SPY – Page 34 – Columbia Spy

Columbia Borough requires a permit for any outdoor fire, including those in fire pits

Outdoor Fire Pit Permit Application

§ 117-4 Fires on private property; restrictions.
Outdoor fires shall be permitted upon private property, provided that the following regulations and restrictions are strictly adhered to:

A. Every resident wishing to burn an outdoor fire shall first make application to the Borough of Columbia.

B. Applications shall be inspected and approved by the Columbia Borough Fire Chief or his/her designee.

C. Once approved, the outdoor fire device shall not be relocated or replaced without reapplication, inspection and approval.

D. Permits are valid for one year unless covered by Subsection C.

E. An application fee determined by Columbia Borough Council shall be set by resolution and listed in the
Columbia Borough Fee Schedule.

F. Every outdoor fire shall be burned in, and confined to, a noncombustible, ventilated container covered with a screen of 1/2 inch or smaller mesh or with other noncombustible containers or incinerators.

G. Every resident must have an approved extinguishment agent on-site and operational at all times when the fire is burning.

H. No such fire shall be closer than 10 feet from any building or structure.

I. No fire is allowed to burn upon any day except between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. EST.

J. No such fire shall be allowed to burn unless attended by an adult.

K. In addition to this chapter, outdoor fires shall be subject to the conditions of the following ordinances:
(1) Chapter 126, Health and Sanitation, Article IX, Miscellaneous Regulations, § 126-40, Nuisances.

(2) Chapter 181, Solid Waste, § 181-9, Illegal dumping and open burning.

Agenda—Columbia Borough Council Workshop—August 7, 2025

The meeting packet is HERE.

Deeds Recorded – Columbia Borough – August 5, 2025

Valley View Capital LLC conveyed 643 Franklin St. to Pope Calvin Francis, Pope Mariciel for $304,500.

Wayne R. Harnly conveyed 521 Concord Lane to J&J Rentals LLC for $115,000.

Cimarron Investments LLC conveyed 350 Locust St. to Martin Elizabeth H, Harnish Angela M. for $575,000.

Spina Audie, Spina Karen L. conveyed 1293 Hereford Drive to Benjamin B. Kulp for $386,500.

Now it begins: Remediation

*Iron Eagle sets up shop at the former airfield*

Iron Eagle employees began to “set up shop” this morning at the former McGinness property on Manor Street as another step in the remediation project there.

Iron Eagle Excavating submitted the low bid of $2,196,104.60 for the project, which is expected to take about four months for completion.

Rick Breneman of Breneman Site Construction will oversee the project. [Columbia Spy file photo]

Rick Breneman of Breneman Site Construction will oversee the project. Breneman has been a member of the McGinness design team since the beginning.

Soil remediation/stabilization represents Phase 1 of development of the property, aimed at bringing it to “pad-ready” condition. The work will focus on removing problematic materials from the ground to ensure a clean foundation.

Engineering assessments had revealed issues at the site, according to Jason Best of ELA Group and Derek Rinaldo, the borough’s engineer who has overseen the project since its inception. During the February 25, 2025 council meeting, Best described the scope of the problem as including “deleterious materials, including whatever junk was buried through the course of all the flattening for the runways years and years ago.”

According to Rinaldo, the southern runway was built with improperly compacted fill material that was “just dumped,” creating what he characterized as “fluffy soil” with compaction levels that are “all over the place.”

Remediation will involve stabilizing the ground to support future buildings through a multi-step process. Teams will sift contaminated areas to remove materials that don’t belong in the soil, while buried organic matter such as trees will be chipped on-site rather than transported elsewhere.

About Town – August 3, 2025

This week’s photos of Columbia

Click on photos to see larger, sharper images.

anndope painted these images at the State Theatre Vintage Emporium for Summerween. Her Instagram page is HERE. The shark represents the 50th anniversary of the film Jaws.

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Evening clouds

Work continues at the Linden Street Build.

Speaking of Linden Street, this Jeep on Linden has been hit 3 times over the years while it was parked: the first time by a vehicle, the second time by a deer, and the third time by another vehicle. The most recent time was early this morning.

[Video: Howard Stevens]

The weeds at the former McGinness airfield were finally cut down, as Columbia Spy reported previously.

Weeds were also cut down near the shoreline at Columbia River Park.

Carson Stahl continues to make progress at the bridge plaza, mowing and pulling weeds.

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What happens when they rust through completely?

Zinnia

Some people never check out.

Bingo makes it happen.

A Fox 43 camera operator was shooting some scenes at Columbia River Park.

Jess & Kyle played again on Locust Street.

The Returned Soldier endures. Columbia Spy reported on his twin brother HERE.

There’s wine tasting at the former Visitors Center on Linden Street. Lavender Acres Winery is using the location as a pop-up tasting room this weekend (11 am–9 pm) while their main tasting room is closed for improvements. There’s a possibility they could stay here until November, however.