HAYDEN - A new 206,000-square-foot Walmart supercenter - with 350 employees - opens today in Hayden.

"Any time a company comes in and brings new jobs that can help our citizens be able to have a living wage and provide livelihood is vital within any community," said Nancy Lowery, president of the Hayden Chamber of Commerce and member of the Hayden City Council. "We look forward to Walmart being an active participant in promoting business throughout the Hayden area."

Ron McIntire, owner and operator of 11 supermarkets including the Hayden Super 1 Foods, said the Walmart opening "won't change anything with us. We've already got Walmarts in every one of our areas."

McIntire, who is also Hayden's mayor, owns stores in Idaho, Montana and Washington.

Jeni Roesner, the new Walmart's manager, said 80 of the store's 350 employees were transferred from other locations. Twenty-nine of the store's employees have worked for Walmart for more than 10 years. Roesner began her Walmart career in 1994, as a cashier at a store in Glendora, Calif.

In July, the average wage at Walmart stores in Idaho for full-time employees was $11.46 per hour. Eligible part-time and full-time employees get health insurance.

The Hayden store, at 550 W. Honeysuckle Ave., is the second largest in the state by square footage, Roesner said. There's a larger store in Boise.

The Hayden store will be open 24 hours.

Walmart said in a news release that $22,000 in grants from the Walmart Foundation are to be presented today during the grand opening. The Kootenai-Shoshone Area Libraries, Northern Lakes Fire Protection District and Kootenai County Sheriff's Department will each receive $4,000. The Salvation Army Kroc Center and the Idaho Meth Project will each receive a $2,500 grant and a $5,000 grant will be presented to the Community Action Partnership Food Bank.