Concrete for Rome’s new Publix grocery store is expected to be poured by Thanksgiving, contractors said Friday during a visit to the site.

The steel will begin popping up shortly after that at the location at Charles Hight Square across Turner McCall Boulevard from Floyd Medical Center.

Site contractors from Brent Scarbrough & Company, Inc. flew from their headquarters in Fayette­ville via helicopter on Friday morning to meet with members of Geo-Hydro Engineers at the site of the new Publix, according to pilot Les Gillespie. The meeting was one of several scheduled on site, and the group discussed grading plans and utility planning for the retail site.

Officials from developer Madison Retail obtained a soil disturbance permit for the project earlier this month. The permit for soil disturbance and grading on the 9.49-acre site cost $663.50, while a storm-water permit cost an additional $380.

The property was previously owned by the Northwest Georgia Housing Authority, which demolished public housing on the site and sold the property to Madison. The authority’s new administrative office building will be located on the site.

Madison agreed to pay $3 million for the nine acres and to pay as much as $750,000 for the new administrative office for the housing authority.