Council expects a crowd, moves Tuesday night's meeting to DAC

Tuesday night’s borough council meeting will be held at the District Administration Center (shown above) at 7 p.m.

According to the borough calendar, there is only one meeting scheduled for this week: the regular borough council meeting on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 7 p.m.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the expected high number of residents attending the meeting, the location has been moved to the District Administration Center, 200 North 5th Street, Columbia.

CBFD gets brand new fire police vehicle

CBFD’s new vehicle – a 2019 Ford F-450 truck
Columbia Spy recently got an up-close look at the new fire police vehicle that was picked up and driven home from Georgia by members of the Columbia Borough Fire Department last week. The vehicle, a 2019 Ford F-450 truck, was built by Fouts Brothers of Atlanta and boasts a 6.7 liter diesel engine and four-door crew cab. Although it’s a basic model – with crank windows and push button locks – it has a few necessary extras: a reader board, artificial lighting units that can illuminate entire intersections, and storage compartments for helmets, vests, safety cones, and other equipment. In addition, the cab contains a dashcam that records the road ahead as well as the vehicle driver.
Last April, Columbia Borough Council approved $99,207 for the vehicle, in a 6-1 vote. The fire department provided about $20,000 for the added safety equipment.
Once around the new truck

About Town 1/20/19

This week’s photos from around Columbia…
(Click/tap on photos for larger, clearer images.)
Friendly forklift driver
 Lost spare

 Someone should have kept it “STOPED” under the floor like the label says.

Milkweed with gossamer strands

 Separation anxiety

 The Good Book – with redactions
 Vandalism at South 3rd and Avenue I

 Drive carefully

Interview on the front porch

 Gang of little pillars, small but mighty

 What’s happening here?

 Permit for the above

 7 years bad luck

Pointy arch

 Tissue, please

 Open lock box

 Shiny icicles

 Out at Dollar General

 Hangin’ out

 Rail car instructions

 Parking lot at the bottom of Locust – now with 48-hour parking

Vines starting to trespass.

 Comfort car

 That’s not going to work too well.

This branch of Union Community Bank is gone for good…

 Rock on

Winter evening

 Patriotic rooster

 Up for auction soon

Orange and lemon raincoat

 High, but not mighty
[Submitted photo]

Some people can park wherever they want.
Rank has its privileges.
(And privilege has its rankness.)
[Submitted photo]
 Do not look for welcome here.

 Enter if you dare.

 On the bridge
 Columbia skyline

In the valley of one-headed men, the two-headed man is king.

St. Paul Church defies council decision on LED sign

This large LED sign was recently mounted on the front of St. Paul Episcopal Church on the 300 block of Locust Street.

Churchgoers at St. Paul Episcopal will soon be able to see the light – but maybe not the way they thought they would. A large LED-lighted sign, which the church has owned for about two years, was recently installed – or more specifically, re-installed – at the church on the 300 block of Locust Street. 
The sign was originally installed on a metal stand in October 2017, even though Columbia Borough Council had voted in July 2016 not to allow the installation. (Council members Kelly Murphy and Cleon Berntheizel recused themselves from the vote, because they are members of the church.) Shortly after Columbia Spy posted THIS ARTICLE , the sign was removed – and later the supporting frame as well. An existing wooden frame remains in place for posting announcements. 

Sometime this past week, the LED sign resurfaced, this time mounted to the historic stone and mortar of the church’s front face, using metal support strips secured by a series of large bolts.

According to a July 25, 2016 LNP news article, Columbia Borough Council denied the church permission to install an LED sign:

“Council denied a proposed LED-lighted sign at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 340 Locust St. Glenn Shaeffer, Historic Architectural Review Board chairman, asked that council create an amendment not allowing this type of sign in the future.

“There are no other signs like this in the historic district and allowing it would open the door for others and have an impact on the historic nature of the district,” Shaeffer said. “The historic district should not look like the Las Vegas strip.”

Council members Kelly Murphy and Cle Berntheizel removed themselves from the vote because they are members of the church.”


 July 11, 2016 council meeting minutes regarding the 5-0 vote to deny St. Paul Church’s sign request.

 HARB Chairman Glenn Schaeffer’s comments to council during the meeting. 

Council President Kelly Murphy’s recusal 

Councilman Cleon Berntheizel’s recusal


Updated Snow Emergency information from the Columbia Borough Manager

A significant winter storm is expected this weekend. We want to inform Columbia residents that the Borough is watching the developing weather conditions and will communicate if and when an official Snow Emergency declaration will take place. The declaration will be posted on the borough website and announced via email and on WGAL.

During a Snow Emergency, no vehicle may operate or park on a designated Snow Emergency Route. For your convenience, we have listed the routes below.

Safety is our number one priority and we appreciate your cooperation and patience.

Columbia Borough Snow Emergency Routes:

Chestnut Street (North Second to North Ninth Street)

Lancaster Avenue (Locust to Malleable Road)

Locust Street (Front to Ninth Street)

Ninth Street (Ironville Pike to Lancaster Avenue)

North Fifth Street (Chestnut to Locust Street)

North Third Street (Locust to Cedar Street)

$683,000 in delinquent taxes among the takeaways from Thursday's school board meeting

The Columbia Borough School District held its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, January 17, 2019. Here are a few quick takeaways from the meeting:
Students of the Month were honored at Thursday’s Columbia Borough School Board Meeting. Students’ names are shown below.
The final agenda for the meeting is shown below:

In answer to a citizen’s question, Chief of Finance and Operations Keith Ramsey stated that the current amount of delinquent school taxes is “just over $683,000.”

School Superintendent Tom Strickler announced that the Columbia Borough School District received a PA Smart Grant in the amount of $35,000 for STEM education. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.


The current terms of the following school board directors will expire this year: Charles Leader, Kathy Hohenadel, Fred Thomas, Janet Schwert, and Jenna Geesey.

HARB approves new construction for 401 Locust

Steven Funk (far right) of LeFevre Funk Architects shows HARB members a proposal for new construction at 401 Locust Street.

Columbia’s Historical Architectural Review Board approved a proposal for new construction at 401 Locust Street at its January 16, 2019 meeting. Steven Funk of LeFevre Funk Architects Inc. presented a proposal for the construction of a three-story, seven-bay addition to the east elevation of the existing three-story corner building which is owned by CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health. The 12,000 square-foot addition will include ground-level parking.  The project was previously discussed before HARB at its November 21, 2018 meeting. The building description and the project request and review are shown below:

CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health posted the following comment about the project on Columbia Spy’s Facebook page:

“Thank you for your interest in our project at 401 Locust Street. As a point of clarification: this project is entirely funded by CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health. There is no funding provided by the Borough to expand the building, to create the St. John Neumann School for Children and Families or to operate the childcare center once it is opened. The school which will open in the spring of 2020 will provide quality and affordable childcare for children and families in Columbia Borough. CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health is happy to answer questions and provide answers about the project as we are able. Earlier articles that outlined the plans for the school and the building expansion were featured on both Columbia Spy and LNP + LancasterOnline. CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health through our Healthy Columbia Project and initiatives such as the St. John Neumann School for Children and Families is making significant investment to respond to community needs and improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and families in Columbia Borough.”

Artist’s depiction of proposed addition [Provided]
401 Locust Street, currently