New grocery a done deal on ACH site

By

opinions

August 4, 2015 - 12:00 AM

What for weeks has been strong assumption became reality Friday when Allen County received a signed contract from G&W Foods that outlines plans for the company to build a grocery in Iola.
G&W will pay $29,000 for 72,000 square feet of land where the older Allen County Hospital sits today. Apartment complexes also may be built on cleared land; at least two developers are considering such construction.
Having a signed contract in hand gave all involved — there are a good many — opportunity for a sigh of relief. No project is a certainty until a legal contract is signed and delivered.
Allen County commissioners have agonized for much of the 1½ years since ACH was abandoned for the new Allen County Regional Hospital on North Kentucky Street. Always in the backs of their minds was what to do with the old structure, sell it, lease it or have it demolished. Several developers looked before one made serious overtures. That fell aside, though, when Arlyn Briggs asked for a special meeting to withdraw his proposal. Briggs came back later, but by then commissioners had set their course with the grocery — “That ship has sailed,” one said.
Last month Remco Co., a Kansas City firm that specializes in demolition, was the low bidder to raze the hospital, at $198,810. That will be reduced by about $20,000, the county’s share from an auction of furniture and other things easily removed from the old hospital, and the earlier $24,000 sale of a generator. Add G&W’s purchase of land, and the county’s net cost of demolition will be about $125,000. That may be lowered with other development on the site.
Much remains to be done before customers will be carrying bread and milk and other edibles from G&W’s store, though it is just a matter of time.
Razing will start in about a month and construction will follow early in 2016. Between now and then, plans will be decided on traffic patterns, utility connections, how the Medical Arts Building will remain as a free-standing entity, any number of other things.
With the recent announcement of Herff-Jones’ closing, a substantial addition to Iola’s and Allen County’s business community is exceedingly good news.

NOTHING MOVES as quickly as many folks would like.
Discussions about a full-service grocery alternative have been going on for several years; among David Toland’s recurring projects since he took the helm of Thrive Allen County and after he signed on to help with economic development for the area.
Toland’s efforts have been instrumental. So, too, have many others, including county commissioners, who recognized need and did what they could, while being fair to all parties involved, to bring G&W to town.
The grocery may be just the first in a new wave of commercial enhancements for Iola and the area.
Fruition becomes more likely when we all pitch in to do whatever we can to help out — and that includes trusting those who have a role in making commitments.
— Bob Johnson

Related
April 6, 2016
July 15, 2015
June 26, 2015
May 15, 2015