Amazon representatives say they’re getting ready to flip the switch at their Hartford Avenue fulfillment center.

A business license for the still unopened facility was listed on Tuesday night’s Johnston Town Council agenda. Site Leader at the Johnston Amazon location and General Manager Sultan Kabiawu attended the meeting and briefly fielded a single question from the four (of five) councilors in attendance.

“When do you plan to open?” Asked Johnston Town Councilman Alfred T. Carnevale (District 3).

“We should be open by the holiday season,” Kabiawu replied.

Johnston Town Councilwoman Lauren Garzone (District 2) quickly moved to approve the license.

“I have no issues with that, so I will entertain a motion to grant their license,” she said. The motion was quickly seconded and approved unanimously (4-0). Kabiawu immediately vacated the lectern and exited the meeting.

The 2120 Hartford Ave. facility — its future “business operations” were described in the business license application as a “Fulfillment Center, warehouse and storage activities for an e-commerce retailer” — opened up for a tour for members of the Rhode Island media and Gov. Dan McKee in July.

At the time, the company line was similar to now on the facility’s eventual opening.  Amazon spokespeople would not say anything more specific than “before the start of this year’s holiday season.”

Amazon Public Relations Manager Steve Kelly responded to requests for opening details earlier this week.

​“The facility remains on track to launch shortly and in advance of the holidays,” Kelly wrote via email. He referred follow-up questions to fellow Amazon spokesman Mike Murphy.

“Approval of the business license is an important milestone in what we consider the homestretch of preparing a facility to begin initial operations,” Murphy said Wednesday, Oct. 16, around noon. “As you can imagine, our team in Johnston is working diligently to finish the remaining projects on their ‘launch checklists,’ and as soon as we have an exact opening date to share, we'll be in touch.”

Jonathan Greeley, Amazon’s Economic Development Manager for New England, delivered a key note “fun facts” preamble prior to July’s tour. He said the Johnston facility is “big — 3.8 million square feet, that is 66 football fields (just under).”

More concrete was poured into the Hartford Avenue megalith building than the Empire State Building (7,000 cubic yards), Greeley told the press and Gov. McKee.

Johnston Mayor Joseph M. Polisena Jr. remained unworried about the numerous delays in the opening of Amazon’s Johnston facility.

“There’s no additional update,” Polisena said earlier this week. “They’re still on track to open around late November. I would anticipate a ribbon cutting a few months after their opening but they’d be able to tell you for sure.”

The company expects to hire around 1,500 job-seekers to work at the facility, and has started filling management and security roles. However, the company promised Johnston several job fairs (and doubled down on a promise that they’d hold the first job fair in Johnston). So far, no job fairs have been held. Amazon also recently renegotiated its tax deal with the town.

“I do not have any concerns,” Polisena replied when asked about the as-yet-unscheduled job fairs. “The fulfillment center remains on track to launch in anticipation of the holiday season. Throughout this entire process, Amazon has remained a great partner with the town and we are in constant communication with their representatives. I would expect a job fair in Johnston soon.”

Amazon replied late Wednesday morning, providing an update on the job fair forecast and a link job-hunters can visit in the meantime.

“… Planning of job fairs is also underway and I’m happy to share that information with you when available,” Murphy wrote. “In the interim, recruiting and hiring online remains ongoing where open positions are posted on a rolling basis. Interested applicants can visit amazon.com/localjobs or text NEWJOB to 31432 to sign up for job alerts.”