Ephrata Borough Council approved a storm water plan Tuesday that clears the way for a new community skateboard park.

The plan adds $20,000 to the project, bringing the total cost of the park to $220,000. The money will come from another borough storm water program that cost less than projected, so will not affect the budget, said borough manager Bob Thompson.

The new park will be built on borough property adjoining the Ephrata Public Library. It will measure about 6,400 square feet and include ramps and other features.

The skate park and original storm water plan for the project was designed by the California firm of Spohn Ranch Skateparks, and called for a sheet-flow method of dealing with run-off.

“That doesn’t meet the borough’s storm water ordinances,” Thompson said.

Instead, a plan originally designed for an earlier skateboard park is going to be used.

“Originally, we were going to just move the items from the skateboard park we had at the pool, but we found those weren’t safe,” Thompson said.

Luckily, the storm water plan designed for that earlier park, already paid for, could be adapted to the new one.

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In approving the plan, councilman Bob Good expressed hope that it be a “community facility” that could be used by anyone who wanted to skateboard, and not be monopolized by a small group of individuals. He also hoped those who use it “self-police” the park.

Resident Jack Harley expressed concern that the park is a big expense that may just serve a very small part of the population. He called spending $220,000 on the project “reckless.”

Good disagreed, saying he believed there was a “skateboard community” in Ephrata that would use the park.

Councilman Thomas Reinhold said that, like the newly-designed community pool, the skate park would draw interest from surrounding municipalities.

Thompson did not know when construction would begin, but that once it did, it would take 64 days to complete. He expected it to be open in November. Tuesday’s vote in advance of next week’s voting session was to give the project a week’s “head start.”

The plan was approved by a vote of 6 to 1, with Councilman Vic Richard casting the lone negative vote.

Also on Tuesday, council was introduced to a plan by Ephrata Community Hospital to demolish two single-family homes along Third Street to build a 40-space parking lot. The borough would also have to abandon a small dead-end stub of Third Street where the homes are located.

The hospital owns the two homes, which are adjacent to the hospital’s campus.