Columbia Spy

https://columbiacourier.blogspot.com/?m=1

TODD LASSA | FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE

When: Lancaster City Council meeting, June 23. Vice President John Hursh was absent.

What happened: Council voted 6-0 to accept $15 million in interim short-term financing to cover inflated costs of construction for the Susquehanna Large Diameter Transmission Main overhaul — a major project that will replace the water main from the Susquehanna River intake to the Lancaster water treatment plant.

Background: The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority last December offered $49.29 million in funding for the water pipeline overhaul, but bids received indicate the cost has risen to $67.1 million, according to Daryl Peck, Concord Public Finance principal.

MORE: HERE

Columbia Spy documented Columbia’s involvement in the project HERE.

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Columbia Borough Council voted 5-2 at its June 23, 2026 meeting to hire Tracey Weaver as the borough’s new finance manager, filling a position that had been vacant for roughly six months. Members Heather Zink and Joanne Geesey were the two “no” votes.

The position also carries human resources responsibilities, including payroll, benefits administration, and personnel matters.

Weaver is currently employed as Township Treasurer/Human Resource Coordinator for Mount Joy Township. According to her application and resume, she has worked in finance, bookkeeping, and HR roles for nearly two decades and has more than two years of municipal finance experience, which the borough’s executive brief notes.

Weaver applied for the Columbia Borough finance manager position on January 30, 2026, and her application notes she had also applied previously, on May 20, 2025. The executive brief states that Weaver was interviewed by the borough manager, assistant borough manager, and the borough’s finance consultant, and that all three agreed to move forward with hiring her. During the meeting, it was noted that councilors and staff also interviewed Weaver separately. 

Councilwoman Geesey raised concerns about whether Weaver meets the qualifications laid out in the borough’s job description for the position. Reading from the document, Geesey said the finance manager role calls for the equivalent of four or more years of post-secondary education at an accredited college or university in accounting or a similar field of study.

Geesey said Weaver does not have any college-level education in accounting, though she noted the two years of municipal experience. She argued that Weaver does not meet the educational requirements specifically outlined in the job description, and questioned the wisdom of paying that salary to a candidate who doesn’t meet those qualifications.

Borough Manager Jack Brommer explained: “She has a very good personality and indicates to us she likes to be busy and she’s a worker, which is what we need here.”

Council vice president Zink added: “And honestly, you hire personality; you can teach skill.”

The executive brief set Weaver’s annual salary at $81,120 per year, contingent on a background check and medical evaluation. However, the salary was increased to $83,200 after Weaver made a counter offer, according to Council President Kauffman. Weaver will also receive training (“onboarding”) from Brown’s, the accounting firm the borough is currently using.

Councilman Ethan Byers commented: “We are under significantly what she could be making in other places if she wanted to.” Byers added that the standard salary for a borough finance manager is $104,000.

The executive brief notes higher costs incurred from paying outside contractors to cover finance work during the vacancy, and states that the borough manager and contractors had been handling finance and HR duties typically assigned to a finance manager.

The backstory

Since 2020, Columbia Borough has experienced a high rate of turnover, going through six different finance managers or interim accounting solutions. The sequence of turnover and personnel in the borough’s finance department includes:

Kyle Watts: Served for two years until his departure in January 2021.

BGA&F Accounting Firm: Handled borough finances in early 2021 after a series of brief interim stints.

Tammy Bennett: Hired in June 2021, she served for three years before resigning in July 2024.

Karen Weiss: Hired in September 2024, she quit abruptly after a short time.

Michelle Jenkins: Hired in November 2024, she was later terminated in May 2025.

Brian Christensen: Hired in August 2025, he tendered his resignation in December 2025.

SUSAN GRUBB | FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE and ASHLEY STALNECKER | Staff Writer

The Elizabethtown Area School District board unanimously appointed Tom Strickler to be the district’s next superintendent beginning July 1. Strickler, the district’s chief financial and operations officer, will be doing two jobs at once.

The board did not consider any outside candidates for the role and are not planning to fill the chief financial officer position. Strickler will continue fulfilling those duties as he takes on the superintendent role for a $213,106 annual salary. His contract allows for annual 4.1% salary increases and longevity bonuses. (In the 2025-26 school year, the top-paid Lancaster County superintendent, Keith Miles of School District of Lancaster, was paid $244,593).

Strickler’s salary as CFOO in 2024-25 was $139,725, according to openPAgov.org, a public education transparency project of the Commonwealth Foundation.

