The Experience is a step closer

The Turkey Hill Experience at Third and Linden streets is “oh so close” to becoming a reality.

At a special council meeting Wednesday night, an agreement was approved between the borough and the Columbia Economic Development Corporation and Museum Partners that will allow the project to proceed.

The last part of the process will be the actual signing of an agreement between CEDC and Museum Partners.

Wednesday’s meeting cleared the final hurdle of possible soil contamination at the property. All three parties agreed that the soil is clean and te agreement was hand delivered to Harrisburg and DEP this morning.

Settlement on the property is expected to happen sometime in the next two weeks.

Once that happens, construction is expected to start shortly there after, barring any last minute problems.

Tide girls gear up for final stretch

There’s no doubt the Columbia girls’ softball team has been the biggest surprise of the Lancaster-Lebanon League this season.


The former cellar dwellers have gone from the outhouse to the penthouse so to speak. In last place for most of the 26 years the school has played softball, the Tide finds itself in an unusual spot. Heading into the final five Section 4 games of the season, coach Brad Brubaker’s team is tied with Annville-Cleona with an 8-3 record, followed closely by Pequea Valley with a 7-3 (Pequea Valley still has a make-up game with Lancaster Mennonite) record.

Columbia can take a giant step toward a possible Section 4 title tomorrow when they open the second half of Section 4 play with a game at Pequea Valley.

The Tide scored its first win of this special season earlier by a 3-2 score over the Valley Braves.

Thursday, the Tide put themselves in position to play for first place with a 7-1 win over Northern Lebanon at Glatfelter Field. The big win came a day after the Tide was blanked by Donegal, 8-0.

The win over the Lady Vikings helped the Tide complete crossover games with a 3-3 record and improve their overall record to 10-4, which is three more wins than any CHS team ever had.

First, we’ll start with the bats. After being no hit a day earlier by Donegal’s Kelsey Hannold, the Tide banged out nine hits in the win, which was their most in their last seven games.

The “hittin inning” for the Tide Thursday was the second. They banged six hits in the inning, which helped them score six runs.

Freshman Ashlyn Phillips started the frame off with a single. Allison Michener then reached on a fielder’s choice, when the Vikings couldn’t make a play on her bunt. Now with one out, Kayla Lambert singled to score one, allowing Michener to move to third. Kayla Ortman then walked to load the sacks. Columbia almost made it 2-0 as Michener was thrown out at the dish attempting to score on a wild pitch.

No problem however.

Alexis Eckman stepped to the dish and delivered a single, which plate two runs, which was followed by a three bagger off the bat of Emily Detz to score Ortman and Eckman. Detz scored when Vallessa Carollo singled and she came home on a double off the bat of Jenna Plastino, who was thrown out at third trying to stretch the hit into a triple.

All the sudden, it was 6-0 and with sharp shooter Detz rebounding from an off game the day before against Donegal in the circle, all was well with the Tide.

Well, a bunt single and double in the third got one run back for the Vikings, but that’s all they would get.

Detz struck out 17 (two reached on strike out/wild pitches and walked two. Northern Lebanon thanks to some loose defense by the Tide got two more runners on in the fourth, but didn’t score. They also got two runners in the sixth on a Tide error and strike out/wild pitch, but didn’t score.

At the plate, the Tide was “oh so” close to breaking this one open.

In the fourth, Ortman singled with one out and moved to third on a couple of wild pitches. Detz then walked but was thrown out trying to go to second for the third out following the walk.

Columbia scored its seventh run in the fifth. Carollo singled and scored, but Columbia loaded the bases o a couple of walks and a hit batter, only to have another runner cut down at the plate, attempting to score on an infield out.

But in the seventh, Detz strongly closed the game with her final two strikeouts and a pop out to Michener at short.

After playing PV tomorrow, the Tide has winnable games Monday and Wednesday with Lancaster Mennonite and Lancaster Catholic, both at home, before traveling to Annville-Cleona next Friday.

Depending upon what happens tomorrow, there may never be a bigger game in Columbia softball history.

Lock your vehicles

Columbia Police are asking people to lock their vehicles and not leave anything of value in them.
Recently police have received a number of reports of vehicle break-ins in all  areas of the town.
Police said there have been 15 reports in the last two weeks in the area of South 13th Street.
Police are asking residents if they do leave something in their vehicle, not to leave it in view of someone walking past the vehicle, who could look in and steal it.
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Police issue scam warning

Columbia Police are warning residents about a scam going through the community.
Police said residents are receiving phone calls telling them they have won money, but there is a catch.
The callers, police said, ask the victims to send money to a place or seek information on bank accounts. The victims are also told an UPS delivery person will deliver a package to their home and the victims are ask to send money via Western Union to a certain place, "if they want to ever win anything so it could be entered into a contest."
Police said people just don't call residents to ask you to send money to get the winnings.
If anyone has been a victim of this, please call police at 684-7735.

