“The south side has suffered enough. We have seen this coming for a while. We just want to know that things are going to be different now,” lifelong resident of the south side Dale Henry said during the meeting at the Dome.
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Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck said the deal with Kroger will help the city serve residents who on March 4, when the store at 1822 S. Limestone St. closes, will be four miles away from the nearest grocery.
“We knew we had to work with Kroger to do right by Springfield and do right by the community,” Heck said
Under the deal, Kroger will do the following: donate the building at 1822 S. Limestone St, and the land, including non-proprietary contents of the facility without restriction on future use, contribute $31,500 to support shuttle services from South Springfield to other community grocery stores and contribute a minimum of $19,500 to Second Harvest Food Bank to support additional food bank services.
Most residents on Tuesday night wanted to know who will formally own the grocery store, and what is next for the south side community.
“We are just in the beginning stages of these conversations,” Heck said. “We don’t have all the answers right now.”
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Heck told residents they could sign up for committees that will focus on issues like transportation and food insecurity.
“Residents will have the opportunity to work together to figure out the next steps,” Heck said.
Groups will begin meeting soon, he said.
Mayor Warren Copeland, Springfield NAACP President Denise Williams, Springfield City Commissioner David Estrop and Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank Tyra Jackson also attended the meeting.
“This is a major hit for the south side of Springfield,” Copeland said. “That was a good place to shop. We will miss it.”
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