John Willoughby: Greene Publishing, Inc.
On Thursday, March 28, the Greenville Town Council will come together in a special session to make a decision in regards to finalizing a sufficient grant, one of many, which will be imperative in the process of bringing a grocery store to the Town of Greenville.
According to documents, the Town of Greenville Town Council is considering plans to use multiple grants in an effort to construct a full-line fresh-foods retail grocery store in Greenville, owned by the Town of Greenville and operated by a successful, privately-owned regional grocer. The project will help to improve economic conditions in Greenville by not only creating approximately 14 new jobs, but giving citizens the ease of convenience by being able to walk or drive just a short distance for their grocery needs, instead of a drive to Madison or other cities.
Town Manager Edward Dean was excited to reveal that through a partnership with the Madison County Health Department, the grocery store will provide a pharmacy, which would be open once a week. A deli and a minute-clinic will also be available services to shoppers.
Six grants are currently what will support the project. In the month of January, the Town of Greenville was awarded $1.7 million through the Florida Jobs Growth grant. Approximately $475,044 will provide refrigeration equipment and other necessities needed to operate the store successfully. The monies allocated will also be vital in purchasing the property on which the store will be located.
Others grants include the CDBG-ED (Community Development Block Grant – Economic Development category), of which $490,000 will become available for site development, construction and grant administration, if the grant is awarded. The CDBG-ED grant will be applied for in June. Another grant which could provide $125,000 is the Rural Infrastructure Fund (Total Participation Category), which would be used for a variety of construction and infrastructure costs. The grant application is set to be submitted in May.
There are many additional grants that could be used to facilitate the proposed project, including, the Rural Infrastructure Fund (Feasibility Fund), which could provide approximately $100,000 for site projects: surveys, permitting, preliminary designs, etc. The grant application was submitted during the month of March, however, a sale and purchase agreement (otherwise known as a contract-for-sale agreement) is needed for the grant application to be processed, as well as a sole source claim.
The town hopes to secure all funding within the next three to four months, with an estimated completion date of June 2020.
Patrick Hoy, of Hoy Stark Hagan Architects, will be presenting a preliminary study and site analysis, which was completed on multiple sites considered for the location of the grocery store. Now, however, only one site is considered feasible. In a special session on Thursday, March 28, the council will discuss and possibly vote on the next steps to secure a location.
The special session will take place at 6 p.m., at the Greenville Senior Center, located at 166 Onslo Trail, in Greenville. For more information, call Town Hall at (850) 948-2251.