Ephrata looking for architect to remodel potential new city hall

EPHRATA — The final layout of a former business recently purchased by the city of Ephrata, and the ultimate fate of the existing Ephrata City Hall, are still to be determined. That will be part of the process of remodeling the old Rite-Aid building at 250 Basin St. SW. Ephrata City Administrator Ray Towry said the first step will be hiring an architect.

“We’ll budget for a (request for proposals) for an architect to redesign that space for us next year,” Towry said. “Depending on how involved you want to be, and (how much) we want to involve the public in that design, will determine the length of time it takes.”

The existing city hall and the possible uses of the old Rite-Aid building were among the items discussed at the regular meeting of the Ephrata City Council on Wednesday. Council members also discussed revisions to a union contract and renaming two streets at the site of the new Grant County Jail.

Towry said each department will be asked to estimate the amount of space they would need in a new facility.

“The architect would then come back with some conceptuals, and we could start (revising) those to our liking, and would get a final design on that,” Towry said.

Council Member Mike Warren asked about the existing city hall, whether some staff would remain in the building or if all departments would move.

“We don’t know,” Towry said. “That would be part of the whole process.”

In other business, council members approved revisions to a contract with the union representing all but clerical employees working at city hall. The EPD and other employees are represented by other unions.

“Going through the collective bargaining agreement, we discovered a couple of errors, one particularly where we have been paying for a plan that had not been bargained for. We bargained at a certain level, but we have been paying for a different plan since at least 2010,” Towry said. “There is a cost difference associated with that.”

Union officials agreed to pay half the cost of that plan, he said, which would cut the city’s costs.

Council members approved renaming three streets at the site of the new jail. Public Works Director Rob Harris said the original plat for the land was done by Grant County.

“(The county procedure for naming streets) doesn’t fit with our city’s layout,” Harris said.

The new streets will provide access to the jail and Grant County PUD property adjoining the jail. Utility district officials asked that the street to PUD property be named Electric Avenue. Nat Washington Way will be extended across the intersection and the new road behind the jail site will be named Old Speedway Avenue.