May 3, 2008 By Josh Krysak 2 min read

FRANKLIN TWP. – Greene County residents moved one step closer last week to seeing work begin on the much-anticipated Wal-Mart Supercenter at the Waynesburg Crossing retail development in Franklin Township. Wal-Mart officials announced April 25 that the company awarded the contract to construct the store to Cleveland Construction Inc. of Mentor, Ohio.

Officials said crews will begin work on the building in the next month and said the store is slated for opening in the spring of 2009.

From last fall through January, Wal-Mart officials had planned to start construction in time to open the store this fall, but the company decided against beginning construction in the winter.

The company opened its first set of construction bids in October and planned to award a contract in November. Construction would have started within three months.

However, company officials decided against starting construction during the winter, Davis said.

The Wal-Mart will be the anchor of Waynesburg Crossings on Murtha Drive, which opened in December.

Wal-Mart purchased a 44-acre lot in the 115-acre site that is being developed by McHolme Waynesburg LLC, which bought the property from Greene County.

The company will build a 143,000-square-foot building that will include a full grocery section and a 10,000-square-foot garden center.

Company officials have estimated that the new store could generate about 300 new jobs.

The supercenter will join 83 other Wal-Mart supercenters across the state, with the average building encompassing about 185,000-square-feet. The company employs more than 50,000 state residents at their locations across Pennsylvania.