Columbia Spy

Steven Shetter, owner of Total Exterminating Services, stands in front of his office at 30A North Fourth Street.

Bugs bugging you? Pests pesting you? If so, Steve Shetter wants you to know there’s help available. Shetter is the owner of TES – Total Exterminating Systems – which recently set up shop in Columbia.

The TES staff has a combined 35 plus years of experience in the exterminating field, and Shetter himself has done the job for 27 years.

Operating from an office at 30A North Fourth Street, TES offers a full range of exterminating services to rid properties of bugs, mice, and other vermin in commercial and residential settings.

“One of our mission statements is, ‘Do the right thing all the time,'” Shetter said recently. 

He said he is willing to work with property owners and renters who might not have a lot of money. “If there are people that are in true need here in Columbia and they’re willing to work with me, then I’m going to be willing to work with them.” Shetter asks that those with pest problems first launder and bag their clothes and strip the beds before he treats the area.

Shetter has noticed that some residents take affected mattresses outside and place them on the sidewalk. He said that those who do so should cut them as well as any upholstered furniture to discourage others from using them and spreading any possible infestation.

In fact, Shetter said it’s usually not necessary to need to get rid of affected mattresses.  Although he sometimes makes such a recommendation, he often encases mattresses and box springs in plastic to keep insects from entering or leaving the furniture. Some furniture can also be treated chemically.

TES can take care of about 40 different types of insects, as well as rodents and other pests. “We take care of anything pest control-wise,” Shetter said. TES also offers preventative programs with monthly or quarterly treatments.  

Shetter and his technician Mike Hughson have found Columbians to be friendly and welcoming and look forward to helping where they can. “We love being here in Columbia,” Shetter said.

In addition to a full range of exterminating services, TES offers mattress encasements and chemical sprays.

Mattress encasements can eliminate the need to get rid of infested mattresses and box springs.

Fore more information, visit the TES website HERE and their Facebook page HERE.

Columbia Borough will continue to publish public notices and legal ads in LNP, the newspaper with the widest circulation in the county, rather than shift them to a smaller, regional weekly business publication, officials said.

MORE:
http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/columbia-borough-to-keep-public-notices-legal-ads-in-lnp/article_eff540d8-4bb9-11e6-b67d-a3cfea8e6f70.html

On Saturday night, a crowd of 86 people attended the first wedding ever held at Columbia Crossing.

               (Reader-submitted photos)

Meanwhile outside, fire police kept an eye on the railroad crossing where barricades were malfunctioning – yet again.

Undercover detectives from the Lancaster County Drug Task Force, along with Columbia Borough Police, apprehended a man at 313 North Second Street shortly after 6 p.m. today. According to witnesses, detectives tore their way through two screen windows on a front porch to enter the house. As police led the man to a police van, he shouted that the incident was due to a probation violation. A detective and bystanders engaged in a minor verbal altercation as police entered their vehicles to leave the scene.

Mayor Leo Lutz swears in new councillor Fran FitzGerald at Monday’s meeting.

Columbia Borough Council voted Monday night to appoint John Novak and Fran FitzGerald to council to fill seats recently vacated by Barry Ford and Mary Barninger. Other candidates who applied for the position were Frank Doutrich, Jeanne M. Cooper, Joseph H. Nikolaus, and Alan Barninger. Candidate Michelle McFarland was not present. John Novak was unable to attend the meeting and was interviewed via phone after listening to the interviews. He was sworn in by Mayor Leo Lutz via phone.

Ford resigned due to health issues. His resignation was effective May 31, 2016. Barninger resigned due to employment obligations. Her resignation was effective June 30, 2016.

Unanswered questions have been swirling around town since the June 16 Columbia Borough School Board meeting. Changes, resignations, and appointments are making the actions of the board look like a veritable chess game.

Board President Tom Strickler resigned after announcing his intention to apply for an administrative position with ELANCO.
Strickler’s resignation is effective July 18 at 11:59 p.m.

In a unanimous vote, the board appointed board member Cole Knighton as president, despite his less than desirable attendance record over the past four years, specifically:

In 2013: Twelve regular board meetings: He attended seven. (58%)

In 2014: Eleven regular board meetings with recorded attendance: He attended four. (36%)

In 2015:. Twelve regular board meetings: He attended seven. (58%)

In 2016: Six regular board meetings to date: He has so far attended all six. (100%)

In 2015, board members Alysa Poindexter and Cole Knighton both missed the first three consecutive meetings of the year. By the March 2015 meeting, both Knighton and Poindexter had reached a point in which their attendance was an issue, according to bylaws. They both remained on the board, but Poindexter eventually resigned in June, having missed a total of six consecutive meetings. Knighton kept his seat.

According to Section 319 of 1949 Act 14, adopted by the Pennsylvania General Assembly:

“If any person having qualified as school director and any qualified school director who is a member of a joint board or who is selected as a member of a joint school committee or who is a member of a joint school committee by virtue of the provisions of a joint board agreement shall neglect or refuse to attend two successive regular meetings of the school board, joint board or joint school committee, unless detained by sickness, or prevented by necessary absence from the district, or if in attendance at any meetings shall neglect or refuse to act in his official capacity as a school director, the remaining members of the board may declare his office as director vacant. His office shall be filled from the qualified electors of the district.”

No other candidates – including Board Vice President Kathleen Hohenadel – were considered for the position vacated by Strickler. (According to our records, Hohenadel has had 100% attendance at meetings.)

A vacant position will be created when Strickler’s resignation becomes effective and Knighton steps in as president. The position was advertised in the June 29 edition of the Merchandiser:

The deadline to apply for the position is August 1, 2016.

On a related note, board member Fran Resch resigned effective May 31, and the board appointed Keith Combs to fill the vacancy.

Strickler recused himself from part of the regular board meeting of May 12 due to his intention to apply for a Director of District Operations position, the posting for which is shown here:

Part of Strickler’s resume publicly available on the internet, shows the following:

As Columbia Spy reported HERE, former Columbia School Board member Francis Resch resigned from the board effective May 31, 2016. According to LNP, Resch resigned for health reasons. His resignation letter to the board, however, alludes to additional reasons. The letter is published here with permission of the author.

Hilde Kate Lysiak, who reports from Selinsgrove, PA, recently signed a book deal with Scholastic. She reports on news in her hometown at her site The Orange Street News.

MORE HERE