What happened: Council has interviewed one candidate for the position of borough manager so far, Heather Zink, president, said, responding to questions from residents Sharon Lintner and Frank Doutrich about the hiring process for borough and finance managers.
Background: In May, council ratified the termination of Michelle Jenkins as finance manager. Barbara Fisher, council member, said an independent contractor and the borough bookkeeper have been handling the extra work until a finance manager is hired. In September, Steven Kaufhold will retire from his position as borough manager.
Hiring authority: Zink clarified that council interviews and hires a borough manager. Council approves a finance manager and that person’s salary, but the borough manager is the hiring authority for that position.
Hiring process: The hiring pool for municipal management positions is low, Zink said, adding that other municipalities have had difficulty hiring similar positions. People have applied but few meet the qualifications, Mayor Leo Lutz said. There have been discussions about internal candidates or promotions from within, he said.
King’s Country Flavorites, 15 S. Third St., Columbia, Aug. 2. Pass. Prepackaged pickled red beets are not properly labeled with the ingredient statement, net weight and distribution statement. Labels for all prepackaged foods are missing the name and address/distributed-by statement; repeat violation. Observed single-service, single-use articles (to-go containers) stored directly on the floor, and not 6 inches above the floor. Ice and plant clippings observed in the hand-wash sink. The facility has a double-bowl sink and has designated which side will be used for hand-washing only, however, it continues to use the hand-wash sink for uses other than hand-washing; repeat violation.
Li’l Stacks Pa, 15 S. Third St., Columbia, opening, Aug. 2. Pass. Observed raw shell eggs stored directly on top of sodas in the refrigerator. Prepackaged fruit cups and chocolate Dubai strawberry cups are not labeled properly with the distributed by statement and address. The food facility does not maintain food employee certification records as required. The owner is registered to take a food safety course. The food facility does not have a food safety manager, however, is registered to attend a food safety course.
On The Bun, 15 S. Third St., Columbia, Aug. 2. Pass. No violations.
The Candy Hut, 15 S. Third St., Columbia, Aug. 2. Pass. Prepackaged assorted cookies, whoopie pies, doughnut holes, cotton candy, Chex Mix, and chocolate-covered pretzel sticks are not labeled properly with the name of the product, ingredient statement, net weight, and distributed-by statement. Prepackaged assorted cookies, whoopie pies, donut holes, cotton candy, Chex Mix, and chocolate-covered pretzels are not labeled to clearly indicate any “Big 9” allergen ingredients and/or the allergen warning statement. Observed a scouring pad and a rag inside the hand-wash sink.
Orientiq, 22 S. Second St., Columbia, Aug. 1. Pass. Observed a container of coffee machine cleaner stored on a shelf with bags of food.
Halo’s Eatery, 301 Cherry St., Columbia, opening, July 29. Pass. No violations.
Lancaster Distilleries, 230 N. Fourth St., Columbia, July 29. Pass. No violations.
St John’s Herr Estate, 200 Luther Lane, Columbia, July 29. Pass. Prepackaged soup and assorted sandwiches are not labeled properly with the ingredient statement and distributed-by statement. Prepackaged soup and assorted sandwiches are not labeled to clearly indicate any “Big 9” allergen ingredients and/or the allergen warning statement. Can opener in kitchen is creating metal slivers and not cutting the can surface effectively.
§ 117-4 Fires on private property; restrictions. Outdoor fires shall be permitted upon private property, provided that the following regulations and restrictions are strictly adhered to:
A. Every resident wishing to burn an outdoor fire shall first make application to the Borough of Columbia.
B. Applications shall be inspected and approved by the Columbia Borough Fire Chief or his/her designee.
C. Once approved, the outdoor fire device shall not be relocated or replaced without reapplication, inspection and approval.
D. Permits are valid for one year unless covered by Subsection C.
E. An application fee determined by Columbia Borough Council shall be set by resolution and listed in the Columbia Borough Fee Schedule.
F. Every outdoor fire shall be burned in, and confined to, a noncombustible, ventilated container covered with a screen of 1/2 inch or smaller mesh or with other noncombustible containers or incinerators.
