As you have probably heard, Escalante’s City Council recently approved the development of a dollar store in the rural town. For years this town has undergone many changes, some for the better, and some for the worse. However, through it all the people have learned to adapt.
I have lived here in Escalante for 15 years, and grown up surrounded by the beauty Escalante has to offer. It has been interesting to see the backlash the new store is getting from those who have also made this town their home. So of course, this is something that has piqued my interest and I feel the need to share some viewpoints I have, differing from others you may have already heard.
On March 21, I attended the City Council meeting which was open to public comment. Some comments I disagreed with. I do believe that a dollar store would be economically beneficial to the community. Many people, myself included, believe that it would be nice to have quick access to goods that aren’t supplied in any other businesses.
Even though the store would be a national franchise, sometimes that is all people can afford. Especially here, with limited shopping options, limited trips out of town, and inflation rising. A dollar store would also help provide the town with more jobs and opportunity to work.
One thing we cherish our town for is the area’s beauty, which attracts so many tourists. While all of these people are coming in and out of town it would benefit even them. The same goes for the residents of the community. Options are limited to purchase even a birthday present for our kids.
Opponents of the store argued that the metal building wouldn’t fit the charm of our town. They argued that it wasn’t appropriate to build a lowly dollar store on a scenic byway. Others were concerned about Family Dollar delivery truck traffic on a residential road, and one person even lamented the convenience of immediate goods in stock offered by a dollar store.
Another person commented he was concerned a dollar store would cause existing businesses to compete in a negative way, but I don’t see it as a direct competitor. A dollar store would carry things not provided by other businesses in our small community, making the store an asset, not something to reject.
Beside my own belief that the store would be beneficial, one person I spoke to was in favor of the store for a different reason. He said he believes that a land owner should be free to do what he wants with his own property, without government infringement. I agree 100%. Of course every citizen can exercise their rights only in ways that don’t infringe on others’ rights. But as a property owner you should be allowed to put what you want on your property as the law allows.
Another person I spoke to shared a different perspective, also in favor of allowing the store. He pointed out that many of those arguing against the store were essentially asking the City Council to ignore the City’s own ordinances–and by their own discretion, overrule the ordinances to prevent the development of the store. “If laws are created in part to protect the people from the government, since when was it ever acceptable to subject the law to the government’s discretion?” he asked. Doesn’t that weaken the rule of law and set a terrible precedent?
The City Council also seemed to agree they were bound by the ordinances as they are currently written. But for all those with strong feelings about the new store, it also comes to question how invested you really are in the community. If so, are you willing to participate in city planning? During the meeting, our mayor, Melani Torgersen, stated she was welcome to any conversation at any time with those who disagreed in order to look at changing some ordinances in the future.
Will the store change the character of the community? Maybe. But as Commissioner Jerry Taylor said of Escalante, “The stores don’t give it a hometown feel. The people do.”
With that statement I couldn’t agree more. Our town is going to undergo so many changes. And this is just one more we need to welcome with open arms and choose to adapt to. Instead of seeing it as a blight, look at the dollar store as an asset–as something that will add to our small town charm.
– by McKynlee Cottam (17) Escalante
Feature image caption: The Escalante City Council hears public comment on a proposed dollar store development, as captured here in McKynlee’s BeReal.
McKynlee Cottam – Escalante
McKynlee Cottam is a junior writer, and sometimes editor, at The Byway. She is a senior at Escalante High School. This year she’s had the opportunity to be the school’s Student Body President and Miss Garfield’s Outstanding Teen. McKynlee loves to write about things that are going on in our county and world, as well as some fun out-of-hat pieces. She enjoys playing the violin, participating in basketball, and of course hanging out with her friends. The Byway has been a fun part of her life, and she hopes to keep contributing to it for some time!