Ephrata installs new latrines at Sports Complex
NANCE BESTON | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 months, 4 weeks AGO
The Sports Complex is getting its new bathrooms installed this week. The bathroom was paid for via insurance money after the last facility was burnt down.
COURTESY PHOTO/CITY OF EPHRATA
MOSES LAKE — Ephrata Parks and Recreation sports complex will be getting new bathrooms. Crews are working on getting everything connected for public use.
“These restrooms are essentially concrete modules that you come in, you prep the site you come in, you set them into place, you just connect all the utilities, and then it's ready to go,” City Administrator Ray Towry said. “They're all concrete. They're essentially pretty darn close to tamper proof.”
The bathrooms were paid for by insurance money from a claim filed by the city after the previous bathrooms burnt down in May 2024.
“Well, they're just (built in) a manner to be hard to vandalize again. Everything's concrete. Everything in it is designed to be — nothing is vandal-proof, but vandal-resistant certainly. There are stainless steel appliances versus ceramic. The paint is graffiti-resistant paint, so if somebody sprays it, we should be able to clean it off fairly easily, those kinds of things.”
Towry said they have two other bathrooms that are a similar style, one in Patrick Park and one at Lions Park.
The new bathrooms are located in the northeast corner of the complex, closer to the dog park and skate park.
As of Tuesday, crews were working on connecting power and water.
The City of Ephrata is hoping they will be open and available in the next handful of weeks.
“We are anxious to get these back open to the public,” Towry said.
ARTICLES BY NANCE BESTON
1 arrested after Highway 17 stop; detectives recover fentanyl, firearms
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Street Crimes Unit conducted a traffic stop on Highway 17 near Randolph Road and executed a search warrant Friday morning as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation.
4th-year drought declaration in WA, subtle effects in the Columbia Basin
EPHRATA — Washington’s fourth straight year of drought is expected to hit some regions hard, but in Grant and Adams counties, the impacts will look different – quieter, less visible and centered underground. Statewide, the Department of Ecology issued an emergency drought declaration after a warm winter left Washington with about half its usual snowpack, raising concerns about low summer streamflows, stressed fish populations and heightened wildfire risk. Seven of the past 10 years have included drought somewhere in the state. “If you look at our mountains, the challenge we are facing is clear,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said during a press conference Wednesday. “We’re taking emergency action to protect fish, farmers and communities across Washington.”
Sleep Diagnostic Center to close after doctor’s sentencing
MOSES LAKE — The Central Washington Sleep Diagnostic Center announced it will be closing its doors effective April 30. This includes locations in Moses Lake, Spokane Valley, Brewster and Wenatchee. The announcement follows the March 25 guilty plea from Dr. Eric Edward Haeger, 57, in United States District Court to adulterating and misbranding medical devices with the intent to defraud or mislead, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “The adulterations by Dr Haeger show a dangerous disregard for the safety of his patients,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement. “This is a win for patient safety, for protecting public dollars from fraud, and for ensuring citizens of Washington get necessary healthcare. This case exemplifies the great work our team is doing in collaboration with our federal partners to fight fraud and protect Washingtonians.”