Author: SPY

 This week’s photos of Columbia 

Click on photos to see larger, sharper images. 

These second-floor mirrors were exposed during the demolition of 700 Franklin on Monday. 

Farhat Excavating knocked the house down, creating a lot of dust in the process.

The whole house was down in one day.

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Farhat also demoed the remaining structures at 1020 Manor Street.

The entire project – house and structures – took four days. 

The next step will be soil remediation, to be done by Iron Eagle Excavating at a cost of about $2.2 million. 

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Morning clouds 

Spraying the banks of Shawnee Run 

Public Art Station on North 4th 

For settin’ out at the pole

Taking down an old utility pole on Walnut: The pole on the right is being taken down. The worker on the lower right is collecting the pieces.

Kreider & Sons Excavating continued work at the Habitat for Humanity Linden Street Build site this past week.

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Hey, who moved the mailbox?

The relay box at 4th & Poplar was moved from its position sometime Friday/Saturday(?)

School bus vs trash truck: an impending traffic jam?

Animal control officers were on the 100 block of Walnut the other day. They appeared to be armed.

They took a dog from a residence, according to a witness.

CBFD 80 responded to a report of a brush fire near 6th Street and Avenue H on Tuesday afternoon.

There was a mass casualty event on Front Street.

Hundreds of mayflies died. 

The skeletons at Columbia Curiosities reenacted a scene from a famous movie. 

Guardian of the pot

Morning glory and friend

Flower frenzy 

Takin’ it easy down at the dock

There’s a peach tree on Locust. 

Really 

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Farhat Excavating began knocking down the house at 700 Franklin Street this morning. Next, they’ll take down the remaining structures at 1020 Manor Street as part of the project at the former McGinness airfield. Farhat submitted the low bid of $52,780 for the demolition.

Switzenberg James Edward, Herold Erika conveyed 1059 Cloverton Drive to Johnson Iainne Vivienne Devlin for $200,000.

Susan M. Wickenheiser conveyed 1200 Franklin St. to Susan M. Wickenheiser for $1.

Abdelmesseh Amir, George Amir conveyed 909 Spruce St. to Karmas Limited Liability Co. for $1.

Han James J, Han Jae Yun conveyed 327 S. Third St. to Cramers Inc. for $158,000.

Valley View Capital LLC conveyed 100 Cedar St. to Burgos Abimael Jimenez, Irizarry Chelyann K. Perez for $200,000.

Chilcote Kaely, Chilcote Kelly conveyed 1000 Grinnell Ave. to Stephanie Redcay for $286,000.

 This week’s photos of Columbia 

Click on photos to see larger, sharper images. 

On Saturday, hundreds participated in the “Good Trouble Marches On” march on the Veterans Memorial Bridge.  More photos of the march appear at the end of this post.

Recent heavy rains and flooding left some scenes of devastation – and some scenes of beauty. 

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A couple relaxed at the State Theatre Vintage Emporium on Saturday.

These placards have appeared at River Park recently. 

A skeleton looking cool and patriotic on Manor Street

Farhat has arrived. 

They left their equipment in advance of demolishing the house at 700 Franklin Street and structures at 1020 Manor.

The work is scheduled to begin on Monday, July 21, as one of the next steps in the McGinness Innovation Park project. 

The work will continue over the next week.

Here’s one last look at the house. The borough paid $229,900 to purchase it and $52,780 to demolish it.

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Tractor on Plane 

Tunnel on Plane 

A skeleton stalking an eagle on 441

Water rescue training at River Park Sunday morning 

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Scenes from the “Good Trouble” march Saturday morning 

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https://www.abc27.com/local-news/anti-trump-protests-underway-in-the-midstate/

https://www.yorkdispatch.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2025/07/19/good-trouble-marches-on-the-columbia-wrightsville-bridge/85291895007/

Columbia Borough Council has voted to send a letter of non-support for Lancaster City’s proposed pipeline project that would require digging up most of Manor Street, a block of South 4th, and half of Mill Street to run a water transmission line.

Tuesday’s vote came after Borough Manager Steven Kaufhold told council that the City of Lancaster is urging support from Columbia Borough for the project. All municipalities affected are asked for letters of support to help Lancaster obtain a bond through a PENNVEST Application for Financial Assistance. As part of the application process, the City must provide documentation that the project is consistent with local land planning efforts, according to correspondence from a City of Lancaster representative. The project will span portions of Columbia Borough, West Hempfield Township, Mountville Borough, and East Hempfield Township.