Weekly Columbia police reports

ANGEL L. GARCIA, 27, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVING WHILE OPERATING PRIVILEGE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED, IN THE 200 BLOCK OF LAWRENCE STREET, AT 4 P.M., APRIL 19.


CRYSTAL L. STOUGH, 27, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVING WHILE OPERATING PRIVILEGE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED, ON ROUTE 30 EAST AND ROUTE 441, AT 4:41 P.M, APRIL 19.

JESUS HARRERA-LLANES, 53, OF LANCASTER, WAS CITED FOR DRIVERS REQUIRED TO BE LICENSED AT ROUTE 30 EAST AND ROUTE 441, AT 6:18 P.M., APRIL 20,

LISA M. O'REILLY, 49, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVING WHILE OPERATING PRIVILEGE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED, IN THE 400 BLOCK OF UNION STREET, AT 4 A.M., APRIL 23.

EDWARD LEE HAMILTON, 24, OF LANCASTER, WAS CITED FOR OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITHOUT OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF INSPECTION AND FOR OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITHOU8T OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF EMISSIONS INSPECTION, AT ROUTE 30 AND ROUTE 441, AT 5:26 P.M., APRIL 25.

JUSTIN CARRELL BUER, 28, OF YORK, WAS CITED FOR OBEDIENCE TO TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICE, AT THIRD. AND LINDEN STREETS, AT 1030 A.M., APRIL 24.

JANIS E. GIVEN, 38, OF CONESTOGA, WAS CITED FOR OPERATION OF UNREGISTERED VEHICLE, AT SOUTH FRONT AND PLANE STREETS, AT 12:38 A.M., APRIL 24.

HEIDI LYNN SMITH, 35, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR REGISTRATION AND CERTIFICATION OF TITLE REQUIRED, IN THE 200 BLOCK OF UNION STREET, AT 4 P.M., APRIL 24.

MICHAEL J. LESCHKE, JR., 40, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVING WHILE OPERATING PRIVILEGE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED, IN THE 300 BLOCK OF SOUTH THIRD. STREET, AT 9:33 P.M., APRIL 24.

VINCENT M. MELEY, 27, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVING WHILE OPERATING PRIVILEGE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED, IN THE 200 BLOCK OF NORTH SECOND. STREET, AT 8:44 P.M., APRIL 23.

JUSTIN BARTON HIRNEISEN, 21, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS IN THE 400 BLOCK OF UNION STREET, AT 10:43 P.M., APRIL 24.
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SHANE WESLEY BILLINGS, 32, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CHARGED WITH FLEEING AND ELUDING LAW ENFORCEMENT, RECKLESSLY ENDANGERING, FOUR COUNTS OF STOP SIGNS AND YIELDS SIGNS, OBEDIENCE TO TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES, AND RECKLESS DRIVING, AT 4:58.P.M., APRIL 27.

HE WAS ARRAIGNED AT CENTRAL ARRAIGNMENT IN LANCASTER, AND COMMITTED IN LEIU OF $25,000 STRAIGHT BAIL TO LANCASTER COUNTY PRISON.

MATTHEW J. NISSLEY, 28, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR OBEDIENCE TO TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES AT THIRD. AND LINDEN STREETS, AT 5:40 A.M., APRIL 29.

JOHN LEWIS YOHE, JR., 21, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVERS REQUIRED TO BE LICENSED, IN THE 300 BLOCK OF LOCUST STREET, AT 7:49 P.M., APRIL 28.

Park Rangers to work at Janson's Park

On Saturday, May 8, the Columbia Park Rangers will work at Janson Park. Rangers will assemble at 8 a.m. at South Sixth and Cherry Streets. The four-hour work session will be a general cleanup of the park and the community-built play area in the park's northwest corner.


Over the past decade the Janson Foundation, legacy of the Janson Brothers, has not only gradually replaced the older trees with new ones, but also added even more strategically placed ones. When mature these trees will provide shade for both spectators and those taking a break from the baseball, football, soccer, and basketball games that assure the park's use in all seasons.

With general cleanups such as this the Rangers help to maintain these trees.

TMI generators move

The TMI generators from the 1979 accident at TMI are on the move.
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