City excited for Maverik
Work continues to progress on the upcoming Maverik gas station in Smelterville. The city is excited for the new store and will be doing some infrastructure upgrades in the coming months to make sure that the city can handle the additional traffic that is expected with the new store.
JOSH McDONALD
SMELTERVILLE –– Work is progressing quickly at the site of a future Maverik store.
No grand opening date has been scheduled, but the company plans to open during the fourth quarter of this year.
The 6,000-square-foot store will be one of the company’s larger facilities, and the expanded design of the facility grounds will make it easily accessible for semi-trucks and recreational vehicles and passenger vehicles.
The store is another example of how Smelterville has become a major hub of commerce in the Silver Valley, a fact that isn’t lost on the city’s leadership.
“I think Maverik coming to Smelterville is a really good thing,” Mayor Tom Benson said. “The city council and I pushed hard for it and we think it will help develop the other properties in that area.”
To assist with permitting, the city annexed the property that Maverik purchased from the county in 2022, into the Smelterville city limits – similarly to what they did for Walmart, Grocery Outlet, and Dollar Tree previously.
With so much growth, Benson and the city are planning some infrastructure upgrades to help with another increase in traffic. The Airport Road overpass into Smelterville has deteriorated and repatched numerous times since Walmart was built in the early 2000s, but the city is now planning a replacement.
“We have to fix that road,” Benson said. “When it was built it wasn’t designed for the traffic that crosses it and it’s only going to increase.”
According to Benson, the city is anticipating a $3-4 million project, but are pursuing grants and other funds to complete the project.
“It’s our goal to complete this project without having to float a bond,” Benson said.
Megan Valentine, a communications specialist for Maverik Inc., eagerly highlighted the upcoming store's amenities, including outdoor picnic tables, fresh food, club memberships, and other attractive savings opportunities.
“Maverik is always looking to enter and consider expanding in areas where customers have unmet needs for fueling, great food, and adventure,” Valentine said. “We’re excited about our growth in Idaho and look forward to exploring additional opportunities to serve even more Idaho customers.”
Once open, the Maverik will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including all holidays.