New office buildings approved through CARES Act funding
New Fort Hall Fire & EMS office building.
FORT HALL — In addition to the projects Harper Construction is working on, the following construction projects are funded under the CARES Act funds the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes received.
Tribal Public Information Officer Randy’L Teton said the following were funded.
The Tribal Office of Emergency Management (TOEM) was approved through the CARES Act funding to purchase a new office building which will add two additional offices and a large open space for the department.
The new building will provide adequate area for when the department activates emergency situations called the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) and allows for social distancing for the team to meet. The construction is being done by the Tribes Construction Services Department with assistance from Harper Construction, who has provided engineering services and equipment for the project.
To date, the infrastructure has been installed, a concrete above grade foundation, including their sewer system tied into the lateral sewer main. The building was purchased from Design Space from Boise, Idaho and was delivered on earlier this month on November 5. The office space is scheduled to be completed by the first part of December.
Fort Hall Fire Station – The Fort Hall Fire Department (FHFD) administration office building has been condemned for years and contained asbestos, space was limited and didn’t support the staff with adequate offices. With COVID-19, social distancing was impossible because there are multiple employees confined in a small space.
The FHFD received funding from the CARES Act to purchase a new office building which will provide suitable space for the administrative staff to perform their daily activities and provide acceptable social distancing.
The new office building was delivered last month and is now awaiting power, which is also being upgraded to meet the needs of the department. Once power is connected, utility connections are made and final inspections for occupancy is received, and Administrative staff may move in. All work is scheduled to be completed by December.
Youth Building - The Tribal Youth Program, funded by a grant from the OJJDP and housed at the Justice Center has been allocated funds from the CARES Act to purchase a new building for the Tribes Youth Program. The new building will benefit the program with addressing harmful behaviors of at-risk youth, 10-17 years of age, and will provide them with opportunities to learn skills and gain experiences that contribute to a more positive lifestyle and enhance their capacity to make healthier life choices. The modular is being purchased from Clayton Homes from Idaho Falls, Idaho and is scheduled to be delivered this week of November 16, 2020. The water and sewer has been installed and a concrete foundation will soon be placed for the modular. The Youth building is scheduled to be completed by mid-December. The area for the new Youth Building was provided to the program from the Veterans Association and will be located south of the Tax Commission. Along with Harper Construction, the Construction Services Department is preparing the area, infrastructure and a concrete pad for the building.
New guardrail installed at Ross Fork Creek Road
Workers install the first ever guardrail on Ross Fork Creek Road.
By LORI ANN EDMO
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — For the first time ever a guardrail was installed along the hill on Ross Fork Creek Road last week.
Railco, a contractor out of Meridian, was hired to do the project said Brooks Davis, engineer technician of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Transportation. The work had to be scheduled later than when the paving was done because the company’s work is in demand. The guard rail is 457 feet.
“It’s the first rail on Ross Fork Creek to my knowledge,” David said. “There have been accidents on that corner over the last couple of decades which is why we decided to have a rail installed there. The upper turner hasn’t been a problem according to accident records.”
The Ross Fork Creek Road project began in June where three miles of road was paved at the cost of $800,000 of federal highway funds. The paving was completed in August.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic the road striper that the department procured has been delayed so the striping won’t be done until spring Davis said.
He noted there will be a lot of road miles striped once it’s done. “Striping is pretty expensive and if we do just a few of our longer roads the machine will pay for itself – this striper over its life will have a huge return on investment.” As an example, the contract out the Ross Fork Creek Road project along, it would pay one third of the cost of the striper.
Davis said the striping is anticipated to be completed in April 2021.
