The pandemic has thrown a wrench in the production of new Meijer locations in our Valley. Construction on the Austintown store will not take place THIS year or next year, but the company is still planning to build the store.


"We do worry just like everybody else because of the ecenomics going sour with the virus, that maybe something will happen," said Austintown Trustee Ken Carano. "But when you spend 3.5 million dollars for the property and to correct the property for construction, we believe that the company is ready to go," he said.


Austintown trustees tell 21 News they've been patient, but their frustration is constantly having to address rumors.


All of a sudden somebody says there's something wrong with the land," said Carano. "Or there's this wrong or this wrong and we'll get phone calls constantly and our answer to them is hold on, they'll be coming," he said.
Meijer spokesperson Frank Guglielmi said, "The dates are not carved in stone and frequently our long-term construction plans change."


Now over in Howland, a Meijer store is being planned at the former Super Kmart building. Township officials say they talked to the company in December and were told store plans would soon be submitted, but those have not come yet.


We would expedite it as fast as we can and if it has to go through any more zoning revisions we would make that happen," said Rick Clark, Howland Township Chairman of the Board. "It's only February so I couldn't imagine it wouldn't get started this year," he said.


The plan in Howland is to demolish the existing K-Mart store and build a new 159 thousand square foot store with a gas station out front along route 46.