Taylorville Kroger shuttered since July makes plans to reopen before Christmas
The Taylorville Kroger grocery store closed after asbestos was discovered is making plans to reopen later this month. A seal order shutting down the store was lifted Tuesday.
According to the grocer, repairs have been completed to the satisfaction of officials from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and extensive testing showed that asbestos levels in the store were at a safe-enough level for the store to return to business. The store has been shuttered for more than five months.
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Colleen Juergensen, central division president for Kroger, said that she was appreciative of the community's support since the IEPA closed the store on July 29 because of asbestos concerns. She said she hoped the store could reopen prior to Christmas to help shoppers with their last-minute holiday needs.
"(We are) eager to reopen the doors, greet the Kroger family and welcome back all of Taylorville’s loyal Kroger customers," Juergensen said. "I am grateful to the shoppers who stood by us and rallied on our behalf in August. We’re thankful their support never wavered. It was for them – customers and associates alike – that we focused so intently on our plan to reopen. Now, we hope that is possible just in time for Christmas."
Robin Gross, store leader for the Taylorville Kroger, said she was proud to be a part of a community that was supportive of their grocery store, saying that people told her that Taylorville would come to support them once the store reopened.
"I am so proud of the way the community has reached out to every one of our associates," Gross said. "(They) reassured them Taylorville will be back to support them, letting them know how much they were missed because the Kroger team is like family to them and they want us to come home. The community has been overwhelmingly supportive."
No official timetable has been set for the reopening as it must first solve two important issues: cleaning and restaffing the store.
The cleaning process includes completing modifications to the store.
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As for staffing, the store plans to hold two job fairs -- Dec. 9 and 16 -- 12-3 p.m., at the Taylorville Public Library. More than 90 employees worked at Kroger when it was closed, with some taking time off, others moving to Kroger's Decatur store and more choosing not to return to the grocer.
IEPA first closed the store in July when an inspection of the store revealed that asbestos-containing materials had become friable due to removal work being conducted by SSI Services, a licensed asbestos contractor. IEPA said that SSI had not taken the proper care to ensure that the asbestos was not being released into the air, where it could cause cancer and other related conditions.
Employees and community members rallied Aug. 25 to bring attention to the store. IEPA eventually allowed Kroger to conduct remediation work in October.
Mayor Bruce Barry said Wednesday that people were looking forward to having the grocery store back in town, particularly if the store does reopen by the targeted pre-Christmas date.
"Hopefully they'll be open a week before Christmas," Barry said. "If not, people will wait and we'll go from there. I think it'll be much needed and much appreciated in our city."
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Shuttered Taylorville Kroger planning to reopen before Christmas
