LOCKPORT – Town Supervisor Marc R. Smith said at a Town Board work session Wednesday that construction bids are due from contractors seeking to erect the planned new Walmart supercenter, and work could begin in October.
The supercenter – much delayed by lawsuits, red tape and most recently seagulls – thus would break ground more than nine years after the project was first proposed in early 2004.
Smith said he was informed by a contractor performing site preparation work that the retail giant’s request for bids from contractors was due Wednesday or today.
The 185,000-square-foot store, to combine a full-service supermarket with a typical Walmart, would replace a smaller Walmart located about one-quarter mile of the supercenter site on South Transit Road.
The new store is to be built on the site of the former Lockport Mall, most of which was demolished in 2011. The only remnant of the mall is the Bon-Ton store, which remains open and will share a parking lot with the new Walmart.
In the past two construction seasons, efforts to start work have been delayed by thousands of seagulls nesting on the site. They used to stay atop the mall and simply kept coming after it was torn down.
Walmart hired Buffalo Exterminating to use non-lethal methods of discouraging the birds from staying put. They are believed to have been attracted by several fast-food eateries in the vicinity.
Walmart spokesman William C. Wertz said, “It looks like the steps we’ve taken to discourage seagulls from nesting on the site have been effective. We’re in the process of finalizing our plans. We’re hopeful we can conclude the bidding process and move ahead on construction of the new supercenter within the next few months.”
Smith said he and Economic Development Director David R. Kinyon would like the board to spend $3,000 on a full-page ad in a magazine distributed at the International Association of Shopping Centers winter conference, where the town has sought new retailers for the past few years.
“We’re pretty confident that Walmart is going to get started, and this is a great opportunity to tell people about ‘shadowboxing,’ being in the shadow of Walmart,” Smith said.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, Smith said that Daniel Dodge, the town’s new director of operations, will start work Sept. 3.
Dodge, who will be paid $58,000 a year, comes over from the Village of Middleport, where he has been village coordinator since 2007. In Lockport, Dodge will be in charge of parks, water, sewer, street lighting, and buildings and grounds. Dodge was appointed at the Aug. 5 board session.
Town Engineer Robert D. Klavoon told the board that repair work on a sewer line collapse and resulting sinkhole was to be completed Wednesday, with traffic patterns at South Transit and Robinson roads returning to normal.
However, a sidewalk and grass will not be replaced until the repairs have three to four weeks to settle, Klavoon said.
The concrete sewer main, more than 40 years old, backed up into nearby buildings July 25. The sinkhole opened July 29, and the sidewalk collapsed the next morning.
Klavoon said his initial repair cost estimate of $30,000 will be too low because the work has taken longer than expected. The trench collapsed and a town water line broke Aug. 6, and the presence of a 30-inch county water main made progress slow. The final connection of the new plastic sewer main was completed Tuesday.
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
The supercenter – much delayed by lawsuits, red tape and most recently seagulls – thus would break ground more than nine years after the project was first proposed in early 2004.
Smith said he was informed by a contractor performing site preparation work that the retail giant’s request for bids from contractors was due Wednesday or today.
The 185,000-square-foot store, to combine a full-service supermarket with a typical Walmart, would replace a smaller Walmart located about one-quarter mile of the supercenter site on South Transit Road.
The new store is to be built on the site of the former Lockport Mall, most of which was demolished in 2011. The only remnant of the mall is the Bon-Ton store, which remains open and will share a parking lot with the new Walmart.
In the past two construction seasons, efforts to start work have been delayed by thousands of seagulls nesting on the site. They used to stay atop the mall and simply kept coming after it was torn down.
Walmart hired Buffalo Exterminating to use non-lethal methods of discouraging the birds from staying put. They are believed to have been attracted by several fast-food eateries in the vicinity.
Walmart spokesman William C. Wertz said, “It looks like the steps we’ve taken to discourage seagulls from nesting on the site have been effective. We’re in the process of finalizing our plans. We’re hopeful we can conclude the bidding process and move ahead on construction of the new supercenter within the next few months.”
Smith said he and Economic Development Director David R. Kinyon would like the board to spend $3,000 on a full-page ad in a magazine distributed at the International Association of Shopping Centers winter conference, where the town has sought new retailers for the past few years.
“We’re pretty confident that Walmart is going to get started, and this is a great opportunity to tell people about ‘shadowboxing,’ being in the shadow of Walmart,” Smith said.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, Smith said that Daniel Dodge, the town’s new director of operations, will start work Sept. 3.
Dodge, who will be paid $58,000 a year, comes over from the Village of Middleport, where he has been village coordinator since 2007. In Lockport, Dodge will be in charge of parks, water, sewer, street lighting, and buildings and grounds. Dodge was appointed at the Aug. 5 board session.
Town Engineer Robert D. Klavoon told the board that repair work on a sewer line collapse and resulting sinkhole was to be completed Wednesday, with traffic patterns at South Transit and Robinson roads returning to normal.
However, a sidewalk and grass will not be replaced until the repairs have three to four weeks to settle, Klavoon said.
The concrete sewer main, more than 40 years old, backed up into nearby buildings July 25. The sinkhole opened July 29, and the sidewalk collapsed the next morning.
Klavoon said his initial repair cost estimate of $30,000 will be too low because the work has taken longer than expected. The trench collapsed and a town water line broke Aug. 6, and the presence of a 30-inch county water main made progress slow. The final connection of the new plastic sewer main was completed Tuesday.
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com