WEST POINT — City manager Ed Moon announced at a workshop in the city of West Point Tuesday that construction on the Love’s Travel Stop & Country Store will begin in July. In an interview, West Point Mayor Steve Tramell said construction on the new facility was originally scheduled to begin in the fall. The new location will be built on 19.2 acres on Georgia Route 18 near Interstate 85.
Moon said the business would include a fast food restaurant, a country store, eight fuel pumps at a country store, nine trucker gas stations and a tire shop. The main structure will be 17,000 square feet and the tire shop will be 13,000 square feet.
“They valued the project at about $9 million,” Moon said. “They also estimated some tax revenue, which is $1.4 million a year for local governments. I don’t know what it is exactly. We will have about $25,000 in property taxes. But we collect fuel sales, sales tax. So it will be a good income for us.”
“[I’m] very excited to have them come and look forward to them becoming part of our community,” Tramell said.
Tramell said construction could take anywhere from a year to a year and a half.
Love’s Travel Stops purchased the land for their new location in 2018. The land, which was formerly owned by the Johnson and Harrell families, has been under contract with Love’s since September 2017.
Tramell said development of the site was delayed because the company wanted to wait until several roundabouts were built nearby. Tramell said the roundabouts are great.
According to Love’s, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
It was founded in 1964 and has over 550 offices in 41 states. Stores provide professional truckers and motorists with 24/7 access to “clean and safe places to buy gasoline, diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), travel supplies, electronics, snacks, restaurant deals and more.” Tramell said people who drive regular cars can also stop by Love’s to buy gas.
