After almost two months of delays, Astoria Cooperative was excited to begin installation of the first of two new coolers and a freezer, May 26, when a giant helping "hand" in the form of a crane truck from Astoria Builders Supply brought the unit out of storage and to the store.
Each unit weighs 1,200 pounds and is roughly 8 feet long.
"Maneuvering one from storage at the old Lovell-McCall Tire Center and into our store seemed like a simple task," said Victoria Stoppiello, the co-op’s general manager, "but it turns out the right way to do it would be a forklift, certified operator and flatbed truck, none of which we have. Thank goodness Tom Isom at Astoria Builders was willing to look at our problem and help us solve it."
Stoppiello said the purchase of this 4-year-old equipment is part of a mini-expansion at the Co-op to increase its capability to serve the Lower Columbia region with high quality natural and organic merchandise.