PONDERAY — The Ponderay City Council unanimously approved a special use permit for Avista on Monday, which will allow the company to build a new substation.

The six-acre substation will be built on 22 acres at the intersection of East Bronx Road and U.S. 95. Karen Kendall, representative from Avista, said the company is building the substation and eventual service center in response to the growth Ponderay has experienced in the last few years. 

“We want to provide safe and reliable power for the community, and for the long term, and by doing so, we need to have a substation,” Kendall said at the meeting. “Bronx Road is a great location for it; we have what we call a switching station that's located just southwest of this Bronx Road property.... Once this substation is live, we will be removing that switching station.” 

Ponderay’s Planning Director, KayLeigh Miller, said she worked with Avista to implement the use of nine-foot Durisol walls, which have a noise-deadening effect, and to screen the substation. The project was unanimously recommended to the City Council by the city’s Planning and Zoning commission with certain conditions, which Avista complied with. 

Miller thanked Avista for working to find a compromise on those conditions, such as adding spirea bushes and additional greenery in front of the substation walls. 

“They proposed those boulders and some spirea bushes, intentionally not doing trees, so that they don't have to worry about the height interfering with our infrastructure in the future,” Miller said. “So that was the common ground, and I thank them for responding to those comments from the public that came in at that last meeting.” 

Councilor Phil McNearney said he lived on Brox Road for 12 years and liked the height and visual effects of the walls. McNearney said he thought the parties involved did a really good job putting the project together. 

“If we can do away with that switching station on the corner, that's been an eyesore forever,” McNearney said as a positive of the project. 

Mayor Steve Geiger said that everything in the application looked great, and he especially liked that Avista was building toward the back of the property. Councilor Brad Mitton echoed the compliments and said he appreciated the work that Avista did to improve Bronx Road, east of Craigs Court. 

“It was very well done,” Mitton said of the proposal. “I really appreciate what our crew here does, working with the community, and Avista, working with everybody, and doing stuff and improving the road, and I think it's another win-win situation.” 

With the SUP approved, Avista has one year to commence construction before needing to request an extension from the City Council. Ponderay’s next council meeting is scheduled for June 1 at 5:30 p.m.