Portland-based Halton Co. recently opened a permanent heavy equipment rental facility in Astoria to serve the North Coast and Washington peninsula.

The facility is located on U.S. Highway 105 in the Jeffers Garden area, in a building currently occupied by Big River Excavation.

“Companies can have the equipment they need for local projects available on the North Coast without having to pay to transport it from Portland or Longview,” said Troy Dodson, general contracting and specialty trades industry consultant for Halton.

“The biggest problem in serving the North Coast in the past was the logistics in getting the machinery here. We saw that especially in the storm of 2007. After the storm, we realized we needed to be more accessible,” Dodson said.

He said the company has been looking for the right location for its rental yard for some time.

Dennis Green, an Astoria native with more than six years experience as a heavy equipment mechanic, is the North Coast customer service representative for the company and will be based at the Astoria office.

Dodson said the Astoria facility will stock a full range of heavy machinery for such uses as construction, road and forestry work, as well as smaller equipment, including air compressors, power tools and pumps. The facility also will offer next day delivery of parts for rental or personal equipment, he said.

Halton Co., a family-owned company founded in 1940, is the Caterpillar dealer for Oregon and Southwest Washington. It operates facilities in Portland, Salem, The Dalles and Longview, Wash. Astoria is its only current rental yard.

The Halton Co. Rental Yard is located at 35062 Highway 105 in Astoria. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The telephone number is (503) 741-0749 or after-hours at (360) 423-5760.