today’s news and information gleanings from here and there! Today’s Weather!   Today in History!

Quote for today… Not exactly a quote, rather a social media term: Headdesking. “It’s what you do when somebody says or does something so stupid that your instant reaction is to smack your head on the surface of your desk, repeatedly.”   

• We submitted an Right-To-Know request for the food serving establishment inspection reports conducted by the Columbia Borough codes department during July; we have  been informed the there were NONE conducted during July. “Very interesting!” Arte Johnson would say.
• “Pennsylvania lake E. coli O157 toll climbs to 13” (barfblog.com)
• Published in the LEGAL NOTICE classification in today’s Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era: “FICTITIOUS NAME: Molly A. Brallier, 21 North 8th Street, Columbia, PA 17512 did file in the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on or about 6/13/11 registration of the name: Molly B’s Bread Basket under which she intends to do business at 21 North 8th St./ 265 South 10th St., Columbia, PA 17512 pursuant to the provisions of the Act of Assembly of December 16, 1982, Chapter 3, known as the “Fictitious Name Act”. Congratulations on your new business!
• Ouch! Curmudgeon reviews for the THE.
• “Steelton approves ordinance adding drug paraphernalia section to borough code” (Harrisburg Patriot-News)
• [EDITOR’S NOTE: The following “bullet” items are re-posted from yesterday’s “news & information gleanings.] – LEGAL NOTICE: The Zoning Hearing Board of the Borough of Columbia will meet on Wednesday, August 31, 2011, at 7:00 P.M., in the Municipal Building at 308 Locust Street, Columbia, PA, to consider the following application(s) and/or appeal(s): Todd and Lauren Kauffman, is requesting a modification to a previous zoning decision condition for Kauffman’s Salon located at 310 North Eleventh Street in a Low Density Residential (LDR) zoned district. TMIS, LLC, is requesting special exception(s), variance(s) for parking and/or a modification of a previous zoning decision at 401 Locust Street in a Downtown Commercial (DC) zoned district. Jaydesh Properties, LLC, is requesting special exception(s) and/or variance(s) for construction of a 4 unit mixed use building with parking at 400 Locust Street in a Downtown Commercial(DC) zoned district. If you are a person with a disability wishing to attend this meeting and require an accommodation to participate in the meeting, please contact the Columbia Borough Office at 684- 2467 to discuss how the Borough may accommodate your needs. Jeffrey M. Helm, Zoning Officer (Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era)
• We noticed this signage posted on the “vacant land” at the corner of Fourth and Locust Streets on the way to Monday night’s Planning Commission meeting: 

• We also noticed this “sign” and spoke with the owner of the little store that used to occupy space on the main floor of this building. Chris Brown related the “sad tale” about his brief retail experience here. It appears he was meeting expectations “until the upstairs apartments became occupied.” According to him, there are 10 people residing in the two apartments on the second floor. He noticed a “rodent invasion” which is not conducive to operating a food-selling retail store. We spoke with him as he was “closing out” his business; removing salvageable canned goods and cleaning before vacating up the area . 

“Letters to the editors” from two Columbians in today’s Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era. Russell Stepanchak – Robert G. Miller

• Definitions: This deliberation of what’s a condominium versus an apartment building took place at last night’s Planning Commission meeting. Here is the agenda from the meeting. Meanwhile, … “The difference between a condominium and an apartment complex is purely legal: there is no way to know a condominium from an apartment simply by looking at or visiting the building. What defines a condominium is the form of ownership. The same building developed as a condominium (and sold in individual units to different owners) could actually be built someplace else as an apartment building (the developers would retain ownership and rent individual units to different tenants). As a practical matter, though, builders tend to build condominiums to higher quality standards than apartment complexes because of the differences between the rental and sale markets. Condominiums have conditions, covenants, and restrictions, and often additional rules, that govern how the individual unit owners are to share the space.” (Source: Wikipedia)
• Again, Cole Umber sets the bar way up there. Here’s a sketch (from his Website http://columbiapa17512.blogspot.com/) reproduced here with his consent. Cole, if you were at last night’s meeting, you observed this “Greek tragedy” in spades. Two people contributed probably 90 percent of the oral statements during the meeting, and the “standard setter” was a primary contributor. His impassioned pleas to the Commission to accept the “grant request” amalgamation had to be seen and heard to be appreciated. Did you know, for instance, that some of the cabins have been in the cabin owners’ (but land renters’) families for “hundreds of years”? 

 (Drawing by Cole Umber. All rights reserved.)

And here’s the most recent Cole Umber comment, also posted here with permission: