Locust Street apartment fire quickly contained

Units from several departments responded to a call for "BUILDING-HIGH OCCUPANCY-1A" on Locust Street shortly after 3 o'clock this afternoon. The fire reportedly originated at 410 Locust, apartment 3, and was quickly contained.

Deeds Recorded — Columbia Borough — June 8, 2026

Motter Garrison Reese, Selbert Megan conveyed 1260 Cloverton Drive to Musser Brian, Kinne Christina Adair for $462,000.

Abel Kim E, Abel Tanya J. conveyed 630 Lancaster Ave. to Abel Kim Edward, Abel Tanya Jo, Abel Revocable Trust for $1.

Negron Evelyn, Negron Jeffrey conveyed 1057 Locust St. to Kenneth Diehl Jr. for $295,000.

About Town — June 7, 2026

This week's photos of Columbia 

Click on photos to see larger, sharper images. 

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

"Night lights" at the VFW

Columbia's in a patriotic mood for its 300th.

It would be nice if the bulb(s) could be replaced to light up this clock for the 300th. It's been fading slowly over the past few months.

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Event space on Locust 

Buy/Sell Records

Flag deposit  boxes:

At the Elks

A new one at the Legion 

And at the VFW

(Photo previously posted)

It didn't make it across the street.

Cactus flowers . . . 

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 No way his legs are that long.

Peerless just installed this vent hood to vent God knows what.

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Bridge light in the wild

Still there

Why is Iron Eagle back at the former McGinness site yet again?

Missing hero banner

Still there

Mom and the kids at the boat ramp

Looks like she's had enough already. 

The (totally unnecessary) Walnut Street project...

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Ostriches do it one way. Geese do it like this. 

This must be the hot seat.

The bulletin board is getting full.

New awning(s) at Borough Hall?

A few quick clips from the parade

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Council to readvertise for bid proposal of former McGinness property

According to the agenda for the June 9, 2026 Columbia Borough Council meeting, council will "Authorize staff to readvertise for bid proposal of McGinness Property."

 The "Invitation to Bid and Request for Proposals" is contained in the meeting packet HERE.

1917 fire truck to be featured in Firefighters Parade

The newly restored 1917 American LaFrance fire truck (shown above), once used by Columbia's Vigilant Fire Company, will be featured in the June 6 Lancaster County Firefighters Parade. 

The parade is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and will follow the route shown below.

Restaurant Inspections — Columbia Borough — June 5, 2026

Columbia Mart, 890 Lancaster Ave., Columbia, May 29. Pass. Beef sticks in a self-serve container, observed at the front counter, are spoiled, moldy and adulterated. Observed eight pints of 1% low-fat chocolate milk beyond the sell-by date being offered for sale. Paper towel dispenser empty at the hand-wash sink in the back.

Lancaster City's pipeline, now at $67M, is still coming through Columbia

This map (click to enlarge) shows Lancaster City's proposed route for a 42-inch diameter pipeline to be run through Columbia Borough. The main would run from a pumping station along the Susquehanna River, underneath railroad tracks, up Mill Street, over South Fourth Street, then up Manor Street to South 15th Street before continuing to a water treatment plant at the southern end of 15th Street.

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

According to a June 2, 2026 LNP/LancasterOnline article by Todd Lassa, Lancaster City's finance committee voted 3-0 on June 1 to advance a bill seeking $15 million in additional interim short-term financing for the Susquehanna Large Diameter Transmission Main Project, sending it to the full City Council for a vote on June 9. The request comes as the major water infrastructure project has increased to $67.1 million — well beyond initial projections. 

An updated timeline estimates the project will be completed by September 30, 2027. Currently, no specifics have been announced on when the Columbia portion of the project will begin. 

The Susquehanna Large Diameter Transmission Main Project is designed to replace an aging 1950s-era water pipeline that carries water from the Susquehanna River to Lancaster City's treatment plant, serving roughly 120,000 customers across Lancaster County. The centerpiece is a 42-inch diameter water main intended to provide redundancy for the existing line, which is over 70 years old, supplies about 70% of Lancaster City's customers, and has required increasingly costly repairs, including an emergency fix in 2012.

In Columbia, the proposed underground route would begin at a pumping station along the Susquehanna River in Columbia, cross underneath the railroad tracks, travel across Front Street, up Mill Street, over South 4th Street, and up Manor Street to the water treatment plant at South 15th Street. From there, the line continues east along Route 462 into Mountville.

The backstory 

Construction was originally scheduled to begin in February 2026 and conclude in March 2027, a span of roughly 13 months. Manor Street alone would face up to six months of disruption, with the line sitting in an 8-foot deep, 8-foot wide trench progressing at 50 to 100 feet per day.

As part of the PENNVEST application process, Lancaster City required letters of support from all affected municipalities — Columbia Borough, West Hempfield Township, Mountville Borough, and East Hempfield Township. Columbia initially refused.

At a July 15, 2025 regular meeting, Columbia Borough Council voted to send a letter of non-support, with Borough Manager Steven Kaufhold arguing the borough would "take the brunt of this with literally no gain," citing unanswered questions about fire truck access, prolonged street closures, and the impact on residents. Kaufhold noted that while the letter could create complications, the Public Utilities Commission might have the final word regardless. "It's a PUC. We may not have a lot of chances of stopping this," he said.

Councilman Kelly Murphy questioned whether alternatives had been seriously considered. "They didn't really present what their other options were. It might be more cost for them, but going through some farmland is going to do a lot less disturbance than cutting through a whole town," he said.

Despite that initial resistance, council ultimately voted unanimously at its September 9, 2025 meeting to provide the letter of support — a reversal driven in part by a desire to secure a seat at the negotiating table. Councilman Peter Stahl, who made the motion, explained the shift: "When we initially denied it, we got a seat at the table again, and Lancaster City's listening. I feel that we have a place now to discuss and get in writing the things that we need to be done and need to be considered."

Borough Engineer Derek Rinaldo was careful to frame the letter narrowly. "This is basically supporting the city of Lancaster in getting financing at a good rate for this project," he said. "We have no desire to stick it to the city of Lancaster. We want to make sure that their taxpayers and ratepayers get the best deal."

Rinaldo indicated that Columbia's control over street cut permits gives the borough meaningful leverage going forward. Key issues still to be negotiated include street restoration requirements, road closure durations and detour plans, emergency vehicle access, and impacts on local business deliveries.

Christine Volkay-Hilditch, Lancaster City's Deputy Director of Public Works, said Manor Street will be repaved along its full length after excavation — though not curb to curb — and that the recently repaved 200 block of Mill Street will be completely restored. She also agreed to hold an additional public meeting with residents.

[Sources: LNP/LancasterOnline, Columbia Spy]