Contractor for dam project chosen
<p>Avista Utilities has selected Spokane-based Max J. Kuney Company as the general contractor to upgrade the company's 108-year-old South Channel Dam at Post Falls. The project is expected to begin in late March and be completed in December 2014.</p>
POST FALLS - Avista Utilities has selected Spokane-based Max J. Kuney Co. as the general contractor for the upgrade and restoration of the company's 108-year-old South Channel Dam at Post Falls.
The project is expected to begin in late March, with most of the dam construction completed by December. Final road work and landscaping will be completed in spring 2015.
The South Channel Dam is one of three dams that comprise the historic Post Falls Hydroelectric Development on the Spokane River.
The development creates enough energy to power 13,500 homes.
"Like Avista, Max J. Kuney Co. is a business grown in Spokane with a commitment to supporting the economy by working with locally-sourced subcontractors and suppliers as much as possible," said Jason Thackston, Avista's senior vice president for energy resources. "That is important to providing living wage jobs for the residents of the Inland Northwest.
"The Kuney team shares Avista's commitment to environmental stewardship in protecting the Spokane River and habitat during the project and understands the importance of minimizing impacts to Q'emiln Park. That's why the park and its facilities, including the boat launch, are expected to be open as normal this summer with limited exceptions."
Replacing the 1980s-era manual equipment will improve operational efficiencies, allowing for increased flexibility in responding to changing hydro conditions and customer demand.
In addition to upgrading equipment, the project includes constructing a temporary cofferdam, removing the original 1906 concrete facing and gate frames and adding new concrete, spillway gates and remote controls.
The project is expected to cost about $13.5 million. The North Channel Dam was upgraded in 2004 and the Middle Channel Dam in 2012.
"As a construction company that works out of town a fair amount, we can't ask for much more than the opportunity to work on critical projects like this one right in our own backyard," said Max J. Kuney Co. Vice President Daniel Kuney.
For more information on the project, visit www.avistautilities.com/postfalls. There, customers and the public can sign up to receive an e-newsletter from Avista with timely information on the project.