Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Bits 'n' Pieces (from recent borough meetings)

Bits and pieces from recent borough meetings...

New trucks for codes department
Borough council approved $81,717 for the purchase of the three 2018 Chevy Colorado 4WD trucks from Apple Automotive in York. As a result, three vehicles will be auctioned off: Dodge Charger, Ford Crown Victoria, and an older pickup truck. (Borough Council meeting, May 2018)

At the July safety committee meeting, Jeff Helm said the new trucks are "four-seat vehicles with a pickup truck bed." He also said the vehicles will be used by two full-time employees (Jeff Helm, Steve Kaufhold) and five part-time code officers. (Safety Committee, 7/11/18)

License plate reader
The borough is considering the purchase of a license plate reader unit for one of the police vehicles at a cost of $14,355. (Finance Committee, 7/23/18)

Right turn on red exiting River Park

Drivers exiting Columbia River Park, who stop between the railroad tracks due to the second red light, may make a right turn on red to exit the park. (Safety Committee, 7/11/18)

The mural at Eastern Drillers
The mural project at Eastern Drillers (along Front Street) was delayed due to "issues" between the company and the borough. The project is reportedly now back on track. (Source) 

Eastern Drillers reported concerns about stormwater flooding in their truck bays, difficulty of trucks backing in, fencing that was removed along their property. (Safety Committee, 7/11/18)

Issues with fire hydrants
Columbia Borough pays over $60,000 a year to rent fire hydrants (including water usage) from the Columbia Water Company, which owns the hydrants. During the recent fire on Cloverton Drive, a hydrant at Kinderhook/Cloverton was found to be cracked and leaked when the water was turned on. 

Another hydrant was unable to be used due to a valve being "frozen" in place. The water company has historically flushed/inspected/lubed hydrants on a regular basis. Officials at the meeting were not certain if this is still being done. (Safety Committee, 7/11/18)

Abandoned/unregistered/uninspected vehicles
Vehicles on borough property that are not moved after 48 hours can be ticketed. After three tickets, the vehicle can be towed by the borough. The borough is considering an ordinance that will affect vehicles on private property in which a vehicle can be declared a nuisance due to leaking fluids that could end up in stormwater runoff, or broken windows that could attract vermin, etc. (Safety Committee, 7/11/18)

Getting rid of abandoned vehicles could potentially free up 100 parking spaces throughout the borough. (Safety Committee, 7/11/18)

Renters and rentals
Residents have reported that pipeline workers are staying at the house at 1100 Locust. The property is owned by the McKonlys and is registered as a rental. Under current ordinance, the owner must inform the borough who the property is being rented to. The landlord is legally obligated to inform the borough of a change of occupancy so that the property can be re-inspected before the next tenant. (Safety Committee, 7/11/18)

The borough has stopped the creation of apartments
"The borough virtually has stopped allowing apartments to be created in the borough." (Mayor Lutz, Safety Committee, 7/11/18)

Two blocks of Walnut to be repaved
The South 8th Street project is nearing completion. When it is finished, crews will begin repaving the 500 and 600 blocks of Walnut at a total cost of $432,000. The typical price tag is a little over $250,000 per block. The borough saved money using an 80/20 matching grant. (Public Works and Property Committee, 7/17/18)

Makle Park backboard
The Makle Park backboard that was broken recently might be repaired/replaced with pressure-treated plywood. This is the fourth backboard to be broken in as many years, with an average cost of $1,000 a year for repair/replacement. (Public Works and Property Committee, 7/17/18)

Makle Park camera

The surveillance camera at Makle Park did not record the incident in which a backboard was broken recently due to a radio receiver being "down." That day, 10 cameras in the borough were "down." (Safety Committee, 7/11/18)

Tractor-trailers on Bridge Street
Tractor-trailers are running through the exit at the safety island at Front and Bridge in order to turn left into Bridge Street. 

The borough is considering installing thermoplastic "piano keys" or street prints on the road to clarify the direction of traffic flow at the intersection. (Public Works and Property Committee, 7/17/18)

Market House interest
There are two entities interested in the Market House. The proposals will be revealed in July/August. (Public Works and Property Committee, 7/17/18)


  1. Really need 3 4wd pickups at $81,000!! And what need 4 doors for a code enforcer drive around.

    1. these trucks should be on the borough property at nite , no one should drive them home on the tax payers dime. Helm has used a truck way to long and got the borough in to too many messes .

    2. How can any manager ok a glass back board after the 2nd one ?

    3. It is not there money ,can't you tell?

    4. Maybe the ability to drive the vehicle for personal reasons is part of their agreed upon compensation package. Just saying - this happens sometimes.

    5. who can ok this??????

  2. LEO opens his mouth and speaks the truth! LOL And who is dreaming about interest in the Market House?

  3. 81,000 for new vehicles and 6,000 in auction cars? Run the old cars till there expired, personal agendas, and im pretty sure there are cheaper vehicles that could be purchased

  4. I guess we pay sticker price on these...... Its around 6,000 less to get a two door than four door.

  5. The spending is seriously out of control.