"Music Through the Town" Event With Kracker Beez | Columbia Borough Police Department

Tonight, June 19, 2020, the Kracker Beez will be playing music throughout Columbia in their trailer beginning at 6:30 pm and ending at 8:00 pm. The Kracker Beez will play a variety of music from classic rock, pop and R&B from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.  This is in lieu of the normally scheduled concerts in the park. Attached is a map showing the route. As the band plays during the route, they will also stop at 12 different locations throughout town to play for approximately 3 to 5 minutes (see dark circles on map). Social distancing and adherence to PA Department of Health directives are required.   The rain date for the event is Saturday, June 20, 2020.

Sourced via CRIMEWATCH®https://lancaster.crimewatchpa.com/columbiapd/10552/post/music-through-town-event-kracker-beez

Kmart near Columbia to close this summer, leaving only 1 Kmart in Lancaster County

Fifty years after opening its first store in Lancaster County, only one Kmart will remain after the West Hempfield Township store closes this summer.

The store at 3975 Columbia Ave., which opened in 1992, will likely close by the end of August, according to a store employee. A manager on Monday confirmed the store is “definitely closing,” but said he couldn’t say when. He deferred further questions to Kmart’s parent company, Sears Holdings, which did not respond to a request for comment.

The store’s property is owned by Seritage Growth Properties, which earlier this month announced it had reached an agreement to terminate leases at the 17 properties where it rents to Kmart and Sears — including the West Hempfield store — if the stores close by the end of September.

MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/kmart-near-columbia-to-close-this-summer-leaving-only-1-kmart-in-lancaster-county/article_6ae53aaa-af48-11ea-8ece-a7793b903a8a.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share 

Columbia Borough addresses sidewalk cafe permits, police procedures

From LNP/Lancaster Online:

Columbia Borough Council meeting, June 9.

Council passed a resolution authorizing borough manager Mark Stivers to issue temporary sidewalk cafe permits to local restaurants to help them adapt to COVID-19 restrictions. This was the first council meeting to be held in the yellow phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus reopening plan, so up to 14 members of the public were allowed to attend in person on a first-come, first-served basis. The meetings continue to be streamed on Facebook Live as well.

The borough will charge no fee for the sidewalk cafe permits. They will normally take one to two days to be approved, Stivers said. A 4-foot-wide pathway must be established and maintained along the public sidewalk to meet the requirement of the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The resolution also makes it possible for open container laws to be waived, allowing consumption of alcohol within clearly defined limits in the sidewalk cafès.

Police policies and procedures: Mayor Leo Lutz provided an update on Columbia Borough police policies and procedures in response to recent international protests regarding police brutality and racism after George Floyd, a black man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis. Lutz said the borough’s policies and procedures were reviewed by a consultant last year and that the borough will continue ongoing review of its policies. Councilman Todd Burgard said there have been no complaints about police use of force under current police Chief Jack Brommer.

Of police brutality, Lutz said, “We don’t play that game in Columbia, and if any officer wants to play that game, they won’t be an officer very long.”

MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/regional/columbia-borough-addresses-sidewalk-cafe-permits-police-procedures/article_bc4ee20a-acd8-11ea-aeff-f35e38feb60b.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share 

District Attorneys from Dauphin, Lancaster, Franklin and York counties call for police hiring reform

Lancaster County DA Heather Adams:

“I join the many law enforcement agencies who support this legislation recognizing that transparency and law enforcement are not mutually exclusive. I commend Attorney General Shapiro for leading this effort and bringing together many voices to call for this necessary change in hiring practices.”

MORE:

Agenda – Columbia Borough School Board Meeting – June 18, 2020

Agenda items of note include:
  • Presentations from firms applying to conduct the superintendent search
  • Approval of the 2020-21 Annual Budget
  • Selection of firm to conduct superintendent search
  • Discussion to adopt administrative and board goals for the 2020-21 school year
  • Consider adoption of resolution on racism, social justice, and diversity

About Town 6/14/2020

This week’s photos of Columbia

No Fear
For President
Lawn sign
A citizen weighs in on a personnel issue.
At work on the Market House:
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Line-up at Coffee & Cream

 They’ll do it every time.

 This squirrel was the cause of a power outage that affected several residents of the 500 block of Chestnut Street on Saturday morning. The squirrel caused a transformer to blow out in the 500 block of Avenue G and paid dearly for it.

 This metal grate over a groundhog hole was moved aside.
(Is there a super-groundhog down there?)

 Parking meters can double as bucket hangers.

 Construction continues at 403 Locust.

A lighting study is currently underway on the Veterans Memorial Bridge in advance of a multi-million dollar bridge rehabilitation project.

Lighting of various intensities and colors is being tried in an effort to control the yearly mayfly pile-ups on the bridge.

Replacing some signs on Chestnut Street:

 A PennDOT worker replaced damaged signs on the 400 block of Chestnut Street this week.

 
The signpost was knocked over last week by a car that jumped the curb.

There’s the car.
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 This is true.
 Roofer at work on the 200 block of Locust
 Lawn flowers
 Let’s rock!
 Down at Front and Bridge
 Time for some housekeeping
 The lot at River Park is often full on weekends.
 This sign indicates where the trail starts.
But visitors, still confused, frequently travel the upper part of Heritage Drive to the field, looking for the trail. 
 Often the lot is so filled that drivers park anywhere and everywhere.
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 One of the entrances to Riverfront Drive
 Killdeer – a pretty common sight down at the tracks
 Roadwork at 2nd & Perry
 Food distribution on South 4th, thanks to Columbia Presbyterian
 The second block of South 4th
 Way down the river
 Hitch your wagon.
Or at least fill it with flowers.
Storming the barricades to place the flag on Sunday morning
This one on Purples Lane needs an intervention.
Flag Day – June 14, 2020
This is a photo. It is not a criticism or indictment. It is merely a photo of dedicated men at work performing duties that help serve the public. Unfortunately, some people – including local officials – might try to imply that a photo (or video) represents something that it doesn’t. They might try to assign motives or intent behind it. Do not uncritically accept what you are told by others.

[Submitted photo]
And for those who prefer news that’s not too upsetting, here’s a photo of a cute little bunny rabbit.
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The following photos were submitted by Todd Stahl:

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And here are some photos commemorating graduation 2020, from Glenda Jones and Larry Hince:

Columbia business moves to a new location in town

TES employee Zach Lape stands at the company’s new location at 272 Locust Street.

TES is moving. TES, or Total Exterminating Services, is moving from its location at 30A North 4th Street to 272 Locust. The company will be moved in and ready to go by July 1, according to employee Zach Lape. TES is owned by Steve Shetter and has been in business in Columbia for several years.  Columbia Spy published a profile of the five-person operation HERE.
The building formerly housed the offices of the Heritage Insurance Agency.

Mayfly season is here, with a new twist for 2020 – pennlive.com

It’s a long-standing natural event that repeats every summer, but there’s a new twist this year: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has launched a study into why mayflies are attracted to the above-deck lighting on the Route 462 Veterans Memorial (Columbia-Wrightsville) Bridge.
MORE:

https://www.pennlive.com/life/2020/06/mayfly-season-is-here-with-a-new-twist-for-2020.html