Mark your calendar to attend the opening of the new Walmart Supercenter, at 1330 Goldfish Farm S.E., in Albany on Wednesday, Jan. 25.This is right off of Albany's U.S. Highway 20, on the east side of I-5.
Lebanon has been the nearest Walmart for the greater Albany area, until now. The company has chosen our area as an ideal location for a new store, since it reduces the commute time to the nearest Walmart for many of its shoppers. Along with their grocery, garden center, drive-up pharmacy, photo lab, and general merchandise, a new Subway sandwich store will also be opening.
The company got approval to work overnight long-term and even closed nearby I-5 ramps, to complete the project on time, paying over $1 million in building permit fees. They hired Robinson Construction, of Hillsboro, Oregon to build the 186,000 square foot building in a matter of months.
Walmart is working hard to make a good first impression on the Albany community with an energy-efficiency focus, donations to local groups, and offering new jobs to locals.
Aside from employing over 300 local residents, president Janet Steele of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, said “Walmart has put over $22 million into community improvements between the store, transportation improvements, and other community contributions.”
Some of the benefits of a new store include its focus on being customer- and eco- friendly. The Albany store was designed with wider aisles and an improved layout, for shopping convenience.
To improve on the speed of one-stop-shopping, departments have been rearranged from traditional Walmart design, based on commonly-purchased items. The color palette has also been improved, not only for more of “an inviting shopping experience,” but also color-coded based on merchandise areas.
New Walmart stores are also being built with a focus on energy-efficient technology, to reduce waste and energy use. The store has been designed with skylights, requiring 75 percent less lighting per day. LED lights are used the rest of the time, which are 70 percent more efficient than their fluorescent counterpart.
The result: Very little lighting costs. The flooring is made from recycled materials. The store will utilize a recycling program. The toilets and sinks are low-flow models, to also reduce the amount of water waste.
Aside from these conscientious building options, the company has also chosen to give $15,000 in grants to area organizations, including The Greater Albany Public School, The Boys/Girls Club of Albany, Albany Firefighters Community Assist Fund, Albany Area Seniors, Albany Parks and Recreation, American Legion Post #10 Albany, Friends of the Albany Public Library, Linn Benton Food Share, Linn County Child Victim Assessment Center, and the Safehaven Humane Society.
The donations will be given during the ribbon-cutting ceremony, just prior to store opening, on January 25.
The community can only watch for now, to see what kind of impact the store opening will have locally. So far, local residents are generally pleased. Local resident Sara Broadhurst said "It is killing me that our Walmart opens tomorrow and I won't be there.. I wanted to tell future generations I was there opening day!"
Aside from the increased job opportunity, it could also mean more I-5 commuters stopping at other surrounding stores and restaurants. It could also possibly result in decreased business at local stores with similar products, such as Coastal Farm, Target, Fred Meyer, Albertson's, and Safeway. An anonymous downtown store worker said, "we will just have to wait to see what happens. [Walmart opening] could have no impact on us, or it could hurt us."
There has also been speculation on the impact to the Lebanon store, which will likely lose a good percentage of its business, due to store and shopper location.
At-A-Glance
Who : Albany Community
What : Walmart grand opening
When : Wednesday, Jan. 25
Where : 1330 Goldfish Farm S.E., Albany
For additional information, please see Walmart's official press release: http://walmartstores.com/pressroom/news/10793.aspx
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