By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

About 150 new jobs soon will be coming to Shelby West Corporate Park after Hibbett Sports announced it will move its distribution center from Birmingham to Alabaster.

Alabaster Mayor David Frings said the move marks “months of hard work” from Alabaster officials, and said the project will bring about 150 new jobs to the city.

The project also will bring construction jobs to the city as Hibbett works to build the new 360,000-square-foot center just north of the Shelby County Airport.

“We are very pleased that Hibbett Sports chose Alabaster as the site for their new center,” Frings said. “Alabaster is experiencing a strong growth in retail and light commercial.”

The facility will cost about $25 million to construct, and will bring an approximately $5.5 million yearly payroll. Alabaster officials said the new building should be completed by the summer or fall of 2014.

Birmingham-based Hibbett Sports currently operates a retail store in Alabaster’s Colonial Promenade, and will be moving its distribution center from Industrial Lane off Lakeshore Drive in Birmingham.

During the July 9 County Commission meeting, Hibbett Sports CEO and President Jeff Rosenthal said the company currently has 841 stores, but hopes to double the number of stores in the future.

“We’re hoping to grow the facility to 500,000 square feet in the future,” Rosenthal said of the new facility in Shelby West Corporate Park.

Alabaster officials previously said Hibbett was looking at several possible sites for the new distribution center, and chose the Alabaster site over another finalist site in Tupelo, Miss.