The Commissary on the Fort Myer portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall will receive a facelift and a number of equipment upgrades during a period of renovations over the next year.
These upgrades include a new heating and air ventilation system, new refrigerated display cases throughout the store, renovated restrooms, new interior décor and updated signage on the exterior of the building, according to Fort Myer Commissary Assistant Commissary Officer Cathy Riddick.
Refrigeration equipment in the meat department and on both sides of aisles 10, 11 and 12 will be replaced with newer models, Riddick said.
And according to Rick Brink, a public affairs specialist with the Defense Commissary Agency, both the new refrigerated cases and the HVAC equipment on the roof will be more energy efficient and better for the environment.
The change in décor will bring new color schemes and signage for customers inside the store, Brink wrote in an email.
Construction is expected to begin around January 2016, after the holiday season, and will last about 13 months without affecting store hours, Riddick told the Pentagram.
The renovations will cost $6,902,588, and a construction contract for the project was awarded to Summit Construction, Inc., from Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., on Sept. 17, according to a DECA release.
Riddick and Brink agreed that customers will benefit from the renovations.
"This upgraded facility will greatly enhance the shopping experience for DECA's customers and their families," Brink wrote.
Riddick said the renovations will open up a lot of space at the front of the store when customers first walk in.
The construction is not expected to seriously impact store operations or customers' shopping routines, such as checkout lines or parking.
Work will be done in phases in order to avoid affecting large areas of the store at one time, Riddick said.
"As the phases go along, we'll make sure customers are updated either through Facebook or commissary.com," she said.
Customers will notice changes in the store's layout during construction, Brink said.
"Customers will experience periodic changes in shopping patterns as the construction courses through the store, so we ask for their patience and continued patronage as we maintain a safe and secure shopping environment," he wrote.
Despite the shift in layout, Brink assures customers that the commissary will maintain its full product lineup and added that customers should not hesitate to ask staff for assistance locating any items they might be looking for.
And customers have themselves to thank for the coming renovations, according to Brink.
"It's all made possible by the surcharge," he wrote. "Commissaries sell items at cost plus a 5 percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones."
For more information about the Fort Myer Commissary, visit http://goo.gl/bmouhI.
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