[StBernard] Wal-Mart to return to St. Bernard Parish

[Westley Annis]

Wal-Mart to return to St. Bernard Parish
by Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune 
Monday June 01, 2009, 12:10 PM

Wal-Mart plans to re-open its store in Chalmette, St. Bernard Parish
officials announced Monday. 

One of the obstacles to the retailer returning to the parish was moving the
temporary health center out of the store's huge parking lot. The health
center has since been relocated to another site in Chalmette.
St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro announced today that Wal-Mart
plans to re-open its store in Chalmette

The hulking store has been vacant since Hurricane Katrina, and the question
of whether it will return has been a major discussion point in St. Bernard.
Many residents and officials have said Wal-Mart's re-opening is vital for
the reconstruction of the parish, which was swamped by Katrina in 2005.

In March parish officials hired contractors to move a temporary health
center out of the Wal-Mart parking lot on Judge Perez Drive to a former
off-track betting site across the street. The trailers had been a sticking
point for Wal-Mart's decision to return. 

Taffaro said the target date for the re-opening is March 2010.

He said the store has 228,000 square feet of space. He said Wal-Mart plans
to open a smaller store, 175,000 square feet, than what was there before
Katrina.

The store will have a grocery and pharmacy.