About two hours after the shooting incident at Third and Union on Saturday night, a fireworks event was held on, or near, the river shore close to the first block of Union Street. The bangs could be heard at least as far away as Ninth Street, causing many to think an active shooting event was still underway. The two clips below document a few seconds of the fireworks. No whistles or screeches can be heard as the rockets ascend and explode. After the reports, faint crackling can be heard in some instances, but was not audible a few blocks away.
Columbia Spy 
You are clueless! The property taxes on those cottages are a joke!!! Most of them have come down in assessed value while the sale prices in some cases are 5 times the assessed value! I will be contacting the Assessment office about this!
LikeLike
Cole didn't take this off topic, the commenters did. And to suggest he should do something about it would be infringing on the right to freedom of speech. Now go back to your cottage and mind your own business.
LikeLike
I suppose you are somewhat correct, except for (1) gross assumption….”your cottage”??? I do not own a cottage along the river in question.
LikeLike
Why don't you people mind your own business and let the people alone that own the cottages there are alot bigger things in town to worry about taxes council spending so much money the schools in such a mess why don't you worry about the important things wake up
LikeLike
Sale prices?? When was the last time any cottages were sold to corroborate your statement of “sale prices are 5x assessed value”? I myself have been looking/interested for years to buy one and they don't seem to be selling. There have been (2) listed For Sale for over a year now, but have not sold, no doubt due to the ridiculously high sale price they are “asking” but not “getting”. Maybe what you meant to say is that the “ASKING PRICES” are 5x the assessed value… a more correct statement.
LikeLike
Here is the entire problem with Columbia, it is not the cottage owners, it is that Columbia citizens are destroying the town. Hating on people who have something you do not is childish. At my place of employment everyone think Columbia is a joke and they call it Lumlum. No matter how much I defend Columbia people in this country think Columbia is the armpit of Lancaster county and what would make them want to come here and visit. In the Lancaster County cookbook by Louise Stolzfus & Jan Mast here is part of the expert about Columbia.”A sleepy river, with its share of decaying neighborhoods” That right there says it all. There is not any other write up about any other community in this boom that does not paint a picture of a town you would want to visit. Would anyone want to visit any town that it's write up calls it decaying? I think not. What needs to be done is for all the Columbia pride that this town has, come together and make changes, so that people want to visit here and maybe just maybe live here. But it will never happen with the path we are going down.
LikeLike
Actually it's the truth! Since the present Mayor, past and now present Council refuse to listen to the majority of the people, we have decayed. Except for their personal agendas.To late to turn things around.
LikeLike
Why are they permitted to set these illegal fireworks off year after year?
LikeLike
All you had to do is look in the sky!!!
LikeLike
Yes damn straight I almost called the cops because I could hear it in the North End of town and had heard about the activity going on in town with the gunshots and I thought I heard two distinct sets of bangs that I thought were equal to 4 gunshots.
LikeLike
Don't you know the privileged few down there can do whatever the hell they want!
LikeLike
I thought fireworks shot off by individuals were illegal in Pa.
LikeLike
Depends on how much money you have and who you're friend's with. We the little people are just the one's who pay for all their stupid ideas of progress.
LikeLike
If calls were made why did they continue?Yes it was Fourth of July and fireworks are nice.Enough is enough though.
LikeLike
That law is a complicated one. Hey, maybe you guys should learn them, so with all your negativity we read, we can at least educate ourselves.
LikeLike
No fireworks = People complain; Fireworks = People complain. It's no win situation.
LikeLike
They are not illegal if you get a permit. Anyone can get a permit for these types of fireworks if they have a local official sign the permit in the jurisdiction where they will be fired off. Check out keystone fireworks website and all the information you need is there. Obviously not many people get the permit though.
LikeLike
The fireworks in question occurred on July 8. not July 4.
LikeLike
Actually it was July 8th, not the 4th of July. People do expect to hear them on the holiday. The borough needs to legalize the fireworks, because the law is not enforced. If you only need a permit then next year let's all apply for one and set fireworks off all over town.Last summer a huge deal was made about gunshots in Columbia, but that's because they were shooting at the police, not at each other in the south end of town. I bet the fireworks would have been halted abruptly if they were the targets again. I don't think as much damage was done to property last year either.
LikeLike
Columbia Borough, West Hempfield Township. I want to know if the fireworks were ok'd by either municipality.
LikeLike
Boo hoo….someone was doing something fun and not hurting a soul but I was left out and didn't get my participation trophy so I'm going to whine and moan about it. Grow the hell up people. If you tried to have your own fun as much as you complained about others having fun maybe you wouldn't be so damn miserable. And it has nothing to do with private and everything to do with busting your ass and earning what you have. There's places for sale down there right now…so go buy one if you don't like it!!!!! Typical columbia front porch sitting mentality. Let's be lazy our whole lives and bitch about what others who worked hard have.
