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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Rebuilding of Zup’s Cook store delayed

Sharply higher construction costs may affect plans to enlarge the planned new grocery store

Marcus White
Posted 5/29/19

COOK - Higher than expected building costs have delayed the rebuilding of the Zup’s store here, but company officials say they’re committed to bringing a full-service grocery store back to …

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Rebuilding of Zup’s Cook store delayed

Sharply higher construction costs may affect plans to enlarge the planned new grocery store

Posted

COOK - Higher than expected building costs have delayed the rebuilding of the Zup’s store here, but company officials say they’re committed to bringing a full-service grocery store back to town.

Last November, the Cook’s Zup’s store was destroyed after an overnight electrical fire gutted portions of the building and created extensive smoke damage.

“We want to make sure we build a store we know we can keep there forever,” Ely Store Manager Jim Zupancich said. “We’re being cautious with building costs.”

The details on what those costs are remain private for now, but Zupancich said that a meeting scheduled for the first week of June should clear the way for the start of construction by late summer.

The original plans called for construction of a new and larger store on Zup’s Hwy. 53 location, but much higher-than-expected construction costs have prompted the company to reconsider, which means the new store may be similar in size to the original structure.

In addition to the new store, the city also plans to redo some of the water lines in the area with the help of IRRRB grant money. That project includes extending water lines around the Zup’s property and local streets and adding additional fire hydrants.

In the meantime, organizations such as the AEOA are helping residents obtain their groceries if they are unable to make it to Virginia or Tower on their own. Information on the program can be found by calling 1-800-662-5711 ext. 6899.

More information on the building project should be available later in June.