Ephrata looks back at ‘24, plans for ‘25

EPHRATA — The City of Ephrata experienced significant growth and development during 2024, according to Mayor Bruce Reim. In 2025, city officials are optimistic about continuing momentum. 

“We came into 2024 with hopes and goals, and I think we have hit most of our goals,” Reim said. “With the rest of them probably going to be dealt with and reached as 2025 continues.” 

2024 projects included water and infrastructure upgrades. That included beginning construction on a new water tower to improve pressure in the northeastern portion of the city, repairing the Ephrata Recreation Center, two new outdoor bathrooms, sewer improvements, road repairs and collaborations with Grant County on the new jail.  

“I think last year was a building block, and I hope in 25 years that we continue to grow, and we continue to build on our goals,” Public Works Director Rob Harris said. “One of the things that (Ephrata City Administrator) Ray Towry talks to us about is to always be hungry, humble and smart. That's what he asked all of us to do.” 

Towry said he has been impressed with the new staff Ephrata brought on in 2024. 

“I am most proud of how we have brought a significant number of new faces to our organization,” Towry said. “I’m proud of how they have all come in and selflessly worked together to get things done. Really proud to be part of just a great team of people who come in, they hit the ground running.” 

Water tower 

One project the city is still working on is the construction of a new water reservoir, which began in late 2024. The city has two of the reservoir’s rings up. 

“I think the final realization that we were able to put in our water tower is huge,” Reim said. 

The new water tower should be completed by summer of 2026, Harris said.  

 “Everything seems to be going fairly smoothly. The project has been going about as well as it can and that is a big kudos to the new city engineer, Sean O’Brien and (Harris),” Towry said. 

Adding a booster pump station to get water up to the side of the city closest to the Port of Ephrata is ongoing as well.  

“It's creating a new pressure zone for the area on the east side of town so that those people will be able to experience a pretty good pressure increase in the water system,” Harris said. “The new pump, and with the reservoir up on top of the hill on that side, they’ll be able to keep that (water) pressure up on the east side of town.” 

Parks & Rec 

The city was able to get a grant to complete repairs on the Ephrata Recreation Center, Harris said. The repairs included a new roof, replacing entry doors and the HVAC system.  

Ephrata was able to complete two bathrooms, one in Lions Park and one at the sports complex near Splash Zone. 

The previous restroom at Lions Park was demolished and turned into lawn. The new restroom will be more accessible for residents to use, according to Reim.  

The restroom at the sports complex was destroyed last year due to arson, Harris said. The city is planning to install a new bathroom this year to replace the old one.  

Water reclamation facility 

Recent improvements to the city’s water reclamation facility will address various components, including disinfection systems, headworks, clarifiers, membranes and digesters.   

“We are in the middle of doing a major overhaul of our water reclamation facility,” Harris said. 

He added that construction is on schedule.  

 “That one is going well, the facility hasn’t really had an update since the '90s,” Towry said. “It was definitely time. That the facility can run as well as it has for so long is really a testament to the crew that is out there. 

Roads 

Ephrata also focused on road maintenance.  

“We went through and basically looked at all the streets and took the ones that were in the worst shape,” Harris said. 

About $1.3 million is allocated for these improvements, he said.  

“That project was started late September,” Harris said. “They came in and started doing the crack sealing and then we shut down for the winter. As soon as we can in the spring, they'll come in and finish the crack seal.”  

Chip sealing will follow, he said. 

“Next spring, people will begin to see almost new roads,” Towry said. “It is going to be fantastic. Some roads that haven’t had any maintenance or attention for decades are going to get a nice new face.”  

Grant Co. Jail 

Ephrata is working with Grant County on infrastructure for the new Grant County Jail. 

“The benefits that the jail is going to bring to the community are huge,” Reim said. “That's a huge project, and we've been working with the county and the state and a lot of different stakeholders and putting that together.” 

Towry said the project has gone smoothly and allowed the city to expand and complete “bucket list” projects with the assistance of county funds. That includes looping the water and sewer lines and running reclaimed water to the Port of Ephrata.  

“I can’t say enough good things about the county staff on this project,” Towry said. “We have been able to work together to do some things to keep costs down on projects we wanted to do and by doing it with (the county) we are able to save a lot of money.” 

Challenges 

Reim said the city still faced challenges primarily related to budget constraints caused by rising costs, but the city council has been diligent in addressing these financial hurdles.  

"Budgets have had to increase 25 to 30% just to absorb the daily cost of running a city," Reim said. 

Another challenge, Towry said, was transparency with the loss of the Grant County Journal. 

“It has created some issues for us,” Towry said. “We are now becoming more reliant upon social media and searching for other ways to be transparent and communicate with the public. People are going to see all our city council meeting live steamed and archived (soon) and that is one thing we are working on.”   

Looking ahead 

Officials said they maintain their focus on infrastructure improvements and community development.  

“We've got lots of projects with our roads, as far as resurfacing and the continued development of the area where the jail is going in, along with the roads that are going in out there,” Reim said. “A lot of goals and expectations for that. We've also developed a program dealing with our water supply, and we've also installed purple pipe, which is code for non-potable water. We've also got a lot of potential working with the port, as far as industry and jobs.” 

Towry said there will be some inconveniences during construction season coming this spring and summer. He said the water and street projects will lead to quality-of-life improvements for residents on the northeast side of town. 

Harris said the city will be busy this year and next. 

“Keep an eye on us because we're going to be doing more great things this year,” Harris said. “I keep reiterating that this city is great, but there's just a lot of good things going on in Ephrata right now.”  

    The City of Ephrata will begin to build a new outdoor bathroom at the sports complex after an arson incident in 2024 destroyed the old facility. This is one of two new outdoor bathrooms the city is working on building.