When: Columbia school board reorganization and committee meeting, Dec. 5.
What happened: Charles Leader and Lauren VonStetten were reelected as president and vice president, respectively. Both have served in their leadership positions since 2019.
More: In addition, Michael Burke was sworn in as a new board member. After being elected in November, Cole Knighton resigned from the board. Columbia is accepting applications for his position. Eligible individuals must submit a letter of interest to the school board by 4 p.m. Dec. 12 to be considered.
Wrightsville’s first-ever Christmas Deck the Bikes 2023 competition is being organized by Wright on the River, a group of Wrightsville citizens. This inaugural event is an effort to increase awareness of local Trail Towns, creating a sense of community within Wrightsville and among the other York County Trail Towns, as well as with the Trail Towns across the bridge, such as Columbia, Marietta and Quarryville.
What happened: The borough must spend $500,000 on parking or economic development to receive a $1.5 million reimbursement from a Pennsylvania grant program.
Quotable: Borough Manager Mark Stivers noted the irony to council members. “WE ARE IN A TIGHT BUDGET — AND WE ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SPEND MONEY,” he said.
Finances: Council plans to take the needed $500,000 from reimbursement dollars once it receives them.
Background: The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, a state grant program, awarded Columbia $1.75 million in August 2019 to renovate the Columbia Market House and provide additional downtown parking or economic purchases or construction.
More: The borough agreed to match the state money with an additional $1.75 million from the 2016 general obligation bond proceeds. Paperwork committed Columbia to refresh and reopen the Market House, and to work on parking at Columbia River Crossing.
Dilemma: Recent structural problems on the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which links Columbia to Wrightsville, have delayed a planned $79 million renovation until 2025, according to the state Department of Transportation. The borough can’t start its own project at Columbia Crossing until PennDOT finishes, Stivers said.
Quotable: “We just don’t feel comfortable waiting that long,” Stivers said during a Dec. 6 phone call. However, the state won’t reimburse Columbia at all until council decides what construction it will do, and how much that will cost.
Specifics: Council members must decide how to spend almost $237,000 — the amount earmarked for parking at Columbia River Crossing.
More: Council members suggested repairing the roof of the Market House, fixing a timepiece on the clock tower that is five minutes off, and assisting costs for property owners who agree to put in a paved parking space behind their homes.
Also on the list: In addition, staff recommended projects that include buying license plate readers for parking enforcement, purchasing equipment and software to enforce ParkMobile, putting up three “Welcome to Columbia” signs plus a digital information sign at Columbia River Park, and providing parking. Another project would make Borough Hall and the Market House accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
For Jim Walk, playing Santa Claus at Columbia United Methodist Church’s annual Secret Santa shopping event is a matter of family tradition.
“When my dad was alive, when I was a younger kid, he used to play Santa,” at other events, said Walk, 68. “My sisters are saying ‘Wow, you’re taking over for dad.’ So here I am, like, ‘Dad, this is for you!'”
Walk and Mrs. Claus — played by fellow Columbia resident Sally Draper, 75 — were two of the roughly 30 volunteers who set up the church for the event, during which children can pick out holiday gifts. Organizers expected up to 100 kids to participate.
“You got games, stuffed animals, matchbox cars, I mean, pretty much everything,” said Tom Grubbs, who has been the church’s pastor for eight years.
Volunteers guided children through the options as their families waited in another room. Kids were allowed to choose as many gifts as they desired, with each priced at an affordable $1.50. Volunteers also wrapped each present.
Jesse the Computer Guy has announced the grand opening of the Columbia Computer & Gaming Company at 436 Locust Street, which replaces the former Columbia Discount Computers on North 4th Street.
Columbia Computer & Gaming Company offers an extensive selection of game consoles, from vintage classics to the latest models, as well as console games, and also specializes in computer repair services, from software troubleshooting to hardware repairs.
Refurbished laptops and desktops are also available for sale.
Store hours are from [Opening Time TBD] until 6 p.m. You can also make an appointment if these hours don’t fit your needs.
Columbia Computer & Gaming Company’s Facebook page is HERE.
A Columbia man was convicted by jury Wednesday of sexually assaulting a minor victim for approximately eight months with the final time being caught on video by the victim, who set a camera up to catch the defendant.
John Wakefield Jr., 48 of the first block of South 4th Street, was found guilty of statutory sexual assault – 11 years older and related charges following a three-day trial before Lancaster County Judge Jeffery Wright.
Wakefield Jr. was also found guilty of indecent assault of a person less than 16, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, and indecent assault of a person less than 16.
Assistant District Attorney Christopher Miller prosecuted the case and presented the video evidence from the camera the victim set up in a bedroom immediately prior to the final assault taking place by Wakefield Jr. The defense called witnesses that stated he was never alone with the victim, however the recording captured Wakefield Jr. in the act and was shown to the jury multiple times throughout the trial.
“It’s not a he-said, she-said thing anymore,” Miller said to the jury during his closing argument. “This case is in your hands now. You all have eyes. I’ll let the video speak for itself.”
The victim, who was 16 at the time, disclosed the abuse spanned from Feb. 2022 until Sept. 2022 and provided the recording to a neighbor, who called police to report the incident.
Miller spoke on how difficult it is for a victim of sexual assault to testify about the abuse to a room full of strangers in court and detail the specifics to investigators.
“[The victim] didn’t go through all of this to lie to you,” Miller said to the jury. “She did this to tell you the truth.”
The defense argued penetration never happened and the defendant and his wife testified the abuse was “wrestling.” On the stand, the defendant refused to clarify which wrestling moves were shown on the video stating that he couldn’t demonstrate “without a bed.”
Ultimately, the jury sided with the victim and deliberated less than three hours before returning the guilty verdict. Wakefield Jr. awaits sentencing to occur following a presentence and Megan’s Law evaluation.
Columbia Borough Police Detective Matthew Leddy filed charges and testified.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sean McBryan, semcbryan@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @SeanMcBryanLanc. Created Dec 7th, 2023 @ 11:30 AM
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Columbia Spy 