I know it has been a while since I have updated COLUMBIA TALK, so here is about a week's worth of updates.
PARKING: Parking downtown is something that I have touched on a number of times and will continue to do so. We need to have people come downtown and we don't need to drive them away. By that I mean, Columbia Borough doesn't need to write tickets for eight hours. Sure, if we didn't have the parking meters downtown, all the renters, who mostly can park for free on side streets or behind their rental units, would abuse Locust Street.
Perhaps there could be some type of permit parking for those businesses we have downtown or stop checking meters at four o'clock instead of six o'clock, or give free parking downtown for events such as Fourth Friday.
Or stop Saturday meter checking all together. Recently, I know of several cars that were ticketed downtown shortly after 9 a.m. and were all cars with Pennsylvania license plates. Another car with a Delaware tag was not ticketed.
LIGHT SHOW: Please try to patronize the holiday light show, sponsored by the Columbia Boy's Athletic Association, being held nightly at Glatfelter Field. The proceeds go to the young people of our town.
OFFICIAL'S BANQUET: Got invited to the Lancaster County Chapter of PIAA Football Officials Banquet last week at the Revere Tavern in Paradise. Honored at the banquet as a retiring official was Columbia native Denny Bachman, who is retiring this season after 35 years as one of the top officials in the L-L League.
The L-L League will hold its annual football banquet at the Timber's Lodge in Mount Gretna on Wednesday night. All-star teams will be announced and Coach of the Year awards given out. The officials will present their annual Lamar Weaver Sportsmanship Award.
The high school football banquet is next Tuesday.
KUTZTOWN BOWS OUT: Kutztown University bowed out of the first round of the Division II playoffs on Saturday. Columbia grad Colby Tuell led KU in receiving yards with six catches for 119 yards in the game.
OPEN HOUSE: Again, don't forget the open house for the "new" Columbia High School on Sunday, starting at 1 p.m. I got to see the "new" gym on Saturday. Looks kind of big without the bleachers at the south end of the gym, but otherwise is better.
I will be posting winter sports schedules later in the week.
11 comments:
The best solution is a centrally located downtown parking lot, hands down.
Requiring people to feed parking meters when parking downtown is not driving them away. Feeding meters when parking in business districts is standard in most every town. Parking meters assist with earning revenue for the purposes of street maintenance. It's quite often that I hear residents and visitors alike complaining about the condition of Borough roadways, but they will then turn around and complain about having to drop a quarter or $.50 into a meter. It's impossible to please everyone all the time. Barry, you propose permits. Who pays for these permits?? The busness owner? If that is the case, then business owners will complain about the added expense. Permits are not the answer. I gladly feed meters in metered zones, no matter whether I am in Columbia or elsewhere. As such, I believe it is not asking too much for patrons of downtown business to do the same. Street maintenance is not free. For very obvious reasons, taxes in this borough are already exorbitant. Meters are a way to help offset this and gain revenue for street maintenance. It comes down to a simple choice... throw a quarter or two into a meter, or pay $10 or more for a ticket. It's the way it is, and in my eyes, the choice is rather simple.
I personally don't object to slugging a meter but not at 8pm on a Friday night! And Saturdays should be off-limits as well. Are we really that much ahead after paying the salary and benefits of an employee to be out on a Friday night or weekends? I would be really interested in knowing how much revenue is generated from parking tickets per year AFTER you take into account the salary paid to the parking meter attendants. I find it hard to believe that this town takes in more in parking tickets than it does to pay those salaries. And the roads are terrible no matter what! And even when they do fill in potholes, they do a pretty lousy job. Some streets haven't been touched in years. It took years to tackle north 11th street and the surrounding streets are still terrible. I vote to get rid of the Friday night and all day Saturday meter requirements. We should meet in the middle on this issue and maybe it will please most of us.
Besides the Reuzit shop and Stover's, what else is there downtown anymore that you need to park on the street, especially on a Saturday or Friday night? I doubt the drug dealers and prostitutes are slugging the meters. I don't know if the problem is that you can't get enough time on a meter, but rather you can't get anything under an hour (except for near the post office - and the borough charges double the going rate there. Classy.)
It's amazing how many times you can drive down Locust Street and only see a handful of cars parked all alongside the metered zone. Makes me wonder if hiking the rates and purchasing the new meters has even started to pay off (and might explain the "enhanced" enforcement?)
Having said the above, attacking the parking problem is akin to locking the barn door long after the horse has escaped. Once we get enough businesses to even begin to justify the meters, then we can discuss the peculiarities and problems of parking.
I see the new lot still being worked on at the foot of Locust St. I also see lots of fancy curb work. Maybe it's all required for drainage and the like. I hope so, as I'd hate to see spaces lost to make something look pretty.
Maybe long term this borough should look at potential sites for at least a parking deck, if not a full parking garage. Put it right there on the list with acquiring property for a borough fairgrounds.
there's only one good spot left for a lot in the downtown and everyone knows it - the "hole in the ground" - and that's why Council made a good decision to shoot down developmemnt plans for the property a few years ago - the Borough needs to get on the stick and either buy the damn property or take the damn property - and for what it's worth!!
What about the old Spring building across from the hole in the ground? Don't think that's being used for anything.
Sorry, I meant SPRINT, not spring. (phone company building)
The owners researched the idea of indoor parking at the Sprint building and the main support beams are in the way for a desirable sized parking space. It could possibly work if the spaces are under sized,
however.., it would make more economic sense to build a multi story parking garage at 25n Third Street AND combined with the area behind Burning Bridge. The lower level of the garage could enter from the alley (Ave H.), and the next level from Walnut Street, and even more levels, or office on top!
I'm certain that the owners of both properties would be happy to consider this. It's an old plan that was initiated by Teddy Ryan and never took hold, but it was and still is a very good plan.
I was thinking more of knocking the Sprint building down and building anew. But the other idea might have merit, too.
well Tom, knocking the Sprint building down really isn't such a bad idea. It is outdated and there is nothing special about the architecture. Perhaps you can go to Borough Council and suggest that they reccomend that Doolittle knocks down the Sprint building to make way for a parking garage. :)
with all due respect, I do think that other idea is better :) - and rather take a hard look at it now then after the hole in the ground is developed!!
Hey, if we knock down a couple more buildings we can have a fairgrounds area right in the heart of downtown.
...said tongue-in-cheek? *maybe* ;)
Tom.
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