Columbia Talk

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Almost Home

Pictuered is Ben Zeamer of Columbia, who is on his way home from Afghanstan after a tour of duty with the Army. He will arrive back home in Columbia July 13 and be home for 15 days. He'll then head back to Afganistan until mid-December.

Remember this?

Let's not too do much complaining about the recent heat. It wasn't that long ago we were all complaining about 60 inches of snow.

Barbecue is upcoming

The Holy Trinity Church will hold a chicken barbecue on Saturday, Aug. 14 from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Chicken can be picked up at the church lot or the Susquehanna Fire Company.
Dinners are $6.
For more informationm call 684-2711 or 684-2075

New signs for new event

The Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, with the help of borough highway workers, installed new signs on the light poles in the downtown area. The chamber will hold Art in the Park later this month.

If M&T has been this busy

This is a picture of the parking lot behind the former M&T Bank at Fourth and Locust streets. It's been closed since the end of June and it didn't take long for thosr who live in the area to find parking.

Another first for Columbia softball

It was a season of firsts for the Columbia softball program this season. First winning season; first 10-plus win season and first ever District 3 playoff berth and win. Now, they have an all-state player in pitcher Emily Detz, who was named honorable mention in Class AA. Here is a link to Dave Bryne's story: http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/263854

More information

More from yesterday's police reports: :http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/263965

Washington Boro Tomato Festival time

Washington Boro will be the place to be this Saturday and next: http://www.engleonline.com/AdDesk/Htmlfiles/Readers/article.epc?id=36297

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Problems at River Park

Someone asked me today why River Park was closed last night and when I came home from my trip in town and to the DMV, I had an email from a Columbia Police Officer with some information as to what took place and what has taken place at the newly renovated park.
This alert didn't come from borough council, or a directive from that group, rather the police, who are trying to enforce the rules and keep the park as nice as possible.
Police said they have has parking issues since the park reopened in May, but Sunday and Monday nights it was extremely bad.
Sunday night, there were between 30 and 40 people including children sitting down at the park, waiting for the Wrightsville fireworks and doing a lot of nothing. Police explained the park is closed from dusk to dawn except for boat launching/.
Monday afternoon, police returned to the park and another large group had gathered, using the park for a little bit of everything. Around 8 p.m., police said they found a pile of dirty diapers in the middle of the grass field and other trash scattered throughout the park.
So police decided to put cones across the entrance to let people other and other boaters come in. Police told those at the park and many understood the park hours, but some complained as one officer took an an hour and 20 minutes to clear the park. During that time, people were driving around the cones that police had placed, past the "no trespassing" signs and crossed the railroad tracks at the bridge.
With the fireworks bursting in air, police finally cleared the park of the non-boaters from the water company to the canoe/kayak area.
Had police not stayed at the park, there would have been some serious issues with trash.
Police said across from the park under the bridge where Columbia stores its highway materials, there were also some trash issues, which eventually were cleaned up.
Police were too busy to check the condition of Rotary Park during the fireworks,
was spilled. It was too hot and dry out to not soak it up if they were not fresh. Anyway, I asked them to pick them up and they did, which was nice. It was too dark at Rotary Park to see what trash was left behind there. I never made it up there to get those people moving on.
Police said they were trying to enforce the rules and if some innovative vendor would have been down there for the fireworks and park area, they could have made some money as well.

Lights and trash

All but a handful of the lights have been installed at River Park. Get a close look at the lights because they are the ones to be installed downtown. And the second picture might look the same as the other day, but it is not. It is down at the River Park.

Columbia Police reports

JAMES SCOTT ZERCHER, AGE 31, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; SIMPLE ASSAULT, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; AND RECKLESSLY ENDANGERING ANOTHER PERSON, FOR AN INCIDENT THAT HAPPENED ON WALNUT STREET, 2:09 A.M., JUNE 30. HE WAS TAKEN TO CENTRAL BOOKING, IN LANCASTER, AND COMITTED TO L.C.P., IN LEIU OF $50,000 STRAIGHT BAIL.

