It never hurts to get a lift

POST FALLS - Post Falls is getting a lift.

The city is having a $1.7 million sewage lift station built on the north side of Third Avenue near the senior center to replace one across the street that was built in 1985.

The current lift station has had issues with pumps and overflowing the past few years, but the new station - which have a third more capacity than the existing one - will solve the problems, said Terry Werner, the city's public services director.

The project should be completed in November or December.

"The station will have an overflow basin, so if a pump goes down, having the basin will help," said Werner, adding that the current station does not have an overflow basin.

The city purchased land from Idaho Veneer for $70,000 for the new lift station.

The project will not increase taxes and is being funded with sewer fees which have already been collected.

Post Falls has 30 such stations, but five of them - including the one along Third - do most of the lifting. The existing station on Third has undergone two upgrades since it was built 29 years ago.

Werner said the existing lift station site, which is half an acre, may be made into a pocket park as the Centennial Trail in that area will be extended. The current concrete barriers that separate Third from the existing lift station will be removed.

Werner said the city will reuse whatever materials it can from the existing lift station and scrap the rest.

The city council approved the lift station project last fall. It was a top priority in the city's wastewater master plan that was performed in-house and approved a year ago.