New developments: Ribbon cut for $10M ISDA diagnostic laboratory 

Ribbon cut for $10M ISDA diagnostic laboratory 

A new $10 million, 18,500-square-foot diagnostic laboratory is expected to help the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) in its preservation of health through its testing services for livestock producers, farmers, veterinarians and others.

The ISDA Diagnostic Laboratory is credited with serving a vital role in monitoring public, animal and plant health through voluntary and regulatory testing, which helps ensure safety in the food supply, such as through testing required for beef cattle to go to processing plants.  

The ISDA, Governor Brad Little and others cut the ribbon for the facility Nov. 23. The project was funded by $8 million in General Fund and $2 million from ISDA Dedicated Funds, and was completed $1.1 million under budget, according to the ISDA. Laboratory personnel include 17 full-time employees and temporary employees. The new facility was built on land at 2300 Old Penitentiary Lane in Boise owned by the state. 

Idaho agriculture and its allied industries account for one in every eight jobs in the state, so having a functional animal, dairy and plant pathology lab serves an industry that is the engine of Idaho’s economy,” Little said at the ribbon-cutting event.  

ISDA’s animal health laboratory services have seen dramatic growth in recent years, with the animal health laboratory having tested 481,000 animal disease samples in FY2021, according to ISDA. Little remarked just this month, ISDA broke a one-day record for brucellosis samples by processing more than 5,000 in one day. 

“Those numbers are expected to increase as more meat processing facilities come online in Idaho in the next two years,” Little added. “Idaho needs an agricultural health laboratory that can keep up with demand and technology. This new diagnostic laboratory is an investment in agriculture and Idaho’s economy.” 

As importantly, the diagnostic laboratory is a vital component of monitoring animal disease. In Idaho — where cattle outnumber people — an animal disease event could be a major disaster, especially if detected too late, ISDA states on its website. 

“ISDA’s laboratory provides essential services for Idaho agriculture, food production and disease surveillance,” said ISDA Director Celia Gould. “This modern diagnostic laboratory will be able to serve Idaho well in to the future. We are so grateful to the governor and everyone who helped make this project a reality.”

Western Dairy Transport breaks ground in Jerome 

Western Dairy Transport LLC and Jerome city stakeholders have broken ground and are beginning construction of a 20,000-square-foot facility in the Northside Industrial Subdivision. The company, which has been in the Jerome area for over 10 years, stated it is pleased to be establishing roots. 

Western Dairy Transport LLC serves the bulk food-grade transportation industry, consisting of dairy farmers, dairy processors and food processors, according to a recent announcement. In addition, the firm also serves the dry van soft drink and food processing industry. 

“The City of Jerome’s key businesses are dairy and milk processing industries; we are excited to have Western Dairy Transport in Jerome to further these relationships,” said Mayor David Davis in the announcement. 

The company praised working with Jerome city and county and the state, stating those entities have been fantastic to work with and the entire building process has gone very smoothly.  

“Our charge has always been building strong communities, servant leaders and lasting relationships with our team members, customers and producers,” Chief Marketing Officer Drew Honeycutt said in the announcement. “We are incredibly thankful to be able to bring over 50 years of experience in the trucking industry to the Jerome area to strengthen and grow the many relationships here.” 

McAlvain Companies completes Meridian office building 

McAlvain Companies, a Boise-based construction firm and independently managed entity of Big-D Construction, has announced its completion of the new three-story, 19,000-square-foot MKA office building at Trackside in Meridian — part of the city’s efforts to redevelop its historic downtown with new office, retail and residential uses. 

The office is the first of three phases planned for the site and the second office building constructed in downtown Meridian in more than 16 years, the announcement stated. The MKA office building will serve as the headquarters for engineering firm Keller Associates. Already headquartered in Meridian, Keller had outgrown its former location. 

Project highlights include structural steel and concrete, tilted outward and sloped upward curtain wall and insulated and ventilated Parklex natural wood rain screen façade cladding from Spain. Interior finishes feature decorative light fixtures, white oak wood stairs, quartz countertops and custom furniture for the conference rooms. 

“The structural component of this build is one of a kind, and we could not be happier with the outcome,” said Kiki Sam, project manager for McAlvain, in the announcement. “There was a tremendous level of teamwork involved in this project. Our team worked closely with the teams at Keller Associates, as well as Glancey Rockwell & Associates, ECI, Seed Interiors and the City of Meridian — all of whom were instrumental in making this project a success.”