Columbia Market House continues to operate at a loss; Borough officials acknowledge financial shortfall with no clear end in sight

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

The Columbia Market House is still running in the red, borough officials acknowledged at the May 5 Columbia Borough Council workshop held at the Columbia Fire Hall. Council members warned that the deficit could persist for years to come.

Heather Zink, council vice president, confirmed that finance reports show the market is not breaking even. When resident Frank Doutrich asked, “Are we in the hole?” Zink replied: “Yes.” The amount of the shortfall was not disclosed at the meeting, since the financial reports weren’t on hand.

Doutrich said that since the borough currently lacks a finance manager, “Somebody should be on top of this.” He also questioned whether the borough’s accounting firm, Brown’s, was monitoring the market’s finances. Zink said the firm was not focused on that particular issue.

Zink, who reviews the market’s finances as part of council’s finance committee, suggested the market will remain in the red for the foreseeable future. She added that the financial situation could persist for a long time unless the market increases the number of renters, or stand rents are raised.

Doutrich noted that standholders appear to be turning a profit, and questioned whether borough taxpayers should at least be breaking even on the investment.

Columbia Spy previously reported on the Market House’s troubled finances HERE.

The Columbia Market House, built in 1869, operated as a market until 1996, when it closed amid concerns about costs and a dwindling number of vendors. It reopened in 2005 but closed again just before Christmas in December 2017, according to lancasteronline. The building at 15 S. Third St. closed in December 2017 to undergo a several million construction and renovation paid for with a combination of state and local funds.

The borough-owned facility reopened after renovations in May 2021 under CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health management. Ten months after reopening, the market saw several vendors leave and was welcoming shoppers only one day a week. CHI eventually stepped away from its management role, and the borough took over operations.