WALLACE - News of a new neighbor setting up shop on Bank Street has the town of Wallace brimming with excitement.

Hecla Mining Company announced it will open a new office, an information center for the company's activities in the Silver Valley, at 611 Bank St.

"It is very appropriate for a company like Hecla to have an office in Wallace, which we consider the silver capital of the world," said Wallace Mayor Dick Vester.

To celebrate their return to Wallace, there will be a grand opening at 10:30 a.m. Friday. The mayor will be in attendance, along with U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo and Hecla President and CEO Phillips Baker, Jr.

"The one constant for Hecla in nearly 120 years of mining throughout North and South America has been our presence and operations in the Silver Valley," Baker said. "This coming year is a time of growth and change for Hecla, with particular emphasis on our Lucky Friday mine in North Idaho."

During a conversation with Baker months ago, Vester mentioned that reopening an office in Wallace and creating a local presence would help with their support of the community.

"A lot of time has gone by since the move from Wallace to Coeur d'Alene. We are thrilled to have them back," he said.

Hecla announced its move from Wallace to Coeur d'Alene in 1984. The company had been Wallace-based since 1917 or 1918, according to Elmer Bierly, Hecla's director of investor relations at the time of the move.

Hecla was the third Silver Valley mining company to relocate its headquarters that year. Sunshine Mining and Coeur d'Alene Mines also left town.

The Silver Valley reacted angrily to the move. Dale Rullman, a 39-year resident of the city, termed the move "the most rotten thing ever done to our town." Mayor Frank Morbeck said, "The whole community is disappointed."

The public is encouraged to attend Friday's grand opening. U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo is expected to speak, said Lindsay Nothern, his press secretary.

Crapo sits on the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, and is a member of the subcommittee on Superfund, toxics and environmental health.

"We've been working very closely for quite a while, watching the EPA efforts in the area," Nothern said.

The senator has been working with Idaho's mining community for years, and is excited to see them expanding in the valley.

"Mining jobs are really critical for the Silver Valley and North Idaho," Crapo said.

Baker said Hecla's mining operations have been a vital part of the Silver Valley for more than a century. He said the office in Wallace is another way to improve communications between Hecla and the valley community.

"The next 12 months are crucial as we make decisions about the future of the Lucky Friday and as we work on the environmental issues in the area," Baker said.