G&W, at last, starts work on grocery

opinions

May 11, 2017 - 12:00 AM

Paul Zirjacks keeps his finger on the pulse of what’s happening in Iola and the surrounding area. Few things of consequence slip his notice.

Tuesday he came to the Allen County Commission meeting to observe — it’d be nice if more citizens did — and to grill commissioners about when work would start on the new G&W grocery. “People want to know,” he said, including the commissioners themselves.

They had an answer. Carl Dubose, manager of the prime contractor, Southern Building, contacted commissioners a few days earlier to report stormy weather in Alabama had held up dispatching workers and equipment to Iola.

But, he promised, a contingent would be on hand Wednesday; it was, and by late morning had circled most of the old Allen County Hospital property, where the grocery will be constructed, with heavy black plastic to keep dirt and dust at a minimum.

Dubose also assured heavy equipment would arrive next week, and concrete work would begin the following week.

The new grocery has been long-awaited by many Iolans, as well as residents who live nearby.

A petition drive and behind the scenes work by Thrive’s David Toland and others were instrumental in convincing G&W officials Iola would be a terrific location to add to its chain of stores in Kansas, including Chanute. 

It’s not that Iolans don’t have access to groceries and meat — Walmart has a supermarket and Bolling’s meat market has fine offerings — but it’s human nature to want a choice. It’s not uncommon to see Iola residents shopping in Moon’s in Humboldt or locales in Chanute.

Now, the small group of non-believers can choose  somewhere else to focus their pessimism: G&W has started construction and principals of the company have said they want to have it open by year’s end.

ALSO OF NOTE is the recent decision by county commissioners to give a hand with an economic development fund.

In Moran, a group of Moran residents, aided by Thrive experts, want to keep Stub’s Market, eastern Allen County’s only grocery, open. 

That may come through a local cooperative, or perhaps some county funding, as it did to lift G&W out of a financial hole.

The more we do for each other, the more we will be doing for ourselves.

— Bob Johnson

Related