Crews begin work on the interior of the Bi-Mart building on Tuesday. The store, 31,000-square-feet, is hiring and plans to open to the public in March. The Pilot/Jef Hatch

Bi-Mart spokesman Don Leber said “50-plus” jobs will be created when the store off Railroad Avenue is completed.

“The number will vary depending on the quality of (applicants) we have with experience,” he said.

Most will be full-time positions with some part-time jobs also available, Leber said. Those who want to apply may do so at the Worksource Oregon office, suite 11 in the South Coast Center, 16261 Highway 101.

Applications will be accepted until Jan. 20. Wages range from $9 to $13.15 per hour, depending on experience and qualifications, according to a Bi-Mart advertisement in today’s Pilot.

The store manager will transfer from another Bi-Mart location, Leber said, and has not been chosen yet. A couple of assistant managers also will transfer from other stores.

However, there’s a chance for local residents to land mid-level management positions, Leber added.

“It depends on the level of experience we have in the applicants,” he said.

While construction is nearly completed, Leber said exterior painting and some inside work remains to be done.

“Then we set up fixtures and put merchandise in. From what I hear, construction is progressing on schedule.”

He said Bi-Mart is “shooting for early spring” as a date for opening. “Somewhere in there would be great.”

Harmon Construction Co. of Coos Bay is the general contractor for the building, and several local sub-contractors were hired. The one-story structure will be 200 feet by 150 feet with 31,000 square feet of space.

Harmon Supervisor Roy Gardner said construction work should be finished by the middle of February.

“We’ve really been blessed with good weather,” he said. “Our roofers worked eight days straight through and never got a drop of rain on them. They were in T-shirts and were lovin’ life.”

Gardner added that Brookings residents have been so eager to apply for jobs that some people have walked onto the construction site to ask him about the timetable for hiring.

Once customers start roaming the aisles, there won’t be many surprises for those who have shopped at Bi-Marts elsewhere.

Leber said all Bi-Mart stores have the same general floor plan to make shopping easy from city to city. The only changes come when Bi-Mart buys an existing building rather than constructing a new one.

Leber said the company’s members-only policy will be waived for a period after the new store opens to give people a chance to get acquainted with Bi-Mart. Later, only those with a $5 lifetime membership may shop there.

The memberships are good for an entire family and may be used at any Bi-Mart outlet.

The company has more than 70 stores in Oregon, Idaho and Washington. Bi-Mart opened its first store in 1955 in Yakima, Wash., and its second store in Eugene seven years later. Today, Eugene serves as the corporate headquarters.

Bi-Mart was purchased by its employees in 2004 and workers now may take part in an employee stock ownership plan.