EPHRATA — The Ephrata City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution recognizing Dec. 16 as Wreaths Across America Day in the city.

“We’ve done this in the past and it has been very helpful to get that out to people so they know what’s going on,” said Maj. Jerome Bonneville in a brief presentation to the council. “We also would like to invite, not just the council members, but the people in the community to join us on Dec. 16 (at) 10 o’clock at the Ephrata Cemetery when we lay the wreaths.”

The memorial ceremony has local veterans, Civil Air Patrol members and others placing wreaths on the graves of veterans at the cemetery in recognition and remembrance of their service. 

Bonneville said the local group has raised a little less than their goal of about $17,000 they are trying to raise to purchase the needed wreaths, but the group is still working to raise about $3,000 of that goal by Nov. 28. 

Mayor Bruce Reim said he finds the annual event to be quite poignant and inspiring.

“If you want to send a shiver up your spine, go down to the cemetery when they put those (wreaths) out,” Reim said. “That’s a very emotional day.” 

    Ephrata Mayor Bruce Reim listens to City Manager Ray Towry discuss budgeting goals for the city during Wednesday night's regular Ephrata City Council meeting. Reim expressed support for the Civil Air Patrol's Wreaths Across America Program both during and after the meeting.
  

Bonneville said he was appreciative of the city’s support for Wreaths Across America and the Civil Air Patrol over the years.

“I want to thank the (police and fire) chiefs for their support over the past couple of years,” he said. “They’ve been very supportive of our programs and the council has been very supportive and the community at large.” 

In other business, the city also accepted a loan agreement for water infrastructure improvements in the amount of roughly $11.5 million. The agreement will allow the city to finance the water tower it has been working to plan and build for some time now with the goal of evening water pressure for city residents. The agreement establishes a loan with a 7.5% interest rate and is 85% subsidized by the federal government via the Build America, Buy America program.

City staff also reviewed the delivery of a new sewer maintenance truck that will allow staff to more efficiently deal with large sewer infrastructure repairs. The vehicle includes the ability to more precisely excavate around pipes via hydro excavation, which can help avoid damage and speed up repairs when sewer lines are damaged. Additionally, the truck can allow Ephrata Public Works staff to bypass sewer line ruptures while working to repair damaged lines.

City staff also presented budget goals to council, which will be covered in a separate article once additional information has been gathered.

R. Hans "Rob" Miller may be reached at editor@columbiabasinherald.com.