Site work beginning for new store; inquiries coming for spots in center
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on December 14, 2006 1:45 PM
Goldsboro building inspector Ed Cianfarra doesn't expect the Wal-Mart at Rosewood to be the only building standing at the intersection of U.S. 70 and N.C. 581 this time next year.
The city has issued a grading permit for the site preparation in anticipation of the start of construction of the new store, and bulldozers are working away while the contractors pray for good weather.
In the meantime, Cianfarra said he has received calls from business people who want to know the city's requirements for using the outparcels around the Wal-Mart site.
"There's nothing in writing, just verbal conversations," he said. "They asked about our landscaping and building code requirements. It looks very good at this point because we're not even done with the land grading. ... It's going to take them a whole lot of work to straighten out the land."
Any contractor involved in the Wal-Mart project is going to "have his fingers and toes crossed for good weather and a light winter," Cianfarra said.
So, with winter approaching, a finish date for the project is still up in the air.
"Right now we have wonderful weather. It helps," Cianfarra said. "But with winter setting in, the land can be soaked with rain."
Winter is Wayne County's rainy season. But snow and ice present special problems. Ice melts slowly. There's no run-off, and that causes the water to penetrate more deeply into the ground. Even a light slow could put a project behind schedule by up to 30 days.
"It's a roll of the dice in the winter when any piece of property is going to be workable," Cianfarra said. "At this time of year, anybody involved in a large project is going to be doing the dance for good weather."
The city hasn't issued a permit for the building yet. The engineers have submitted their plans, which the inspections office has altered and sent back for changes so the building will meet all the code requirements.
"We're waiting for those changes to come back to us," Cianfarra said. "There are always some things that are missed, little things, nothing big."
When the revisions come back to the city, Cianfarra will look over them one more time before approval.
Once the plans are approved, the various contractors can apply for their permits to get started on the project. There are several of them, he said.
The permits come in stages. There's the general building contractor, then the plumbing, mechanical and electrical.
And then when all the work is done, there's the fire inspection to wrap up the job.