HISTORIC PROPERTY PLAQUES AND VIRTUAL WALKING TOUR
Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) in collaboration with the Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce (SVCC) and the Columbia Historic Preservation Society (CHPS) will be placing 12” x 5” bronze plaques on 10 historically significant properties located in the “Old Columbia” section of the borough. The properties will also be included in a “virtual tour”. Some parts of this tour intertwine with the downtown area, which will incentivize tour goers to visit shops and eateries housed in this district.
Beverly Shenk, Executive Director of the SVCC will be working with the Lunar Cow Company to develop the virtual tour. According to Ms. Shenk “because the tour is on an app, it can constantly be changed and updated”.
Chris Vera, President of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society has done research on the properties for the plaques and for the tour. The app tour will also include restaurants, stores, museums, and other places of interest. Chris commented that if only 5% of the 100,000 people who annually visit Columbia Crossing River Trails Center participate in the tour, 5,000 new visitors would come into our downtown area.
The historic bronze plaques are being underwritten by a grant from the Lancaster County Community Foundation to the CEDC, to support economic vitality in Columbia. Additional funding from the grant will be used in part to purchase the Lunar Cow annual subscription cost.
Bill Kloidt, Executive Director of the CEDC stated that historic plaques and the virtual tour project will boost our town by enhancing education, tourism and hopefully create additional jobs. The plaques and the tour can bring attention to places, events, and people that visitors and our citizens alike might not know about. Additionally, it can give schools the opportunity for field trips that enhance their students learning. Tourists who visit our town for historical or cultural reasons will hopefully make a longer stay and visit the other museums and attractions we have here in Columbia, including our small businesses that will benefit by this exposure and activity. Kloidt further stated that the project will promote Columbia’s rich, wonderful, and distinct history.
Included with this news release are Power Point Presentations authored by SVCC and CHPS, which provide more information on the project, including the virtual tour concept, and the historic properties that are included in the tour.