Labor department will get new building in October
Groundbreaking is 1 p.m. Thursday, March 25, for the new digs of the North Idaho office of the Idaho Department of Labor Building. The 17,000-square-foot facility will be in Post Falls Business Park in the northwest corner of state Highway 41’s intersection with Interstate 90 (on Thornton Street off East Mullan Avenue).
The 50 employees will move to the building in October from their offices of 20 years off Ironwood Parkway in Coeur d’Alene. Although about the same size as current offices, the new building is designed for the occupants, will add about 55 parking spaces over the current 90 and will be more financially viable.
“We received Reed Act money from the federal government and will cut our operating costs by owning our own building,” said Jo Ann Edmiston, office manager. “The building will be 30 percent above energy efficiency standards. This is very exciting for us.”
The Department of Labor handles unemployment insurance, career assistance, training and connecting job seekers with employers, résumé writing and labor market information, among other things.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Phone (208) 769-1558. Check www.labor.idaho.gov.
CarQuest moving to Cd’A Towne Center
A more centralized, more accessible and larger location will be the plusses for CarQuest in an end-of-the-month move to the Coeur d’Alene Towne Center in the northeast corner of Appleway Avenue and Government Way.
The 7,000-square-foot space next to Enterprise Car Rental is part of what originally was the Montgomery Ward store. The six employees will be leaving their Fourth Street location where they’ve been for 14 years.
CarQuest offers automotive replacement parts, accessories, tools, equipment, chemicals, paint and help with repair techniques. The company has about 3,400 stores and has its headquarters in Raleigh, N.C. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and soon expanding to Sundays.
Fasteners moving to CarQuest space
Meanwhile, Fasteners Inc., will move into the former CarQuest space from its neighboring building at 1819 N. Fourth St. The company is benefiting by buying the building and gaining more space.
Originally Bracks, this store became part of Fasteners, which is a contractor and industrial supply business. With its headquarters in Spokane since 1961, the company has 11 locations throughout Washington, Idaho and Montana.
With six employees, hours at the Coeur d’Alene store are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Phone (208) 664-1583. Check www.gotbolts.com.
This week’s tidbits
•PetSmart, billed as the “largest specialty retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets,” is evidently checking into adding a store in North Idaho. With its headquarters in Phoenix, the company has about 1,200 stores and adds about 40 a year in new or existing buildings.
•The Pita Pit store at 900 N. Highway 41 in Post Falls has closed.
•When you see “REO” on a property in a real estate ad, it means real estate owned – property in the possession of a lender after a foreclosure or forfeiture.
•Watch for a new pizza place on Fourth Street.