Walgreens likely to open in June

Although it is six weeks behind schedule, construction on a Walgreens drug store at the corner of Silverdale Way and Anderson Hill Road is progressing.

The prescription shop likely will open in June, corporate officials said.

Heavy rain has delayed burying a dozen 5-foot diameter stormwater retention pipes at the site, according to Jim Pollard, superintendent of Powell Construction and Development, the contractors performing the work. Work started on the site Oct. 2.

Pollard said masonry walls should be going up, but “right now we’re just chasing around water and mud,” he said.

The stores typically take four to six months to build, said Walgreens spokesman Michael Polzin, but this site will probably take nine months.

The pharmacy will be the third Walgreens to open in the Bremerton-Silverdale area in the last year. The other two pharmacies are located within three miles of each other on Wheaton Way.

“Typically our stores will draw from a 1- or 2-mile area, so we are able to put our stores close together while serving a different customer base,” Polzin said.

The buildings cost $3-$4 million to build, Polzin said, and store locations are carefully chosen.

“We look for major intersections that have a site available where we can put up a freestanding store and a drive-through pharmacy. That type of location is very convenient for our customers,” Polzin said.

There are several characteristics which make Walgreens unique, Polzin said. The firm encourages its pharmacy technicians to become certified, and pays for the test. Employees get a $1,000 raise if they pass. In addition, there is a Kodak-trained technician in the photo department and a cosmetician to help with selection of make-up products.

There are a total of 3,571 Walgreens stores in 43 states and Puerto Rico, Polzin said.

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