Dollar General may be coming to New London

BY KARYN SPORY

Mt. Pleasant News

NEW LONDON ? A general store may be coming to New London, according to council members.

The New London City Council met in special session Tuesday night to discuss a contract to sell 2.41 acres of land to the Overland Group, LLC, which is the leading developer of NNN Dollar General stores throughout the Midwest, according to the company?s website.

In 2013, the council had been working to bring Dollar General to New London, but negotiations fell through due to a lack of interest from the company, Councilman Kirk Miller said. However, this time around the Overland Group and Dollar General have reached out to New London. ?We never got this far last time,? Miller commented.

?The way this came about,? said Paul Lorber, a committee member who has been working with the Overland Group, ?is Dollar General sent the signal to the Overland Group that they wanted (them) to start looking at New London, which is different from how it was before.?

Overland Group has offered $55,000 for the 2.41 acres. With that offer, a provision within the contract restricts what the city can do with the property adjacent to the acreage the Overland Group wants to purchase. ?For $55,000, they want exclusivity of their type of business on that ground,? explained Lorber. ?We don?t want three stores doing the same thing and they all fail.?

Lorber said he has been told that if the council approves the contract and can get everything to the Overland Group by July 23, then Dollar General can begin the planning process and building could begin as early as this fall. If not, construction would likely not happen until next spring. ?I implore you to move as quickly as possible,? he said.

However, City Clerk Kasi Howard said the city would have to hold a public hearing on the matter, as city property is being sold without opening up the sale to bid. She also stated the city would need to have the ground appraised.

Councilman Tom Davis said he wasn?t worried about the money the city would make off of the land sale, but rather the benefits the city would see from having a Dollar General in town. ?I just want to get this done because it?s a golden opportunity,? he remarked.

Howard said the city has gotten in trouble before for not having land appraised before selling it. If the appraisal is more than what Overland Group is offering, she said, the city could justify the sale because of the added benefits, like employment.

Lorber said through his research and discussions, Dollar General usually employs about 10 people.

Councilman Greg Malott said that didn?t include the additional labor for things like snow removal, landscaping and maintenance, which would also add a boost to New London?s economy.

Howard said she would work as quickly as possible to have the appraisal done and the earliest the city could hold a public hearing would be Monday, July 25.

In other business, the council approved the third night for movies in the park to be held on Friday, Aug. 19. Malott said he is unsure what movie will be showing this time.

The movie in the park for this Friday, July 15, will be ?Zootopia?. The movie will begin at dusk, which Malott said should be around 9:15 p.m. Two Rivers Bank will sponsor the event and Malott said they are planning on bringing a prize wheel so the kids can win a little something to go along with their movie.

Lastly, the council approved a quote from Staley Nehring Construction to repair the library steps. The quote was for $1,239.74.

The council will meet once more this month, on Monday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m., for a public hearing regarding the sale of land to the Overland Group, LLC.

The next regular meeting of the New London City Council will be Tuesday, Aug. 2, at 5:30 p.m., in the City Office.