The Columbia Borough Police Department held its National Night Out at Glatfelter Memorial Field Tuesday evening. The event featured over 60 community stands, free food, a juggling act, two animal shows, a bouncy house, fireworks, and the borough’s emergency management trailer.
When: Borough council meeting, July 25.
• What happened: Recent weight restrictions on the Veterans Memorial Bridge, which connects Columbia to Wrightsville, spurred concern about how the borough will respond to emergencies that occur on the span.
• Background: The state Department of Transportation limited vehicle weight to 10 tons July 17 after inspectors found more damage than expected during a routine inspection.
• More: However, some emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks and tow trucks, weigh more than the allowed 20,000 pounds. Fire trucks, for instance, weigh about 33,000 pounds, Stivers said during a July 28 phone call.
Details: The state already had scheduled the 93-year-old structure for renovation starting next year but will postpone work until 2025 to come up with a new architectural plan. The weight limit will last until repairs finish. PennDOT estimates that about 5% of the 11,500 vehicles that cross the bridge daily will have to use an alternate route.
• The issue: Stivers said PennDOT originally wanted municipalities to register emergency vehicles for $50 each to receive permission to access the bridge. That won’t work, he said, because no one knows which vehicle or which township, borough or city will respond to an accident, fire or other situation on the bridge.
• What’s new: Officials from PennDOT, Columbia and emergency services were set to meet this week to create a plan to allow emergency vehicles to access the bridge for free, Stivers said in a July 31 email.
Gayle Johnson, For LNP | LancasterOnline
Jesse Bennett conveyed property on Spruce Street to Alic Walch for $227,000.
Aljo Properties LLC and Angela N. Tatum conveyed property on South Second Street to Joseph A. Hunter for $180,000.
Amy L. Shue and Amy L. Cunningham conveyed 742 Plane St. to Amy L. Cunningham for $0.
Ladies with lenses
When you want to be left alone.
Bicycle built for two
Speaking of bicycles, bike symbols were recently stenciled along the first block of Walnut Street, at Columbia River Park, indicating the way to the trail.
Like so
FARMALL
Seaweed in the Susquehanna? Yep.
Bunny at breakfast
No one seems to be enforcing the bridge restrictions.
Nope
A crew checked the bridge this past week.
This van was part of the crew.
Traffic was down to one lane on Thursday.
The weight limit
A worker sprayed a trouble area.
X marks the spot.
Traffic person on the Columbia end of the bridge
Workers brought in this large bucket/crane assembly . . .
Inspectors focused on the north side.
Another crew continued taking core samples this week.
Meanwhile, at 10th & Manor
Progress continues at the Habitat for Humanity project on South 5th.
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No house construction yet in this lot on South 9th, but here’s the first hint of a possible garage.
Takedown in Locust Street Park
This mobile emergency operations center was purchased recently, as Columbia Spy reported HERE.
More pet owners need to do this.
We all know what goes on in a small town.
Jasmine Kelliehan, CEO of A Perfect Gift, was an event organizer.
The Fifth Street Community Fun Day on Saturday drew several dozen visitors, despite the sweltering weather. The event featured a variety of attractions, including a yard sale, games, health screenings, free food, a clothes giveaway, a bounce house, live music, a garden tour, and even a tattoo artist. To accommodate the festivities, two blocks of Fifth Street were temporarily closed.
Pastor Wayne Scott of Ashley Tabernacle COG, and Aniyah
Tattoo artist Keisha Finnie
Portfolio of Keisha’s work
Contact information
Dane McQueeney provided haircuts.
Councilwomen Joanne Price and Barb Fisher looked after the rock table.
Here are a few of the rocks painted by children.
Ladybug painted by Barb Fisher
Rock painter tries her hand.
Devin offered samples from the garden.
The bounce house
Jasmine Kelliehan gave a tour of the community garden, shown here and below.
A few of the items offered at the yard sale
Music for the event . . .
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Riverview Terrace, 33-unit apartment building at 132 Locust Street, was recently sold for $5,900,000 to Roman Empire Holdings LLC, according to public documents. It was previously owned by 789 Main Street LLC.
The building was listed for $8,200,000 in November 2022, shortly after construction was completed. In January 2023, the price was reduced to $7,900,000.
One prominent local development firm claims rising interest rates and restrictions on building and demolition in Lancaster city’s historic district – not internal financial issues – have led it to indefinitely shelve its plans in the city and Columbia.
Lancaster County-based Eberly Myers, which once proposed high-end apartments for young residents, has sold most of its real estate portfolio in the county after losing two properties to foreclosure by lenders.
According to one of the partners in the firm, the decision to sell the properties was motivated more by recent economic trends than the foreclosures. Benjamin Myers said recent increases in interest rates are “sucking the life” out of real estate development in general, which has led the group to indefinitely shelve its plans to develop apartments in Lancaster County.
MORE: HERE
Columbia Spy 
