Patriotic Paint A Plug,” a borough-wide art project, has transformed 11 ordinary fire hydrants in Marietta to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY
If you’ve traveled through Marietta lately, you may have noticed fire hydrants wearing stars, stripes, and other designs.
“Patriotic Paint A Plug,” a borough-wide art project has turned 11 ordinary fire hydrants into mini-canvases celebrating America’s 250th birthday. Local businesses and residents sponsored the project. L. Weber handled the paint, prepping, and priming. Local artists, community groups, and students did the painting.
Students from Under The Willow School in Marietta teamed with the Marietta Community House to decorate a hydrant of their own.
Each hydrant comes with its own yard sign, numbered and ready for visitors to scan a QR code and cast a vote for their favorite. Voting closes July 4, 2026 at 4:30 p.m.
Proceeds and goodwill from the project benefit the Marietta Community Carnival.
Thanks Zachary Lape of Lape Brothers Photography for the news tip.
A newly formed LLC tied to Kleen-Rite Corp.’s Columbia headquarters has acquired the longtime home of R&S Manufacturing on Mill Street in a deal worth just under $9 million, according to property and corporate records.
A deed recently recorded in Lancaster County shows R&S Manufacturing LLC and R&S Manufacturing Corp. conveyed the Mill Street property to an entity called 525 Mill St. LLC for $8,959,680.
Records filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State show 525 Mill St. LLC was formed on April 3, 2026, as a domestic limited liability company. The LLC’s listed address — 257 S. 9th St., Columbia — is the corporate headquarters of Kleen-Rite Corp., the car wash supply and equipment company that has operated out of Columbia for more than 50 years.
R&S Manufacturing at 525 Mill Street
R&S Manufacturing has operated at 525 Mill St. for nearly three decades, making steel rolling doors, dock levelers and related commercial hardware under the R&S Manufacturing and Lasko Metal Products names.
Neither Kleen-Rite nor R&S Manufacturing has publicly confirmed a connection between the companies or announced plans for the property. It’s not yet clear whether Kleen-Rite intends to use the site for warehouse or distribution space, or whether R&S will continue operating there under a lease arrangement.
Kleen-Rite, headquartered at 257 S. 9th St., also operates distribution centers in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, as well as in Nevada, Texas and Missouri.
This story may be updated as more information becomes available.
Rehabilitation of the Veterans Memorial Bridge between Columbia and Wrightsville and the widening of Route 222 in Manheim Township are among the Lancaster County projects included in a four-year state transportation plan that is now available for public comment.
From now through June 30, the state Department of Transportation is accepting public comment on its 2027-2030 statewide transportation improvement plan. Last updated in 2024, the plan includes road, bridge and public transit projects that are expected to get state and federal funding.
A total of $29.4 billion in federal, state and local funding is expected to be spent on transportation projects in the state between 2027 and 2030, according to the plan, including nearly $475 million in Lancaster County.
The start date for rehabilitating the Veterans Memorial Bridge has been pushed back from 2027 to 2028 at the earliest because of ongoing coordination between PennDOT and federal agencies on protection of several threatened and endangered species, according to PennDOT spokesperson Michael Crochunis, who declined to identify the exact species. It was originally set to begin in 2024, but PennDOT pushed back the timeline and did interim repairs after discovering more extensive rehabilitation was needed. The project will require a three-year bridge closure for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians and a total cost of over $230 million. Widening and reconstruction of Route 222 in Manheim Township is expected to take place between 2028 and 2030, costing $75 million.
Projects in the plan are selected by regional transportation planning boards across the state, including the Lancaster County Metropolitan Planning Organization, which held a public comment period last month on its four-year plan. The majority of the comments on that plan were from people supporting the inclusion of funding to extend the Warwick-Ephrata Rail Trail into downtown Lititz.
A draft of the statewide plan and comment form are available now at lanc.news/PennDOTcomments. More details on the Lancaster County portion of the plan are available at lanc.news/TransportPlan.
When: Columbia Borough School board meeting, June 9.
What happened: The school board unanimously approved the 2026-27 general budget at the final meeting for the 2025-26 school year.
Details: With expenses projected at $35.1 million and revenue of $34.5 million, this budget resolution sets the tax rate for Columbia residents at 25.26 mills. This results in a .40 mill or 1.5% reduction from 2025-26, a first for the school district, which has consistently refrained from increasing taxes for the last six years. One mill equals $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of assessed property value.
More: The board also approved a resolution for the Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion Act, with the estimated total reduction in real estate taxes at $622.53 for approved homesteads, an increase from last year. In addition, the board committed the $9.38 million in remaining fund balance from the 2025-26 year for future retirement benefit costs, technology and curriculum purchases, and learning loss costs.
Next steps: The budget documents will be sent to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for approval. All public school districts in the Commonwealth are required to submit their 2026-27 general fund budgets to the PDE by June 30.
This 1917 American La France fire truck, which is undergoing a restoration, will be on display at the “Thunder on the River” car show on Saturday.
A piece of firefighting history will be on display at Columbia’s “Thunder on the River” car show on Saturday, when a 1917 American La France fire truck makes an appearance in the heart of the downtown.
The antique truck will be stationed in the 400 block of Locust Street, across from Columbia Pizza.
Fire company members, who are working to restore and preserve the truck, will accept donations to help fund the ongoing restoration.
Donations of Columbia fire company memorabilia from former departments, such as photographs, equipment, uniforms, or other artifacts, are also being accepted and can be dropped off at the display for preservation.
Lancaster County property owners are opening mailboxes this week to find reassessment notices reflecting dramatic increases in their property values — with some communities seeing assessments nearly double under the county’s first major reassessment in years.
Notices are being mailed Monday, June 15, 2026, for the 2027 Final Reassessment, which applies to taxable parcels countywide.
Countywide numbers
The average single-family home in Lancaster County is currently assessed at $202,310, with a median assessment of $182,300. Across the county, the average percent change per parcel is 89.94%, while the median change lands at 78.52% — meaning most homeowners will see their assessed value nearly double on paper.
Columbia Borough hit hardest
Among all municipalities listed in the reassessment statistics, Columbia Borough posted the highest average increase in the county at 140.74% — more than 50 percentage points above the countywide average. That means a Columbia Borough property previously assessed at $150,000 could now carry an assessed value of roughly $361,000.
Other municipalities saw significant but comparatively lower increases:
What this means for your tax bill — and what it doesn’t
County officials are emphasizing a critical point that often gets lost in reassessment headlines: higher assessments do not automatically mean higher tax bills.
The purpose of a reassessment, according to county documentation, is to equalize all property values to 100% of current fair market value — ensuring that similar properties are taxed fairly relative to one another. Local taxing bodies, including school districts and municipalities, are expected to adjust their millage rates in response to the new values.
“Reassessments are NOT done to increase property taxes,” the county states plainly in its documentation.
Frequently asked questions
A useful rule of thumb offered by the county: Could you sell your property for your new assessed value in today’s real estate market? If the answer is yes, the new value may be accurate.
How to check your assessment — and how to appeal
Property owners who have not received a notice, or want to review their new value, can visit LancasterPA-reval.Devnetwedge.com and search by parcel number, address, or name.
Every property owner has the right to appeal their assessed value through the Board of Assessment Appeals. The board evaluates appeals based on the fair market value of the property. Property owners considering an appeal should review their new assessed value carefully before filing.
Questions about incorrect mailing addresses can be directed to PAQuestions@LancasterCountyPA.gov.
Additional district-by-district reassessment data is available through the Lancaster County Assessment Office.
Columbia Spy 