Local News
Wal-Mart project delayed
<b>Wal-Mart representative says supercenter should be finished by spring of 2010</b>
Bids for construction of the 160,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter in Logansport have been rejected.
Wal-Mart spokesperson Jason Wetzel said the retail giant planned to reopen bidding next year, and he predicted construction would get under way shortly after a contractor’s proposal had been accepted.
“As it stands right now, we’re looking to put bids out on the store in early spring,” Wetzel said.
Wetzel had predicted a store opening of late 2009 or early 2010, but he said that had been pushed back to late spring of 2010.
“It’s not unusual at all to have slight delays in construction projects of this scale,” Wetzel said.
He denied the delay was a result of the extended negotiations on land Wal-Mart needed for its access from Mall Road, but he said weather did play a part.
“Anyone who has built a house would know that you’re at the mercy of the elements as well as procedural processes,” Wetzel said.
Last month, Wal-Mart acquired some 30 acres of land and secured temporary construction easements for the supercenter to be built between Mall and Yorktown roads north of the Logansport Mall.
At the same time, the city council passed an ordinance that will allocate $450,000 in economic development income tax money to extend Lexington Drive from Yorktown Road to Mall Road, where a traffic light is planned. The road would be the main access to the Riverside Business Center, which is the proposed name for the plaza.
The redevelopment commission agreed to support the repayment of the $450,000 with tax revenues generated by development of the proposed supercenter. Repaying the loan would take an estimated four years.
City officials say the deal gives them a chance to buy a completed road valued at $2.5 million for $450,000.
Plans also call for Mall Road to be widened to accommodate turn lanes and for utilities to be extended to two outlots in preparation for future development in the Riverside Business Center.
Kevin Lilly can be reached at (574) 732-5117, or via e-mail at kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com
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