By By Lisa Tindell – news editor
Brewton area residents may have an opportunity to shop at a local Wal-Mart Supercenter by the end of October if construction continues on its current schedule.
Officials with Wal-Mart have said an opening of late October to mid-November is the target.
The company expects customers to be pleased with the new store, she said.
Brewton Mayor Ted Jennings - who also works as a pharmacist at the existing store - said he is confident the opening will come either before or at the date originally planned by the retail company.
The work, which began in November 2007, has moved quickly since the grounds were prepared for construction.
Marsiglio said the new retail center would employ about 125 people when the store is fully operational. Employees at the current store will move to the new location, and additional workers will be hired.
The Supercenter will have 172,000-square-feet of shopping space - more than twice the size of the current store. The new store will be opening in the old strawberry patch location on U.S. 31 just north of the current store.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved the placement of a traffic signal near the entrance to the Supercenter property at the intersection of County Road 9 and U.S., 31. County Road 9 is known locally as Old Castleberry Road. Lane widening is currently under way to include a turn lane into the new Supercenter property.
The Supercenter has been almost three years in the making since city officials held private meetings with Wal-Mart officials in December 2005.