TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – The Idaho Power Co. is planning to build a new operations center just north of the current facility on Blue Lakes Boulevard South that was built in 1951.

Construction of the 26,000-square-foot building is currently up for bid, said spokeswoman Julie Stutts. Ground will be broken for the facility this spring.

The two-story building will be constructed using energy-efficient measures and include an outdoor patio off the upper level. The main draw to the new building is that it’ll be able to house all 106 local power employees under one roof.

“Getting everyone under the same roof to help better serve our customers will make us and our business operations more efficient. This building is designed with customers in mind,” East Region Regional Manager Bo Hanchey said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Our project designers and engineers will be able to work with customers privately, and it has also been designed to help employees communicate better with their team members.”

Photo courtesy of Idaho Power Co. The current Operations Center in Twin Falls, built in 1951, doesn't meet today's demands, the company says. A new, much larger facility will replace the old one.
Photo courtesy of Idaho Power Co.
The current Operations Center in Twin Falls, built in 1951, doesn't meet today's demands, the company says. A new, much larger facility will replace the old one.
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When conference meetings are held in the current building, Stutts said, several different rooms are packed with employees. In the future building, one conference room will accommodate all of the employees.

“It will be a lot nicer,” she said. “The current building just doesn’t meet the needs of the company today.”

The new building, which will be completed by the end of the year, also will have improved parking and easier access points onto Blue Lakes Boulevard.

A portion of the old facility will be torn down. What happens to the remaining portion has yet to be decided, but the 65-year-old building has served its purpose.

“As you can imagine, business back then was different than it is today,” Stutts said. “Once the new building is complete it will probably be like night and day for the people who work there. I bet they are going to be thrilled.”

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