WJ still awaiting Silo fees

By Kevin Dye

Staff Writer

West Jefferson village council passed an ordinance Monday night for a supplemental appropriation to cover the delinquent engineering fees for a project that is under construction at West Jefferson Commerce Park.

Work crews are currently busy at the site of Project Silo, a high tech food distribution facility that will provide food supplies for 300 Target department stores which will be outfitted with in-store grocery areas. While the work has been swift to get the facility built, the company has not been as swift in paying engineering fees to the village. The village’s Planning and Zoning Contractual Services account is currently

Work continues at the site for Project Silo (a high tech food distribution facility for the Target Corporation) at West Jefferson Commerce Park, but village officials have had to pass an ordinance to cover the delinquent engineering fees for the project.

depleted due to covering the $20,000 for the engineering fees Target is responsible.

“We received one check for $3,300, but they still owe us $20,000,” public service director Harold Walker said. “I sent them a letter last week that if we don’t receive payment soon, I will shut the project down. It is ridiculous that we have to wait this long to get reimbursed.”

The completed food distribution center will be a 438,200-square-foot facility that will create around 100 new jobs at the West Jefferson Commerce Park. Target’s P Fresh program has outfitted many of its stores across the county with a grocery area with an assortment of grocery items and fresh produce, fresh packaged meat and pre-packaged baked goods. The food distribution center will be one of several to be built across the country, with the West Jefferson facility scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2013.

While the village welcomes the new facility, they just want Target to cover their part of the agreement.

“We will get the money back or they won’t get their occupancy permit,” Walker said. “It is ridiculous we have to wait this long to get our money back for this project, when they owe us $20,000.”