Contractors descending on Google Data site; busy schedule ahead for construction in TD
CCCNews caught up with Travis Fox, a rock drill operator, with Aggregate Resource Industries from Springfield, OR on Friday, Jan. 27. He had just completed drilling a site for a power pole foundation near Home At Last in The Port of The Dalles. Fox said he is staying at the Holiday Inn Express and hitting up the local taco trucks.
By Tom Peterson
Contractors are amassing in the Port of The Dalles as Google is going great guns to prepare the site for its newest data center at 3500 River Road in The Dalles.
And they’re just getting started.
Multiple contractors either working for Google’s company Design LLC or for ancillary services such as power provided by Northern Wasco County People’s Utility District (PUD) are working on and off-site in the port.
On site, multiple contractors have collectively removed brush, and asphalt and loaded in miles of stormwater pipe, and piled gravel, “unearthed treasures” all in preparation for the build.
And they’re spending some money. Lodging, fuel, and food are all part of the daily grind for some.
Fairfield Inn & Suites Manager Sarah Hearn said they have felt the impact of construction at the 80-room hotel on West 7th St., The Dalles.
“It’s looking pretty good, and we’re selling out quite a few days during the week,” she said on Wednesday, Feb. 1. “It’s been pretty busy for sure. We’re normally pretty slow and quiet in the winter, and it has picked up more than suspected for quite a few nights. We’re looking for a strong spring.”
Gabe Duus said the same impact had not been felt at the Holiday Inn Express.
“It’s been a slow winter,” he said. “The traffic went off a cliff after the summer ended. We’ve been doing ok, but we definitely could handle a few more (lodgers).
Duus was also skeptical of the impact from contractors in months to come, noting many commuted from Portland during the last Google data plant build.
CCCNews caught up with Travis Fox a rock drill operator with Aggregate Rescource Industries from Springfield, Oregon on Friday, Jan. 27.
Drilling basalt for a power pole near PowderPure in The Dalles in November.
He had just drilled some basalt so that it could be busted up and removed for a power pole foundation that will feed electricity from the PUD to Google’s new substation. His skills will also be required when the foundation for the data center requires drilling and blasting in order to set forms for its foundation.
“Yeah, I’m staying at the Holiday Inn,” Fox said. “There’s a couple of good taco trucks here in town. I love Mexican food.”
Power pole rebar frame sitting next to River Road.
Fox and his company are subcontracting on the job that is being completed by Power Engineers for the PUD.
Power Engineers out of Lake Oswego have about 5 working on the site now and expect about 20 more in the near future as construction ramps up.
Back in November, Colby Henke with Condon Johnson & Associates out of Oakland, Calif., said they were doing the preliminary work to set 12 footings for the power poles that lead to Google property.
That’s just one piece of the enormous data center project.
More on the Data Center Development.
Here is a layout of the new data center from the Design LLC site plan review application to site and construct the new data center. The site plan was approved in November. The data center will be built at 3,500 River Road and will be 288,530 square feet in size according to the notice given by The City of The Dalles.
The City of the Dalles approved a conditional use permit for Google to construct an electrical substation on the new data center site on Jan. 5. City Planning Director Joshua Chandler said he expected an application for a building permit soon.
“We’re expecting them to submit anytime now,” Chandler said on Monday, Jan. 30, noting Design LLC intended to break ground this spring.
“It will take us a good month to go through everything,” Chandler said of looking at the permit and the cut and fill and grading of the ground at the site.
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“Once we collect service development charges, they will issue the permit. Then it is up to Wasco County to make sure the systems and the building are built to code.”
Chandler said Design LLC had originally intended to break ground in April on the data center but the preparation of the site is going a bit slower than anticipated. He also noted that there were a plethora of contractors on site handling different pieces of the build.
He said a night crew was added a couple of weeks ago to speed up the pulverization of dirt and rock that is to be reused on the site.
As data site work ramps to full swing, The City of The Dalles public works will be entrenched in a major potable water upgrade. Google is paying for $28.5 million worth of improvements, ensuring its water needs for the data center are met.
