Valley View Capital LLC conveyed 244 S. Fifth St. to Rosado Santiago Luis Francisco, Santiago Luis Francisco Rosado, Mercado Muniz Yamilet Milagros, Muniz Yamilet Milagros Mercado for $222,000.
JDW Property Solutions Inc. conveyed 552 Union St. to Hopkins Benjamin Thomas for $244,000.
Deptula Michael A, Deptula Michael, Deptula Amy conveyed 20 S. Fifth St. to Jessica James for $189,900.
Snyder Robert W, Snyder Gale L. conveyed 1040 Hilmar Circle to Nabilco Management LLC for $171,000.
The estate of Dennis L. Kemmick Jr. conveyed 804 Plane St. to G. Fisher Properties LLC for $165,000.
Valley View Capital LLC conveyed 238 S. Second St. to Christ S. Smucker for $155,000.
Neuman Michael W, Hostetter Kevin, Montano Demetrius conveyed property on South Third Street to One Stop Properties LLC for $1.
Valley View Capital LLC conveyed property on South Second Street to Smucker Christ Stoltzfus for $155,000.
Elizabeth R. Smedley conveyed 258 N. Third St. to Julie Sprenkle for $234,536.
Mount Joy Holdings LP conveyed property on Locust Street to Mount Joy Holdings LP for $1.
West Hempfield Township Police responded to a report of a gunfight in the vicinity of Oak Hollow Drive and Oswego Drive. At least two people involved in a gunfight there fled the scene. Police cordoned off the area.
*****************
Workers from Lewis Environmental and a member of the US Coast Guard were at Columbia River Park for two days to check for contamination from a recent spill on the York County side of the Susquehanna River.
According to LNP/LancasterOnline, federal, state and local agencies are undertaking clean-up operations after a February 25 fire at J&K Salvage released thousands of gallons of oils from containers into Codorus Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna. The oils have seeped into the Susquehanna watershed, according to officials. Members of the response team are testing water samples from the river near Columbia and Wrightsville.
An oil containment boom (along with two buoys) was placed near the water intake at the Columbia Water Company.
The boom and buoys were tethered to a nearby tree.
Debris collected over the next few days.
On Sunday morning, the boom was no longer visible.
*****************
Authentic driftwood
This is all that was left of the river ice the other day.
Life jacket zone
A bench for watching the fog
Witch hazel blooming at Columbia River Park
The bushes were an Arbor Day planting dedicated to the late Fred Abendschein.
Keep your hands off government property.
Especially this stream gaging station
*****************
Board (and shovel) leaning against the siding
Sideways, it’s an accurate representation of the current world situation, cracks and all.
On the way back home
This is all that’s left of the McGinness remediation project.
Onward to Middle Creek!
“Sticker shock”
For want of a nail
Window cleaning on Locust
Wood you look at that: lumber for sale at Tollbooth
*****************
Still life with cart and bridge
Detail
Looking kind of like an amusement park, the Von Hess project continues.
*****************
Frogs on the march at Clover Tattoo
The snowdrops are blooming.
High water levels lifted this boat off the shore, where it’s been tethered for three weeks. PA Fish & Game said they’re working with the owner to resolve the situation.
A fast-moving train about to surge past the COLA building
Once again, Columbia Borough Council showed support for transitioning to a single trash hauler for the borough, with one member calling it a priority for the coming year.
A discussion led by councilman Kelly Murphy during Tuesday’s workshop focused on whether council will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) and draft a new ordinance to allow the change.
Murphy told council he already located a draft ordinance used by another local borough — one he said would therefore be legal in Pennsylvania — but he wanted to gauge council’s interest before investing more time. “If council thinks this is a waste of time, I’m not going to pursue it any further,” Murphy said. “If it’s something we need to do, then let’s get it on the table.”
Eric Kauffman, council president, said he previously opposed the idea but that it now makes sense.
The four-minute discussion included specifics that would need to be addressed in the RFP, such as whether the borough would collect fees and pay the hauler directly or require the hauler to bill individual property owners, and whether commercial and residential properties would be served under the same contract.
Council decided to place the single-hauler discussion at the top of the agenda for the April work session.
“It’s time for us to get with the rest of the world…Everybody around us, and probably most of Lancaster County, is going to the single-hauler system,” Lutz said earlier this year.
Mayor Leo Lutz has been a driving force behind the single hauler idea. In January, he urged council to consider the idea. “It’s time for us to get with the rest of the world,” Lutz said. “Everybody around us, and probably most of Lancaster County is going to the single-hauler system.”
