The latest addition to the increasingly busy operations of the Battlefords and District Co-op held a grand opening Thursday.
The new Co-op gas bar and convenience store on Carlton Trail in front of Walmart held its official ribbon cutting and is now open for business.
The opening marks the completion of the $6.7 million project for the Co-op. It is their second gas bar/convenience store in North Battleford and the hope is it will provide some relief for its other gas bar located at Territorial Place Mall, where, according to General Manager Mike Nord, business has exceeded all expectations.
"You go there and there's sometimes a lineup," he said. "So we look forward to being able to get people through quicker."
The new gas bar will mean additional jobs. Nord said between 20 and 25 new employees will be working at the new location.
The car wash portion is not open yet, however. Construction work goes on there and it is expected to be ready by either the end of the month or early December.
The project is one of the more noticeable examples of a building boom in the commercial and industrial sector in the Battlefords region.
Construction continues on at the nearby Walmart property which is adding a major addition to accommodate a grocery section at that store.
The Home Hardware Building Centre is also undergoing a major expansion project, and several other businesses have been either building or renovating facilities in the city as well.
Overall building permits have topped over $40 million in North Battleford through October 2014, and have now hit $26 million in the town of Battleford, where the Co-op is to build a similar gas bar/convenience store complex at Battleford Crossing.
A building permit issued at a value of $3,502,500 was announced for that latter project at Battleford town council Nov. 3.
Nord said work has started there now and they hope to be open by late summer of next year.
Municipal leaders from both sides of the river acknowledged the Co-op's role in being part of the recent economic growth spurt in the Battlefords.
"It's just a great demonstration of the confidence business has in the future of our communities in the Battlefords" said Mayor Ian Hamilton at the grand opening.
"We have all kinds of building going on in the Battlefords and it's so good to see," said Mayor Derek Mahon of Battleford. "We certainly welcome this location, and the location in Battleford, which is under construction."
The Co-op's growth plans go beyond the building of the gas bars. In fact, another amalgamation plan is in the works.
Nord confirmed there are meetings coming later this month for a proposed amalgamation of Battlefords and District Co-op with the Turtleford and District Co-op.
Special membership meetings have been called for Nov. 18 at the Community Centre in Turtleford, and then Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at the café in Territorial Place Mall in North Battleford. Co-op members for both organizations are encouraged to listen to the information and then vote on the proposal.
