Construction has started on the first building planned in the new Deer Park Business & Industrial Center, about 15 miles north of Spokane.

Knight Construction & Supply Inc., of Deer Park, is erecting a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing and office building there, at 2401 E. Sixth, says Joe Tortorelli, an economic development consultant for the city of Deer Park.

The B & I Center is a privately owned development located on 140 acres of land along Crawford Road, 2.5 miles east of U.S. 395 and just west of the Deer Park Airport.

Doug Knight, president of Knight Construction, couldn’t be reached immediately for comment.

Kilgore Construction Inc., of Colbert, is the contractor on the project, and Watson & Herres LLC, of Spokane Valley, designed it.

Tortorelli says the project is expected to be completed in the fall.

The project, tentatively called the Knight Airport Development, will be on the south side of Sixth Street, which is the northern border of the B & I Center.

Knight Construction specializes in heavy industrial and gov-ernment construction projects, including work on dams, fish hatcheries, and bridges.

Knight Wall Systems Inc. and Knight EZ-Dock Inc., which are affiliates of family-owned Knight Construction, also will occupy portions of the new building, Tortorelli says.

Knight Wall Systems manufactures and installs exterior wall panel systems for new buildings and renovation projects.

Knight EZ-Dock is a supplier of custom and portable boat docks and accessories.

The companies currently are located at 28303 N. Cedar Road, about three miles south of the B & I Center.

Knight’s website says the companies employ 125 people in Deer Park. Tortorelli has earlier said Knight Construction anticipates hiring 30 additional employees after the new building is completed.

The infrastructure for the center recently was completed by MDM Construction Inc., of Rathdrum. J-U-B Engineers Inc., of Spokane, designed the infrastructure project.

Tortorelli says Spokane-based Avista Corp. has committed to develop another project at the B & I Center.

The Avista project would be a 30,000-square-foot service center that would replace Avista’s facilities in Deer Park’s city center, he says.

Laurine Jue, an Avista spokeswoman, says the project currently is in the design phase, and likely would be constructed next year.

Tortorelli says a few other companies also are looking at moving to the center.