LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / December 6, 2000

BOUTTE – The new Super Wal-Mart is due to open Jan. 24 at 8 a.m., andmanagers Moise Collins and Earl Cooney couldn’t be happier.

After months of construction on their site neighboring Coronado Park Subdivision on U.S. Highway 90, shelves began going up inside the 158,000-square foot facility on Monday.

The Wal-Mart will include a supermarket, tire and lube center, garden center and parking for 880 vehicles.

“People are very excited about this store,” Cooney said.

The airline-hangar-sized building was a beehive of activity Monday, as the actual building construction was completed last week and only the parking lot, access roads and landscaping remains outside to be completed.

Inside, though, the chore began to install the shelves and racks which will hold everything from baby clothes to truck tires to potting soil to tomato sauce.

Originally it was announced construction would take 10 months, and another two months would be taken up with stocking. However, everything is fast-tracked to meet the Jan. 24 deadline.The Boutte Wal-Mart, which will employ 400 people, rests on land once used by the St. Charles Rotary Club’s Alligator Festival.The project has had its detractors and opponents among the neighboring businesses. However, according to St. Charles Parish Economic DevelopmentDirector Corey Faucheux, many businesses benefit from the increased shopper traffic to the area.

On the other hand, some businesses may find themselves crippled by the competition. John Bisio of Wal-Mart commented in response that allbusinesses must address meeting customer needs. “We’re faced with thatchallenge as well,” he added.

However, the customer base will draw from Avondale to Raceland and from Edgard to Waggaman. “We try to draw from 50 miles around,” Cooney added.

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