Groundbreaking held for Wal-Mart
FRANKLIN TWP. – Dirt was flying in Greene County Monday morning as local and state officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the long-anticipated Wal-Mart Supercenter at the Waynesburg Crossing retail development in Franklin Township. The officials joined Wal-Mart representatives in officially breaking ground at the muddy site atop Murtha Drive in Franklin Township, symbolizing that construction of the 143,000-square-foot supercenter is about to begin.
The new store will be the anchor of Waynesburg Crossings on Murtha Drive, which opened in December. The new $6.7 million mile-long road, named in honor of U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha, runs from Route 21 near the county airport to Rolling Meadows Road.
Wal-Mart representatives announced in April that the company awarded the contract to construct the new store to Cleveland Construction Inc. of Mentor, Ohio. Crews are expected to begin work on the building within the next few weeks and the store is scheduled to open in the spring of 2009, according to reports.
A small crowd gathered Monday morning to attend the groundbreaking ceremony and heard comments from county commissioners Pam Snyder, Dave Coder and Archie Trader; state Representative Bill DeWeese; state Senator J. Barry Stout; and Wal-Mart project manager Marcy Sloneker.
Snyder said the groundbreaking marked an important milestone for Greene County’s economic future.
“I’m going to borrow a line from Senator Stout when I say, ‘This is a great day in Greene County,'” she said. “This [new Wal-Mart] has been a long time coming, and no one is happier to see this day happen more than this board of commissioners. We could not be more thrilled.”
Stout and DeWeese both commended the efforts made to bring a Wal-Mart to Greene County.
“This [project] is an excellent example of county, state and federal levels all coming together in a cooperative effort,” Stout said.
“Without the teamwork of everyone involved, this project would probably not have come to fruition,” DeWeese added.
Moments after officials threw out the ceremonial shovels of dirt, Paul Alexander, a project manager for Cleveland Construction, said crews will hopefully begin constructing the foundation for the new store by the first of June.
“We should see the actual building going up by mid-summer,” he said.
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.
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 last 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.
Wal-Mart 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 Greene County store is expected to offer groceries and multiple departments of general merchandise, including apparel, jewelry, lawn and garden, health and beauty aids, electronics and a pharmacy.