Ephrata waives fence permit fees for year

EPHRATA — Ephrata is suspending fence permit fees for the year.

This comes after the city sent out about 40 notices to residents living in the southeast section of the city to move their fences.

The fences are on publicly controlled land and will end up being knocked down when the city starts the second phase of its road and water project, City Administrator Wes Crago said.

Construc-tion is scheduled to start by the beginning of April.

This phase of the project will replace water pipes and roads in the area between Division Street and Second Avenue Southeast and streets south of Nat Washington Way.

“Given the difficulty people are going to have with making adjustments to their fences, staff is suggesting we have a one year, and one year only, moratorium on the fee for fence permits,” Crago said during a city council meeting last week.

The permit costs $10. While it may be a small amount of money, Crago said it could be a large amount of frustration to people who have to move their fences.

“We’re looking for ways we can minimize that sting,” he said. “It’s going to sting no matter what, when the contractor knocks the fence over. The money we’re talking about is relatively small. It may have greater impact in terms of good will than the actual benefit to us financially.”

Crago said the hope is people, who aren’t affected by this phase of the construction, will look at their fence to see if it needs to be moved. If the fence is where a sidewalk would be, less than five feet from the road, it likely needs to be moved.

“Hopefully people will be proactive now with the one-year moratorium (and) get it done this year as opposed to waiting until they’re required to move it out of the way,” he said.

For more information, contact the Ephrata building department at 509-754-4601.