G. Every resident must have an approved extinguishment agent on-site and operational at all times when the fire is burning.
H. No such fire shall be closer than 10 feet from any building or structure.
I. No fire is allowed to burn upon any day except between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. EST.
J. No such fire shall be allowed to burn unless attended by an adult.
K. In addition to this chapter, outdoor fires shall be subject to the conditions of the following ordinances: (1) Chapter 126, Health and Sanitation, Article IX, Miscellaneous Regulations, § 126-40, Nuisances.
(2) Chapter 181, Solid Waste, § 181-9, Illegal dumping and open burning.
Iron Eagle employees began to “set up shop” this morning at the former McGinness property on Manor Street as another step in the remediation project there.
Iron Eagle Excavating submitted the low bid of $2,196,104.60 for the project, which is expected to take about four months for completion.
Rick Breneman of Breneman Site Construction will oversee the project. [Columbia Spy file photo]
Rick Breneman of Breneman Site Construction will oversee the project. Breneman has been a member of the McGinness design team since the beginning.
Soil remediation/stabilization represents Phase 1 of development of the property, aimed at bringing it to “pad-ready” condition. The work will focus on removing problematic materials from the ground to ensure a clean foundation.
Engineering assessments had revealed issues at the site, according to Jason Best of ELA Group and Derek Rinaldo, the borough’s engineer who has overseen the project since its inception. During the February 25, 2025 council meeting, Best described the scope of the problem as including “deleterious materials, including whatever junk was buried through the course of all the flattening for the runways years and years ago.”
According to Rinaldo, the southern runway was built with improperly compacted fill material that was “just dumped,” creating what he characterized as “fluffy soil” with compaction levels that are “all over the place.”
Remediation will involve stabilizing the ground to support future buildings through a multi-step process. Teams will sift contaminated areas to remove materials that don’t belong in the soil, while buried organic matter such as trees will be chipped on-site rather than transported elsewhere.
anndope painted these images at the State Theatre Vintage Emporium for Summerween. Her Instagram page is HERE. The shark represents the 50th anniversary of the film Jaws.
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Evening clouds
Work continues at the Linden Street Build.
Speaking of Linden Street, this Jeep on Linden has been hit 3 times over the years while it was parked: the first time by a vehicle, the second time by a deer, and the third time by another vehicle. The most recent time was early this morning.
[Video: Howard Stevens]
The weeds at the former McGinness airfield were finally cut down, as Columbia Spy reported previously.
Weeds were also cut down near the shoreline at Columbia River Park.
Carson Stahl continues to make progress at the bridge plaza, mowing and pulling weeds.
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What happens when they rust through completely?
Zinnia
Some people never check out.
Bingo makes it happen.
A Fox 43 camera operator was shooting some scenes at Columbia River Park.
Jess & Kyle played again on Locust Street.
The Returned Soldier endures. Columbia Spy reported on his twin brother HERE.
There’s wine tasting at the former Visitors Center on Linden Street. Lavender Acres Winery is using the location as a pop-up tasting room this weekend (11 am–9 pm) while their main tasting room is closed for improvements. There’s a possibility they could stay here until November, however.
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Time out
A cat with a tipped left ear indicates it’s been “fixed.”
Survival of the fittest: Which species will win?
Maybe the black-eyed Susans
Monkeying around
Sunflowers
A worker had to repair the relay box at 4th & Poplar after a driver hit it the previous week.
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Welcome to the Locust Street Park
There’s the gazebo.
And there’s a damaged bench.
Was it vandalism?
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Old-time light at St. John’s Lutheran
Mulching done precisely
Life finds a way.
All in a row on Chestnut
Keeping it clean
Signs of life at the empty building at 14 Lancaster Avenue: Note the open door on the right.
The longstanding high weeds at the former McGinness property were being cut down this morning in preparation for a soil remediation project to be done there. The remediation will be carried out by Iron Eagle Excavating of Lancaster.
Remediation will involve stabilizing the ground to support future buildings through a multi-step process. Teams will sift contaminated areas to remove materials that don’t belong in the soil, while buried organic matter such as trees will be chipped on-site rather than transported elsewhere.
Go HERE for more information on the remediation project.
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Columbia Spy 
