Grant-funding efforts outlined to Ephrata city council
EPHRATA – Ephrata city council members were updated Wednesday, Nov. 5, on potential grant planning and funding opportunities for roadway, pedestrian, and recreational infrastructure improvements in the community.
City project engineer and grant writer Dave Bren outlined several measures under consideration for years 2025-26, primarily to state and federal agencies. If awarded, the projects and requested amounts could provide up to $2.294 million with the city only having to contribute an estimated $180,771 in matching monies.
Some of the grants are “highly competitive” between other municipalities and counties, Bren indicated. But he felt it is beneficial for Ephrata to submit applications, perhaps annually, even if the city is not among initial recipients of funding.
Among the recreation proposals discussed by Bren – working with city parks and recreation director Josh Johnson – were:
- A request to the Washington state Recreation and Conservation Office for first-phase funding of “hardscape improvements” for future pickleball and futsal courts located just south of the city’s Splash Zone swimming pool. Bren indicated the local Paul Lauzier Foundation would also be a contributor toward the project.
Initial improvements would include grading, drainage, parking, and concrete pads for the courts. A second phase calls for the addition of nets, fencing, and a pole-building cover over the futsal court. Futsal is a five-a-side indoor soccer variation played on a hard court with a smaller, heavier ball. Pickleball is a paddle sport for up to four players, combining elements of tennis and badminton while using a plastic wiffle ball on a smaller court with a lower net.
- Adding more vehicle parking spaces at the Parkway ball fields' complex.
- Designating a vehicle parking lane along Patrick Park by painting a stripe on the adjacent roadway, plus developing a pedestrian walk/run path with distance markers around the park.
Bren said other roadway and pedestrian infrastructure improvements potentially eligible for grant funding include:
- Seeking Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program funding through the Washington Department of Transportation to facilitate “walking, biking and rolling” along Basin Street/State Route 28 between Sixth and 14th Avenues S.W. Bren noted the “whole south end” of the Basin Street corridor is a patchwork of unconnected sidewalks which could be improved.
- A concept plan for funding from the Washington Transportation Improvement Board for pedestrian safety and beautification improvements, again along Basin Street, between Second Avenue S.W. and Fourth Avenue N.W. As proposed, this could include replacing uneven sidewalk separations where trees were formerly planted with resin-bonded stone surfaces, plus a mid-block crossing with “refuge island” in the first block of Basin Northwest at Rock Park/Sun Basin Plaza.
- Seeking classification review of up to five miles and 15 sections of arterial and “collector” roadways in the community and Ephrata Port District that could increase the city’s eligibility for federal maintenance and construction dollars.
- Potential federal grants to address the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood plain designation of Ephrata’s downtown corridor. The designation affects insurance rates for properties with federally backed mortgages and increases costs for major remodeling and new construction projects. Bren noted there was a 1973 federal study of various options to mitigate potential downtown flooding. The one that was pursued was construction of a channel that diverts runoff water from Sagebrush Flats beneath First Avenue N.W. at the Bureau of Reclamation’s West Canal. From there, the water channel proceeds north past Ephrata High School’s sports complexes, then east into a farm field along Frey Road. Bren felt there were several other better options, some involving federal easements and maintenance, that could also be considered.
Council members Matt Moore and Valli Millard thanked Bren for having the various proposals posted on the city’s website so the information could be accessible and shared with the public. And fellow council member Sarah McDonnell and mayor Bruce Reim said they appreciated Bren’s “energy and enthusiasm,” both in the presentation and work for the city.
In other business during the Nov. 5 meeting, council members:
- Heard an initial presentation from finance director Kristen McDonnell for the city’s proposed 2026 budget. Reim said council goals are reflected in the draft, which may be ready for adoption in early December. He commended staff for “an exceptional job.”
- McDonnell also outlined the city’s draft ad valorem tax resolution, which allows counties, cities, and junior taxing districts to accept their apportioned, state-allowable share of revenue from an annual 1% increase in property tax valuation for the coming year. For Ephrata, that’s estimated at $14,897 which can be used for city parks, streets, library and cemetery, said McDonnell. A second reading of the proposed resolution is expected at the council’s Nov. 19 meeting.
- Accepted an apparent low bid of $41,342 from Polhamus Heating and AC Inc. to replace outdated and inefficient heating and air conditioning units in the city library and Amtrak buildings. That was considerably lower than an engineer’s estimate of $100,000 for materials and labor, said city public works director Rob Harris. Other bidders were Basin Refrigeration ($43,000), Apex Mechanical ($96,000), and JRP Mechanical ($103,200).
