Swan Valley Historic Guard Station Will Receive Repairs Thanks to Recovery Act Funds
South view of the Historic Swan Valley Guard Station in need of repair work.
West View of the Historic Swan Valley Guard Station in need of repair work.
Broken window and peeled lead paint on the siding of the Swan Valley Historic Guard Station.
Repair Work on the Swan Valley Historic Guard Station Has Started
The Caribou-Targhee National Forest (CTNF) received Recovery Act funds to repair the Swan Valley Historic Guard Station and Work Center in Bonneville County, Idaho. Over the years, many of the buildings have fallen into disrepair with broken hardware, leaking roofs, and lead paint peeling off the siding.
The Work Center is used by recreation, range and fire personnel stationed in Swan Valley during the summer. The site, which consists of 12 buildings on 36 acres, is a unique part of CTNF's history and an integral part of the Swan Valley community. It is the only historic guard station compound left on the Forest that remains intact.
The contract for $272,000 in Economic Recovery funding was awarded to J.L. Hardy Construction. Approximately 15 people will be employed through this project, including subcontractors. Restoration work has begun and is expected to be completed by the end of September 2010.
This project continues restoration of six remaining historic buildings on the Swan Valley site. Work includes:
* lead abatement, disposal, or repainting of all painted wooden surfaces
* construction and installation of a historic wooden flagpole replica
* installation of post and rail fencing
* concrete ramp construction
* porch reconstruction
* repair and consolidation of wooden doors and windows
* construction of historic replicas of wooden doors
* replacement of the shingle roof
* installation of new roof sheathing and trim
* soil contamination cleanup
* re-grading the site.
The Swan Valley Work Center was established in 1922 in Swan Valley, Idaho. The Forest has worked closely with Idaho State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) on the restoration effort of these buildings as part of the heritage mitigation for conveyance of other under-utilized sites on the Forest. In 2005, the Swan Valley Dwelling was restored using funds collected from the conveyance of other facilities. When the site was evaluated in 2006, eight of the 12 buildings were deemed eligible of historical building status.