Strickler joined the school district as CFOO in 2023, after Columbia Borough School District replaced him as superintendent in 2020. The board voted in May 2020 to conduct a search for a new superintendent rather than renew Strickler’s contract — despite community backlash over the decision — and Columbia’s current superintendent, Ashley Rizzo stepped into the job in January 2021.

Strickler had started as the district’s superintendent in January 2018.

MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/elizabethtown-area-school-board-appoints-current-finance-and-operations-officer-as-superintendent/article_59d9b8b9-f9df-4f19-ab56-d04dd4bf9565.html

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

At the June 23 Columbia Borough Council meeting, President Eric Kauffman opened the discussion on the draft data center ordinance by stating that borough officials met with representatives of Saadia Holdings LLC recently. This is the first time residents heard that Saadia is still interested in purchasing the former McGinness tract. “They’re still in,” Kauffman said. 

Council Vice President Heather Zink said that Saadia’s attorney, Claudia Shank, met with borough staff last week and submitted a redlined copy of the proposed ordinance. Zink was careful to frame the contact as informational rather than collaborative.

“The Saadia group met with staff this past week,” Zink said, adding that the company was shown the borough’s draft “not for them to look at us, but for them to see what we’re considering.”

A second look at the draft
Zink said she had little time to fully review Shank’s proposed redline before the meeting, calling the weeks leading up to it “out of control,” but she walked council through the changes she was prepared to accept, and several she wasn’t.

Among the items Zink recommended striking was a “community noise equivalent level” standard that had been pulled from a York County model ordinance. She argued the metric would only confuse residents and developers trying to apply the borough’s decibel limits, calling it “another level to read and keep track of” that doesn’t add protection for nearby property owners. Council appeared to agree to remove that section.

Zink did back two changes favorable to clarifying enforcement: expanding the data center definition to explicitly include accessory uses and electric substations, which she said closes a potential loophole that could otherwise invite litigation, and including community parks — not just playgrounds and trails — in the ordinance’s list of protected “sensitive receptors.”

Setbacks debated, then scaled back
The most extended discussion centered on how far a data center would have to sit from neighboring property lines. An earlier draft had proposed 500 feet, a figure Zink said she’d found in another state’s model ordinance, but she told council that requirement would effectively make the site unbuildable.

“It’s one thing to have something allowed in your zoning ordinance, and it’s another thing to put the restrictions so much that you can’t do anything,” Zink said, calling an effectively prohibitive setback “another form of exclusionary” zoning.

Council voted to table the remainder of the redline — covering parking and other site requirements — until members have had more time to review it.

Conditional use vs. special exception
Council also revisited a procedural question it believed had already been settled: whether a future data center proposal should require “conditional use” approval, heard by council itself after a public hearing, or a “special exception,” heard by the borough’s zoning hearing board.

Council members said they preferred conditional use regardless of the timing risk. Zink said she felt bound by what she’d heard from residents.

“We heard from the public that they wanted us to take our time with this,” Zink said. “For me, that means I’m pretty married to conditional use.”

Council also discussed retaining a community benefits agreement requirement, which Zink said was intentionally written in general terms, addressing things like clean energy commitments and penalties for non-compliance, with fire company donations, utility assistance funding and impact fees offered only as examples of what such an agreement might include, not an exhaustive list.

Background: a bid rejected, then a do-over
In May, Saadia Holdings LLC — a New York-based company that operates a distribution center in West Hempfield Township and was the property’s sole bidder — submitted a $6.35 million offer. Word that the proposal involved a data center drew hundreds of residents to a four-and-a-half-hour council meeting at the Columbia Borough Fire Hall, where speakers raised concerns about noise, water and electricity demand, and effects on property values. Council voted 7-0 to reject the bid, but on a procedural technicality: Saadia’s offer didn’t guarantee full payment within the 60 days required by state law for a sealed-bid sale, since the company wanted to wait until its site plans won borough approval.

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY

A Columbia Borough resident has asked Mayor Leo Lutz to rescind his proclamation declaring June 2026 as Pride Month. 

At the June 23 Columbia Borough Council Meeting, resident Jesse Rabinowitz told council he objects to the proclamation on religious and philosophical grounds. Reading from a prepared statement, he said that while he believes every person has equal worth because they are “created in the image of God,” he does not believe publicly celebrating LGBT identity or pride is the right way to express that respect. 

He argued that the proclamation “is an open door for public celebrations of homosexuality and pride, which undermines our community,” and said he and others in attendance consider it “logically inconsistent to seek equality by elevating one group above others.”

