Contractor bid awarded for NIC Career Technical Education Facility

The bid to build the North Idaho College Career Technical Education Facility in Rathdrum was awarded to Spokane-based general contractors Leone & Keeble Inc.

Leone & Keeble Inc. has constructed numerous projects in the region including the NIC Residence Hall, the Coeur d'Alene Public Library and Post Falls High School.

The subcontractors for the $20 million, 110,960-square-foot project will be Three V Plumbing, of Post Falls; Tyko Mechanical, of Hayden; and Thorco Electric Inc., of Coeur d'Alene. NIC is currently finalizing the contract, with work on the project expected to begin within the month.

"Leone & Keeble came in the lowest out of five firms who submitted bids," said Chris Martin, NIC vice president for finance and business affairs. "They have a good track record in the area and we expect them to do their usual quality work."

Contractors Northwest, Ginno Construction Co., T.W. Clark Construction, and Wright Brothers all submitted bids. Architects West was chosen as the architecture firm for the project.

In June 2014, the NIC Board of Trustees decided to locate the facility on 40 acres already owned by the college in Rathdrum adjacent to the Kootenai Technical Education Campus (KTEC).

The facility will house several NIC career-technical programs that are currently in temporary and/or tight quarters. The following programs are intended to move into the facility: Automotive Technology, Collision Repair Technology, Computer-Aided Design Technology (architectural and mechanical), Diesel Technology, Industrial Mechanic/Millwright, Machining and CNC Technology and Welding Technology. The facility is scheduled for completion by July 2016.