Sunday, April 23, 2023

Calls grow to expand $50,000 grants to homeowners for critical repairs | fox43.com


While most counties have not yet opened applications to homeowners, officials expect demand will far exceed the program’s initial $125 million in funding.

Legislation passed last year is taking aim at blight and hundreds of thousands of homes in desperate need of repair and weatherization.

The Whole-Home Repairs program helps assess home repair needs and find contractors and community organizations to perform the repairs.

Homeowners can be granted up to $50,000 for each unit. Small landlords can be granted a forgivable $50,000 loan per unit.

Lancaster Stands Up organized a rally featuring Representative Smith-Wade-El, Senator Nikil Saval, CASA, POWER Interfaith, and dozens of supporters who pushed for the Whole Home Repairs program.

MORE:

https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/50000-grants-homeowners-critical-repairs/521-28f5a6d0-9ad4-47b3-9f16-3b2a28760de2

Saturday, April 22, 2023

Columbia hosts spring cleanup


Columbia, Lancaster County, hosted its second annual spring clean-up.

About 40 volunteers came out Friday to help with this year's beautification efforts in the borough's downtown area and parks.

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Council candidate asks for apology to residents


Gayle Johnson, For LNP | LancasterOnline

Columbia resident and Democratic Borough Council candidate Brad Chambers asked Eric Kauffman, council vice president, if he wanted to apologize to residents for saying that he believed the borough has too many handicapped parking spaces during the April 4 meeting, when council members discussed adding additional language to the ordinance that governs accessible parking.

Kauffman, who said he was happy to answer the question, did not apologize.

“I don’t have a problem with handicapped parking,” Kauffman said. “I have a problem with the abuse of handicapped parking.”

The council vice president reiterated that he thought the borough has issued too many parking-accessible placards or license plates. That number stands at about 102. Kauffman said he knows of two instances in which residents continue to use handicapped parking designations even though the medical reasons that allowed those uses have been resolved.

“My whole beef is with us as a borough not verifying every year,” Kauffman said during an April 19 phone interview. “All the borough does is send out a renewal letter.”

Friday, April 21, 2023

Celebrate Earth Day at Sahd Salvage - Friday, April 21, 2023

 


Restaurant Inspections - Columbia Borough - April 21, 2023

 


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

Andy's Market Inc., 310 N. 11th St., Columbia, April 14. Pass. Raw chicken stored next to raw beef in a common container in the walk-in cooler with no barriers to prevent cross-contamination. Assorted boxes of food stored directly on the floor in the walk-in freezer, rather than 6 inches off of the floor as required. Food facility does not have available sanitizer test strips or test kit to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration of quaternary ammonia of the three-compartment sink. The test strips were wet previously and no longer react.

Smoke & Chill, 353 Cherry St., Columbia, follow-up, April 14. Pass. Food facility is offering for sale: The Demon Delta 8 Gummies; Stonehead HHC infused apple, berry, pina colada and watermelon Gummies, California; Stonehead Delta 8 infused apple, berry, pina colada gummies, California; Cake Delta 8 sour citrus gummies, Orange, California; Canna, Cali melon, tropical punch Delta 9 gummies, California; DB Strawberry CBD gummies, distributed by Virag, Pompano Beach, Florida; Torch Delta 9 Live Resin chili lime gummies, that contain an unapproved additive as specified in 21 CFR 170-180 relating to food additives. Such products are under U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulation and at which time CBD is not recognizable as a safe substance to be added to food.

Columbia Mini Mart, 26 N. Fourth St., Columbia, April 12. Pass. Four pints of reduced-fat chocolate milk beyond the sell-by date being offered for sale. Pirates Treats Cherry Rings CBD Gummies, Wicked Delta 8 Gummies and JUST CBD Honey Sticks contain an unapproved additive as specified in 21 CFR 170-180 relating to food additives. Such products are under U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulation and at which time CBD is not recognizable as a safe substance to be added to food.  Food facility does not have available sanitizer test strips or test kit to determine appropriate sanitizer concentration of the three-compartment sink. Paper towels are not available at the hand-wash sink in the back. Ceiling tiles missing and broken in the restroom and above the hand-wash sink in the small hallway and need to be replaced.

Our Lady Of The Angels School/Holy Trinity Church, 404 Cherry St., Columbia, April 11. Pass. Mops hanging over the hand-wash sink in the restroom, contaminating the hand-wash sink and contacting the soap dispenser. Rodent feces on the floor throughout the facility. The facility has pest control.