BOISE, Idaho — Caldwell residents can expect traffic and parking disruptions around the Darigold facility after a fire earlier this month.
Darigold says to expect heightened traffic congestion and parking difficulties in the area. There are currently over 200 contractors working on-site, meaning there may be as many as 150 to 200 additional cars and light trucks on the streets around the facility. There may also be construction trailers, semi-trucks and other heavy machinery.
The crews are working 24-hours a day, six days a week to accelerate cleanup, site remediation and damage assessment after the fire. The company says it expects the current pace of work to continue for the immediate future.
“The City of Caldwell fully supports Darigold’s actions in rebuilding and the necessary steps it will take to get their plant rebuilt completely and back to full capacity. We are their partner and stand beside them. We will help them in any way possible to get their construction done more effectively and efficiently. We may look into street closures and possibly the usage of public rights of way to ensure the safety of the public and those involved in the rebuilding process. We wish them the best in their rebuilding process and are here to support them in any way we can,” said Mayor Garret Nancolas.
Albany Street between N. 4th Avenue and N. 7th Avenue is currently closed to traffic. The best alternative routes include N. 4th Avenue and N. Kimball Avenue.
“We have dozens of farmer-owners and more than 100 Caldwell employees whose livelihood depends on this processing facility, and we are committed to maintaining a processing facility in Caldwell following the recent fire. We are working around the clock to accelerate the process of stabilizing the site and assessing damage so we can begin to rebuild, and we know that presents some disruption and inconvenience for our neighbors in Caldwell. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and ask for the community’s patience while we work to restore this long-time Caldwell asset,” said Chris Arnold, head of communications at Darigold.
The Caldwell Darigold facility processes 1.3 million pounds of milk daily from dozens of area farms. It operates one of the largest butter churns in the county and employs more than 100 Caldwell residents.
Nobody was hurt in the fire and impacted employees will be offered jobs at other facilities. The Caldwell fire marshal's office says the damaged area is localized and most likely repairable.
