The Territorial Mall Co-op Gas bar has officially reopened following a multi-million dollar renovation project over the past year.
Discovery Co-op held its grand re-opening Tuesday morning at the gas bar. It is the culmination of a project that began construction last August and was completed in February, estimated at around $4.5 million.
In addition to remarks from Co-op officials and staff, the grand opening included speeches from Mayor David Gillan of North Battleford and Mayor Ames Leslie of Battleford, as well as Melanie Roberts, who is chair of the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce.
The timing of the expansion project made sense for Discovery Co-op, as they were required by provincial legislation to make the regular upgrades.
“In our case, here we had to change our tanks, and of course our pumps were really at the end of their life,” said General Manager Mike Nord.
The COVID-19 pandemic also meant less business all around, “because people weren’t driving,” Nord said. “It was an opportunity for us to make changes right now while we could.”
Lyle Schell was the general contractor, and along with a number of subcontractors the project was finished in a compressed timeframe of six months.
The finished facility includes a new and expanded gas bay area with state of the art pumps with pay-at-the-pump options. Also included is a renovated convenience store that is twice the size of what it was before. The property is also more energy-efficient than it was a year ago, Nord said.
There are still a few other things to be done including some painting work, but the main work is done. The car wash was renovated at the end of the previous year and includes a “light show” component for customers going through it.
Nord thanked the board and the staff and Co-op membership, as well as the public for their continued support during the pandemic and the upgrades. Now that this major project is wrapped up, Discovery Co-op can turn its attention to more potential projects in future years. Next up for Discovery Co-op is their Annual General Meeting on May 18.