In 2024, council explored the idea of contracting with a single hauler. At that time, Heather Zink, then borough president, said residents and businesses could save money with a single hauler. Lutz, noting the retirements of two of the borough’s longtime haulers said, “The time is right.”
Lutz opposed using a single hauler a few years earlier, however. In 2019, he said that doing so would put local haulers — some of whom are residents — out of business, adding that in many cases, those companies also employ borough residents. Lutz noted that a single hauler would not be available for special jobs like picking up mattresses or TVs, etc. “You’re not going to get a big hauler to do that kind of work, that kind of assistance, for you,” Lutz said.
Workers from Lewis Environmental unloaded oil containment booms on the boat ramp at Columbia River Park this morning as part of an operation there.
JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY
Workers from Lewis Environmental and a member of the US Coast Guard were at Columbia River Park this morning, with several trucks, boats and oil containment booms in tow. When questioned, one of the personnel stated they were there in relation to a recent spill on the York County side of the Susquehanna River.
According to LNP/LancasterOnline, federal, state and local agencies are undertaking clean-up operations after a February 25 fire at J&K Salvage released thousands of gallons of oils from containers into Codorus Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna. The oils have seeped into the Susquehanna watershed, according to officials. Members of the response team are testing water samples from the river near Columbia and Wrightsville.
Disgusting! The sidewalk on the 100 block of Walnut Street is full of “land mines” on the north side.
JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY
At last night’s Columbia Borough Council Workshop, a resident complained about an ongoing dog poop problem on the 100 block of Walnut Street. A large dog has been defecating on several areas of the sidewalk for the last few weeks, leaving what the resident called “land mines.”
Dog owners in the borough are required to clean up after their dogs and must carry a plastic bag that’s required to be shown if police ask to see it. Violators can be fined.
According to borough ordinance:
“No person shall allow any animal owned by him under his control to defecate on any sidewalk, walkway, or the property of another without immediately cleaning it up.”
However:
“Any vision- or mobility-impaired person who relies upon a dog specifically trained for such purposes shall be exempt from compliance with this section.”
The PA Fish & Boat Commission said it is aware of the apparently abandoned boat at Columbia River Park. According to a representative during a phone call this morning, the commission is working with the owner to address the issue. The boat has been tied along shore for over two weeks and has a Maryland registration with 2023 tags.
After a several years of delays, Columbia Borough is finally taking measures to unload its former wastewater treatment plant.
At the February 24 Columbia Borough Council meeting, council unanimously approved an agreement of sale of the plant at 430 South Front Street with the Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) for $565,000. The plan is for the CEDC to market and sell the property so that a buyer can improve it and return it to the tax rolls.
Pennsylvania law allows boroughs to conduct such transactions with economic development corporations for selling specialized properties such as wastewater facilities.
The CEDC will earn a 1% commission on the purchase price for facilitating the sale and will be allowed to recover marketing and broker costs from the borough’s proceeds.
During the council meeting, members noted that Exhibit A and Exhibit B — containing the legal property description and the lease — were missing from their packets. Evan Gabel, borough solicitor, told council that the exhibits would be included in the final agreement before closing, scheduled on or before March 31. Council also noted that the agreement document incorrectly stated the borough’s address as 1200 Corporate Boulevard. Gabel said the address will be corrected to 308 Locust Street.
The backstory
Columbia Borough sold its wastewater conveyance system to the Lancaster Area Sewer Authority (LASA) in 2015 and shut down operation of its 1952-era treatment plant in order to avoid costly upgrades required by law. LASA now assumes sewage operations in the borough.
In November 2021, Columbia Borough entered into a lease-to-own agreement with JG Environmental, a waste services company. (Shamrock Environmental acquired the company in February 2024.) JG Environmental/Shamrock is currently subleasing at least part of the property to another entity.
Part of the delay in the sale of the plant was due to a holdup by Norfolk Southern in allowing changes to the railroad crossing near the site. Apparently, that issue has been resolved, but it’s still unclear whether JG Environmental will proceed with the purchase. (Some details mentioned during council’s discussion were sketchy, at best.)
As part the deal, the company had aimed to acquire an additional riverfront property where borough maintenance vehicles and other equipment are currently stored. The plan was for the borough to move those assets to a recently acquired property at 11th Street and Ridge Avenue to facilitate the sale. However, that plan has been delayed, because a building at the site needs extensive repairs — or a new one may need to be built — with either option potentially costing several million dollars.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
%20(1).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Columbia Spy 