Twin Falls County approves boat ramp access for hydroelectric facility upgrades

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Twin Falls County commissioners approved access to the Centennial Park boat ramp for local hydroelectric facility owners, to transport heavy equipment across the Snake River for a modernization project.

Ray and Karen Perron, owners of Pillar Power Production, received approval Thursday after revising their initial proposal submitted in November. The couple needs the boat ramp to barge heavy equipment to their hydroelectric facility.

“The original equipment has been there for approximately 40 years and they’ve made incredible advancements in technology since then so we’re basically just upgrading all that equipment to modern equipment,” Ray Perron said.

The commissioners rejected the Perrons’ first proposal and requested a more detailed plan.

The updated plan includes approximately seven trips to move the heavy machinery across the Snake River, down from the 10 trips proposed in November.

“So we have a control document that makes sure every little detail is paid attention to, so no damage is caused to the property,” Ray Perron said. “The second thing that was important on the list was to have minimal impact to the public’s use of the property.”

Twin Falls County Commissioner Suzanne Hawkins said the approval balanced helping the business move forward while protecting public access and emergency response operations.

“I know this one took longer than the applicants would have liked but I think in the end we came up with a better product for the entire community,” Hawkins said.

The revised plan includes several adjustments from the original proposal.

“They have changed from using a large crane to using a trailer system to load their equipment,” Hawkins said. “We’ve changed time allowances. They were hoping to work somewhat through the night but we do want it, for safety reasons, done during daylight, trying to make sure park access is available and making sure that search and rescue has first priority.”

The Perrons said repairs are expected to take a year. Ray Perron said they plan to start as early as Monday.

“If the crane is available we’ll be there Monday. If not, Tuesday, Wednesday, but at its earliest convenience we’ll be there,” he said.

The Perrons said the new automated equipment will help the hydroelectric facility create more energy than before.