weeks going through every possible ….

weeks going through every possible source to make sure it was not only possible to build on the land but that it could be done safely.

“We had to make sure it was OK to sell it,” he said. “We were told (when they first joined the Board) that it cannot be sold.”

It was this belief, the Board said, that prevented the Board from selling the property to interested buyers in the past, keeping it for the past several years as a hay field. But, upon further checking, they said they found no basis on which that belief had originated. Village Clerk Joye Eichten said the village reached out to both the DNR and WHEDA -- the entity responsible for grant funding used to pay a portion of the costs of cleaning up the contaminated property -- to find out for sure what restrictions were in place.

“WHEDA gave us the grant money to clean up the property,” she said. “They have no control or restrictions from selling or buying the property.”

“That land is still contaminated,” added Josh Opelt, the wastewater operator at Granton. “There are only two restrictions the DNR have on that land. If a well is put in, they have to have the well built in a specially-cased well and if there is any soil that is removed from the property it has to be tested and properly disposed of if it’s contaminated.”

Since the plan is to have Dollar General hook up to the village’s water and sewer, the Board said there is not an issue with adding a well to the site, and the general lowlying nature of the property means Dollar General will be adding in dirt fill rather than digging anything out. The Board also noted that Dollar General plans to build on the eastern side of the parcel which is unlikely to have any contaminated soil.

“Each one of us had reservations on it coming here,” said Gorst. “When we seen it was to be built on the east part, it eased our minds a little. On the west side they plan to do nothing due to the contamination. There are no plans for anything there. We are not selling the west portion (of the parcel). We will retain it.”

Another concern brought up by residents was about the flow of traffic to the area. Directly west of the property is the intersection between Granton Road, Romadka Avenue and County Highway K, an intersection that has long been considered dangerous by members of the Granton community. If Dollar General comes to town, residents asked if the dangerous intersection would become even more hazardous as drivers coming off of Highway 10 face the unusual layout of the intersection.

“That intersection is a hazard,” said Lois Garbisch. “This will add extra traffic to that area. I’ve already had several close calls up there.”

In addressing this issue, village Trustee Meghan Naedler said Dollar General’s presence may actually be a benefit in this case. The village is expecting to have County Highway K repaved next year, and despite approaching the county several times about having that intersection redone as part of their project, she said they have refused to have it redone, stating there is no history of accidents at that location. If they have a commercial property like Dollar General nearby, she said it may be enough to convince the county to have the intersection changed to a much friendlier four-way stop.

“They had told us that in order for us to have that intersection redone we would have to pay for 100 percent of the costs even though it is their highway,” she said. “We could get some support from the county to pay for it if we have commercial traffic.”

By far the biggest concern for residents at the meeting was the effect Dollar General’s presence would have on the small businesses in the downtown area. As one of the last small towns that still has its grocery store, they said having the Dollar General in the immediate area would make it difficult for it to compete and would send local dollars out to line corporate pockets.

“I’m concerned about our businesses,” said Beverly Helm. “Now they’re going to stop in the dollar store. Local businesses won’t be getting their patronage, and they have supported us all of these years. The money you will be paying there (Dollar General) won’t be going back into our communities, it will be going back to corporate.”

“You are assuming the grocery store will no longer be here,” added Ron Webster. “If you put in that Dollar General here now, it will close that store that much sooner.”

The Board said that was a concern to them as well. When they were first approached by Dollar General, the members of the Board said they strongly considered turning down the offer for the sake of their small businesses, but representatives of the company told them they were planning on locating somewhere along that curve of Highway 10 no matter what.

“We don’t want people to think we take this lightly ... We thought about it long and hard,” said Naedler. “From a business perspective, it makes a lot of sense (to add Dollar General) but from a small town perspective it makes us uneasy. They told us this will go in. They flat out told us this will happen, it will be on this curve. If it is not this lot it will be another. They will go up the road, and that will not be on village property. Do we as a village get on board or let this opportunity pass us by?”

The importance of getting Dollar General to locate a store on village property was something the Board stressed at its meeting. Financially, Eichten said the village has been barely making ends meet the past several years as costs of everyday expenses continue to rise. Since they run such a tight budget each year, she said any unexpected expense can be devastating and it has been difficult for them to repair needed items such as water and sewer lines and even sidewalks. By adding Dollar General, she said they would be getting revenue from both the initial land purchase and by continued usage of water and sewer, which would help the village pocketbook.

“We have an extremely tight budget,” she said. “As a village we have no way of getting income like our neighbors are. The townships are doing very well in this house-building business. The village can only tax. We get tax on property tax and water and sewer bills and even those are restricted use. Every time there is a closed place or someplace is torn down, that is income we are losing. There’s no money coming in ... As expenses have climbed, we have lost something that cost us money. We have to decide here what is best for Granton. How do we cover our expenses without raising the property taxes or the tax levy?”

As of right now, the village has yet to sign the proposal by Dollar General, which would sell 1.8 acres of the parcel on the Granton Road/Highway 10 plot for $120,000. The Board will be going through the contract by Dollar General during the next month as part of their negotiation phase and if both parties agree, the parcel will be sold to the company. No matter where the future store is located, the planned building will be 76x140 feet and is expected to hire seven employees.

“We don’t want people to think we take this lightly ... We thought about it long and hard. From a business perspective, it makes a lot of sense (to add Dollar General) but from a small town perspective it makes us uneasy.” -- Granton Village Trustee Meghan Naedler