Rabinowitz also said he wants Columbia to remain a town “where families are comfortable walking downtown and enjoying our rich history, shopping at our 34 antique shops and sitting down for a bite at Hinkle’s without having one group’s flag publicly flying over the town.” He asked Lutz to retract the proclamation, saying it does not represent the whole community.

Lutz responded by defending his decision, noting that in his nearly 25 years as mayor he has issued proclamations for many nationally recognized causes regardless of his personal views. 

“Whether I agree with it or not is not material,” Lutz said. “I have my own personal feelings and beliefs. But as mayor, if I am asked to do something for a group that is basically recognized nationally, I probably will do it.”

Lutz pointed to two passages he said were the heart of the proclamation: language affirming that the nation was founded on the principle that “every person is created equal” with a right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” and language stating that it is “essential that our LGBTQIA+ youth be accorded the freedom to be themselves without fear and live free from reprisal, discrimination or bullying.” Lutz said those two points were why he signed the proclamation. “I will stand by it,” he said.

The proclamation, issued June 9, states that Pride Month is “a time to recognize and celebrate the impact of LGBTQIA+ individuals locally, nationally, and internationally” and that the community “is strengthened by the rich diversity of our residents.” Several audience members applauded after Lutz’s remarks.

[Rabinowitz was recently appointed as a member of the Columbia Borough Zoning Hearing Board.]

Borough Of Marietta, PA – Government 

MARIETTA BOROUGH OFFICES

A little bit about the painted fire hydrants from Stephanie Gantz who organized it…

Q&A about the Patriotic Paint-A-Plug Event: 

1. It is a community beautification event, a contest for the artists and a fundraiser for the 4th of July Community Carnival. The public can vote at the link above. You can also access the voting site by scanning the QR codes on the signs beside each hydrant.

2. The hydrants are owned by Columbia Water and leased by the Borough for use by the fire department. We received approval from all three before proceeding with the event. All hydrants maintain the original color on the front nut that is the color coded piece the fire department uses to know the water pressure available at the hydrant. This direction is per Columbia Water. The hydrants are all still fully functional.

3. The hydrants were cleaned of rust and painted with a high-quality direct to metal primer as a fresh base for the artists. This material and labor was generously donated by L. Weber Painting. 

4. We are very grateful to all of the artists who created such creative designs that illustrate what patriotism means to us.

5. We are very grateful for the generosity of all 11 sponsors – all wonderful residents, businesses, and organizations committed to supporting events like this in Marietta.

6. Below is a map showing the location of all of the decorated hydrants. Please take a stroll, roll, or drive around the community and visit them all in person. You won’t be disappointed! And while you are out, grab a coffee, a bite to eat, some ice cream or a drink in town!

Location 1. 264 W Market St – Sponsored by the Marietta Community House Artists: students at the Under the Willow School

Location 2. 214 W Market St – Sponsored by Covenant Veterinary Care Artist: Naomi Bloom

Location 3. 145 W Market St – Sponsored by Susquehanna Stage Artist: Jim Johnson

Location 4. 44 W Market St – Sponsored by Express Laundry, LLC Artist: Saint Maree

Location 5. 10 E Front St- Sponsored by Shanks Tavern Artist: Kelly McCart

Location 6. 100 E Market St – Sponsored by Molly’s Courtyard Cafe Artist: Tina Blizzard

Location 7. 302 E Market St – Sponsored by Mike and Sheila Stotler Artist: Jesse Prentiss

Location 8. 590 E Market St Sponsored by Marietta Restoration Association Artist: Noel Fry

Location 9. 18 W Walnut St Sponsor LunaPic Artist: students and parents at Susquehanna Waldorf School

Location 10.                                                  205 E Market St Sponsor Swedish Motors Artist: Tracey McCarriar

Location 11. 310 W Market St Sponsor The Mavens of Marietta Artist: Jennifer VonStein

UPDATE: HERE

A stabbing was reported Tuesday afternoon on Fairview Avenue in Columbia Borough, according to dispatch audio obtained from local emergency communications.

The incident was logged at approximately 1:39 PM EDT on June 23. 2026. Dispatch audio reveals that units were called to a residence on Fairview Avenue – believed to be in the area of 638 Fairview Ave – in response to a stabbing. The call was classified as an *Assault**

According to the auto-generated dispatch transcript, the call originated from Columbia Borough, with the specific address number withheld by dispatchers. Medic 776 was among the units responding to the scene.

The condition of any potential victim or victims has not been officially confirmed at this time. Columbia Borough Police have not vet released an official statement regarding the incident

*This report is based on dispatch audio. Dispatch transcripts are auto-generated and may be incomplete or inaccurate. This is not an official report.*

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.