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NEAH BAY, Wash. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior, has awarded four contracts to three companies totaling $336,921.44 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Burton Construction, Cherokee General and Sabyr Contractors will perform four separate upgrades at the Makah National Fish Hatchery in projects expected to employ approximately 20 workers.
Burton Construction will repair the main electrical service panel at the hatchery to meet energy efficiency and safety requirements. Sabyr Contractors will repair and replace outdated electrical pumps and Cherokee General will repair the hatchery roof and rehabilitate the deteriorating trough piping system.
The current state of these systems and facilities at the hatchery jeopardize its ability to meet regional salmon and steelhead production goals, according to Makah NFH manager Caroline Peterschmidt.
“The hatchery electrical repair project will allow replacement of the aging main electric service panel and standby generator switches,” Peterschmidt said. “Makah NFH is very power-dependent, and maintaining and upgrading equipment is vital to our production goals for healthy fall Chinook, coho and steelhead smolts. These production goals support our commitment to the Makah Tribe for harvest and conservation of Sooes River salmonid stocks.”
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 gave $3 billion to the Department of the Interior. Of that amount, $280 million in funding goes to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for projects nationwide.
“For us at Sabyr, the number one benefit of this project is maintaining employment,” Sabyr Contractors Project Manager Chester Bergner said. “In addition, we are always looking to broaden our horizons, and working with the Fish and Wildlife Service allows our company to do that.”
The ARRA funds are part of a stimulus package that is an important component of President Obama’s plan to jumpstart the economy and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so the country can thrive in the 21st century. Under the ARRA, Interior is making an investment in conserving Americas timeless treasures – our stunning natural landscapes, our monuments to liberty, the icons of our culture and our heritage – while helping American families and their communities prosper again. Interior is also focusing on renewable energy projects, the needs of American Indians, employing youth and promoting community service.
“With its investments of Recovery Act funds, the Department of the Interior and its bureaus are putting people to work today to make improvements that will benefit the environment and the region for many years to come,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said.
Secretary Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department’s economic recovery projects. The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on
