Displaying items by tag: The Starting Gate

Public Encouraged to Bring Welcome Signs

WILTON - Dollar General is eyeing a parcel of land off of exit 16 of the Northway as a potential location for a $92.4 million distribution center it intends to build somewhere in the Northeast. 

According to Dan MacDonald, a spokesman for the company based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, they are currently evaluating multiple locations. Although Dollar General is interested in this site, the large retail chain has not yet committed to building a distribution center in Wilton at this time.  

Wilton Town Supervisor Art Johnson confirmed Dollar General has an option on the land, and they are through the zoning board, but are still in the very preliminary stages of the planning board process. 

“It’s very exciting, the thought of all those jobs and the addition to the tax base,” said Johnson. “A lot of the jobs are not automated, as some people might think. There’s a lot of manual labor involved and they need a lot of people. Salaries will likely average between $35,00-$45,000 a year, and there will be upper level management positions, too. This will give people who may not have a professional license or young people a chance to make a decent income. I look forward to working with them.” 

MacDonald said the company has much to consider when exploring a location for the 934,000-square-foot distribution center, such as availability of workforce, the business climate, roads with easy access to an interstate system, and infrastructure.

“We’re still early in the site selection process,” said MacDonald. “We need a new distribution center to support our growth. We just opened one in Janesville, Wisconsin with over 500 jobs. We’ll have more than 400 jobs in this new project somewhere in the Northeast. We opened 730 stores this year, and plan on 900 new stores in 2016. We’ve had pretty successful growth over the last five years. We’re looking for a site that fits in our footprint for growth in the Northeast. It’s an exciting time.” 

Johnson said they are also looking for $11.26 million in sales and property tax incentives from the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency. There will be a public hearing on January 11 at 8 a.m. at the Wilton Town Hall regarding the requested tax incentives. 

“They want a 10-year PILOT,” said Johnson, “a payment in lieu of taxes. The company is doing its due diligence. They know there’s no sewer, water, or gas on that side of the Northway; that all three utilities will have to be extended from the other side.”

Given the unknown competition from locations in other states, Johnson thinks the best thing the public can do to help bring these jobs here is to show up at the meetings in support of the project. 

“This is a new-coming business that is not familiar with New York,” he said, “and the fact that a town is receptive to a project can make a world of difference. The planning board meetings are monthly as they move through the different phases of approval, and the public is always welcome.”

Dollar General currently has 12 operational distribution centers in Alabama, California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. Two distribution centers are currently under construction in Texas and Wisconsin.  

For more information on Dollar General, how it serves communities with value and convenience, its commitment to literacy and education and more, visit www.dollargeneral.com.