City officials heard from Wal-Mart representatives Thursday that construction of a 160,000-square-foot supercenter on Logansport’s east side had been delayed.
No date has been set for construction to begin, Mayor Mike Fincher said, but he believes the national retailer will eventually move forward on the project.
“I’m still confident they’re going to be here,” Fincher said. “It’s just the way the economy is and the way things are happening right now.”
Wal-Mart spokesperson Jason Wetzel echoed the mayor’s thoughts. He said he was certain there would be a supercenter in Logansport at some point.
“We believe that going forward we will, of course, be able to build the supercenter and increase our business in Logansport,” said Wetzel, who cited the troubled economy as a main reason for the delay.
Wal-Mart, one of few retailers to report a sales gain in January, is focusing on its existing stores and overall business, Wetzel said.
This week, Wal-Mart announced it would cut between 700 and 800 jobs from the 14,000 total at its headquarters in Arkansas.
“All those things added together with the economy and the shuffling around of the corporate offices, it got caught in the fray,” Fincher said of the local store.
Thursday’s announcement is not the first setback for the supercenter. In December, Wal-Mart rejected bids on the project and moved the store opening from late 2009 to late spring of 2010.
Skip Kuker, president of the Logansport-Cass County Economic Development Foundation, pointed out that Wal-Mart owned the land behind the Logansport Mall and was footing the bill for beefing up the power supply, work that had been under way for the last week or so.
In November, 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 mall.
Fincher said he appreciated Wal-Mart’s courtesy call.
“They didn’t have to call us,” Fincher said. “I think it shows that they respect our support and our help through the whole project.”
Wetzel complimented the city’s cooperation and promised to stay in contact throughout the process.
Kuker says he will remain available for whatever Wal-Mart might need.
“We’ll just make sure that they remember us, and that we’re in the cue,” Kuker said.
Kevin Lilly can be reached at (574) 732-5117, or via e-mail at kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com
Local News
Wal-Mart project delayed indefinitely
<b>City officials, company executives confident supercenter will be built</b>
- Local News
-
-
Galveston students honored for gun decision
On the afternoon of April 24, two Galveston fifth-graders riding their bikes down Washington Street saw a handgun half-hidden among a pile of dead grass on the side of the road.
-
Honoring the fallen: Area Memorial Day ceremonies echo our freedoms
It was a beautiful 75-degree morning as young and old lined East Broadway in Logansport in front of the City Building, with just enough wind to prompt Old Glory to dance during Monday’s Memorial Day parade.
-
Police battle fuel prices
Cass County Sheriff Randy Pryor gets briefed on a lot of things daily, including crime on the streets and activity in the jail. But there’s one email the first-term sheriff watches closely that most law enforcement officials don’t get any training on.
-
State pushes convenience stores to up safety practices
In 2002, after New Mexico forced convenience store owners to put sweeping security measures into place for clerks working late-night hours, the number of robberies dropped by 92 percent, and assaults, murders, and other crimes at convenience stores dropped dramatically.
-
Not forgotten
A plaque in Mount Hope Cemetery near a flagpole dedicated to those from Logansport and Cass County who served in the World War reads: “Let those who come after see that these men shall not be forgotten.”
-
LHS freshmen ace algebra ECA
Logansport High School administrators were “ecstatic” last week over results from the statewide algebra I end-of-course assessment that showed passing marks for all the freshmen who took the exam.
-
Logan man hands Indy 500 winner milk
Logansport resident Dave Forgey remembers listening to the Indianapolis 500 on the radio as a kid while his cousins and siblings would gather for a picnic.
- 2012 Lewis Cass graduation
-
Former LPD officer Leal turns himself in
Former Logansport police officer Carlos Paul Leal was arrested Friday afternoon on charges of theft, and officials Saturday said the counts stem from two separate investigations.
-
9-1-1 dispatchers will soon be able to text
Cass County dispatchers will be able to text callers starting this summer — a move that is reflective of where emergency communication services are heading nationwide.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Raw Video: Earthquake Shakes Evacuees in Italy
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Pope's Butler Vows to Help Vatican Investigation
Mother of Allegedly Abused Girl Denies Claims
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
