "warehousing and data centers." Several months ago, Columbia Borough Council amended its zoning ordinance for the Light Business District to allow data centers as a use-by-right, yet councilors' intentions remain  "under wraps." It is worth noting, if only in passing, that the Borough's zoning also allows warehousing...

Columbia Kettle Works , 40 N. Third St., Columbia, May 14. Pass. Observed deeply scored cutting boards on both cooling units, not resurfaced or discarded as required. Observed static dust on the exhaust fan in the window above the three-compartment sink and some webbing on the ceiling and pipes above food preparation areas. Smoked & Loaded , 149 Third St., Columbia, May 14. Pass . Coleslaw, a refrigerated, ready-to-eat, time/temperature-control-for-safety food, in the two-door cooler, was not compliant with date-marking by being labeled with a discard- or use-by date of no more than seven days and requires discarding. Observed a scrub brush and food debris inside the hand-wash sink, indicating uses other than hand-washing. The hand-wash sink is for hand-washing only. Observed single-service, single-use articles (to-go trays) stored beneath a table in the food preparation area directly on the floor, and not 6 inches above the floor. A working container of soap detergent was stored ...

The former McGinness property does not appear on the map of potentially suitable locations for data center development due to its distance from suitable power lines. JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY  Who knew what and when? The Lancaster County Planning Commission met on May 11, 2026, with a featured presentation titled "Data Center Planning Guide Update." The presentation, reflected in the Lancaster County Planning Department's newly updated guide, "A Planning Guide Pertaining to Data Centers in Lancaster County, PA," outlines how municipalities across the county should approach zoning, infrastructure, and community impact as data center proposals increase. During the discussion, Heather Zink, Columbia Borough Council vice president and a member of the commission, said that borough officials were working with a developer. Speaking at about the 19-minute mark of the recording, Zink said: "We're working with the developer," a reference to the former McGin...

Due to larger than normal attendance expected, the location of the May 26, 2026 Columbia Borough Council meeting will be held 7 p.m. at the Columbia Borough Fire Hall, 726 Manor Street, Columbia.  [Source: Council President Eric Kauffman]

Hunt Cory, Hunt Mary conveyed 855 Lancaster Ave. to Yaricer Diaz for $160,000. Buchanan Alex B, Hatch Kaley R, Buchanan Kaley conveyed 227 N. Third St. to Mousley Christopher, Darcas Emme for $245,000. Clyde Investments LLC conveyed 20 N. Seventh St. to Bedolla Elizabeth, Bedolla Reyes for $230,000. JDW Property Solutions Inc. conveyed 601 Manor St. to Kolsovsky Kodie C, Kolsovsky Alexa for $230,000. Sapone Deana M, Cannon Deana M, Gaugler Deana M, Gaugler David conveyed 37 S. Eighth St. to Sahm Amy L, Sahm David K. for $232,000. Yohe Wayne A. Jr., Yohe Toni Lynn conveyed 370 Kinderhook Road to Wayne A. Yohe Jr. for $1.

Borough Solicitor Evan Gabel and Borough Manager Jack Brommer review a bid proposal from Saadia Holding LLC Monday morning, May 18th, at Borough Hall. JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY  Columbia Borough has received one bid for the sale of 41 acres of the former McGinness property at 1020 Manor Street. The bid proposal, submitted by Saadia Holding LLC, is in the amount of $6,350,000, which exceeds the minimum required bid of $6.2 million by $150,000. Evan Gabel, borough solicitor, opened and reviewed the proposal with borough officials at a public meeting at Borough Hall on Monday morning, May 18. The package included documentation on the organization and project team, a land use proposal with scope of work, estimated job creation figures, a financing section, community benefits, traffic impact analysis, a project timeline, and a sketch plan. The company has also committed to providing the required 4% deposit within 10 days. "We have everything we need to consider this a responsive bid,...