FORT RILEY, Kan. - Something big is happening at the Fort Riley Commissary - a new 40,000-square-foot addition.
A groundbreaking for the add-alter project took place at 9 a.m. Nov. 12 on the north side of the Commissary.
"In concert of improving and providing optimum services to our local commissary for the fighting men and women of our country and their Families, retirees, reservists and guard members, we're getting ready to enter a 600-day add-alter project," said Peter Howell, Fort Riley Commissary store director at the groundbreaking.
According to Howell, the addition will add nearly 75 percent more shopping space. It also will add four more registers and four more self-check-out lanes.
The interior renovations will affect every current store department.
Tony Cady, program manager-forward with the Kansas City District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said he believes this will make Fort Riley's Commissary the largest commissary in the continental United States.
Cady said additions this large are unique because typically a second commissary would be built rather than this large of an addition.
The Kansas City District Corps worked with the Defense Commissary Agency in San Antonio to finalize the project design and award the construction contract.
"We worked closely with both DeCA and the store director, Peter Howell, to ensure that the work that's going to be done is what they wanted to have done," Cady said. "It will be nice for the installation, Soldiers, Families and retirees once it's completed."
During construction, the Corps will supervise and administer the construction contract. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2011.
The contract for the project is funded by MILCON and was awarded to BE&K Federal Services LLC for about $21 million.
According to Howell, the project was proposed to increase the sales area of the commissary to go along with the planned growth at Fort Riley.
"The store will be expanded in all directions to allow for more item variety and better stocked shelves, even on high-traffic days surrounding pay days," Howell said.
He said the new addition also will allow for more variety in multi-grain foods, ethnic foods, organics, produce and other specialty items.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Ian Mann said the benefits Fort Riley Soldiers and Families are going to reap from the project are unbelievable.
"DeCA understands that our fighting men and women and their Families and all the retires will benefit from the better variety, better availability and better overall service and the continued substantial savings once this project is complete," Mann said.
Mann said Howell and the commissary staff have been striving to provide the level of service associated with a larger commissary, and the improved facility, once completed, will match their efforts.
"While we all understand this project will create some discomfort as areas of the store change, the end result will make shopping your commissary worth the trip," Mann said.
Howell said moderate disruption to the store sales area will take place with each phase of the project, but they will do whatever is possible to minimize the disruption and maintain existing product availability.
"The end result will be well worth the efforts and allow better accommodations for the deserving men and women of the military and their Families," Howell said.
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