LikeLike
Privileged few?? So working hard and buying a cabin is privileged now?? You're such a freaking hypocrite. Post your name so everyone can come to your house and whine and cry because they can't enjoy something you worked for. Or better yet, buy Your own damn cabin!!! It's not a secret club and they are for sale!! But let me guess, you would much rather sit and do nothing so you can continue to whine about being left out than work hard to own one yourself. Pathetic.
LikeLike
Why are you asking this question on this site. Go to the Borough Office or Township Office and ask or file a right to know request.
LikeLike
Was a great showAt least the made sure Columbia had a firework show
LikeLike
Ahhhh…i love the entitled mentality. Everyone is born with the same choices ahead. Some make the right ones and some would rather sit on their front steps all day bitching about those that made better choices. No doubt which group you belong to. Bit you're right, with all the money they had it was easy to see how they reserved a portion if the sky and blacked it out so only the privileged could tilt their heads up and see them. Smh…
LikeLike
When are you guys hooking up to LASA?
LikeLike
I enjoyed both shows from my home, to bad the dog didnt.But thanks to a concerned resident and a Columbia Police Officer my dog was returned.
LikeLike
i attended the fireworks, have been doing it for years. I'm glad they did it on a weekend vs. a work night. I will say this…it was ONE HELL OF A SHOW! Kuddos to those that worked hard to put it together on your own time and w/your $$. The display was way better than other townships/locations that i witnessed! I'm looking forward to next year!
LikeLike
We will hook up when LASA tells us to do it pipes not in kindOf hard to hook up when there are not any pipes to hook up to
LikeLike
A lost opportunity. Those cabins should have been knocked down and the riverfront developed further. Oh well, eminent domain is always just a court decision away. PS. complaining about someone not posting their name while you post anonymously makes you a huge “freaking hypocrite” as you so elegantly put it.
LikeLike
Are you cabin owners still dumping poop in the river?
LikeLike
When are you cabin owners going to pay your fair share of taxes? A lot of you are living down there all year now and youre hiding under the umbrella of the cottage owners association.
LikeLike
No answer when you're hooking up? You're going to keep dumping the poop?
LikeLike
Ok, I did not write the comment, but I have to say that I believe the point was missed completely.It's not about jealousy over seeing fireworks. It is about the borough giving away riverfront property. Property that did not originally belong to the people that built cabins on it. Later it's given to the borough and rather than make public use of land they control, they “gave” it to a select few, and no, not even all of the select few are borough residents. That's land that could have meant something to this town, instead they give that away and buy an airfield!
LikeLike
The borough did not give that land to the cottage owners they paid for the land so get your facts straight before you say anything that you do not know anything about
LikeLike
Maybe LASA needs to receive multiple complaints about the lack of sewer at the cottages?
LikeLike
that would be the Island cabins…..
LikeLike
you have NO idea what you are talking about. get a life. mind your own damn business.
LikeLike
the Boro gave NOTHING to select few. if you don't know….dont' assume you do. you have NO idea.
LikeLike
Just a thought, no sewer, but maybe they have approved septic tanks? I know quite a few had them installed years and years ago. Hard to imagine and seriously doubt they are “dumping poop directly into the river”.
LikeLike
The Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation sold the property to the Borough of Columbia for a dollar – essentially gifting the land to the Borough. Then the Borough sold it to the Columbia Economic Development Corporation for $350,000, after which the CEDC sold it to the Columbia Heritage River Cottage Association, Inc. for $350,000. All transactions occurred on the same day – November 18, 2011.
LikeLike
Some parcels are listed as having septic. Others are listed as being hooked up to a “public system,” but it's unclear what that means.
LikeLike
Don't the islands have outhouses and porta-potties?
LikeLike
Actually, he has a great idea. The riverfront is about the only aspect of this town that gives it any real identity. Having that riverfront property, and using it to expand the riverfront park would have given this town a real attraction (instead of the dime a dozen junk shops posing as antique boutiques). An opportunity lost, I'm afraid. And we're all worse off for it, lest a few dozen well-connected people.
LikeLike
All you people who would like to have a cottage along the river there is one for sale it has been for sale almost a year now so why don't you go and check it and stop talking about it talk is cheap
LikeLike
What they paid amounted to a give away.
LikeLike
Island tenants have composting toilets…required by Safe Harbor, purchased and installed by tenants and inspected by Manor Township sewer official. They've been in use for many years.
LikeLike
All pre-planned and orchestrated by the Mayor and Council.Swoosh
LikeLike
Pretty sure they do, but if a cabin is destroyed your not permitted to rebuild.They still pay a lease, just like Columbia should have been generating income from the shore cottages.
LikeLike
i believe ALL have septic tanks and have them pumped out.
LikeLike