After months of speculation, Sweetwater Mayor Doyle Lowe announced the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Walmart Supercenter will be held at 10 a.m., Oct. 26.

The ceremony will take place at the site located near the intersection of Highway 11 and Highway 68. Lowe said the community is invited to join Sweetwater's elected officials, business leaders and Walmart representatives for the event celebrating the beginning of construction. Preparation of the site, including the installation of erosion control measures, is already underway.

"This will be a great convenience for the residents of Sweetwater, create approximately 300 new jobs and allow us to keep those sales tax dollars here at home to benefit our local economy," said Sweetwater Mayor Doyle Lowe.

City Planner Scott Wilson noted that, "Many of the retail stores that fit our demographic need an anchor store like Walmart. This should help us in our recruiting of further retail and food establishments."

While an official timetable wasn't announced, the building of a new Walmart usually takes about nine months, meaning the store would open sometime next summer.

The Mayor, Sweetwater City Commissioners and City Planner Scott Wilson will be officially breaking ground at the site during the ceremony.