Dollar General plans to move a little further south

BY KARYN SPORY

Mt. Pleasant News

NEW LONDON ? Dollar General is still interested in New London, Paul Lorber says, but just a little further south than originally planned.

Last month, the New London City Council approved a purchase and sale contract with the Overland Group, LLC., for 2.41 acres of land for $55,000 on Pine Street. The contract gave the Overland Group, the leading developer of NNN Dollar General stores, six-months to act on the contract.

However, on Tuesday evening, Lorber said Dollar General was thinking about changing its location.

?Dollar General was in town on Thursday, did a site review, and want to move it further south. We?re going to need to do it as quickly as possible,? he said.

Lorber said he was too late to get the item on Tuesday?s agenda, but he would hope the city would move as quickly as possible to authorize purchasing a different plot of land.

The council will meet in special session tonight (Thursday), at 6 p.m., to approve an addendum to Overland Group?s contract.

Besides selecting a section of land a little further south, to New London Road, it also increases the acreage from 2.41 to 2.44 acres.

On Tuesday night, the council also head from a group of youngsters, and their mothers, about creating a skate park in New London.

Earlier this summer, several teenagers addressed the council regarding their desire to create a safe space for teens and children to skateboard.

Councilman Greg Malott said he had invited the skaters to the meeting because he wanted to keep the ?skate park topic alive.?

Malott said there was a plot of land on Pine Street that the city is unable to build on due to the ?lay of the land.? ?I don?t know why we can?t incorporate a skate and dog park in that location and utilize that property the city owns and put it to some really good use,? he told his fellow council members.

Mayor Ron Sadler said he did some digging and the city had some plans drawn up for a skate park in 2008. Sadler said the council could take a look at those plans, as well as some sketches a few of the skaters had created to try and start working on a plan.

Linda Vacek, one of the mothers present, said, ideally, they would like to have a few ramps and rails.

?Even just a slab of concrete for them to use,? skate mom Tonya Callas added.

?These kids are all very talented,? said Councilman Tom Davis. ?And we want a safe place for them to skate.?

Councilman Kirk Miller joined the conversation stating he had ordered a book written by renowned skater, Tony Hawk, which not only talks about designs for skate parks, but also gives fundraising ideas.

The council said they would continue to work with the kids to build a park.

In other business, the council authorized a $500 donation for the 2016 Red Flag Horseless Carriage Tour and approved the use of the city park for the tour?s festivities. The council also approved the 2015-16 street finance report for the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Lastly, the next Movie in the Park will be held on Friday, Aug. 19. The movie, which was voted on by citizens, will be ?Minions.?

The movie will begin at dusk. This will be the final movie for the summer.

The next regular meeting of the New London City Council will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016, at 6 p.m., at the City Office.