Special Report - Real Estate & Construction - By Treva Lind
Of the Journal of Business

Coeur d'Alene-based Contractors Northwest Inc. has submitted an apparent low bid for a $4.9 million project to upgrade portions of a wastewater treatment system that serves the city of Chelan in Central Washington.

Contractors Northwest President Bryan Taylor says the city was scheduled to review the bids for the planned second phase of upgrades at the wastewater treatment facility on Jan. 12. Assuming its bid is approved, he expects Contractors Northwest to be able to begin work on the project around March 1 and to complete the upgrades by early 2013.


Jason Cates, a Contractors Northwest project manager, says the improvements are planned for an upper area and a lower area of the wastewater treatment facility system that are about 10 miles apart.

The lower-area site is off Chelan Falls Road along the Columbia River, Cates says. More work will be done at the upper site, on the east end of Lake Chelan.

The work at the lower site will include building a new head works building, which screens and diverts the effluent sludge, and a new primary clarifier. The lower-site work also calls for installing a new odor control system, upgrading an ultraviolet disinfection system, and installing new pumps and other types of equipment.

Additionally, the upper-site project work will involve constructing a new odor-control system, erecting a new electrical building, modifying an existing transfer pump station, and adding retaining walls along a steep bank. The contractor also is expected to construct transmission main manholes, which are concrete vaults leading down to an underground pipe that extends between the two sites.

Separately, Contractors Northwest is wrapping up work on a $2.1 million contract to build a critical care unit at the West Valley Medical Center in Caldwell, Idaho, about 30 miles west of Boise.

The contractor started that project in November with demolition of the interior third-floor space, Taylor says. That project includes construction of new patient rooms, nurses' station, laundry facilities, storage rooms, and reception areas.

In renovating the third floor, the project is expanding the critical care unit from 5,800 square feet to a total of 11,000 square feet. The work is expected to be completed by April.


back to top

The Kootenai Technical Education Center, northern Idaho’s new professional-technical school, has been in the works in some form or another for 15 years, but now construction is finally underway on a field in Rathdrum. The 54,000-square-foot school is being built this winter on 20 acres of land, 10 acres donated by a local family and 10 purchased through fundraising by the consortium of school districts and local manufacturers that joined forces in 2007. KTEC is due to open next fall.

KTEC supporters, including the 45-member North Idaho Manufacturer’s Consortium, passed a $9.5 million levy for the school in 2010 in the districts of Lakeland, Coeur d’Alene, and Post Falls.

KTEC’s students will be required to finish high school as they complete their KTEC certificates. The campus will also eventually include a training facility connected to North Idaho College, which is based in Coeur d’Alene, about eight miles away. North Idaho College also owns 40 acres of land next to the spot KTEC will occupy, as does Lakeland School District.

To determine what programs to offer, KTEC’s five-member founding committee talked to community members, employers, educators, and employment experts in northern Idaho and around the country. The school is closely modeled after the 42-year-old Canyon-Owyhee School Service Agency, or COSSA, which provides technical education and other services to five school districts in Canyon and Owyhee Counties. COSSA’s director, Mark Cotner, moved north to become KTEC’s director in October.

Cotner works half-time as KTEC director and half-time as an instructor in the Coeur d’Alene School District.

Seven programs are due to open in September: automotive technology, diesel technology, engineering design and automation program, industrial welding and metal fabrication, construction trades, resort management, and computer repair.

The college-level technical courses are aligned with industry standards and industry certification, Cotner said. The building will not look like a high school; it will have just a few classrooms and several larger training areas, and many of its students will be adults.

“The layout duplicates what you would find in industry,” he said. And he’ll watch closely to see if students are being trained to meet workforce needs.

“It’s totally based on output,” Cotner said. “If we aren’t placing students, we close programs and open new ones.”

An early supporter of KTEC was Ron Nilson, CEO of Ground Force manufacturing, a Post Falls company that makes mining equipment. Nilson said all the instructors at KTEC will come from private industry, not from educational institutions.

Cotner said 280 students are expected to enroll in KTEC next year, but “I think we’ll have twice as many students as we can accommodate,” he said. “I’m really worried about that.”

