By MINDY KEPFIELD

Staff writer

Management of a new farm and ranch store in Hillsboro is aiming for a June 17 opening after hiring 22 nemployees this past week.

The former Alco building that will house the Bomgaars store needed a few repairs before new fixtures could be installed.

Contractors have resealed the floors, replaced broken ceiling tiles, repainted walls, and changed burned bulbs. The exterior will be repainted.

“There is not too much the contractors have to do, they are about done,” manager Jim Sisson said, walking through the cavernous space.

More than 45 turned out at city hall for the store’s job fair, which made fast work of hiring. Most had been offered jobs by Friday.

“We had some real quality people,” he said. “I was impressed.”

Most of the new hires have experience with cars, farming and ranching, or as cashiers.

He hopes shelving, signs and other fixtures will arrive May 1 and employees can begin assembling shelves and stocking.

“Hopefully we will be ready to roll by June 17,” he said. “That’s just a tentative date, we can’t set that exactly, but it’s a target date.”