Columbia council weighs cracking down on parking violators during snowstorms

When: Columbia Borough Council work session, Feb. 2.
What happened: Borough Council needs to fill a vacancy after member Pamela Wilson resigned her position, effective immediately. Wilson, who joined the council in 2016, plans to spend more time with her son, who moved to Florida. Anyone interested in serving on council must be a registered voter and have lived continuously in the borough for the past year. Letters of interest, addressed to President Heather Zink, must be received by Feb. 22, at the borough office, 308 Locust St., Columbia, PA, 17512. Public interviews will follow, Zink said.
Parking in the snow: The recent snowstorm caused major traffic problems for the borough because some residents did not move their parked cars, as the borough requires. The borough didn’t tow these cars, even though they caused delays for snowplows and blocked streets needed for emergency vehicles to access Route 30.
Quotable: “We tried to be nice; it didn’t work. We realize we have a problem,” Mayor Leo Lutz told council members. “There are some things that need to be changed.”
Background: The borough code prohibits street parking during a declared snow emergency, but no cars have been towed. Council decided to slowly introduce the message that the borough is now enforcing the code. Drivers first found warnings on their vehicles Feb. 1. Vehicles still parked in the street Feb. 2 received citations. Although no car was towed this storm, Borough Manager Mark Stivers said residents now know their cars will get towed during the next declared snow emergency.
Improving parking experiences: Council members also discussed how to improve parking in the borough after reviewing results from a 2020 parking study. Topics discussed included using a hybrid parking-meter system that would accept cash but also allow people to swipe credit cards. Or, the borough could move existing parking meters and use signs to better direct drivers. Council members briefly mentioned building a parking garage and then discussed the pros and cons of residential parking permits.
The cost: Stivers told council members they can use about $1.7 million, if they choose, to improve parking.  Council also discussed how to handle handicap parking permits —whether to assign certain license plates to a particular space or whether to just offer handicap parking. Stivers said the borough wants to offer specific handicap spaces, based either on a vehicle’s license plate number or handicap parking tag number. The borough plans to contact the company that handles Lancaster city parking for advice and possible prices.
What’s next: The borough will hold a council meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 16, and the meeting will be streamed on the borough’s Facebook page.

Columbia Borough Council focuses on 'policy and cutting costs' in 2021

GAYLE JOHNSON for LNP | LancasterOnline Feb 1, 2021

When: Columbia Borough council meeting, Jan. 26.

What happened: Council President Heather Zink told members she wants each of them to prioritize goals for the new year and then shared two of hers: cutting unnecessary spending and overseeing the borough’s financial areas.

Quotable: “It’s kind of hard to spend your money when you don’t know what your priorities are,” Zink said after the meeting. “We have to set goals about what is important to the community.” Zink said she chose finance as her area of interest because she works with mortgage-lending and servicing software.

More information: Borough council member choose areas of expertise, according to Borough Manager Mark Stivers. Members used to form committees but soon realized that the number of weekly committee and council meetings took too much time, Stivers explained after the meeting. So, each council member now works with staff on at least one area of leadership. Those areas should be assigned in the coming meetings. “I need council members to focus on policy and cutting costs,” Stivers said.

Saving money: To that end, the council approved terminating its contract with current IT provider Easy Solutions to sign with Executive Image Solutions, which will save about $30,000 a year. In addition, council members learned that a recent AA- bond rating from S&P will recoup about $1 million. Zink said she also wants to update code violations to reflect current financial realities. For instance, the dollar amounts for some violations were written so long ago that the correct fines may not be reflected in the borough’s current fee schedule, Zink said.

Columbia Crossing: Despite being closed for 103 days due to COVID-19, Columbia Crossing managed to take in almost $183,000 in 2020, with expenses of about $133,000. About $115,000 comes from the borough, and other revenue came from loans from the Payment Protection Program and Small Business Administration, council members learned. In addition, the indoor/outdoor venue welcomed 10,972 visitors but had to cancel 22 weddings and private events.

What’s next: The borough will meet for a work session at 7 p.m. Feb. 2, and the meeting will be streamed on the borough’s Facebook page.

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About Town – January 31, 2021

This week’s photos of Columbia

(Click/tap on pics to see larger, sharper images.) 

When you mask up, do it in style.
(at Styled X Khloe Boutique)

But the Turkey Hill cow has gone maskless.

Cleanout for the chimney behind the cow

Clothespins for scarf and hat bombing at Columbia Presbyterian

The daffodils are coming up already on the 400 block of Locust
Weather vane for determining which way the wind blows in Columbia
(Some folks go whichever way the wind blows.)

Smart choice

3 amigos

Blowing off steam

Side view

Dragon Ball fan

Here’s the front.

This is becoming the norm around town.

Big delivery for building big dreams

Saint Peter Apartments

Watch that last step!

Brine application on Heritage Drive

Mighty high crane

For hoisting this big unit

Out at the LGH building

Workmen waiting to receive

Putting it into place

A big empty trailer

Except for this one vehicle

Kindred Collections on Locust
Ready for Valentine’s Day
Also on Locust

Kim’s Prim Co.

A name we all embrace

Broken door on 4th
Cracked window on 3rd
Along with a missing awning

That is one big pile of . . . fibers.

Bootleg Auctions
“Uptapping A New Style of Auction”

Sticks, maps, and info to point you in the right direction

. . . is all you need.

When pigs fly . . .
Was it sold?
What will it become?
On the job on a cold, cold night

The self-storage facility at the former Colonial Metals is now AXIS.

Another mighty high crane

Down the hatch

A look from the other side

A rare sight: not a vehicle in the lot

Cue the Jaws music.

Pulling one in
Throwing one back
Ice forming near the bridge
New construction along Riverfront Drive

When ya gotta go . . .

DEEDS RECORDED – COLUMBIA BOROUGH – JAN. 25, 2021

Jeffrey L. Dale and Carol R. Dale conveyed 222 Perry St. to Hanover Shoe Properties LLC for $80,000.

Jeffrey L. Dale and Carol R. Dale conveyed property on South Fifth Street to Valley View Capital LLC for $160,000.

Shelley E. Poe and Shelley E. Frederick conveyed 250 S. Fifth St. to Robert Scott Frederick and Shelley E. Frederick for $1.

Thomas V. Kalista conveyed 437 N. Third St. to Stephen D. Kalista, Josephine L. Kalista and Thomas V. Kalista for $1.

Edward E. Lindenberger, Stephen M. Lindenberger and Graham Real Estate conveyed 409 Poplar St. to Cheri L. Sanabria and Ovidio Sanabria for $168,000.

A&W Southern York LLC conveyed property on South Fourth Street to Colby Benjamin Shank and Cynthia Lynn Shank for $210,000.