Category: Uncategorized

About Town 5/24/2020

This week’s photos of Columbia

As if in observance of Memorial Day, this bird bows his head atop the angel at Mount Bethel Cemetery.
 Then offers up a song

“The Returned Soldier” reminds us to observe Memorial Day.
(Columbia Spy posted the backstory of this statue HERE.)
Seemingly, this is the goal.
Not always a good mix
Air Force plane

Concentric arches

Bicycle built for two – or at least one and a half

 Columbia Borough and West Hempfield Police responded to a fight at the Chestnut Street Turkey Hill store earlier this week (here and below).

 Guardian at the Watch & Clock Museum

Bumblebee at work

 OK . . .

 Pouring cement at 403 Locust Street

Ongoing excavation work at the gas pumps at the Chestnut Street Turkey Hill store.

 Chairs for sittin’ out

Chairs up for grabs

Moving
Congratulations Columbia High School Class of 2020!

And a 2020 college grad!

Guys doing things up high . . .

Broken things . . .

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 Both lanes about to be blocked

 Putting the docks in (here and below)

 That’s some paint job.

 Here’s a closeup

 Problems?

 In the window

Thanks!

 Not a proper method of disposal

 Some day we will be OK.

 The black vultures were back briefly this week at North 5th and Avenue G.

 They want our money, but they don’t necessarily want to see us.

 Vehicles with trailers only at this section of Columbia River Park

 Thataway!
The latest at the Columbia Market House

The newly exposed bricks and mortar are probably more than 150 years old.

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 At Shupp’s Barber Shop

Down at Floyd’s of Leadville (here and below)

 Ready for grillin’

 The River Trail welcomes you.

 Just remember to follow the rules.

 Limb down in Locust Street Park

Coming soon

In remembrance . . .

 Remember our veterans.

Will Columbia Borough School Board part ways with Superintendent Tom Strickler?

Columbia Borough School Superintendent
Tom Strickler
The Columbia Borough School Board is expected to vote Thursday night on whether to part ways with a superintendent who has been a polarizing figure from the time he was hired.
According to a meeting agenda, the board will vote either to replace Tom Strickler when his contract expires in December or retain him for an additional three to five years.
Strickler, who became superintendent in January 2018, said in a phone interview Wednesday that he was surprised to see the item on the agenda. Based on conversations he’s had with the board, Strickler said, he was expecting a contract extension of at least four years.
MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-school-board-may-part-ways-with-superintendent-tom-strickler/article_46634796-9ae2-11ea-838b-c7e114329577.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share 

Changes in Locust Street apartment building project to be considered at May 20 HARB meeting

UPDATE: THE MAY 20 HARB MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO LACK OF A QUORUM:
https://www.facebook.com/2114471538639775/posts/2964981430255444/

The photo of the notice shown above recently appeared at 134 Locust Street, a vacant lot at the intersection of Locust Street and Bank Avenue. The notice announces a May 20 meeting of Columbia Borough’s Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) to consider a proposed change to the property. The notice does not specify a time or address for the meeting, although HARB meetings are typically held at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the municipal building (308 Locust Street). No agenda or other information about the meeting appears on the Columbia Borough website or Facebook page, except for a legal advertisement dated 12/26/19 HERE.

The property in question is owned by Eberly Myers LLC (now 789 Main Street LLC), which had planned to construct a 4-story, 33-unit apartment building there before the project was postponed, reportedly due to a lack of funding. The company had requested $400,000 for the project from the borough’s now-defunct revolving loan fund. At the borough’s October 22, 2018 Finance Committee meeting, Benjamin Myers of Eberly Myers requested an increase from the original $400,000 to $650,000 and a change in terms for interest and principal payments due to increased costs of the project from $4 million to $4.8 million. The loan request was subsequently denied.

The company, which has now apparently obtained funding, is proposing changes in materials and design for the project, in a marked departure from the original plan. Those changes will be the subject of discussion at the May 20 meeting. HARB green-lighted the original design at its August 16, 2017 meeting by approving “Certificates of Appropriateness” for demolition and new construction.

 Previously proposed and approved design for the building

About Town 5/17/2020

This week’s photos of Columbia

Floyd Landis and passenger out for a spin
Rollin’ on down the road
 Topaz Martofel’s Mother’s Day balloon display at Park Elementary

 3 claimants to the same tree –
Call the lawyers!
 High and dry down by the river

 The Veterans Memorial Bridge was closed briefly this week due to a vehicle accident in Wrightsville.

 Speed racer on Locust

More signs of the times

 When your Stars and Stripes become Stars and STRIPS

Just tie one of the strips to the pole.

 In this case, someone might need to call.
(By the way, does anyone “dial” anymore?)

 Getting wired at Borough Hall

 Probably not a congregant

 Friendly passenger 

 Work continues at the Columbia Market House.

Here’s a temporarily boarded-up doorway.
 Here are some boarded-up windows.
(As seen from the first block of Avenue H)

 Here’s one that should be boarded up at the former Amvets building.

 Things aren’t looking too good in there.

 Break time on the 500 block of Manor

 The objective is to get from point A to point B, no matter the means.

OK, here are some pretty flowers.

 Heron sighting over the National Watch & Clock Museum

 A good idea that was carried out well. All utility poles should look like this.

 Sidewalk seating on South 4th – 
Take a load off.

 Stop signs take years to develop character.
 Forgotten building?
(Avenue H)

 There’s even a see-through roof.

Here’s a closer look.

 FREEFORM
?

 The entrance to The Bear’s Inn behind Union Street

 A closer look

 The former Shawnee Fire Company

 Instituted 1874

Rebuilt 1883
 Time for some TLC?

 Those are some big numbers.

 Renovations in Pleasant Avenue

A “good morning” from a cat that’s more polite than some people.

 Quarantine affects each of us differently.

 Construction at Columbia Mini-Storage

 Four Wheel Drive
Get it?

 They’ll do it every time.

 Bats have gotten a lot of bad press lately. Maybe this one couldn’t bear the strain.

 Road and sidewalk work on South 2nd –
Unfortunately, the brick sidewalk has been removed.

 Columbia Strong

A reader submitted this 1918 school tax notice.  The numbers speak for themselves. 
Those were the days.

 Washing the Mercedes

 Congratulations 2020 Seniors!
Sign here on the 1300 block of Manor Street 

At least five municipalities are pushing back against Lancaster County's GOP-led move to defy Gov. Wolf

At least five municipalities, including three led by Republicans, are rejecting the GOP-led effort to defy Gov. Tom Wolf and partially reopen Lancaster County this week.

Elected officials in Ephrata, Denver, Columbia, Marietta and Lancaster city have taken stands in opposition to a plan to begin gradually allowing businesses to open before Wolf lifts the most severe restrictions on the county.

MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/at-least-five-municipalities-are-pushing-back-against-lancaster-countys-gop-led-move-to-defy/article_ef2896ee-954a-11ea-8fee-13df8cdf4333.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share 

County OKs $24.4 million for contact tracing, testing 1,000 people a day

The Lancaster County commissioners have agreed to spend more than $24 million in federal emergency money on contact tracing and testing hundreds of thousands of residents for COVID-19. But the testing won't be in place by Friday, when they plan to defy Gov. Tom Wolf's order and begin reopening the economy. 
MORE:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/county-oks-24-4-million-for-contact-tracing-testing-1-000-people-a-day/article_af82e34a-9519-11ea-ab33-5b886e7fe356.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share