CUMMING -- Ground was officially broken Thursday morning for a Costco in Cumming. Company leaders gathered with representatives of the city of Cumming and TD Farrell Construction, which is building the facility, for the ceremony on a 22-acre site near Ga. 400 at Exit 15. The new store will be the eighth for Costco in the metro Atlanta market and its farthest north. Aldyn Royes, vice president of operations for Costco in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama, said officials are eager to open the Cumming store, which will be about 148,000 square feet in size. “We look forward to providing the city of Cumming with a lot of jobs and building great relationships,” Royes said. He said a general manager for the site will likely be announced within the next two weeks, with the hiring of about 150 employees for the store to follow over the next few months.“Within maybe a month or so, we’ll have a trailer onsite and any information or anything that anyone needs will be here,” he said. Royes said the new store, which is slated to open to customers sometime in August, will “have all the bells and whistles.”“Everything that a Costco unit carries will be in this location,” he said. Some of those features include a gas station, pharmacy, tire center, bakery and fresh produce area. Tim Farrell, president of TD Farrell Construction, noted that the company is headquartered in south Forsyth.“We’ve built a lot of Costcos and retail facilities across the country,” he said. “But it’s really special to be able to do it in Forsyth County.” Rocky King, the project superintendent, said crews are working on an 80-day construction schedule.“We’ll start foundations around the middle of May,” he said. Costco leaders feel Forsyth will be a great market.“We’re going to be able to draw from all the areas around here,” Royes said. “This will be a great inflow location for us.” Cumming Mayor H. Ford Gravitt said he and other city leaders feel Costco will be a strong addition to the retail community.“We look forward to a long-lasting relationship and partnership with Costco,” he said.