Special Council Meeting Tuesday, December 20, 2016

LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given that a Special Meeting of Columbia Borough Council will be held in conjunction with the monthly Public Works Committee Meeting on Tuesday, December 20, 2016, at 6:00pm in the Borough Hall, 308 Locust Street, Columbia, PA, to discuss the 2017 meeting schedule and any other Borough business. If you are a person with a disability wishing to attend and require an accommodation to participate in the meeting, please contact the Borough Office at 684-2467. Gregory Sahd Borough Manager

[This notice was published HERE on Lancaster Online, but at the time of this posting does not appear on the borough’s website.  No meeting agenda available.]

Criminal mischief, thefts in town

The Columbia Borough Police Department is handling a large number of criminal mischief and theft cases that occurred sometime between Sunday 12-18-16 and Monday 12-19-16. It is believed that all the events occurred during the overnight hours. A large number of vehicle mirrors have been removed from vehicles anywhere from the intersection of 4th St. and Walnut St. to 2nd St. and Mill St. areas. There was also damage done to a soda machine and to a building as well. With the large number of calls being received we are behind in getting to some of you. If you haven't received a message or heard from an officer in over 2 hours please call into the police station.

If you had damage or something missing from your vehicle or property, you are encouraged to report it to the police if not already done so. We are asking residents in the areas affected to check their home surveillance systems if you have one to see if anyone can be seen that may have done this. If you have information on who may have done this you are asked to call the police station at 717-684-7735 or submit a tip below.

Thanks and have a safe holiday season!

Case Status:

Columbia volunteers distribute food, toys to needy families

Paul Resch, vice president of the Columbia Lions Club — which organizes the event with the Sunsnappers men’s service club and other local groups — said that 545 area children were to receive toys Sunday.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-volunteers-distribute-food-toys-to-needy-families/article_63c31706-c57c-11e6-9ef2-abf04a089579.html

Study: Thousands of Lancaster County children eligible for free preschool aren't getting it

In Columbia Borough School District, only 56 percent of preschoolers who qualified for high-quality publicly funded preschool received it, the report said.
MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/study-thousands-of-lancaster-county-children-eligible-for-free-preschool/article_8db9a096-c254-11e6-aae2-a7ff247695b0.html

Snowflakes and a trolley are in Columbia's future – for a price

New borough Christmas lights were the topic at the Community Development meeting December 15, 2016.  

Cleon Berntheizel presented information regarding the lights and pricing.  He said that the 36 snowflake lights the borough already owns cannot be supported by the newer light posts.  Berntheizel presented sale prices that will expire on the last day of February 2017.  The cost to purchase 37 new snowflake lights is listed at $9,693.00 with shipping to be added.  
Rather than keep the old lights in storage, Berntheizel suggested placing them on business buildings such as the market house or Hinkle’s Pharmacy. Mayor Lutz said that not all businesses may want to put holes in their buildings in order to display the snowflake lights.  He also mentioned that a box would need to be installed for electricity to operate the lights.  This was followed by some discussion about the cost of the borough’s annual electric bill.
Mayor Lutz did express interest in having some of the lights at River Park.  
The new snowflake light purchase will go to full council at the January 9 meeting.
The trolley purchase was also brought up, albeit briefly.  Greg Sahd said that it will not be ready for purchase until January 2, 2017.  However he would like the borough to be able to take possession of it before the end of this year and have it included in the 2016 budget.  
There are decals that have to be removed prior to purchase.  Greg Sahd suggested that Cleon Bernthiezel get in touch with Elite Coach to see if possession could possibly take place sooner.
Rebecca Denlinger was not present.  Councillors Cleon Berntheizel, John Novak and Sherry Welsh were present along with Greg Sahd and Mayor Leo Lutz.