Month: September 2017

Hollister to quit Columbia, leaving board grasping for options

Dr. Robert Hollister will be leaving Columbia School District early next year as superintendent. But questions remain, and Thursday’s committee of the whole meeting yielded a bit of confusion on the matter in that the board offered no official announcement of Hollister’s exit – only two subtle clues.

First, renewal of services was a listed item on the agenda, prompting a resident to ask the board if it had explored hiring a superintendent instead of continuing to share services with Elanco. Board President Keith Combs replied that although technology and business services will be extended for three years, the executive services portion of the contract with Elanco will continue only until January 31, 2018, after which other options will need to be explored – with no further explanation given. The relevant agenda item stated the following:

7. Action Item for tonight
a. A motion is requested to approve Technology Service, Business Service and Executive Service extension agreements with ELANCO

Secondly, the board president did not delineate the differences in term lengths for the various services when the vote was taken, but simply read the motion as shown above. The board voted unanimously to pass the motion.

A source tells Columbia Spy that discussions involving Hollister’s contract are not yet final on the Columbia side of the equation. In addition, Elanco’s board has not yet voted on the issue but is scheduled to do so at its September 11 meeting. The relevant item (5b) on Elanco’s website states the following:

Action Item – Approval of the Service Agreements with Columbia Borough SD for Executive, Business & Human Resources, and Technology Services


Expanding the agenda item reveals the following:

 The Columbia Borough SD approved the agreements at their September 7, 2017 Committee of the Whole Meeting.

The term of the Agreements are as follows:
Executive Services – 4 months (October 1, 2017 thru January 31, 2018)
Business and Human Resources Services – 3 years (October 1, 2017 thru June 30, 2020)
Technology Services – 3 years (October 1, 2017 thru June 30, 2020)

Clearly, the Elanco website is specific regarding the term length of Hollister’s contract, whereas Columbia’s is not. However, a recent LNP article implies that the Elanco vote is a fait accompli, i.e., a done deal.
Two officials affiliated with the district and three residents in the audience agree that the Columbia board did not announce that Hollister would be leaving Columbia or returning to Elanco. (Our recording bears this out). 
In addition, the future of the director of operations position will be uncertain if Hollister quits Columbia.

Regarding other options, Combs said that attorney Mike Grab had prepared a 60-page white paper exploring the feasibility of merging with another district. Director of Operations Tom Strickler asked that a link to the paper be attached to the district’s website to avoid being bombarded with right-to-know requests. (As of the time of this posting, we are unable to find the link.)p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 36.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 36.0px Helvetica; min-height: 43.0px}


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Trial scheduled to begin Monday for teenager accused of shooting at Columbia police

                   Marquell Robert Rentas
The trial of a teenager accused of trying to kill Columbia police officers with a rifle last summer is scheduled to begin Monday with jury selection at Lancaster County Courthouse.
Marquell Robert Rentas, 18, of 244 Walnut Street, Columbia, faces 37 charges in the case including three counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer and one count of conspiracy to murder a law enforcement officer.
His alleged accomplice, Trenton Nace, 19, of 116 Lancaster Ave., Columbia, will be tried separately in October.
MORE:

HERE

Columbia man charged with simple assault and other charges

On Monday, August 21, 2017, officers from the West Hempfield Township Police Department were dispatched for a domestic.

The female victim reported that while operating a vehicle in the area of Rt30 and Prospect Road, the defendant, 26 year old, Kyle Anthony States, of the 700 blk of Chestnut Street, Columbia, PA 17512, began poking at the victim’s face, and while the victim was trying to defend herself, he grabbed her head by the hair and repeatedly slammed her head into the steering wheel of the vehicle. The victim reported that once they reached the traffic light at Rt 30 and RT 441, the victim was able to grab the keys to her vehicle and run from the vehicle.

Officers reported that the victim had a significant amount of dried blood on one of her ears.

On August 21, 2017, the West Hempfield Township Police Department filed the following charge against Kyle States at MDJ Miles Bixler’s Office: One count of Simple assault, (Domestic violence related), section 2701 (a)(1), (M-2).

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Case Number: 2017-WH-01638
Arrest Date: Monday, August 21, 2017

Charges:
One count of Simple assault
(Domestic violence related)
section 2701 (a)(1)
(M-2)

Seminars on opioid treatment will be held in Columbia Sept. 13 and 27

A two-part series to teach awareness and empowerment to those touched by addiction is being held in Columbia this month.

The series will be held Sept. 13 and 27 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Mt. Zion AME Church, 222 South 5th Street, Columbia.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/seminars-on-opioid-treatment-will-be-held-in-columbia-sept/article_50997da0-93fd-11e7-a0b8-97d8f3eb6204.html

Elanco, Columbia school districts will no longer share superintendent, ending 1-year partnership

                         Dr. Robert Hollister
                    [Columbia Spy file photo]
The Eastern Lancaster County School District will no longer share its superintendent with Columbia’s schools, ending the first such partnership of its kind in the state.
Superintendent Bob Hollister will return to Elanco full-time beginning in January, officials in the Columbia School District announced at a school board meeting Thursday night.
MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/elanco-columbia-school-districts-will-no-longer-share-superintendent-ending/article_c322a3c0-94f6-11e7-a5db-d74c7572a213.html

Family First Health Expands Substance Use Treatment Program to Columbia

Family First Health’s Center of Excellence provides patients with substance use disorders the support they need to reach, and maintain recovery. The team links patients to community resources and support services, and then walks alongside each patient to ensure that critical needs are met and that the patient remains in care for as long as needed. The goal – to give each patient the supports needed to get, and stay healthy.

