USBR updates fire station status

Construction work at the Grand Coulee Dam Fire Station is closing in on the final few months of construction activities.

As of Oct. 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said Monday, the bulk of the electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and the fire protection systems had been installed. The exterior concrete masonry veneer and the polished concrete floors also had been completed.

Focus areas for November will be the remaining interior work, terrazzo floors, exterior concrete placements, landscaping, and pavement markings.

Completion is planned for spring 2024.

The new fire station is located at the west gate to the Grand Coulee Power Office industrial area near the intersection of Highway 155 and B Street.

In April 2022, the surety - Berkley Insurance Company - selected J.S. Held LLC to coordinate project efforts with National Native American Construction, Inc., to complete the fire station. 

"Every day we see progress at the fire station," said Grand Coulee Power Office Assistant Power Manager Stephanie Utter. "We are focusing on final details and continuing with project coordination to complete this project by this spring." 

The 22,000-square-foot facility will provide space for vehicle and equipment storage, along with separate crew areas for sleeping and dining, meeting/training rooms, offices, and a public reception area.

The project will help to ensure reliable protection for the Reclamation facilities and lands and assist local communities and other agencies through mutual-aid agreements.

The original construction contract was awarded in 2016 and scheduled to be completed in spring of 2018 for $13.6 million. Since then, construction contracts were terminated twice. Reclamation said in February 2023 that the contract price had climbed to $14,242,563.32.