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Some Steubenville residents are irate about the prospect of the construction of a Dollar General on the old Grant School lot on South Fourth Street.
They claim that downtown doesn't need a Dollar Store there, because there are other discount stores just blocks away. They argue that the town's citizens would be better served by a town square. This vision of an idyllic, walkable downtown is appealing, but rests on ignorance both of the expenses and logistics of urban infrastructure, and the serious challenges community residents face.
As someone who has worked and interacted with residents of Steubenville's downtown for more than 20 years, knows the city's history, has been involved with many revitalization projects and organizations and visited other cities specifically to learn how they dealt with similar problems, I want to provide another viewpoint in the ongoing discussion.
Although my dream was that the lot could be made into a permanent farmers market and event center, I soon learned that due to the way the old school was demolished, it would take more than $300,000 to make the site fulfill environmental and safety regulations. Unfortunately, as the city has lost population, businesses and steel mills as well as the accompanying tax revenue, and is faced with aging water and sewer lines that must be replaced by federal decree, there are not enough funds in the budget to cover that cost.
Urban renewal, if it is to be done correctly, costs money. In the past, robust taxation made it possible for the federal government to support the needs of less affluent communities, but the current trend, away from investment in public works, toward privatization, leaves working class communities financially strapped. Short of another New Deal, urban renewal in communities like Steubenville requires investors. And there are not many investors willing to stake $30,000 before even constructing a building and opening a business. Dollar General officials have said they would make that commitment.
There have been several new retail businesses in the historic business district, but most have moved into buildings that had already been rehabilitated. The few entrepreneurs who took on some of the older structures apparently have run into difficulties since the buildings are standing unfinished, even dangerously so. We would all love to bring these 19th century buildings up to 21st century standards, but the cost to do so safely and correctly is high -- and that is one reason there are so many empty storefronts.
But I have another concern associated with this issue: The needs of the residents of the South End of town where there are no stores other than a gas station. Many of these citizens are on limited incomes. Not everyone has a car. It is one mile from the gas station on Sinclair Avenue to the Dollar Tree on Market Street. A general store on the South Street site that would offer daily necessities such as milk, fresh produce, toiletries, school supplies, baby wipes and more with regular daily and weekend hours would be much more convenient for them. And, to be honest, this would not draw customers away from the Steubenville Grocery Box on North Fourth Street, since its high-quality foods and baked goods attract a different clientele. I don't know about you, but I shop at a variety of stores, including Dollar General, to be sure that I stay within my budget in a difficult economy.
The question of how best to use that site has plagued council members and civic leaders for years. They have not ignored it. Failure to develop the site is not due to mismanagement, indifference or lack of ideas, but to the fact that civic leaders have to work with the funds and resources at their disposal. As with many problems that modern cities with old infrastructure are facing, there is no easy answer. A Dollar General is probably no one's first choice, but it would generate taxes, offer employment and provide vital resources for vulnerable residents in an often-neglected part of town.
Let's not let that lot remain vacant another 20 years.
(Bratten, a resident of Hopedale, is the retired executive director of Historic Fort Steuben)