There is a new U.S. Forest Service administrative building in Kernville. Wednesday was the official grand opening of the facility. The previous facility was in the way of the Isabella Lake dam safety modification project, leading to the eight million dollar relocating project.
The move comes just in time for the ground breaking of the modification project of the dam. Construction is expected to begin after the new calendar year and is expected to take four years.
"There's going to be about 3 million cubic yards of material that we blast out of the ground process most of it and use it to raise the dams," said Sam Winder, Senior Project Manager for the project.
Winders says the blasting will be audible, but will be controlled so it shouldn't impact locals. In addition to noise, State Route 155 will also have temporary detours throughout the project.
According to Winders, there is no immediate threat from the dam, however it is not up to engineering standards for safety, so they are trying to rebuild before there is a major issue.
Winders also says there will be employment opportunities once construction begins.
"There will be a lot of jobs available. We’re going to have to bring in people from outside of the community but we’re also going to encourage the contractors to hire as many local workers as they can," said Winder.
The revamping is set to be done by 2022.
