COLUMBIA FALLS — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration has awarded an infrastructure grant totaling $633,146 to Columbia Falls to help expand services at Cedar Palace Medical Complex
Grant funding will be used to rebuild 12th Avenue West extending water and sewer to the cedar palace complex.
Improvements include a sidewalk on 12th Avenue West leading all the way out to U.S. Highway 2.
Economic Development Administration officials said the grant will create 70 new jobs and generate close to $6 million in private investment.
Columbia Falls City Manager Susan Nicosia said the city is using $313,146 in urban development district funding to match the grant while Cedar Palace matches the additional $320,000.
She said improvements made will help Cedar Palace expand medical services becoming more accessible for Columbia Falls residents.
“This will create this outstanding medical complex and create good paying jobs in the city as well as providing medical services that weren’t available before,” said Nicosia.
Nicosia expects construction on the project to start in the fall with completion taking roughly one year.
