Macon Telegraph; July 14th, 2005

Base shopping to get update
Construction to start next year on new commissary with more aisle space, larger shopping area

By Gene Rector
Telegraph Staff Writer

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE - A new, state-of-the-art commissary is almost two years away, but Robins Air Force Base officials say they are already excited about the features and conveniences it will bring.

"It will be very much on par with the high-end grocery stores in the area," said commissary store director Tina Standard. "Military shoppers will not have to take a back seat to anybody."

The new building's footprint will be slightly smaller than the current structure but will contain 34,000 square feet of shopping area, about 5,000 more than the current store.

"We've been using a frequent delivery or just-in-time system for several years," Standard said. "The difference is that our new facility will be built with just-in-time delivery in mind. That means we will have substantially less warehouse space."

Aisles will be expanded to eight feet, removing the need for directional arrows. Another focus is expanding the deli, bakery and produce areas.

"The deli and bakery are stuck in a corner right now," Standard said. "They will be much bigger in the new store and located in the middle. It will be destination location for our shoppers along with a greatly expanded produce area."

The new building will be located immediately north of the current commissary in an open area now used for soccer. Construction will come in phases beginning the first of next year.

"We'll start with a temporary parking lot followed by a permanent parking area," said Larry Allen, the Robins construction manager for the project. "Once the new parking lot is completed, we'll start the actual building construction. That's a little opposite from what we would normally do, but we've got to keep the old commissary open and running throughout the construction period."

Standard said there is no firm completion date. "We hope to have it open by the late spring of 2007," she said. "It's an average 14-month construction time. That's what we're planning on."

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