Columbia Spy

By Zachary Lape- Lape Brothers Photography

Marietta, Lancaster County is holding a fantastic fundraiser called Marietta Patriotic Paint-a-Plug. It benefits the Marietta Carnival on July 4th time- 4:30-8:30pm, followed by Fireworks at 9:15pm. They will have Games, live music and Food trucks. The location of the carnival is at the Marietta War Memorial Park, located at 344 E Walnut Street, Marietta.

11 different fire hydrants sponsored by local businesses throughout Marietta Borough have been painted by local artists.

L. Weber Painting sponsored the supplies to the artists. They also prepared the hydrants for the artists to paint.

History of painting the hydrant
The nationwide trend of painting fire hydrants began as a grassroots civic movement during the United States Bicentennial in 1976. Across the country, ordinary citizens, Boy Scouts, and garden clubs transformed local hydrants into historical figures, soldiers, and patriotic designs to celebrate the country’s 200th birthday. This July 4th is 250th and it’s impressive to see Marietta bring history back to the town.

These photos are from 1976:

(Photos are not mine. Credits to the photographers who took them.)

Meet One Of The Artists

Tracey McCarriar is one of the Local Artists. She also does photography take a look at some her work out at tmcphotos.com

Vote for your favorite fire hydrant. Voting will close on July 4th at 4:30pm.

The winner will be announced at the Marietta Carnival. Please vote and support the Fundraiser, Local Artists and Businesses.

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=Bf0bvwcx9kuEzZLOWY6pzRPOSRvBfuZOlbjhf108pO9UMk85NUVaVVZORkVHWThHRzUwN1dMUk5WNy4u&origin=QRCode&route=shorturl

The meeting packet is HERE.

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

All 26 piers of the Veterans Memorial Bridge will blaze Sunday night for the first time in more than a decade, marking a milestone moment for the annual Riverfest celebration between Columbia and Wrightsville.

The lighting will take place around 7:45 p.m. on June 28, with the bridge closed to vehicle traffic and open to pedestrians so visitors can get a clear view. While the piers are set to be lit at that time, organizers say there’s no way to predict how long the burn will last.

The piers, remnants of earlier bridges that once spanned the Susquehanna River before the current Veterans Memorial Bridge was completed in 1930, are typically lit only a few at a time each year by the Susquehanna National Heritage Area as part of Riverfest. 

The last time all of the surviving stone piers were lit simultaneously was in 2013 for the 150th anniversary of the original bridge burning. This year’s full lighting honors the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Riverfest itself commemorates a piece of Civil War history: in June 1863, residents of York and Lancaster counties burned the covered bridge that once crossed the river there, blocking Confederate troops from advancing toward Harrisburg and Philadelphia. The festival runs Friday through Sunday this year and celebrates the shared histories of both counties.

Ahead of the lighting, the public can attend a “Light Up the Night” viewing party at Columbia Crossing, 41 Walnut St. in Columbia, starting at 6 p.m. The Maxwell Project will perform live there from 6 to 8 p.m. A related talk featuring speaker Scott Mingus is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the same location.

JADE CAMPOS | LNP Staff Writer

Lancaster County Democrats are garnering national attention in their attempts to flip or hold on to seats in Republican-friendly areas, according to campaign finance disclosure forms filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State last week.

Donations from as far away as the West Coast have helped Columbia Democrat Brad Chambers and East Petersburg Democrat James Malone outpace their Republican challengers in fundraising heading into the summer.

In the 36th Senate District, Malone has more than twice as much money to spend on his reelection campaign compared to GOP opponent Tom Jones, while in the 41st House District, Chambers has nearly $10,000 more than incumbent Brett Miller.

Democrats have expressed optimism about their chances of flipping the 41st District, which has become more purple in recent years and includes the Columbia Borough and Hempfield school districts. Most of the House district is contained in Malone’s 36th Senate District, a longtime deep-red district that broke for Democrats in a 2025 special election.

Chambers, a 35-year-old labor administrator from Columbia, reported having $101,352 on hand to spend at the start of the summer, raising more than $25,000 from May 5 to June 8. Miller, who is defending his seat, is not far behind with $93,436 available to spend on his own campaign, bringing in $12,525 during that same time period.

MORE: HERE

Mechanical rough-ins are underway at the five-unit Linden Street build in Columbia. HVAC professionals are on onsite this week and are expected to wrap up their work next week. Electrical and fire suppression work will also be getting done onsite this week.

Habitat for Humanity estimates it will need a few more weeks to let subcontractors get onsite and complete their work before volunteer shifts resume at Linden.

In the meantime, read about two of the Linden Street homebuyers Donescha and Stephanie.

