Construction is well under way on the new J.M. Jackson Chevrolet-Buick in Sanford, officials said this week.

According to Johnny Jackson, owner, the Jackson family wants to see the Sanford area grow and prosper with its new, larger, state-of-the-art dealership.

Jackson is expecting a March 1, 2013, open date, if there are not weather-related issues.

The dealership has been an integral part of Covington County for the past 67 years, located on Hart Avenue in Opp.

Jackson said the new dealership will be in a more centralized location between Opp and Andalusia, across from the South Alabama Regional Airport, and will employ nearly 30 people.

The company broke ground on the $2.5 million project in January.

Jackson said then that the new Sanford location was chosen after GM realigned and expanded the dealership’s territory, which now includes all of Covington County and portions of Coffee, Crenshaw, Butler and Geneva counties.

The added areas tripled the dealership’s market.

Jackson said the dealership’s entire operation – from sales to service to its used car lot – will move to the new location. He said he also hopes to maintain the current used car lot’s location, but operate it under a different business license.

Being built on 6 acres, the 25,000 square-foot building will consist of a showroom and sales area, 10 service bays with quick lube facility and a parts and accessory department.

The expansion will also allow Jackson to be an authorized GM tire dealer with all new tire and alignment equipment.

Thanks to second grade students at Andalusia Elementary School, Christmas will be as merry as it can be given the circumstances for six local soldiers serving abroad.

Soldiers are: Allen S. Childers, Hunter Gadd, Warren E. Maddox, Ryan Smith and Yvonne Williams.

Throughout the week, students have brought in scores of items for Christmas care packages for the soldiers, Marines and sailors who are from Covington County.

John Givhan, a retired Army helicopter pilot and local veterans’ advocate, said the children’s generosity was a perfect illustration for the day.

“I think it’s truly fitting for them to do this on Pearl Harbor Day,” Givhan said. “I think it serves their memory well. These items will be greatly appreciated by those who get them.”

Givhan said the annual event shows generosity on two fronts – one from the children, and another from local residents.

“People have donated generously to the military account at Pack-N-Ship, so we have the funds to get these packages to our service men and women,” he said of the account used to cover the costs associated with shipping items to deployed service members.

Givhan said donations are always needed and can be given at Pack-N-Ship, located on River Falls Street.

Santa’s made his list and is checking it twice, but little girls and boys who want to make sure the jolly guy in red has the right Christmas gift should start sending in their letters now.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, brightly colored envelopes with handwritten messages make their way into the area’s local postal offices.

Most have messages like “I’ve been good. I want a doll,” or “I want an X-Box,” but what people may not realize is that each letter addressed to Santa that arrives at local post offices gets a reply back.

Mike Kaolmetz, Andalusia’s postmaster, said as long as local children get their letter to the North Pole into the post office by Dec. 21, they’ll get a response back from Santa himself.

Stamps, he said, are encouraged.

“We’ve gotten an average of six letters a week so far, but I’m sure it will increase,” he said. “We even have a specially-designed mailbox just for the letters, guaranteed to get them to the North Pole and back in no time.”

Other important mailing deadlines for Christmas delivery are:

• Dec. 15 for domestic mail;

• Dec. 17 for military mail;

• Dec. 20 for first class mail:

• Dec. 21 for priority mail; and,

• Dec. 22 for express mail.