Month: June 2023

This week’s photos of Columbia

(Click/tap on photos to see larger, sharper images.)

Escaped hospital patients?

Gone fishin’

Ditto

Out for a ride

Dungin’ out on Franklin

Tyvek

Many visitors to town don’t know where the trail starts. This poorly placed sign might be part of the problem.

The Habitat for Humanity project as seen from Corn Avenue

Soon to be Chicken McNuggets

More signs from Wrightsville. PPL doesn’t appreciate signs like this on their poles, especially ones attached with staples and nails.  

It’s a good thing ET doesn’t rely on poles like this to phone home, even though his sticker is attached.

Many utility poles were installed around town over the past week.

Rumor has it that Bigler’s weight-lifting gym on Franklin is closing.

Remember when postal carriers wore uniforms?

There’s a familiar plate.

We are all just prisoners of our own device.

What?

Chalk for everyone!

A bluebird of happiness atop an obelisk at Mount Bethel

This white house next to a burned-out house just sold.

Deer at the ol’ airfield

What chapter and verse is FX4 OFF ROAD?

A baby praying mantis beginning its first rounds

Welcome to the world!

Fillin’ it in

One of the many holes dug into the 200 block of Locust this week.

Here are a few more.

This sign on the Wrightsville side needs some attention.

Let’s hope the bridge doesn’t collapse before the rehab project starts.

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Aftermath of a water main break at 3rd & Poplar

Emergency personnel responded to several incidents this past week, including this one along Route 441 in which a bicyclist was found on the road.

On Saturday, there was a two-vehicle accident at 5th & Walnut, in which several people were injured. One of the cars had a Colorado plate.

It all began Saturday morning when a resident saw an adult cat and a kitten in a storm sewer at the top of the Columbia High School hill. They appeared to be trapped. On closer inspection, he noticed that the adult cat had an injured eye. Out of concern, the resident called 911.

The Columbia Borough Fire Department responded – but at the same time, another resident contacted a member of the Columbia Cat Action Team (CCAT) whose members also arrived on scene.

Firemen used a pry bar to remove the sewer grates, but the cats became alarmed and fled through a pipe at the bottom of the enclosure. Firemen then removed a nearby manhole cover to try to locate the cats, but the felines were nowhere in sight. Personnel did find, however, several underground pipes leading away from the area in different directions. Unfortunately, that meant the cats could have gone through any one of them. But all was not lost . . .

CCAT members set traps (above ground) in the area in the hopes of catching the cats so they can be tended to. So far, no luck – but CCAT members vow to keep trying.

If anyone sees a tortoise-shell colored adult cat and its kitten in the area of the high school, please contact CCAT via Facebook.

Lead poisoning has been linked to long-term cognitive impairments as well as behavioral impacts such as aggression and hyperactivity. The Lead Free Families program that paid for the removal of the lead hazards from the Wilkinsons’ home was launched with a $50 million investment by LG Health in 2021 with the goal of remediating lead hazards from more than 2,800 Lancaster County residential dwellings by 2031.

According to the 2021 Childhood Lead Surveillance Annual Report from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 241 children under age 6 in the county showed elevated levels of lead in their blood in 2021. At the time, Lancaster County had 40,687 children under 6.

MORE HERE

Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity’s next Women Build is Aug. 2 to 5 in Columbia. Volunteers need to be 18 to work on construction sites without a guardian.

Before Women Build week, Habitat will have Power Hour construction lessons at 8 a.m. Saturday, July 15, and Saturday, July 22. These sessions will teach construction safety and how to use power tools like saws and drills.

There’s no charge to volunteer or attend a Power Hour. Volunteers are asked but not required to fundraise. On average, it costs about $180,000 to transform a condemned or blighted property into a Habitat home.

Registration is required to volunteer.

To learn more about volunteering outside of Women Build, visit lancasterlebanonhabitat.org or email Audrey Lilley.

Women will tackle some of the first tasks on the Columbia site after subcontractors frame the house and make it watertight. Even on a rainy day, crews will be able to work inside on things like interior framing.

MORE:HERE

Columbia Borough, PA: Fireworks Ban Lifted. This morning, the County Commissioners lifted the ban our outdoor burning due to the recent rain. The Borough Resolution on the ban of Consumer fireworks was tied to the County ban and therefore has been lifted.

If you choose to use fireworks and other similar devices during the July 4th holiday, please be extra careful and follow the regulations on their use.

Columbia Borough, PA: ALERT – There is a water main break at the intersection of N Third and Poplar. Please avoid this area. Crews on there now to repair this break.

Columbia Borough, PA: ALERT – There is a water main break at the intersection of N Third and Poplar. Please avoid this area. Crews on there now to repair this break.

The first day of summer, June 21, is known as the summer solstice. The summer solstice is the day of the year when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also the day with the longest period of daylight and the shortest night. In 2023, the summer solstice falls on June 21 at 10:57 a.m. EST.

The summer solstice occurs because the Earth’s axis is tilted by about 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane around the Sun. This means that, at different times of the year, different parts of the Earth are tilted towards or away from the Sun. During the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, which means that the days are longer and the nights are shorter.

In some cultures, the solstice is a time of celebration and renewal, or a time for religious observance. In many cultures, it is also associated with fertility and abundance.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice is often celebrated with festivals and rituals. Some popular festivals include Midsummer’s Eve in Scandinavia, Litha in Celtic cultures, and the Summer Solstice Festival in the United States.

Here are some other facts about the summer solstice:

• The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). This is because, at the summer solstice, the sun appears to stand still in the sky for a day.
• The summer solstice is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, but it is not the day with the most sunlight. The day with the most sunlight is actually the day after the summer solstice, because the Earth’s atmosphere refracts sunlight, making the days seem slightly longer than they actually are.
• The summer solstice is also the day with the most daylight in the Southern Hemisphere. However, in the Southern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs in December.
• The summer solstice is a popular time for people to go camping, hiking, and swimming. It is also a popular time for farmers to plant crops.

Jun 20th, 2023 PPL will be replacing several utility poles around the Borough within the next couple weeks. On June 21-22 PPL will be replacing a Utility Pole in the 300 Blk of South 3rd Street. “No Parking” signs will be erected. Vehicles in violation of the No Parking signs will be ticketed and removed if necessary.

Sourced via CRIMEWATCH®: https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/columbiapd/10552/post/utility-workpole-replacement-300-block-south-3rd-street?fbclid=IwAR02qy-TPqjsReWohz-buufl-h6RFuAoG2F2XObFQoKOm-BRhEEuz0F51ws

The meeting packet is HERE.