LUKE EDWARD CAMERON, AGE 19, OF LANCASTER, WAS CITED FOR OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITHOUT OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF INSPECTION, AT FOURTH AND CHESTNUT STREETS, 3:40 P.M., JUNE 30.

ROBERT THOMAS SIMON, JR., AGE 36, OF YORK SPRINGS, WAS CITED FOR OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITHOUT OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF INSPECTION, AT THIRD AND CHERRY STREETS, 11:20 A.M., JUNE 29.

CHRYSTAL D. HOSTETTER, AGE 43, OF WRIGHTSVILLE, WAS CITED FOR REGISTRATION AND CERTIFICATION OF TITLE REQUIRED, AT FOURTH AND POPLAR STREETS, 8:35 A.M., JUNE 30.

DAVID C. SPACKMAN, JR., AGE 27, OF BAINBRIDGE, WAS CITED FOR OBEDIENCE TO TRAFFIC DEVICE, AT FOURTH AND LOCUST STREETS, 11:30 P.M., JUNE 30.

JERRY L. HARRIS, II, AGE 51, OF LANDISVILLE, WAS CITED FOR OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITHOUT OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF INSPECTION AND FOR REGISTRATION AND CERTIFICATION OF TITLE REQUIRED, IN THE 1100 BLOCK OF LANCASTER AVENUE, 3:39 P.M., JULY 1.

COTY STEPHEN RUTTER, AGE 23, OF MOUNTVILLE, WAS CITED FOR PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS IN THE 100 BLOCK OF SOUTH THIRD STREET, 5:48 P.M., JULY 3.. RUTTER WAS AGAIN CITED FOR PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS, IN THE 300 BLOCK OF CHERRY STREET, AT10:39 P.,M., JULY 2.

THOMAS A. GOAS, AGE 43, OF LANCASTER, WAS CITED FOR REGISTRATION AND CERTIFICATION OF TITLE REQUIRED, AT LANCASTER AVENUE AND 15TH STREET, 5:03 P.M., JULY 3/
MARIA LYN BASS, AGE 28, OF MOUNT JOY, WAS CITED FOR TRAFFIC-CONTROL SIGNALS ATTHIRD AND CHESTNUT STREETS, 11:17 P.M., JULY 3.

NATHAN L. EVANS, AGE 30, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVING A VEHICLE WITH A SUSPENDED REGISTRATION, AT FOURTH AND LOCUST STREETS, 1:17 P.M., JULY 5.

JORGE LUIS COLON-TORRES, AGE 31, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR MAXIMUM SPEED LIMITS AND FOR DRIVERS REQUIRED TO BE LICENSED, AT ROUTE 441 AND PERRY STREET, 3:48 P.M., JULY 5.

JOHN DAVID HERR, AGE 31, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITHOUT OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF INSPECTION, IN THE 500 BLOCK OF WALNUT STREET, 7:55 A.M., JULY 6.

KNOWLEDGE M. MANCOTYWA, AGE 44, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR REGISTRATION AND CERTIFICATE OF TITLE REQUIRED AND FOR OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITHOUT OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF INSPECTION, AT FIFTH AND MAPLE STREETS, AT 6:27 A.M., JULY 6.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Tomato Festival Time

It's time to salute tomatos as the Washington Boro Fire Company will hold its annual Tomato Festivals, the next two Saturday nights. http://www.everything-tomatoes.net/2010-washington-boro.html

Here is another link: http://www.wbfc78.org/tomato.php

The survey is asking?

Market Manager Brian Long is asking for residents to take this survey so he can better understand what Columbia wants at the market. Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia-PA/Columbia-Market-House/140045396007807

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Columbia Market House on Facebook

New Columbia Market Manager Brian Long has created a Facebook page for the market: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Columbia-PA/Columbia-Market-House/140045396007807?ref=search

Traffic woes in Columbia

The Columbia Police Department has issued this traffic advisory: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia-PA/Columbia-Borough-Police/106423482721568

Wonder if this applies to Columbia's meters?

