The construction of a Hy-Vee grocery store is delayed but still in corporate plans, according to Greene County Development Corp executive director Ken Paxton and Jefferson city administrator Mike Palmer.
Paxton told the county board of supervisors Monday that the project is delayed two months and he expects to see construction begin in July or August. He said the Jefferson project is delayed because of weather-related delays on other Hy-Vee projects. He said there is no doubt of the corporation’s intention to build a grocery store in Jefferson, and added that Hy-Vee corporate representatives were at the Home Base Iowa event in Jefferson last week.
There will be activity at the store site between Wilson and Vine St north of Adams St in the next few weeks. Palmer said the city crew will soon start work on replacing an existing water line that runs along Wilson from Washington St north to McKinley St. Preliminary work was done in the fall and then suspended for the winter as planned. “The project will benefit the entire neighborhood, with better flow and water pressure,” Palmer said.
The water line replacement will take three to four weeks once it begins.
Construction of the 32,000-square-foot store will take an estimated five months after groundbreaking.
A year ago Hy-Vee announced plans to build a $6 million store on the former north grade (the pink) school lot. The company expects to staff the store with 40 to 45 fulltime employees and 100 to 120 part-time employees. The present Hy-Vee drugstore will move from the courthouse square to the new location.
Construction was originally slated to begin last fall.
