SANIRAJAK/HALL BEACH - This summer's sealift won't just bring Hall Beach residents the usual vehicles, appliances and cans of Coke. It will also bring something a little out of the ordinary - a brand new multimillion dollar Co-op store - or at least, the materials for one.

Alice Saqpina displays some clothing for sale at the Co-op in Hall Beach. Arctic Co-op plans to begin construction of a new 6,000-square-foot store with a 3,000-square-foot attached heated warehouse in the community once materials arrive on the sealift in August. - photo courtesy of Ian McIver

Construction of the new 6,000-square-foot store, which will also have an attached 3,000-square-foot heated warehouse and office space, will cost $2 million to $3 million.

Work will be underway once materials arrive on the sealift in August. The new store is expected to open early in 2009.

"Probably this time next year, we will be in our new store," said Ian McIver, general manager of the Hall Beach Co-op store.

"We've had this store 10 or 15 years, and the members deserve a new store. We want to give the members a brighter and bigger store to shop in."

The new 6,000-square-foot selling space will be almost double the size of the existing sales floor, allowing for a greater selection of grocery items like frozen foods, produce and deli meats. The Co-op will also be able to better display big ticket items like freezers, snowmobiles and furniture.

McIver said the Co-op has spent the past three years finding and securing property for the new store, which will be located near the current store.

The existing store building will be renovated for use as a warehouse and the existing warehouse will also be used for storage, in addition to the new facility.

"Right now after sealift things can get very disorganized because we bring so much in and we have so little space. A lot of things get piled up high and very close to each other," said McIver.

"Now with the new space we'll be able to sort the items a lot better."

About 20 people are on staff at the Co-op. When the new store opens, McIver expects to increase the hours of part-time employees or hire more workers.

Judah Innualuk, community economic development officer for the hamlet of Hall Beach, said the new Co-op would be a good thing for the community.

"The current Co-op, it's small compared to other communities, with limited choices," he said.

Innualuk is hoping local Inuit will be employed during the construction project.

According to Arctic Co-operatives Ltd. CEO Andy Morrison, most of the construction crew will be local hires, and the project will take four to six months to complete.

Projects in the works in Nunavut include renovations to the Siniktarvik Hotel in Rankin Inlet, which was purchased by Kissarvik Co-op late in 2007, Ayuittuq Lodge in Pangnirtung, purchased by Pangnirtung Co-op late in 2007, and Sanavik Co-op's Iglu Hotel in Baker Lake.

Toonoonik-Sahoonik Co-operative in Pond Inlet is building a brand new hotel to replace its existing one.

Work will begin soon on a new garage for fuel delivery vehicles at Qikiqtaq Co-op in Gjoa Haven.

Construction will wrap up in the next few weeks on a 4,000-square-foot warehouse at Ikaluktutiak Co-op in Cambridge Bay.

Naujaat Co-op in Repulse Bay is wrapping up work on a four-plex and Parks Canada building and is beginning construction on two new multi-unit housing units.

"Generally speaking, every year Co-ops right across the Arctic are building community infrastructure," said Morrison.

"There is work every year. But this is a fairly big year."

The amount of capital investment this year reflects healthy financial results from last year. In 2007, the ACL co-op system's 31 member/owners reported combined revenues of more than $146 million, with $5.8 million returned to members as patronage refunds.