New Truck Stop Planned for Lamar

 

Property to be Annexed along Lamar Canal

Property to be Annexed along Lamar Canal

 

Bill Mulligan, Vice President of Development for the franchise Pilot Flying J, said Pilot Travel Center will open their newest project in Lamar in about 100 days from the start of construction. The Center will occupy land just north of Avenida Colonia and to the east of Highway 50.

The Lamar City Council approved the needed annexation of the T.L. Tucker property in order to get the project underway. There was no opposition to the project during the public hearing on June 12th, during the regular council meeting.  The only concern expressed came from councilmember Kirk Crespin who asked about the impact to the traffic flow the new business would have on Main Street in Lamar.  Tim McConnell, from the engineering firm of Drexel, Barrell and Company, explained that some modifications would be made to the intersection.  Working with CDOT, the traffic light and the median directly in front of Community State Bank, where Crespin is employed, would be altered to allow for a greater turning circle for southbound traffic turning into the Center.

Mulligan said from 25 to 30 people will be hired to run the center which will be a smaller model than most of the Pilot Travel Centers. “We’ll bring in our own general manager to run the center, but we’ll also hire enough local employees to operate the facility which will be open 24/7,” he explained, adding that the Pilot Centers operate in 45 states across the country and employ 27,000 people, nationwide.

There will be a restaurant with seating, but no waitresses will be needed for the family-style eatery. “We’ll have a set menu with a proprietary restaurant, P J Fresh, with meatloaf and rotisserie chicken and hamburgers, but people will just place their order at the counter and then take a seat in the dining area,” Mulligan said.

By Russ Baldwin

Filed Under: City of LamarConsumer IssuesEconomyEmploymentFeaturedHealthHot TopicsTransportationUtilities

Tags:

About the Author: