Shopko Hometown store coming To Orofino

Retailer welcomes Glenwood Pharmacy staff and customers

Today Shopko announced plans for the construction of a new Shopko Hometown store located on Michigan Avenue in Orofino. In preparation for the new store, which will contain a pharmacy, the company also announced the purchase of Glenwood Pharmacy, which will become a Shopko Pharmacy effective Aug. 31. 

Construction of the new store is expected to begin next spring. Until the new store opens, Shopko Hometown Pharmacy will be located in the current Glenwood Pharmacy location at 1105 Michigan Avenue in Orofino. The Shopko Hometown store is expected to open in fall of 2016 and the pharmacy staff and operations will move into the new store at that time. 

The Shopko Hometown retail format, developed to augment Shopko’s larger store model and focused on serving the needs of smaller rural communities, combines retail health services with a convenient new community-focused shopping experience that features essential name-brand items. Shopko Hometown carries food, health and beauty aids, products for the home, fashions and more for the whole family.

“We’re excited to bring Shopko Hometown to the Orofino community,” said Peter McMahon, Shopko CEO. “We understand that consumers in smaller towns are looking for the same variety of high quality goods and trend right merchandise that can be found in larger cities.

“Customers of our Hometown stores tell us they appreciate the vastly improved shopping experience and access to a broad, differentiated selection of merchandise, including products and brands previously not available in their community.

“With our best-in-class pharmacy services, focus on excellent customer service and strong commitment to support the local community, we are confident that Shopko Hometown will be well received by customers in the Orofino area.”

Customers of Glenwood Pharmacy are likely to see some familiar faces when filling prescriptions at the new Shopko Hometown Pharmacy as Pharmacist Patti (Peterson) Darling, RPh and members of her staff will be taking positions with Shopko Hometown Pharmacy. The staff at Shopko Hometown Pharmacy looks forward to continuing to meet the healthcare needs of Glenwood Pharmacy customers with prompt, friendly, professional service. 

“Shopko is a leader in healthcare and pharmacy services and we are happy to be joining Shopko in continuing to provide excellent service to our customers,” said Patti Darling, RPh. “We are also committed to looking for new ways to better serve our customers and are excited about some of the programs offered by Shopko which will make our customers’ pharmacy experience as convenient as possible.”

Shopko has a central file prescription system that allows customers to refill prescriptions at any Shopko Pharmacy location and has also introduced a free mobile pharmacy app which customers can use to manage and refill prescriptions anytime from their mobile phones.

Pharmacy customers with questions are encouraged to contact Glenwood Pharmacy at (208) 476-5727.

Follow Shopko at Facebook.com/Shopko.

In addition, Shopko is aware of the wildfires that have caused many evacuations and homes to be completely lost in the community. To show their support, the Shopko Foundation is donating $1,000 to the Orofino Rotary Club, which has set up a fund to help with relief efforts.

“Shopko and the Shopko Foundation value the communities we serve and are proud to assist organizations in need, especially at a time of crisis,” said Shopko in a press release. 

About Shopko

Shopko is owned by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., a leading private investment firm focused on leverage buyouts, equity, debt, and other investments in market-leading companies.

Founded in 1962 and headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Shopko Stores Operating Co., LLC is a $3 billion retailer that operates 343 stores in 24 states throughout the Central, Western and Pacific Northwest regions. Retail formats include 131 Shopko stores, providing quality name-brand merchandise, great values, pharmacy and optical services in small to mid-sized cities; five Shopko Express Rx stores, a convenient neighborhood drugstore concept; four Shopko Pharmacy locations; and 203 Shopko Hometown stores, a smaller concept store developed to meet the needs of smaller communities. For more information, visit www.shopko.com.

I for one, want to keep the old school standing

Dear Editor:

With the community in mind, the big brick Orofino School was purchased by the Pippenger family.

Maniac pride, five generations.

The plan was to do what it would take to make it safe and usable for your community at no cost to you. Great idea!

Then the rules of government, both local and state started coming to light.

It appears to me, maybe you too, that your city government and your building inspector are very much against the community having the use of our old brick Orofino School full of history, mystery and memories.

Do you know your building inspector is not elected? He is hired by the city and had a very short training course some time back.

But he has power to make it miserable and costly for builders and remodeling. It appears to have the support of your city powers that be.

Something for you to think about.

For all those years and the many children who walked those halls, the “red fire extinguishers” were placed in strategic places throughout the building and persons were taught how to use them.

Now, the inspector (the law) wants a full sprinkler system throughout your dear old building. The expense would just be unreal for this situation.

That big book of rules, rules, rules.

Do you think the red extinguishers would be just fine? They were okay, up until the junior high moved to the big school (not that long ago).

I am left wondering if there is a way to solve this in a legal way.

This old brick school is a part of Orofino history.

Lots of rules! Is there a hidden agenda for the heavy pushing of the sprinkler rule? If so, there are other building spots in Orofino.

I am really hoping the old school will remain standing in the heart of Orofino.

Reuby Curfman

Orofino

Discussion continues on safety and zoning issues for old Orofino School

The City Council Chambers were filled to capacity with concerned community members, parents and educators for the Orofino Building and Fire Committee meeting held Aug. 26.

A hearty discussion ensued over the newly proposed zoning of the grounds and the extensive safety requirements needed to bring the old Junior High School building up to code. City Council initiated rezoning the property as a result of a change of ownership, ie from the school district to Paul and Lee Pippenger, from a public entity to a private entity for public use.

Council Members Banks and Dunaway along with Administrator Laam, Building Official Perry, Public Works Supervisor Barton and Fire Chief Lee were present. Don Strong, Deputy Fire Official from Boise was also invited to attend.

The school district had received a letter stating that they could not use the gymnasium at the old school building unless a sprinkler system was installed. They were also informed that in order to utilize the gymnasium, the remaining part of the building was to remain empty.

Superintendent Bob Vian asked the members of city council what had changed in the past month to warrant the new requirements.

Perry stated that the council just learned of a change in ownership and a change in the use of the building. It was no longer considered to be for educational purposes. Members of city council had seen clothes being distributed and other events taking place in the old school building. The council assumed that now that the school building was in the hands of the private sector, it was being used for purposes other than education.

More than a few objected saying nothing had changed; the school curriculum requires physical education, and encourages participation in sports. Much is learned through the participation of sports, and in a community where little else is offered for kids, we are in desperate need of a community center.

Newly appointed Commissioner for Clearwater County John Smith stood up and reminded all that the codes were there for a reason, meant to keep people safe. He did not want to see the building turned back into a school, but he would like to see it continue to serve the community as a Community Center.

Smith presently serves the City of Lewiston as building Official and is quite knowledgeable in the use of codes. He volunteered to help explore the options with the help of a design professional and Orofino’s Building Official Perry, which might help bring the plans together.

For now, the city will permit the school district to utilize the gym and a safety inspection is mandated to take place in the near future for the remainder of the building, as it has not been done for a couple years. Nothing else has been decided. The discussion rests until more information can be gathered.