Major construction began Monday at Whitefish Mountain Mall to remodel the building to accommodate a Shopko Hometown store expected to open inside the mall this fall.

The more than $3 million project will remodel the center of the mall for the new store and also update the exterior facade of the building.

“We’re excited,” said mall manager Tom Kraus. “This is a wonderful project to bring a third anchor to the mall.”

Kraus said he has been manager of Mountain Mall for the last 14 years and most of that time he has worked to get the front of the building remodeled.

Shopko has signed a lease with mall owners Carrington Co., for a 37,500-square-foot space in the center of the mall. The lease agreement was contingent upon the mall getting an exterior facelift.

Whitefish City Council last summer approved using $200,000 in tax-increment funds to assist with the facelift of the facade.

“We think this will benefit Whitefish because there is no general merchandise store here,” he said. “Also it will help the small businesses in the mall be successful.”

Shopko is expected to employ about 25 to 30 people. The department store displaced about eight businesses previously located in the mall.

The remodel includes replacing the existing facade with a natural stone and stucco to complement the remodeled Sportsman & Ski Haus. Landscaping and covered walkways will also extend on the north side face of the mall.

“It will be very similar to Sportsman,” Kraus said. “We’re thrilled with the Sportsman and we’re using a design that will complement that.”

Six months of construction work is expected. A September opening is anticipated for the Shopko store, according to Kraus.

Martel Construction is the general contractor and CTA Architects designed the project.

Ryan Dunn, project manager for Martel, said work will start with the interior of the building and the exterior work should begin April 1 weather permitting.

“This is a great project to have this time of year,” he said.

Access to the mall and its stores will remain open during construction. The inside corridor to the east of Sportsman will remain open, as will the main corridor that runs on the eastern potion of the building providing access through to Mountain Cinema movie theater.

“The mall will be open and functioning,” Dunn said. “We will have a four-day work week. We want to limit disturbance to the mall.”

A portion of the sidewalk in the front of the building will be closed. However, construction parking will take place on the backside of the mall.

About 20 subcontractors are involved in the project and about 90 percent of those are from the Flathead Valley, according to Dunn. He expects about 75 to 100 people to be working on the project.