In reading variuous newspapers across the state as I do almost daily, I found this in the York Daily Record and wonderingif Columbia is in the same boat? http://www.ydr.com/ci_15435744

Saturday, July 3, 2010

This is illegal

Placing personal trash in the borough owned/removed in the downtown is illegal. This is one of those trash cans near the post office.

A Columbia tradition

As much as fireworks are a staple on July 4, so too are yard sales on Chestnut Street in Columbia from Fifth Street up. The Walnut Street area also had sone good deals today as well.

Friday, July 2, 2010

COLUMBIA TALK in numbers

When I started COLUMBIA TALK back in early February, I did it to help keep Columbians informed about things going on in our town, since we no longer have a newspaper.
I didn;t know what to expect and to be honest with you, I thought perhaps there would be a couple of hits a day. Well, five months into the process, it has surpassed what I thought. As of this writing, COLUMBIA TALK has had 35,156 hits and the comments made on certain issues have been enlighting to many and apparently keeping people on their toes, where in fact I received an email this afternoon from a political figure, who was reading COLUMBIA TALK, said COLUMBIA TALK is doing more harm than good and he was going to stop reading.
There is a lot going on in our town and there is a lot of good things happening and will happen. I think the Turkey Hill Experience is one, even though like most in town, I am a little cautious about it. I do read all the comments that are posted and sent to COLUMBIA TALK. Yes, there have been some that were deleted and many I agree with and some I do not.
I've been to various meetings in York, Lancaster and Chester Counties for three decades and I have seen a lot, heard a lot and shook my head a lot, not only here in our great town, but other areas as well. I've seen people come and go; people that really should have stayed here and people who should have never been let into town. Yes, I am one of those who wants to take our town back and see it prosper. We need to work together to succeed, but, there are issues in our town, which are making it a "house divided," which is sad.
I understand the feelings of everyone good and bad, so enough for the soap box. Perhaps each day or week, I might start throwing an idea or two out there to see how it takes. It's all part of a bigger plan.
Any way, I have added a statistical column to COLUMBIA TALK. I can look and see how any hits there are a day, a week or month; what the most popular reads are and where the hits are coming from (not addresses). Like just today, there were 925 visitors to the site and 920 yesterday.
All I can say thank you to those who have "hit" this site and keep reading and I will keep posting.

Happy July 4th

Fireworks stands are showing up all over town.

Friday stuff

Columbia Borough allows its employees to park for free in the borough parking lot near the market. I have reserved feelings about that, one especeially when we are trying to draw people downtown, especially to thre market and there's no place to park.
But are employees or park enforcement people allowed to park say in the area of Fourth and Locust or other areas not within the confines of the municipal area and not plug the meters? It was something that was approached to a borough official earlier this week that it just doesn't look kosher, especially when the person is going around town giving tickets for not slugging the meters. Perhaps if the employee would park where the others do, this wouldn't be an issue, or perhaps, the borough should utilize another parking area for employees.
*****

Went to the Market again today, had to getsome more cherries ($1.99 a pound at Keagy's) and spoke fro about 30 minutes or so with new market manager Brian Long. He does have some ideas and has already started a Facebook page for the market. Improvement to the market isn't going to happen overnight and he won't be "run over" by Columbia's political games. But there is a plan in place. Stop by and meet him and talk with him.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Should there be a concern?

When downtown this morning and speaking to a law enforcement officer, I was informed that a nuisance bar in the 400 block of Locust Street is planning a Hip-Hop/Party next Friday. There is a concern that something could happen and it might be nice to have some extra officers on call to help those working the streets next Friday, but, the extra manpower request might be denied. Perhaps it might be a good idea to put some extra police on the streets, just in case.