17512 Columbia

today’s news … Tuesday, December 9, 2014

today’s news and information gleanings from here and there!

Quote for today… “The Columbia Spy reported that in 1835 (that Stephen Smith’s) success ‘…excited the envy or hatred of those not so prosperous and of the ruling race.’  In that year unknown persons vandalized his office and destroyed his papers, records and books.  Shortly after this incident, Smith moved to Philadelphia where he again entered the lumber business and after a few years regained his prosperity.” – Extracted from this biographic sketch of Stephen Smith. – BlackPast.org

gonePage has been revised: 3:18 pm

smith whipper signsSOURCE: ExplorePAHistory.com

  • Notes from last night’s council meeting:

A citizen waited through the entire meeting last night to get his opportunity to speak on “non-agenda items.” He requested that the council give serious consideration to naming the new structure (the Trail Services Building) after two of Columbia’s notable black citizens. He asked the council to consider naming the facility the Smith-Whipper Memorial Building. Following his inspired one minute and forty second statement and request for consideration, the council president entertained no comment and called for an adjournment of the meeting. Earlier in the evening the borough financial manager stated that the borough had been coached to shorten the name from the “for advertising and marketing” reasons from the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail Services Building.

A former councillor and resident observed that Columbia’s street lights were inoperative along parts of Fourth Street and the 200 block of Locust Street.

The resident also noted that the persons cleaning out the Hotel Locust & Columbia were not supposed to throw debris from the upper floors into the dumpster below. She pointed out that the tree tops by the dumpsters were damaged; she said the damage was the result of throwing debris from the building’s upper floors. The remaining dumpster is one of two that have been used since approval was granted at the November 24 meeting of the whole. At that meeting, council granted a “no dumpster fee” approval to allow the Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) to take up parking spaces during the holiday shopping season “for roughly a week.”

The CEDC’s IRS reporting form 990-EZ shows its net assets or fund balances at the end of 2013 as nearly $65K. Could the CEDC have afforded to pay the borough’s fees?

On the subject of fees and charges, it was announced that the borough’s fees would be revised in 2015. Click here to see the long list of fees that apply for some citizens, organizations and businesses in Columbia. These are the fees that will be revised … unless council approves to waive the fees. Given the recent instance, there is a “pattern and practice” precedent, maybe.

Don’t plan on renting the Trail Services Building for your event just yet. The list of borough fees does show a facility use fee for the pavilion at River Park, but the facility use form and the facility use charges for the newly dedicated structure in the park are going to be handled separately.
lights were

stephen smithSOURCE: ExplorePAHistory.com

whipperSOURCE: ExplorePAHistory.com

  • “The need for more recording is undeniable. Unless a bystander has a cell-phone camera ready, our knowledge of contested facts too often depends solely on the reports of police officers and the citizens with whom they interact. Although we know that most police officers do make a good faith effort to accurately report the facts, we also know that some officers do not.” – The Conversation

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