A sudden torrential downpour didn’t stop Federal Way city officials from breaking ground on the newest DaVita building on Monday evening.

Gathered under a white tent waiting out the rainstorm, several city officials, many DaVita employees as well as members of the construction project welcomed the official start of construction.

Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell pointed out that this project began four years ago, and noted Economic Development Director Tim Johnson’s efforts of helping get this project to where it is now.

“We have big dreams here in Federal Way, and we’re excited DaVita wants to be a part of that vision,” Ferrell said in the midst of the brief downpour.

Located at 32275 32nd Ave. S., the newest addition is expected to bring 1,300 full-time employees to the city, Ferrell said in his remarks before the groundbreaking.

In May, city council members discussed issues surrounding the construction for the newest DaVita site, which had delayed construction for a short time. However, the issue has since been resolved and construction is now underway for DaVita’s second building.

Other speakers at the event included Jim Hilger, DaVita chief accounting officer; Nate Jenkins, assistant project manager for Mortenson Construction; and Chad Hull, vice president of revenue operations for DaVita.