FACTORYVILLE — Borough resident Brandon Smith voiced his concerns regarding the potential of a Dollar General store moving into the former Ray’s Supermarket on College Avenue during a council meeting April 11.

“I feel like we should discuss the existence of the Dollar General and how it’s a detriment to the people of our town,” Smith said. “I don’t think it benefits the future of this town or anybody in it. What we really need here is food in a small community hub like we used to have.”

According to Council Vice President Bill Edwards, a push was made to keep a market in town.

“We worked hard at trying to find a supermarket to come in there, but we had no luck,” he said.

Smith believes having a grocery store in town would not only be a convenience for the residents, it would also give the town an economic boost.

“Putting something in that people want won’t only benefit the town, it will also draw in people from Nicholson and Dalton because there is no food around here anymore,” Smith said. “I think it would benefit the town financially, a lot, and draw the community together.”

In other business …

Mayor Gary Evans, Council President Chuck Wrobel and Councilman Gregg Yunko plan to serve on a committee for the purpose of modeling an ordinance for rental properties in the borough.

“A lot of the housing college kids are getting into might be substandard,” Borough Solicitor Paul Litwin said. “There are a lot of different ordinances and sources to pull from. I thought it might be a good idea for a committee to look through it.”

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By Robert Tomkavage

rtomkavage@timesleader.com

Reach Robert Tomkavage at 570-704-3941 or on Twitter @rtomkavage.