By JIM BUTLER

Amazon announced Thursday it is entering into an agreement for a new last-mile facility in Boyce, similar to ones previously announced for Shreveport and Monroe.

The 65,000 square feet delivery station will be on La. 1 just north of Rapides Station Road, alongside Interstate 49 in the immediate vicinity of the Love’s-Arby’s development, several miles south of downtown Boyce. 

“Last mile” is a bit of a misnomer. A last-mile delivery service isn’t limited by a mile radius. It’s simply a logistics term to describe the last leg of any delivery’s journey.

 Companies ship packages to a local transportation hub. When the package arrives at the hub, a last-mile carrier – whether third-party or in-house – picks up the delivery and takes it to its final destination.

Launch plans for the center are in the very early stages, an Amazon release noted, adding construction is scheduled to start in the coming weeks.

“This last-mile facility will allow us to better serve customers in Central Louisiana,” said Jessica Breaux, senior manager of economic development for Amazon. 

Most hourly employees in customer fulfillment and transportation earn between $17 and $28 per hour, the release says. 

Jobs, both full-time and part-time, will be offered closer to the facility’s operational launch, as well as further details regarding career opportunities.

Louisiana Central, the regional economic development organization, sees this project and announcement by Amazon as a key to supporting the organization’s mission of making Central Louisiana a thriving hub for sustainable economic growth. 

 “This project is significant for so many reasons,” Jim Clinton, President and CEO of Louisiana Central, said.