MONROE — Construction for the new Blain’s Farm & Fleet store in Monroe is “postponed until further notice because of the pandemic,” a company spokesperson said.
The spokesperson, Gayla Kirshner, confirmed the delay April 13.
The store was slated this fall to move less than half a mile from its current location at 251 8th St.
Farm & Fleet announced in January it had purchased the empty Shopko building at 405 W. 8th St. and would be completing extensive rebuilding and remodeling this fall.
But pressures caused by the new coronavirus pandemic have delayed this relocation plan “due to the current supply chain environment and anticipated material and product shortages,” the company said in a news release.
“In the current environment, we cannot be certain that we will have the materials and product that we need to complete the project on our original timeline,” Sara Iverson Smith, Farm & Fleet’s director of real estate, construction and facilities, said in a statement.
Ryan Lindsey, City of Monroe building inspector, said the company has a building permit that covers construction, electric, HVAC and plumbing as well as a sprinkler system review to accommodate the new floor plan.
The permit is good for two years and won’t expire until the beginning of 2022.
Lindsey said he was aware of the construction delay and that it is his understanding Farm & Fleet “would come back next year and try again.”
“I think they’ll have things wrapped next year,” he said.
The COVID-19 public health crisis is affecting the construction industry everywhere, although Lindsey said he’s unaware of other commercial construction projects that are delayed in Monroe. Material delays, quarantines and travel bans, employee safety concerns and global economic uncertainty are slowing construction overall, according to Construction Dive, a publication that monitors the industry.
Farm & Fleet has been in Monroe since 1964 and at its current location since 1972. The new location would add 20,000 square feet, a “best-in-class covered drive-thru,” an updated automotive service center and more employees.
“We are disappointed that we have to put this project on hold,” Jane Blain Gilbertson, Farm & Fleet owner and president, said in the recent news release. “We are so thankful to our friends and neighbors who have shopped our current Monroe store for 56 years and ask for your patience during this time. We look forward to restarting this project when possible.”
The current Farm & Fleet location remains open, however, store hours are temporarily reduced to 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday to allow employees time to restock shelves and clean the store. The first shopping hour of each day is reserved for medically vulnerable individuals, including seniors, expectant mothers and those with underlying health concerns.
