See the meeting packet HERE.
Agenda — Columbia Borough Council Meeting — September 8, 2026
Author: SPY
Deeds Recorded — Columbia Borough — September 7, 2026
Judy Martin conveyed property on a public road to RGSS LLC for $205,000.
Judy Martin conveyed property on a public road to RGSS LLC for $205,000.
Gloria G. Mathiot conveyed 566 Walnut St. to Alliancy Christianie Denis for $200,000.
Nies Bruce R, Nies Kathleen L. conveyed 555 Walnut St. to Highmount Properties LLC for $100,000.
Timothy P. Mertz conveyed 222 Maple St. to Lions Homes LLC for $160,000.
Busy Overnight Stretch for Lancaster County Emergency Crews: Trail Rescue, Bridge Response, and Route 30 Crashes
Columbia/Marietta/West Hempfield Township, PA — Emergency responders across Lancaster County handled a string of incidents from Saturday evening into early Sunday morning, according to publicly broadcast dispatch audio, including a technical rescue along a riverside trail, a report of a person in distress on a bridge, and a chain of crashes that shut down part of Route 30.
Note: This account is based on scanner/dispatch radio traffic captured through a public dispatch-audio app. It has not been verified against official incident reports and details may be incomplete or change as more information becomes available.
Wheelchair user injured after 30-foot fall from trail
Around 4:40 p.m. Saturday, crews were dispatched to the NW River Trail in Marietta for what radio traffic described as a possible environmental or technical rescue. According to the transmissions, a person using a wheelchair went off the trail and down a ditch roughly 30 feet, sustaining a head laceration and bleeding.
Multiple units responded, including County QRS 10, Utility 10 and UTV 10, County Ladder 8, County Ambulance 565, and Air Med 862. Responders determined the situation did not require a high-angle rescue but was reclassified as an environmental rescue. Crews identified the Bank Street access point as the best way to reach the patient, and Norfolk Southern was notified to halt train traffic in the area as a precaution, given the trail’s proximity to the rail line.
Person reported in emotional distress on Wrights Ferry Bridge
Just after midnight Sunday, dispatchers sent units to Route 30 East on the Wrights Ferry Bridge in West Hempfield Township for a report of a person experiencing an emotional crisis. The call was logged as a medical emergency.
Multi-vehicle crash, including a rollover, closes Route 30 westbound
Shortly before 12:43 a.m., dispatch reported “multiple accidents” on Route 30 westbound near the Third Street exit, including a rollover crash. Radio traffic showed dispatchers working to clarify which direction of the highway needed to close, ultimately confirming westbound lanes were shut down at the Third Street exit to allow crews to work the scene.
Route 30 westbound shut down again in Columbia Borough for traffic control
About five minutes later, a separate transmission indicated Route 30 westbound near mile marker 254.1 in Columbia Borough was being shut down for traffic control, with responding units cross-confirming they were closing the westbound side — not the eastbound lanes toward Wrightsville — after some initial confusion over which direction had been requested by neighboring York County units.
Drivers ignore cones at Wrightsville off-ramp
As crews worked the closures, a unit identified as “412” radioed for additional help at the Wrightsville off-ramp, reporting that drivers were attempting to drive around traffic cones set up to redirect traffic. Because the responding lieutenant was off duty, dispatch coordinated mutual aid, discussing whether additional units should cross via the Route 462 bridge or the Route 30 bridge to reach the location.
This article was compiled from live dispatch audio transcripts and is not an official report. Readers seeking confirmed details should contact Lancaster County emergency officials or local police and fire departments directly.
Photos of Columbia — Week ending September 6, 2026
See all the photos here: https://columbiapa-17512.blogspot.com/2026/09/about-town-september-6-2026.html?m=1
A birthday, a bridge, and a creative conspiracy
Native Trees Available to Columbia residents| TownLively
Suspect in July 4 shooting that injured woman in Columbia has case proceed to trial
Columbia mayor weighs changes after pair of crashes in August – WGAL
Lawmakers wrestle with the proliferation of e-scooters on Pa. roadways • Pennsylvania Capital-Star
Columbia Mini Mural Fest proposed for summer 2027
JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY
Columbia Borough Council heard a pitch at its September 1 workshop for a new public art initiative aimed at bringing color and community engagement to the borough’s parks starting next summer.
TJ Carrozza, founder and executive director of the Susquehanna River Creative Conspiracy (SRCC), presented plans for the “Columbia Mini Mural Fest,” proposed for the Columbia Crossing River Trail Center in early summer 2027, with potential expansion to other borough parks in future years.
Carrozza said the concept originated when a colleague [Eric Tonzola] suggested installing pop-up murals in Columbia’s parks.
The plan is for up to 12 selected artists to create temporary mini-murals on constructed outdoor panels. The long-term vision is for an annual arts event supporting tourism and community identity.
Artists would apply through an open call with a $20 submission fee, with SRCC Studios and Switchboard Studios and Gallery serving as coordination hubs. All materials would be SRCC-supplied.
Carrozza said the structures would use 4×4 posts set in concrete, with mural panels bolted on so they could be removed and rotated to other locations. He also suggested making panels double-sided to display more art.
Carrozza proposed debuting a prototype mural structure at this month’s Albatwitch Harvest Festival to build early buzz.
Heather Zink, council vice president, raised concerns that the proposed site would be used as a heavy-equipment access route during the upcoming Veterans Memorial Bridge project that could last up to five years and potentially damage the installations. Carrozza acknowledged the concern and suggested relocating structures closer to the park driveway.
Zink also questioned how mural designs would be vetted. Carrozza said SRCC had no formal review process yet but planned to create a submission form and possibly a review committee to ensure content stays “family-friendly” and not overly controversial.
Zink raised free speech concerns about the borough directly approving or rejecting individual artwork, comparing it to challenges with the borough’s sign ordinance. She suggested the borough should approve SRCC’s overall values and guidelines rather than reviewing each piece individually. Carrozza agreed.
“I don’t want it to be planned that a group of council members are going to be approving the artwork,” Zink said.
Council did not vote on the issue Tuesday night but indicated it would continue coordinating on the project, as planning continues ahead of the 2027 launch.
About SRCC
Carrozza described SRCC as a nonprofit dedicated to music and art that has operated a music and communal art studio on Lancaster Avenue for the past three years. The organization began about four years ago in a warehouse on Avenue H that “just didn’t end up working out.”
“I didn’t start out on this with the intention of being a nonprofit. It just kind of organically went that way,” he said.
He also mentioned he had eyed the former Keystone Firehouse that was damaged recently by a tornado as a potential future home for SRCC, noting he was assembling investment plans for the building on the very day the storm hit.
Carrozza also highlighted SRCC’s painted piano program, which has placed pianos at Columbia Coffee & Cream and the Columbia Crossing building at Columbia River Park. He credited the Lancaster nonprofit “Music for Everyone” with inspiring the effort.
Columbia Spy 
