The Garland Center as people know it now will soon be only a memory as plans move forward for the building to be demolished to make way for a Walmart Neighborhood Market.

David Willett, Northglenn’s acting city manager, told council during its June 3 study session that officials are hoping to be finished with the demolition work within the first couple weeks of July.

After the demolition, city staff wants to prepare Garland Drive for heavier traffic by hiring Asphalt Specialties Co. Inc. to demolish and reconstruct 480 feet of the road from Washington Street west.

“The roadway is loaded with utilities and the pavement thickness varies between six and eight inches with only two inches of subbase material,” Willett said. “It’s typical for Northglenn, it’s not typical for heavy truck traffic. This (project) is not milling the roadway; it’s a total rebuild of that section of roadway to be able to handle heavier truck traffic.”

Because the property was already zoned for a grocery store and the city is providing no incentives to Wal-Mart, no council vote was needed on the contract, said Jason Rogers, the city’s communication manager.

The city has contracted the work with Asphalt Specialties for $236,302.80. The project is not identified in the 2013 Capital Improvement Projects budget.

Willett said the city could take a see-how-it-goes approach and not improve the road until after the Walmart is built and it is necessary, however, he cautioned that a street project like what this would entail may be detrimental to business.

“It seems we out to be proactive and take care of this now,” said Leslie Carrico, Ward II councilwoman.

Mayor Joyce Downing agreed, saying it was prudent for the city to take care of the project now instead of waiting.

“(The road) is not strong enough and it’s going to deteriorate quite rapidly with all the truck traffic,” she said.

Willett said it was his understanding that there would be delivery trucks at the store twice a day during business hours.

Council and staff also discussed the lack of a deceleration lane going southbound on Washington and how that will impact traffic as shoppers slow down to turn into the parking lot. They also discussed extending the turn lanes on Washington onto Garland. Neither of these road projects is included in this contract.

Willett said the plan would be to reconstruct Garland before Walmart is built and if heavy construction trucks damage the road, it would be up to Walmart to repair it.