ATLANTA — An Atlanta Publix is finally open to shoppers again, nearly a week after a partial collapse at the store's parking garage.
Publix Super Markets announced this past week its Summerhill grocery store would have regular store hours starting Saturday, Sept. 9. Doors opened at 7 a.m. at the store at 572 Hank Aaron Drive.
"We are delighted to reopen to continue serving the Summerhill community," a spokesperson for Publix said.
The store was forced to close on Sept. 3 over the Labor Day weekend, a busy one for shopping, after a portion of the parking garage collapsed under the weight of what store officials described as an "unauthorized" crane.
Firefighters said that around 7 a.m. on Sept. 2, someone drove the heavy-duty crane up the second floor of the store's garage when it fell through, rupturing a water line and causing a diesel leak. One person was hurt.
Branch Properties, the company that owns the shopping center where the Publix is housed, which includes a Piedmont Urgent Care center, said "an unauthorized person unaffiliated with ownership" ignored weight limit signs - likely prompting the partial collapse.
In its most recent statement Publix said the parking structure has been cleared as safe after it was evaluated by engineers from Branch Properties, The City of Atlanta and a non-affiliated third-party engineer. Meanwhile, the affected part of the parking structure will remain closed during repairs, a statement from Publix said.
Customers like Donald Creagh said having the sotre closed down was very inconvenient.
"“I mean its hard you know? You have to leave your neighborhood to go and find good healthy food and a good experience. You could maybe find some healthy food but the experience might not be that great," said Creagh.
The collapse came only just a few months after the store opened in the Summerhill neighborhood back on June 21. Mayor Andre Dickens was on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the store, one of the few grocery stores in what's nearly a food desert, deemed so by U.S. Department of Agriculture standards.
After the collapse, Dickens said he was determined to find a solution and pushed to help the supermarket reopen.
“Our Administration is concerned about the impact this incident will have on the safety and access to food and pharmacy services in this community," he said in a statement issued the Monday after the collapse.
Atlanta City Council officials made attempts to hold firm to that promise by passing legislation on Tuesday this week to invest $1.5 million in a new grocery store development along the Campbellton Road corridor. The money from Invest Atlanta, the city's economic development authority, would help bring other grocery stores and jobs into neighborhoods on the south side of Atlanta where fresh food options are hard to find.
The hope is that the investment leads to other development in parts of the city eager to see growth and change.
Meanwhile, city officials said security measures have been added to the perimeter of the store to prevent future incidents.