[Source: Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity June 24-26 Weekly Construction Update newsletter]

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

If you’ve traveled through Marietta lately, you may have noticed fire hydrants wearing stars, stripes, and other designs.

“Patriotic Paint A Plug,” a borough-wide art project has turned 11 ordinary fire hydrants into mini-canvases celebrating America’s 250th birthday. Local businesses and residents sponsored the project. L. Weber handled the paint, prepping, and priming. Local artists, community groups, and students did the painting. 

Students from Under The Willow School in Marietta teamed with the Marietta Community House to decorate a hydrant of their own.

Each hydrant comes with its own yard sign, numbered and ready for visitors to scan a QR code and cast a vote for their favorite. Voting closes July 4, 2026 at 4:30 p.m.

Proceeds and goodwill from the project benefit the Marietta Community Carnival.

Thanks Zachary Lape of Lape Brothers Photography for the news tip.

https://columbiacourier.blogspot.com/2026/06/from-wrights-ferry-to-columbia-town-of.html?m=1

The Estate of Brommer Jack R. Est., Brommer Jack R. Sr. conveyed 1211 Central Ave. to Correa Omar Placencio, Reynoso Santa Correa for $320,000.

Schleh Richard A, Schleh Debora J. conveyed 338 Walnut St. to Debora J. Schleh for $1.

Martin Patti A, Brubaker Patti A. conveyed 34 S. Ninth St. to Atlantic Investment Partners Ltd. for $1.

R&S Manufacturing LLC, R&S Manufacturing Corp. conveyed property on a public road to 525 Mill St. LLC for $8,959,680.

A newly formed LLC tied to Kleen-Rite Corp.’s Columbia headquarters has acquired the longtime home of R&S Manufacturing on Mill Street in a deal worth just under $9 million, according to property and corporate records.

A deed recently recorded in Lancaster County shows R&S Manufacturing LLC and R&S Manufacturing Corp. conveyed the Mill Street property to an entity called 525 Mill St. LLC for $8,959,680.

Records filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State show 525 Mill St. LLC was formed on April 3, 2026, as a domestic limited liability company. The LLC’s listed address — 257 S. 9th St., Columbia — is the corporate headquarters of Kleen-Rite Corp., the car wash supply and equipment company that has operated out of Columbia for more than 50 years.

R&S Manufacturing has operated at 525 Mill St. for nearly three decades, making steel rolling doors, dock levelers and related commercial hardware under the R&S Manufacturing and Lasko Metal Products names.

Neither Kleen-Rite nor R&S Manufacturing has publicly confirmed a connection between the companies or announced plans for the property. It’s not yet clear whether Kleen-Rite intends to use the site for warehouse or distribution space, or whether R&S will continue operating there under a lease arrangement.

Kleen-Rite, headquartered at 257 S. 9th St., also operates distribution centers in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, as well as in Nevada, Texas and Missouri.

This story may be updated as more information becomes available.

LANCASTERONLINE | Staff

Rehabilitation of the Veterans Memorial Bridge between Columbia and Wrightsville and the widening of Route 222 in Manheim Township are among the Lancaster County projects included in a four-year state transportation plan that is now available for public comment.

From now through June 30, the state Department of Transportation is accepting public comment on its 2027-2030 statewide transportation improvement plan. Last updated in 2024, the plan includes road, bridge and public transit projects that are expected to get state and federal funding.

A total of $29.4 billion in federal, state and local funding is expected to be spent on transportation projects in the state between 2027 and 2030, according to the plan, including nearly $475 million in Lancaster County.

The start date for rehabilitating the Veterans Memorial Bridge has been pushed back from 2027 to 2028 at the earliest because of ongoing coordination between PennDOT and federal agencies on protection of several threatened and endangered species, according to PennDOT spokesperson Michael Crochunis, who declined to identify the exact species. It was originally set to begin in 2024, but PennDOT pushed back the timeline and did interim repairs after discovering more extensive rehabilitation was needed. The project will require a three-year bridge closure for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians and a total cost of over $230 million. Widening and reconstruction of Route 222 in Manheim Township is expected to take place between 2028 and 2030, costing $75 million.

Projects in the plan are selected by regional transportation planning boards across the state, including the Lancaster County Metropolitan Planning Organization, which held a public comment period last month on its four-year plan. The majority of the comments on that plan were from people supporting the inclusion of funding to extend the Warwick-Ephrata Rail Trail into downtown Lititz.

A draft of the statewide plan and comment form are available now at lanc.news/PennDOTcomments. More details on the Lancaster County portion of the plan are available at lanc.news/TransportPlan.