– OPINION –

River Park “playground” – from a series of photos at Cole Umber’s news site

Great job, Cole … we saw those park visitors in another part of the park just over the stone wall to the north. Your photos are superb and this reporting is an absolute imperative for Columbia.

The borough’s spy cameras, no doubt, captured the violators of work site trespass, too. And surely, it recorded their vehicle and license plate.

Just as the borough’s spy cameras no doubt captured the other park violations posted:

• no fishing from the boat ramp;
• no littering;
• no dogs off leash
• no vehicles without trailers in the marked parking spaces.

We observed all of these during our visit. The disregard for the child’s safety is disturbing. Equally disturbing is watching many of the people fishing and boaters, lovers of the River, cavalierly flicking cigarette butts into the River. A CIGARETTE BUTT IS LITTER!

It’s time for Columbia Borough, the council, the mayor, the River Park steering group, concerned citizens, boaters and fisherman to take a stand. Make this Park which houses the trail services building for the Northwest Trail a showpiece instead of a dump.

If the expensive spy cameras are working, let’s use the files to identify violators of regulations and codes. If they’re not working, rip them out.

If the posted River Park regulations are to insure a pleasing recreational destination that will attract visitors from far and wide, let’s follow them!

Let’s make River Park the envy of the county.

If we want to have a River free from cigarette butts and the other crap that finds its way into the waters to kill fish, let’s enforce the NO LITTER posted regulation.

In fact, do the right thing and make the park a no-smoking park.