When: Ephrata Borough Council meeting, June 12.
What happened: Council voted to absorb $420,000 in electric costs that could have been passed on to residents instead.
Background: The borough is a regional power supplier. As a member of a multi-state group of communities called American Municipal Power, Ephrata contracts for a set amount of power which it resells to residents, plowing the proceeds back into the community. This often saves consumers money as Ephrata can stabilize its consumer rates in a wildly fluctuating market.
Why it matters: Sometimes the borough uses amounts of electricity above the planned level. It then turns to PJM, a regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity throughout 13 states and the District of Columbia.
Quotable: “When we need more electricity than what we’ve purchased, we go through PJM and buy chunks of electricity on the open market,” said Nancy Harris, borough manager. “Obviously doing it on the spur of the moment is very expensive. That’s what happened with the energy demand on Christmas Eve when we got this sudden drop in temperature and usage skyrocketed. We had that option to put it out over sixth months, then every electric consumer would’ve been charged a significant amount of money. Instead the borough is saying ‘we’ll pull it from reserves.’ ”
Retirement: Ephrata Recreation Center Director Jim Summers announced his retirement, starting Dec. 15. Summers worked at the rec center full-time for 43 years and part-time for seven years.
Also: WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital President Tina Citro presented council with a check for $50,000. The funds will be used for various projects including upgrading the borough’s recreational facilities and completing the purchase of body cameras for the police.
Fishing piers and bridges: Mayor Ralph Mowen told council he was asked by a resident to check the fishing piers and bridges along the Cocalico Creek adjacent to Thomas P. Grater Community Park. A plaque on one pier says the wood came from the long-defunct Gerhart Brothers, he said. Some of the wood is rotting, cracked or broken, and one dock tilts, Mowen said.
Quotable: “Unfortunately there’s no money in the budget, but it’s something that will have to be put on somebody’s agenda because it could be a dangerous situation,” said Mowen.
What’s next: Council will next meet at 7 p.m. July 3.
