Nuns build chapel on pipeline's route, judge says company can condemn the land for pipeline project

A federal judge ruled recently that the Williams Partners can condemn land owned by nuns at the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, just outside Columbia, but not before an outdoor chapel dedication ceremony tomorrow. Williams attorneys had wanted to seize the land before the dedication.
Following is the backstory of the company’s plan to extend its natural gas pipeline through land owned by the nuns.
COLUMBIA, Pa. — A group opposing a natural gas pipeline scheduled to go through land owned by some Pennsylvania nuns has built a prayer chapel on the proposed right of way.
Lancaster Against Pipelines and the sisters, The Adorers of the Blood of Christ, plan to dedicate the chapel at a prayer service on Sunday.
Williams Partners is the group building the pipeline across 183 miles of Pennsylvania. It has asked a Lancaster County judge for an emergency order to seize the land. A ruling on that is pending.
The company’s spokesman says the chapel is a “blatant attempt to impede pipeline construction.”
The nuns said in a news release that they “revere Earth as a sanctuary where all life is protected” and contend the pipeline violates their commitment to the environment.
— The Associated Press

Police activity about town

Monday, July 3
State police vehicle at Miles Bixler’s office.
***
Tuesday, July 4
During Wrightsville’s fireworks display on July 4, Wrightsville and Hellam Township Police pursued a vehicle across the Veterans Memorial bridge. The vehicle pulled over on the Columbia side of the bridge near Rotary Park. When Columbia Spy arrived on the scene, police were handcuffing the driver of the vehicle, who was then led away and placed in a police car. A partially empty liquor bottle was sitting atop the vehicle, presumably placed there by the driver or police. 
A visibly upset female was sitting in the passenger seat, and police were attempting to talk to her. Unfortunately, the crowd on the sidewalk (and in Rotary Park) was a bit unruly and shouted and jeered at police. One of the officers asked the crowd to be calm, because he was trying to communicate with the female passenger. At 9:45 p.m., the situation still had not been totally resolved.

 Note the bottle on top of the vehicle.

Wednesday, July 5 

Chief Brommer cites a driver going the wrong way on the 500 block of Chestnut, which is one-way.

This past weekend . . .
An altercation involving occupants of two vehicles occurred Sunday evening, July 2, at the Weis Markets parking lot along Columbia Avenue. According to a witness, a road rage incident began on Route 30 between a vehicle occupied by two men, children, and a female driver – and another vehicle occupied only by a male driver.

It is unclear what sparked the road rage, but both vehicles pulled into the parking lot, and occupants of both vehicles jumped out, exchanged words, and began fighting. During the fight, the driver of the first vehicle was punched in the face and put into a “choke hold” by the men in the second vehicle. The driver’s wife, who had been following in a separate vehicle, stopped to help but was punched in the head by one of the two men.
Columbia Police quickly responded, followed by West Hempfield, who had jurisdiction. Reportedly, West Hempfield Police said they would either charge everyone or no one, since they had not witnessed the fight and there were conflicting accounts. Bystanders had been recording the incident with cellphones.

Columbia to get bigger Sunoco station, laundromat

Several new signs were mounted yesterday and today (July 5 & 6) at the former Exxon gas station at 15th Street and Route 462 – and the existing Sunoco station beside it. The project is a first stage in expanding the Sunoco station.

The Exxon station, which also housed a “snack mart” and ATM, shut down a few years ago. Its signs were removed yesterday.

Workmen then installed a new sign frame . . .

. . . using a “bucket truck” and crane.

Today, a new Sunoco sign was installed inside the frame.

The soon-to-be Sunoco building will also house a laundromat, according to a worker on-scene.

The existing Sunoco station got a small facelift – another new sign.
Obviously, the pricing display is yet to be programmed.

Columbia rentals exceed all others locally; home ownership 4th smallest

According towncharts.com, Columbia Borough has the highest percentage of renter households to total households (41.6%), as compared to other area municipalities.  The percentage is higher than the national average.
Columbia also has the fourth smallest number of owner housing units (58.4%) – as compared to all the other places in the area.
The figures come from most recent demographics data available from the Census Bureau released in December of 2016.
Figure 5 shows the percentage of renter households to total households. Columbia indicates it has 41.6% Renter Percent which is at the top of all other places in the area.

Figure 6 shows the number of owner housing units and it has 58.4% Owner Percent which is the 4th smallest Owner Percent of all the other places in the area.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 20.0px; font: 16.5px Arial; color: #4f4f4f; -webkit-text-stroke: #4f4f4f; background-color: #ffffff} span.s1 {font-kerning: none; color: #0000ff; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #0000ff} span.s2 {font-kerning: none}


Other Columbia statistics, such as demographics, economy, education, and healthcare are also available at Town Charts HERE.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 20.0px; font: 16.5px Arial; color: #4f4f4f; -webkit-text-stroke: #4f4f4f; background-color: #ffffff} span.s1 {font-kerning: none; color: #0000ff; -webkit-text-stroke: 0px #0000ff} span.s2 {font-kerning: none}

About Town

Mayflies have invaded Columbia! They even attached themselves to a Columbia flag so that the invasion would be symbolic as well as literal. Clever little creatures!
Once again, they seem to be everywhere around town – even here, at the old railroad station, now Eastern Drillers.
Well, that’s one way to light up your life.
 Reflecting . . .

 Up against the wall . . .

 But not everyone’s upset about the mayflies. This grackle has a beakful of the bugs.

This sparrow, too.
 Speaking of birds, here’s one who must think he’s king of the world atop a finial at the Elks.

 A tree for rent? Is transportation provided?

 Street sweeper sweeping once again

 An armada of geese heading north.

“Free food” sign in a window . . . 
at 215 Walnut Street.

 And there’s the food.

 And to wash it all down, here’s a load of Columbia cocktails.

 Yet another rental run by a “property management” company
(122 North Third)

 It’s leaning a bit.
(Seen from North Second, near Rotary Park)

 Two-month-old dumpster
(Second & Walnut)
 Limbs down…for a few weeks…at a borough property…on Walnut

 Ironic that a WATER company is bleeding us DRY.

 Historic building with five – count ’em, FIVE – meters
(300 block of Chestnut)

 Victim of traffic regulations

 All in a row

 Hangin’ out at the Watch & Clock Museum

 It’s leaning a bit.
(High School hill)

 Don’t go that way. Walk the straight and narrow.

 Signs in the window at 124 North Fifth

 About that bypass . . .
Wasn’t it supposed to keep these things outta here?

 Sun-kissed medallion

“One of these days I’m gonna settle down
But till I do I won’t be hanging round
Going down that long lonesome highway
Gonna live life my way”
(“Long Lonesome Highway”

Three ways to challenge the Water Company's proposed rate hike

Columbia Water Company customers recently received the letter shown below, which explains how much a proposed increase will cost, on average.
The letter also explains three ways customers can challenge the increase, including filing a complaint with the PUC, writing a letter to the Columbia Water Company, and being a witness at a public hearing if one is held. The last increase for Columbia customers was in 2013.