Chairperson Renae Sears called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm; click to see the agenda for the meeting [June community development meeting]. Council president Mary Wickenheiser and councilor Jim Smith completed the committee quorum. Borough manager Norman B. Meiskey III also attended.

 In addition, several other borough councilors, the mayor and four citizens were in the gallery.

During last week’s Planning Commission meeting, the borough codes officer stated that the borough’s comprehensive plan, strategic economic plan (Economic Development Strategic Plan for Columbia Borough – this was the topic of a posting back in March ), municipal planning code and other complex project documents, such as grant applications are part of a system designed to make “people proud to live here; proud to want to come here and live or bring their business here.”

References to the Strategic Plan were discussed; the borough manager stated that many of the action tasked to the borough as a “lead” had been completed. The action items begin on page 43 of the report.

A citizen suggested that the borough may want to consider having a Facebook page; the mayor added that “We have one in the police department.”

A citizen observed concerns about the dilapidated housing and the subject of on-street parking. There was discussion about the possibility of special consideration for “event” parking; the concept of resident “permit parking,” and the investigation of a change of metered hours of parking. A fair amount of conversation was devoted to the issue of “people living in the (downtown) apartments taking up the on-street parking spaces if the meter hours were abbreviated.

A citizen asked why the borough cannot ask tenants to park in off-street parking. The borough manager stated that the municipality has no authority to mandate anything like that. It was observed that Locust Street has plenty of parking during the day, but at nighttime the on-street spaces are “sometimes parked solid.”

One of the committee members noted that a new landlord is coming to town and “he loves section eight housing.”

The mayor updated the assembly on the Route 441 relocation project and stated that he has been working with state agencies to consider staged progress for the project.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 pm.