Columbia updates rules governing street trees in the borough

Columbia Borough Council clarified issues about planting, trimming and paying for shade trees, during their meeting Monday, May 12 as they amended the borough’s “shade tree ordinance.”

Helping claws: Falcon from Columbia hooks up with one from Harrisburg to form new nest in Reading

Mix in a female peregrine falcon that hatched from the Route 462 bridge in Columbia in 2011 with a 9-year-old male falcon from Harrisburg and you get a nest with three or four young falcons right now in Reading.

What I saw recently

Some pics from around town over the last few days . . .
 Threaded rods and nuts that will be used to secure a lighting fixture on the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

At the Columbia Historic Preservation Society on Second Street: 
One of the original lights from the entrance to the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

 Like the sign says . . .

 Hey, doesn’t he work for Taco Bell?
Must be his day off.

 Scene from the living room window:
I think this is a female red-headed house sparrow.

 View from the bridge:
The River Park project continues.

 Aerial view of a killdeer on the tracks:
It’s only fair; birds look down on us all the time.

 Relaxing – but keeping an eye on things.

 Another view of the River Park project under construction.

 How much is that . . . well, you know the rest.

 Continuing to rise

 More bridge lighting fixtures have arrived recently.  Lights have been installed in some.

 Two of the original bridge light fixtures on the front lawn of Sahd Salvage along Route 462.

Damn straight!
We knew it all along!

Bridge lights installed

I took these pics of the new bridge lights on the Veterans Memorial Bridge today. Currently, there are 10 lights installed. Starting from the Wrightsville side, they leapfrog (every other pier) on the southern edge for about 2/3 of the way across to the Columbia side, and alternate with the existing pole lights. One pier was skipped for some reason. On the Columbia side, four available piers remain, which will bring the total to 15 when the rest of the lights are installed on the southern edge. I assume the same number will be installed on the northern edge, bringing the total number of lights to 30 for the entire bridge. Removing the pole lights could allow that number to double, but I don’t know if that’s part of the plan.
About a month ago, I counted only 21 light fixtures at the borough garage along the river. Are there more on the way, or are some stored elsewhere?

What I saw recently

Some shots from around town over the past few days . . . 
 Could Jim Morrison be around?

 Tracks in the grass

 Another shot of the Shawnee Creek tunnel

 A lone killdeer

 Antique roller skates at Burning Bridge Antiques

 The way to the police station

 A rusty beetle face-off

 A rusty race

A grackle looking like a cardboard cut-out of a grackle.
Life imitating art imitating life  

 Graffiti artist in training.
Someday, a true graffiti artist might emerge from our ranks, of the caliber of Keith Haring or Banksy

 Shut-off notice at Hotel Columbia/Hotel Locust

 Training session

 One of the two jets that patrol our skies daily

 Crossing the street
 Prom night
Parking brake

Utility poles installed

Over the past few days, several large utility poles have been installed in the area of Route 441 near the exit ramp to Route 30.  Each pole contains large metal pulleys.  A base station containing several bucket trucks has been set up along Route 441, just north of Route 30.