Wal-Mart confirms Liberty plan

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LIBERTY -- Township residents should see Wal-Mart signs going up along Belmont Avenue next year.
Ron Mosby, Wal-Mart senior manager for public affairs, confirmed Wednesday that the company is planning to acquire property at the Liberty Plaza.
He said the store would sit where the former Ames and Phar-Mor stores were located.
"We are interested in that site," said Mosby. "We are actually negotiating the terms at this point."
Mosby said once the company has acquired the property, the tentative opening date for the new store will be late 2007 or early 2008. He said other stores would likely remain at the plaza with the new Wal-Mart store.
The planned Wal-Mart, Mosby said, will be a super center, which will include a grocery store. He said the competitive prices offered on grocery items by Wal-Mart, along with the variety of items, will make the store a benefit to the township.
Placing the store at the Liberty Plaza location, Mosby said, will also be convenient for township residents and allow the company to better serve those in the surrounding communities.
Township reacts
Township Trustee Jack Simon said local officials had an idea the company was planning to build a store but had received no official word.
Simon said an engineering firm has been in contact with the township and Trumbull County concerning the process for obtaining a demolition permit for parts of the property.
He said Wal-Mart representatives have hinted they may seek a zone change on some property in close proximity to the plaza.
The property is owned by J.J. Gumberg Co. of Pittsburgh, according to the county auditor's office. A Gumberg spokesman said only that the property is still being aggressively marketed.
Simon said a Wal-Mart store at the Liberty Plaza would be a definite benefit to the township and could be the start to a revitalized Belmont Avenue.
"We have been marketing the township to every big box retailer we could. We are very excited to have one come in because we feel that when one comes in others will follow," he said.
"We feel this is only the beginning to the rebirth of Belmont Avenue," Simon added.
jgoodwin@vindy.com