However, there is already talk of growth. The school is now using only about six acres of the land it owns.

“The long-term vision is we’ll have a large technical-educational campus out there, with a lot of synergies,” said Jerry Keane, superintendent of the Post Falls School District and chairman of KTEC’s five-member board. “We hope to be able to expand and we’ll have the land to do it.”

The firm Longwell & Trapp Architects of Hayden Lake designed the structure. Contractors Northwest Inc. of Coeur d’Alene is doing the building. CNI is co-owned by D. Dean Haagenson, a longtime supporter of KTEC.

“It’s kind of a beautiful marriage in that regard,” Keane said. “He’s been a great champion all along.”

KTEC’s budget got some help from R & M Steel in Caldwell, which has donated steel worth $2 million to professional-technical programs around Idaho in the last two years.


back to top

The professional-technical high school is administered as a consortium consisting of Lakeland, Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene School Districts and was created through the initiative of local industry leaders. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and the school will be open to students in the fall of 2012.

CNI has been committed to excellence and innovation in education since it was founded in 1975. CNI offers a college student internship program and strongly supports the vision of the consortium to meet the needs of professional-technical students in Kootenai County.

“CNI is a strong believer that high school students should have choices, one of which should be technical training in a field of interest. Students with such training are in high demand” said Dean Haagenson, CEO and founder of CNI.

CNI is known for integrity and an uncompromising commitment to quality. The company serves public, commercial and industrial clients throughout the Northwest from offices in Coeur d’Alene and Boise. CNI is a proud member of the United States Green Building Council as well the Green Advantage Program with LEED AP’s and certified Green Advantage members on staff.


back to top

Aileen Hoy, Duncan Goundry and Richard Breitenberg recently completed recertification by Green Advantage, Inc. All three successfully demonstrated a broad base of knowledge, comprehension, and ability to analyze green construction concepts, materials, and practices by passing the Commercial Green Advantage (GA) Exam.

Green Advantage is working with people like Aileen, Duncan and Richard to realize its vision that buildings throughout the world are constructed in an environmentally sensitive manner that supports social and economic sustainability. The GA Exam® gives special emphasis on the importance of understanding the role of construction personnel in improving the environmental and health attributes of the built environment.

“We’re committed to providing our clients with the most knowledgeable construction professionals in the business and are proud of Aileen, Duncan and Richard for their continued Green Advantage Certification,” said Bryan Taylor, President/COO, Contractors Northwest, Inc.

About Green Advantage: Incorporated in 1996, Green Advantage, Inc. is the nation’s longest standing, third party, environmentally focused personnel certification serving both the commercial and the residential construction industry. Green Advantage (GA) offers individuals the opportunity to differentiate themselves by demonstrating their knowledge of green building practices by successfully passing one of the three GA Exams®. Residential, Commercial and Commercial/Residential exams are available nationwide. Green Advantage is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Green Advantage® and GA Exam® are registered trademarks of Green Advantage, Inc.

About Contractors Northwest, Inc.: With offices in Coeur d’Alene and Boise, Idaho, Contractors Northwest, Inc. is a full service, self-performing general contractor who has been providing exceptional service and quality to clients throughout the Northwest since 1975. Services include traditional general contracting, construction management and design-build for a variety of commercial and industrial facilities. Member ABC and USGBC. Visit the company’s website at www.contractorsnorthwest.com or call 208-667-2456 for more information.


back to top

Aileen Hoy has assumed responsibility for Business Development throughout southern Idaho, eastern Oregon and northern Nevada.

“Aileen’s increased involvement in Business Development will help to not only expand our market area geographically, but to increase our presence in key industries compatible with our construction expertise,” said D. Dean Haagenson, Chairman/CEO.

Aileen Hoy joined Contractors Northwest in 2007 and holds a degree in Business Administration and Construction Management. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and has served on a national committee with the USGBC.

