When: Columbia Borough Council meeting, March 11. What happened : Residents expressed their displeasure with the borough’s firing of Chris Vera as the Columbia Market House manager. Background: The Market House, a community produce and food market that council President Heather Zink described as a focal point for downtown Columbia, is overseen by the borough. The budgeted salary for its manager is $56,822. Council hired Vera in June 2022. Zink said they are pursuing options for a new manager. Quotable: “There are so many people that are angry right now,” resident Alison Liebgott said about Vera’s firing. “I have been going to the Market House specifically since he started running it and I don’t really care to go back.” No comment: Council refused to comment when resident Frank Doutrich asked for a reason. Zink and Mayor Leo Lutz said it is a personnel matter and nothing about the dismissal has been released to the public. Livestream: Doutrich expressed concern about the audio cutting out during the YouTube livestream of the council’s March 4 meeting, suggesting that the council could have briefly paused the meeting so a worker could repair it. He speculated that the council wants to discontinue livestreams. Officials’ response: Lutz said council does not want to discontinue livestreams and that the issue took a technician hours to repair. Background: The Pennsylvania Sunshine Act requires municipalities to open meetings to the public. Some government agencies provide a livestream, but they are not legally required to do so. Chestnut Street project: Council narrowly passed a motion, 4-3, to seek bids for an improvement project to the 800 block of Chestnut Street. The project would replace the curb, reconstruct the street, add ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and add a storm sewer. Cost: The estimated impact is $410,000 which would come from the borough’s capital fund. Discussion: Council member Peter Stahl said this project has been a top priority for years and the cost will only rise. Zink opposed it, citing too many other projects that are still awaiting completion. Quotable: “I can’t in good conscience approve to put this out for bid,” Zink said. “We have so many projects stacked up that aren’t moving and this is just one more that would get added on there. We have an issue with staff bandwidth and it’s not fair to continue to pile things on.” What’s next: Council will meet at 7 p.m. March 27.
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