Consoer Townsend Envirodyne Engineers Inc., a large, Chicago-based engineering and consulting company, has opened a small branch office near downtown Spokane and plans to expand its presence here in the next few years.


The company has leased and moved into about 1,900 square feet of space in the Gateway Business Park, at 140 S. Arthur. It currently employs five people here, but John Barnes, the Tacoma-based vice president of the companys northwest region, says Consoer Townsend hopes to boost that to about 20 people within two or three years.


The company opened the office here to handle a $2 million project it was awarded recently by the City of Spokane, Barnes says. Through that contract, the engineering firm will manage the citys combined sewer overflow reduction program, which is one part of a long-term city plan to improve water quality in the Spokane area.


Barnes says the current contract extends through the next two years, but the entire program will take place over the next 15 to 17 years.


Two other engineering firmsSpokane-based Taylor Engineering Inc. and the Spokane office of Portland-based Century West Engineering Corp.are working as subcontractors to Consoer Townsend on that project.


Consoer Townsend operates 33 offices throughout the U.S. In Washington state, it operates a regional office in Tacoma in addition to the newly opened office here.