With offices in Coeur d’Alene and Boise, Contractors Northwest, Inc. is a full service, self-performing general contractor who has been providing exceptional service and quality to clients throughout the Northwest since 1975. Services include traditional general contracting, construction management and design-build for a variety of commercial and industrial facilities. Member ABC and USGBC. Visit the company’s website at www.contractorsnorthwest.com or call 208-667-2456.


back to top

Construction is nearing completion on Idaho's first inpatient Hospice House, located in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

This 14,000 square foot facility is owned by Hospice of North Idaho. When completed, Hospice House will provide end-of-live care for terminally ill patients similar to the care provided in hospitals, however at Hospice House the environment will be more home-like.

Each of the 12 rooms has a private bath and private outside entry from the patio and garden area. The main entrance opens into the great room which features a vaulted ceiling and is designed for family gatherings. There is a meditation room, a family waiting room, and in addition to the facility's main kitchen there is a family warming kitchen. The architecture of Hospice House is designed not only for beauty, but to create a comfortable, home-like atmosphere.

Rann Haight and Roy Marshall, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho are the architects on this project. Hospice House is scheduled for completion in July 2011.

With offices in Coeur d'Alene and Boise, Idaho, Contractors Northwest, Inc. is a full service, self-performing general contractor who has been providing exceptional service and quality to clients throughout the Northwest since 1975. Services include traditional general contracting, construction management and design-build for a variety of commercial and industrial facilities. Member ABC and USGBC. Visit the company's website at www.contractorsnorthwest.com.


back to top

Contractors Northwest, Inc. is beginning a $3 Million project involving improvements to the city water system in Emmett, Idaho.

The project includes construction of two steel-tank water reservoirs and the installation of water-filtration equipment for the city's drinking water system. A 3,000 square foot building will also be constructed to house the filtration equipment that will be tied into two of the city's wells.

Two reservoirs will be built at the site of one of the wells. Another well is about a mile away, and there will be a pipeline run to the off-site well as part of the project. One of the storage reservoirs will hold 1 million gallons, while the other tank will be smaller and used for recycling water in the filtration process.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.

With offices in Coeur d'Alene and Boise, Contractors Northwest, Inc. is a full service, self-performing general contractor who has been providing exceptional service and quality to clients throughout the Northwest since 1975. Services include traditional general contracting, construction management and design-build for a variety of commercial and industrial facilities. Member ABC and USGBC. Visit the company's website at www.contractorsnorthwest.com.


back to top

Contractors Northwest, Inc. has completed construction of the Central Shoshone County Water District's Water Treatment Plant in Enaville, Idaho, and is now in the start-up process with electricians, factory representatives and GE personnel on site completing a commissioning sequence in preparation for making water.

The water will be cycled within the plant for about 30 days to allow for testing of motors, electronics, valves, pumps, etc. GE is also in the process of training several operators who will receive hands-on training as well as classroom training. After the entire system has been proven out and operator training is completed, the final steps will be installation of the membrane filters and opening of the valve to start the water flowing into the system and storage tanks, scheduled for the middle of January.

The new water treatment plant will produce nearly 5.7 million gallons of water per day using a state-of-the art membrane filtration process, and will serve over 5,000 people throughout the13-mile water district corridor from Enaville through Osburn. To allow for additional water needs in the future, the plant includes an extra filter bay which provides room for expansion of water production to nearly 7 million gallons per day.

Contractors Northwest, Inc. broke ground in May 2009, with up to 18 of the company's own employees working on site throughout the project, as well as numerous local North Idaho subcontractors. The project included modifications to the existing well pump, new 60,000 gallon raw water equalization tank, new treatment plant building, installation of GE-provided membrane filtration equipment, new 200,000 gallon chlorine contact chamber, backwash treatment and disposal facilities, associated yard piping, site and access work, and electrical and controls.

"I appreciate the quality work of Contractors Northwest and have enjoyed working with Terry Bachman and Russ Twardowski. They were always happy to discuss any concerns along the way and the project has gone very well." said Barney Norris, Central Shoshone County Water District.

With offices in Coeur d'Alene and Boise, Contractors Northwest, Inc. is a full service, self-performing general contractor who has been providing exceptional service and quality throughout the Pacific Northwest since 1975. Services include traditional general contracting, construction management and design/build for a variety of commercial and industrial facilities. Member ABC and USGBC. Visit the company's website at www.contractorsnorthwest.com.

back to top