Ephrata addresses annexation, approves Homecoming festivities
R. HANS MILLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 2 months AGO
Ephrata City Administrator Ray Towry at his desk in City Hall. Towry was raised in Ephrata and said he was excited to be able to return and take the reigns at City Hall and serve his home town.
R. HANS MILLER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Managing Editor Rob Miller is a 4-year U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Western Montana in a community about the size of Soap Lake. An honors graduate of Texas State University, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Brandee, and their three dogs, Draco, Pepper and Cinnamon. He has one son, William. During his free time, he enjoys photography, video games, reading and working on the house he and his wife bought in Ephrata. He is passionate about the First Amendment and educating communities. | October 11, 2023 7:18 PM
EPHRATA — City Administrator Ray Towry said the city is moving forward with a variety of measures after last week’s city council meeting, including a request from property owners to annex a small piece of land at the request of a property owner with land that overflows the city’s border.
“It’s a couple pieces of property that are split and one piece is in and some of it’s out,” Towry said.
The landowner, J. Jesus Sandoval, requested the annexation Sept. 11, according to city documents.
Towry said the annexation isn’t finalized at this point. The application submitted by Sandoval simply sets the process in motion for the annexation. That process includes public hearings prior to a final decision by the Ephrata City Council. While he did not know the exact details of Sandoval’s plans for the property, he explained that landowners generally apply for annexation to access city infrastructure such as water and sewer services.
“This is definitely where the landowner has come to us and they see a benefit for their property to come into part of the city – inside corporate limits,” Towry said.
City council voted unanimously to move forward with the legal process for annexing the property, as well as other agenda items.
One of those agenda items was new software to serve the Ephrata Fire Department’s needs. The software, provided by ESO Solutions, costs a bit more than $8,000 for a year’s subscription. Documentation from the city indicates that it will provide efficiencies by utilizing software implemented by five other fire departments within Grant County, thus making cooperative efforts with those departments easier to coordinate.
Council members also approved an event for Ephrata High School’s Homecoming week. That includes a bonfire event Wednesday, cleanup Thursday and a fireworks show associated with the annual Homecoming game this Friday the 13th against Grandview.
The city is also working with a property owner to fix an easement issue near Eighth Avenue.
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: In appreciation of educators ...
An experience I recently had with a school district, quite honestly, has left me gob-smacked a bit. I am in awe of the teachers and administrators at school districts throughout the region and what they have to deal with. Let me get back to the beginning, though. Journalists often cover a wide variety of topics and are constantly looking for ideas for stories that will matter to readers. As such, when we hear of events of interest, we sometimes ask to attend so we can either cover it, or, as in this case, learn how to cover a topic better.