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Published Wednesday, January 25, 2012 in Local

Grantville's Jabaley sees food co-op as solution

By Rebecca Leftwich

The Newnan Times-Herald

City council member Rochelle Jabaley may have figured out a way to give the people of Grantville what they say they want most: a grocery store.

Jabaley spoke at the end of Monday's Grantville City Council meeting, addressing the priorities she gleaned from citizen responses to her "Grantville Mosquito" e-newsletter inquiries. Number one was access to fresh groceries.

A dozen or so audience members at city hall responded positively when Jabaley told them she's looking into the legal structure necessary to open a grocery co-op, even though it would mean Grantville residents would have to be willing to do some work.

"I can't do it by myself," Jabaley said. "We would need community support. And it can't be the same people who are always volunteering for everything else."

A food co-op is a collectively owned grocery store that requires members to purchase shares or pay an annual fee, usually requiring its members to work volunteer shifts at the location as well. After petitioning 378 prospective markets to consider a Grantville location -- with nary a response -- Jabaley decided to look into a co-op.

"My vision, as always, is to improve downtown," she said. "The co-op would carry meats, fresh fruits and vegetables and a wider range of frozen foods, so it wouldn't be in conflict with the dollar store."

Grantville Downtown Development Authority Chairman Scott Palmer also discussed plans for the downtown area at the meeting. Palmer asked the city to consider the feasibility of taking down buildings in a historic area where the now-closed Nick's Pizzeria is located to eventually make room for a new city hall complex.

"If the city won't build something itself, why would anyone else come in and build?" Palmer said. The council expressed support for the ongoing work of the DDA, recommending that Palmer look at alternative locations and bring visuals for the next visioning report.

However, the fact that Palmer's parents co-own the property in question was one of several problems for former council member Doug Jewell, who spoke against the new city hall project during citizen comments.

"I appreciate the vision, but the city has spent an awful lot of tax money for this building," said Jewell, referring to the current city hall. "There's still a lot of unused room in this building, and we will have wasted a lot of tax dollars to move into this building just to vacate it."

In other business:

• Mayor Jim Sells announced the opening of two new businesses, Bargain Bucks and a heating and air company. Sells said the city is courting two other businesses for the downtown area.

• Tabled a fencing project for the Griffin Street Recreation Center; bids for city hall flooring repair and replacement; and recreation area signage, referring all three matters to City Manager Johnny Williams.

• Approved an amendment to the Combined Cycle Power Sales Contract with MEAG, allowing for a lower interest rate for the contract's loan.

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