Author: SPY

According to eyewitness reports, several Columbia Borough police vehicles chased a vehicle south on 3rd Street to Locust Street at about 7 p.m. Friday. Reportedly, the vehicle jumped the curb in front of Hinkle’s Restaurant as it turned down Locust Street to 2nd Street. Police pulled the vehicle over and apprehended the driver at the corner of 2nd & Locust. The vehicle was then towed from the scene. During the chase, several pedestrians were walking in the area due to Fourth Friday events. The vehicle is shown on the corner in the video. No further information is available at this time.

The Veterans Memorial Bridge between Columbia in Lancaster County and Wrightsville in York County will be closed for about 15 minutes tonight, starting at 7 p.m., according to the state Department of Transportation.

Tonight’s closure is needed so a contractor can install jacks beneath the Wrightsville side of the bridge. Delays are expected.

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/veterans-memorial-bridge-will-close-for-15-minutes-tonight-for-interim-repairs/article_551c67e6-7c23-11ef-915d-db0e525fc2e1.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

Steven Kaufhold was sworn in as Columbia’s new borough manager at Tuesday’s borough council meeting. Also, council voted to name Kaufhold as sectetary/treasurer for the borough.

Council had voted to hire Kaufhold as borough manager at its September 10, 2024 meeting, contingent on background check and drug screening, at a starting salary of $100,000/year.

Kaufhold was code compliance manager for Columbia Borough from January 2017 to January 2019. According to his résumé, he was more recently project manager/estimator for Lancaster County Housing & Redevelopment Authorities.

Kaufhold replaces former borough manager Mark Stivers, whose resignation was announced in June 2024.

Nora Motter Stark, a board member of Create Columbia, accepts a $250 donation from Rob Kedney on Tuesday for the town square project. Kedney is associated with Thrivent, a not-for-profit financial services organization. The funds will be put towards maintaining the town square. There will be a ribbon cutting for Thrivent this coming Friday at 470 Locust Street.

The meeting packet is HERE.

When: Columbia school board meeting, Sept. 19.

What happened: The Columbia Borough school board now has two vacancies to fill, after Business Manager Keith Ramsey announced the resignation of board member Michael Burke.

More: The board dismissed former board member Ryan Sexton at its Sept. 3 meeting, due to six unexcused absences.

Next steps: The district has 30 days to fill the two vacancies. Interested Columbia residents who are at least 18 years of age and have resided in the borough for at least one year can visit the website for more information and to apply for a position. Letters of interest may be delivered to the school district office by 3 p.m. on Sept. 27, after which candidates will be interviewed and selected at the Oct. 1 committee meeting. The appointed individuals will serve through Dec. 1, 2025.

MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/regional/2-seats-now-vacant-on-columbia-borough-school-board/article_7a8b21f8-79d4-11ef-a0d1-0f1b08095ec1.html

Delgiorno Investments LLC conveyed 250 N. Third St. to Zook Rentals LLC for $335,000.

Anderson Joshua T, Anderson Samantha N. conveyed 571 Walnut St. to Joshua T. Anderson for $1.

Fay S. Griffith conveyed 503 Manor St. to Griffith Ray E, Griffith Fay S. for $1.

Mark D. Motter conveyed 647 Locust St. to Jesse Ross for $133,500.

Onasch Caleb L, Onasch Molly M, Bruner Robert W. conveyed 322 S. Second St. to Lind Ilona K, Ilona K. Lind Family Trust for $200,000.

Ana Tufano conveyed 930 Spruce St. to Damaris Estrella for $180,000.

 This week’s photos of Columbia

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

Residents at Columbia Curiosities 

West Hempfield was in town again.

Expectant birds built a nest – at the pregnancy center!

You Got This on the 500 block of Walnut

A new business about to appear?

Tis the season. 

Interim bridge repairs have begun . . .

What about the weight limit?

Men at work

At least the bridge is still good for graffiti. 

Painting at the Wrights Ferry Mansion

Painting at the curb

Sidewalk installation, etc. on the 300 block of Locust . . .

Shouldn’t there be an ADA ramp here?

[Submitted photo]

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Cloudy skies 

UPS going to HIA

A few sights at Tollbooth . . .

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A mighty big hornets’ nest in Avenue H

This slid off at Mount Bethel

You must stop at this mattress.

Will this be moved or demolished?

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Columbia Borough Council is trying to decide what to do with a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house located at 700 Franklin Street. The options: move it, or demolish it. The reason: The 1,500-square-foot home lies in the path of a planned extension of Franklin Street that will lead to the borough’s innovation park. Construction is scheduled to begin next spring. Columbia Borough purchased the property for $229,900 in 2022.

The borough is reconsidering its original plan to demolish the structure because of its condition. “It appears to be a very well-built home. The maintenance is impeccable,” borough engineer Derek Rinaldo told council at the September 10 meeting.

Resident Frank Doutrich said he has looked at the house with an eye toward moving it to a lot he owns at 12th and Franklin Streets, three blocks away.

Steve Kaufhold, representing the Lancaster County Housing Authority, mentioned that the organization is interested in relocating the home. He asked council to hold off on advertising the property until the authority can look at it and make a determination. (Kaufhold was recently hired as Columbia’s new borough manager.)

Rinaldo raised concerns about whether South 9th Street is wide enough to accommodate transporting the house. (An alternative would be to use an adjacent section of Franklin Street leading to Plane Street.) If relocation is not possible, the borough would need to cover a demolition cost of around $20,000. Borough solicitor Evan Gabel added that the borough would need to allocate about $500 for advertising the home’s sale.

Rinaldo urged council members to decide on the home’s fate by the end of October in order to have a plan in place before road construction begins. Rinaldo also said any sale would have to go through a bidding process.