U.S. Customs to build facility at 3 Mile

A $15 million project for the Spokane Sector of  US Customs and Border Patrol will begin on July 13 in Bonners Ferry.

According to the Supervisory Border Patrol Agent and Public Information Officer for the  US Border Patrol Spokane Sector, James Frackelton, the facility will take about a year to build.

Frackelton said there will be a ground breaking ceremony, but it is not open to the public. However, when the building officially opens the grand opening will be a public event.

Frackelton said the building is strategically located near the Boundary County Airport on the corner of Moonshadow Road and Highway 95.

What Frackelton calls the new state of the art building will consist of three separate structures and be large enough to support 50 to 75 agents.

Cameras will be installed, lighting, fencing, an enclosed parking structure, a multi-purpose training facility for horse patrol and K9 related activities.

Continuing the U.S. Border Patrol’s proud tradition of utilizing mounted units to protect the borders these horses patrol a stretch of border of the most rugged and remote terrain in all of North America.

Currently out of the seven stations, including Bonners Ferry, the U.S. Border Patrol, Spokane Sector, employs 300 people. They have agents in the Bonners Ferry Station who patrol from Priest River to the Yaak Mountains of western Montana.

Frackelton said for security reasons he cannot give exact numbers of employees at each location.

“We can’t say what our operational support is and at the moment we don’t know what the office of the border patrol hiring options are,” Frackelton said. “We will stay staffed as we are 24/7 while construction is ongoing and the expansion will not change our full time employment or assets.”

Frackelton said there is a possibility they will need to staff more agents, but so far there are no plans to recruit until construction comes closer to being finished.  

Currently there are no plans to place jobs in labor department and most likely agents will be brought in from other posts.

“What usually happens is agents from other locations put in for volunteer for relocation, and I know there will be significantly more agents required at the new facility,” Frackelton said. “Most know careers are made on the southwest border but our northern borders need protection too, with smugglers coming from Vancouver and British Columbia probing where they can sneak through.”

Frackelton said anyone considering a law enforcement career with border patrol should look into it. 

He said it takes a couple years of working on the southwest border before someone can apply to be located in a specific place and can be a long challenging process.

The border patrol agents are paid on a grade according to rank and number of years employed.

The facilities contract has been fully awarded to JKT/PCL Development and any local contractors seeking employment are directed to inquire via e-mail through www.jktdevelopment.com.