Unfortunately, a letter might not be enough to derail the decision to go through Columbia. “It’s a PUC. We may not have a lot of chances of stopping this,” Kaufhold said, but added there are options: The proposed pipeline could run the same route as the existing line, and there are other areas where the line could be brought through. He said going through Columbia is just the easiest way for them to do it.

Councilman Kelly Murphy said, “They didn’t really present what their other options were. It might be more cost for them, but going through some farmland, that’s going to do a lot less disturbance than cutting through a whole town.”

Kaufhold expressed frustration with the lack of information from officials, stating that some questions remain unanswered. 

“How are our fire trucks going to get out?” Kaufhold asked, noting that the line would run directly in front of the fire station. “Are we going to shut down Manor Street for weeks, months, over the winter? A lot of these questions we couldn’t get answered,” Kaufhold said. “In my opinion, we take the brunt of this with literally no gain. So, I can’t support this.”

Resident Sharon Lintner noted that pipeline construction could also affect the sale of the former McGinness Innovation Park.

Project Details
Lancaster is seeking approval to install a 42-inch diameter transmission line along Manor Street, from 15th Street down to 4th Street, then across 4th Street to Mill, over Mill and down to the existing station at the river. (Kaufhold estimated that a 6- to 7-foot wide trench running the length of the line would need to be dug.)

The other end of the pipeline will run from 15th Street and continue east up Route 462 into Mountville. 

The project is scheduled to begin within two years, with the potential for Manor Street to be under construction for six months.

The pipeline is part of Lancaster’s water system upgrade. Currently, a low service pump station in Columbia Borough at 10 Union Street conveys raw water through a 1.2-mile, 42-inch transmission main to the Susquehanna Water Treatment Plant. From there, treated water travels through a five-mile transmission main to serve the distribution system.

At Tuesday’s regular meeting, Columbia Borough Council voted to allow an activist group to use Rotary Park as a staging area for a march across the Veterans Memorial Bridge this Saturday.

The group, Indivisible MT, is planning a unity march across the bridge from 8 to 10 a.m. on July 19, 2025, with several hundred participants expected to attend. The group has named the march “Good Trouble Marches On: Lancaster and York Unite for Justice on the Bridge,” in honor of the work of civil rights icon John Lewis on the fifth anniversary of his passing.

Due to insurance companies’ reluctance to cover the group, Columbia Borough waived the requirement of certificate of insurance in lieu of receipt of an indemnification notice so that the borough is protected when participants gather at Rotary. 

Rachel Moore of Indivisible MT, who appeared at the meeting, has also been in contact with Wrightsville Borough Administrator Suzanne Martin regarding an event permit for the other side of the demonstration.

“In our young history as an organization, we have been committed to doing things peacefully, safely, and in cooperation with local authorities, including the police,” Moore told council. 

The March

According to information provided by the group, participants will be directed to park on both sides of the Susquehanna River. On the Columbia side, this may include public parking at Front and Locust Street and on-street parking. Organizers are actively directing attendees away from Columbia River Park due to a scheduled memorial service at noon on the same day.

Check-in will take place at two locations: Rotary Park and Wrightsville Riverfront Park, where participants will receive printed or digital march instructions emphasizing the importance of staying on sidewalks and remaining in line while on the bridge.

Participants will line up on the Columbia side using the park as a staging area. On a coordinated signal with the opposite side, marchers will proceed toward the center of the bridge, where a pre-positioned person holding an American flag will mark the midpoint.

When marchers reach the center with as many people as possible on the bridge, they will turn toward the river and link hands in a show of unity. Each line will then turn toward the outside and walk back, with marchers proceeding two abreast until they return to the parks and depart the area.

Safety marshals will be strategically positioned to notify oncoming traffic that an event is ahead, though they will not impede traffic or enter the roadway.

Water and first aid will be available at both parks, staffed by trained medics. Orange-vested safety marshals will guide participants to the bridge and accompany marchers throughout the event.

While organizers anticipate several hundred people will participate, exact numbers remain uncertain until the day of the event due to variables including weather, time of day, vacation schedules, and publicity levels.

The group’s website is HERE.

https://local21news.com/news/local/lancaster-county-fire-department-sees-surge-in-rescue-calls-amid-flooding

The meeting packet is HERE.