A reader comment from “non noisy” includes these observations and comments:

“I think you need to address the council issue on the corner of third and locust. She appears to be once again abusing the power trip. Search for permits used to update the building and does she have a food license/inspection for selling food and furniture in the same place? Also, is she mad at everyone??? Also check on meters with swipe cards. It sounds like a great alternative to a long lived headache. Then find out the latest on the firehouse on 4th. Any news on the upcoming elections?”

The reader alludes to a “blog” site on which he/she read comments about some of the issues. We will try to address some of the issues here.

Firstly, we are not seeking public office. Columbia news, views & reviews is a registered “aggregator” information source which tries to rely on published laws, published secondary source documentation, documented first-person observation and “citizen journalism” submissions. There have been, are and will be “opinions” voiced here … and they will be identified as such.

Secondly, we are sincere about trying not to engage in personal attacks. Sometimes the actions and motivations of people, particularly people in public positions, are brought into question … particularly when those actions or motivations are out of compliance with local, state or federal laws. Or when those actions seem to be counter to the public interest or public safety. Or when they are morally or ethically inconsistent with the community’s or society’s expectations.

ISSUE #1 … “the council issue on the corner of third and locust.” Why is this a council issue? The business operator happens to be a councilor, that’s it. The business is separate from that; citizens should presume that a business operator and an elected representative will be in compliance with all local, state and federal laws and codes relative to that endeavor. We request (and pay for) all food establishment inspection reports (and other Right-To-Know documents) from the borough at the end of each month for the previous month. These inspection reports are posted here. At this point, we have received no inspection report to sell food for this property.

ISSUE #2 … “meters with swipe cards.” This is a topic we have not researched yet.

ISSUE #3 … ” the firehouse on 4th.” This is not a publicly owned property; when public safety is involved or when public notification is given about a property (for instance, sheriff sale, property for sale, etc), we have recorded and will continue to record it here.

ISSUE #4 … “Any news on the upcoming elections?” Interesting you mention this. The short answer is, “Yes.” We are working on several articles about the November election for council positions.

Non noisy, thank you for the questions. We hope our responses are helpful and we welcome your continued observations and concerns. Thank you for reading Columbia news, views & reviews.

The following information was previously published here:

PA ACT 106 of 2010. “On Nov. 23, 2010, Act 106 of 2010 was enacted, clarifying and strengthening oversight of food safety inspections for all retail food facilities, or restaurants and retail food stores … ” During a conversation with a Department of Agriculture public information officer two days ago, it was confirmed that all agencies in the state will be using a consistent inspection form for dining establishments; all of these inspections are supposed to be available for public viewing at the Department of Agriculture Website. Each Sunday, the Lancaster Sunday News publishes recent inspection results. Here is an example of a recent state inspection (Food Facility Inspection Report example) showing the form that is used in Pennsylvania.  At the Eat Safe PA Website, the Department of Agriculture specifies that. “Every inspector goes about their inspections a bit differently; however, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Food Code will be ‘the standard’ used to inspect retail food facilities – no matter what the licensing jurisdiction. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Food Code will be guided by the U.S. Public Health Service, Food & Drug Model Food Code in the future through the normal regulatory process.”

FICTITIOUS NAME REGISTRATION. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania stipulates that businesses operating in Pennsylvania will have a Fictitious Name Registration for establishments that do not bear the name of the owner. “A fictitious name is any assumed name, style or designation other than the proper name of the entity using such name. The surname of a person, standing alone or coupled with words that describe the business, is not a fictitious business name.” A check of the Department of State database reveals no fictitious name registration on file for the business operating at the location you mentioned at the corner of Third and Locust Streets (Watermelon Rind).

LICENSES (FOOD HANDLER’S CERTIFICATE AND LICENSE TO COLLECT SALES AND USE TAX) SHOULD BE PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED. “Each retail food facility must have one certified food employee (example shown below) who is accredited (and maintains accreditation) by a nationally recognized program, including National Restaurant Association Solutions, LLC (ServSafe), Thomson Prometrics, Inc., or the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals, Inc.

The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue has a user-friendly Website for persons going into business. At the site it specifies the particulars of the Sales, Use and Hotel Occupancy Tax: “The sales and use tax (rev-585 sales and use tax brochure) is imposed on the retail sale, consumption, rental or use of tangible personal property in Pennsylvania. The tax is also imposed on certain services relating to such property and on the charge for specific business services.”

“All local and county health departments will be required by Act 106 to submit their inspections monthly to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to be posted on a searchable online database at www.EatSafePA.com. This will provide greater transparency of food inspections to consumers so they may make informed decisions when dining out or purchasing food from one of the state’s food retail facilities. Additionally, monthly reporting will allow the department to have oversight of the inspections competed by local and county health departments. If inspections are not being completed, the department may assume the responsibility for inspecting these facilities.”