By Staff
COMING ALONG Dyar Ealie of Thomas Floyd Masonry cleans up around the new Wal-Mart site as construction on the building continues. The building is expected to be complete by the end of August. Photo by Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star
By Steve Swogetinsky/The Meridian Star
April 23, 2001
The new Super Wal-Mart building is taking shape and company officials expect to have the 209,000 sq. ft. store open for customers later this year.
Portions of the walls are up and workers are putting the steel frame in to support the roof. The store will feature general merchandise as well as a grocery store, a Tire Lube Express, a pharmacy, an optical store, one hour film processing, a photography shop and a grill.
The Bonita Wal-Mart will be closed and its staff will shift over to the new store. The Bonita Wal-Mart currently employs 250 associates, according to co-manager Kay Alexander. That number will increase by about 300 when the new store opens, she said.
The roads from the South Frontage Road are nearing completion, along with a new access road to the Bonita Lakes Mall.
Yates Construction has built 15 other Super Wal-Mart stores in Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama.
Alexander said the Bonita staff is already making plans for the transition.
It was announced earlier that a Super Lowe's store will be built in the same area. Work on that store has not yet begun.
Steve Swogetinsky is regional editor of The Meridian Star. Call him at 693-1551, ext. 3217, or e-mail him at sswogetinsky@themeridianstar.com.