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COOS BAY, Ore., July 11, 2003 -- In a joint ceremony, Northwest Natural Gas Co., dba NW Natural, and Coos County broke ground for the county's natural gas transmission line and NW Natural's local distribution system in Coos Bay. Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and several key area legislators also participated in the celebration, which marked the start of construction on both projects.
NW Natural is set to begin construction of local distribution systems in the communities of Coos Bay, North Bend, Coquille and Myrtle Point, all within Coos County on the southern Oregon coast. Coos County officials are beginning construction of a 60-mile transmission line from an interstate pipeline near Roseburg to Coos County and 30 miles of lateral lines to serve the communities. Both projects are scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
The groundbreaking ceremony was held in the city at the site of NW Natural's future Coos Bay gate station, the point at which the county's transmission line will deliver natural gas to the gas company's local distribution pipelines.
Coos County Commissioner Nikki Whitty welcomed those attending the celebration and introduced the governor, Sen. Ken Messerle, and NW Natural CEO Mark Dodson for their remarks.
"This day has been a long time coming, and it couldn't have happened without the contributions from many of the people gathered here today," Whitty said.
Other key supporters attending the celebration were Rep. Joanne Verger and Rep. Wayne Krieger, members of the Coos County legislative delegation; and Coos County commissioners Gordon Ross and John Griffith.
Coos County is one of the largest counties in the United States still not served by natural gas. NW Natural has been working to bring gas service to Coos County since 1965, when the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) designated the county as part of NW Natural's service territory.
"All of you here should be very proud of what you've accomplished," said NW Natural CEO Mark Dodson. "You've chosen to shape your future, and we at NW Natural are honored to be a part of it."
NW Natural's goal is to provide natural gas service to as many customers in Coos Bay, North Bend, Coquille and Myrtle Point as soon as possible, Dodson said. It will be several months until construction is completed, but NW Natural has begun efforts to contact people who may be interested in connecting to gas service.
Dodson added that NW Natural has added 11 permanent jobs to the local economy and construction of the system will bring dozens of construction workers to the area for several months, spending their paychecks and stimulating the local economy.
NW Natural has opened an office in Coos Bay at 1625 North 7th Street. The company's local manager is Cal Grimmer, who can be reached at (541) 267-5655, ext. 6500.
In 1999, Coos County voters approved up to $27 million in general obligation bonds for a natural gas transmission line connecting the county to the interstate pipeline near Roseburg. The Oregon Legislature also authorized $24 million in economic development funds to support pipeline construction.
The county has contracted with MasTec, Inc. of Florida to build the transmission line and will own it following construction. NW Natural will spend $12 million to build local distribution systems to deliver gas to homes and businesses. NW Natural's contracter for the local distribution system is Henkels & McCoy.
Founded in 1859, NW Natural is Oregon's largest and oldest natural gas distribution company with corporate headquarters in Portland and district offices in Coos Bay, Eugene, Albany, Lincoln City, Salem, Astoria, The Dalles and Clark County, Wash. The company serves nearly 570,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon and southwest Washington.
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