The program began in 2016, with Family First Health’s Hanover Center and George Street Center offices. On September 12, 2017, Family First Health will begin offering these services to patients in our Columbia Center office. Services at these three locations include:

Support and medical care coordinated with the primary care provider.

Access to a comprehensive care management team comprised of case managers, recovery support specialists, and a licensed clinical social worker.

Customized support to navigate the care system and get to/maintain recovery.

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) to support sustained recovery.

For more information regarding the Center of Excellence, substance use treatment program, please call the program manager, Erin Cosgrove-Findley at 717-801-4864.

About Family First Health

Founded in 1970, York Health Corporation, now Family First Health, is a non-profit, Federally Qualified Health Center dedicated to providing a broad range of primary health care, dental care and social services at sites in Adams, Lancaster, and York Counties. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, Family First Health offers a reduced fee program for the uninsured and accepts most other health insurances. For more information regarding the programs and services offered through Family First Health, please visit the Web site at www.familyfirsthealth.org. Se habla español.

CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health and Healthy Columbia Launch Columbia’s FREE Baby Box Program for Expecting Parents

Expecting families within the 17512 zip code now eligible to receive free Baby Box to promote safe sleep practices for infants

Healthy Columbia, a community-driven initiative under the fiscal sponsorship of CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health, is proud to announce the launch of Columbia’s Baby Box Program for expecting parents throughout the Borough. The program provides eligible parents with a safe place for infants to sleep (a cardboard bassinet with a firm mattress and fitted sheet), onesies, bibs, wash cloths, socks, a sleep sack, burp cloths, and parent education about safe sleep.

“The goal of this program is to offer a combination of face-to-face and technology-based parent education and some basic essentials to give the baby a healthy start within the first few weeks of life,” said Philip Goropoulos, president of CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health. “As an organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children, we’re proud to provide access to this program for families in this community.”

The Baby Box concept originally began in the 1930’s in Finland as a way to reduce sleep-related infant deaths. The impact of the Baby Box concept was recently researched by Temple University Hospital. The University’s study was conducted from Jan. 1, 2015 to Nov. 15, 2016, and found that face-to-face sleep education and providing a baby box with a firm mattress and fitted sheet reduced the rate of bed-sharing by 25 percent in the first eight days of the baby’s life. For exclusively breastfed infants, a population at increased risk of bed-sharing, bed-sharing was reduced by 50 percent.

“The most critical part of this program is the educational component,” said Kelsey Miller, a program manager with CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health who works closely on initiatives within the Columbia, PA community. “Baby Boxes provide an opportunity for us to connect with families and share critical information about safe sleep practices with their infant.”

Baby Boxes are now available for expecting families within the 17512 zip code. Families interested in receiving a Baby Box should contact Healthy Columbia at CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health at 717-397-7625 or visit www.healthycolumbiapa.org. The program is limited to one Baby Box per child.

About CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health

A part of Catholic Health Initiatives, CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health is a community-based organization dedicated to the health and well-being of children and families in the Lancaster community. The organization works in collaboration with community partners to assure access to appropriate, quality health services and benefits for every child in the Lancaster community. This mission in children’s health includes multiple efforts, programs and services committed to improving the health of children and families throughout the Lancaster community. To learn more about CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health, visit www.CHIstjosephchildrenshealth.org.

Property owner weighs in on property line dispute with school district

Columbia Spy previously reported HERE that the owner of a property adjoining school district property at Columbia High School had blocked a path and posted “No trespassing” signs. The property owner responds here:

As the owner of the adjoining property I would like to state that the signs only went up in response to a phone call I received from the School District Director stating that I needed to move branches from the path that I had just trimmed. This reaction is in response to him stating that the property belongs to the school district, where it does not, and an ongoing concern I have to the school district pacing a “storage container” along the tree line on the practice field. This storage container is a rusted old freight container they are using to “clean up the place.” 

I have had several conversations with the director and ask that it be moved further down the tree line, as they placed it in view from my home. The agreement was that it will be moved and painted. Yet there it is, weeks later, not moved and not painted. Now, my house going on the market has nothing to do with this, but if anyone was interested in seeing the property when it does, how will that look to a perspective buyer? How would that look right next to your home? The fact is, the signs would have never gone up if they would just do what they said they were going to do and move the eyesore. 

I think what upset me the most is when one of the school grounds workers told me “if the taxpayers would pay more to the school, we wouldn’t have to use this”. That should be an insult to everyone in the town

Lisa Vera Schoenly

Property line dispute concerns school district officials

School district officials are concerned about an apparent property line dispute between the school district and an adjacent property owner. The property owner recently barred access to a long-used path behind the tennis courts at the high school by cordoning it off and posting “No trespassing” signs.



Columbia cross country coach and school board director Charles Leader brought the matter to the board’s attention at its Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday night. He said he found the six-foot wide path blocked off a few days ago. Leader is concerned that blocking the path will interfere with Columbia’s first home race scheduled for next Tuesday. The path is part of the race circuit. He believes changing the route with such short notice will be unfair to the other schools competing – Donegal and Northern Lebanon.
Superintendent Dr. Robert Hollister acknowledged that there is some disagreement about where the property line is but added that the matter will be addressed. “As soon as we know where our property line is for sure, we can do something,” Hollister said.
The property owner is reportedly in the process of selling the property.