New Dollar General would detract from historic district in Gaines

Editor:

One of the delightful aspects of Gaines is how much the past is connected to our present. From the old homes to the cobblestone structures which are unique to the area, we find beauty in the work of those who came before us. After almost 200 years, we can still find hospitality at the Village Inn. The farming families who till the fields and care for the orchards we pass by daily have known each other for generations.

It has been tremendously disheartening to hear of plans to build a Dollar General across from the Cobblestone Schoolhouse in Childs. Dollar General reflects nothing of the character of Gaines. It has nothing to do with agriculture. Nor is it a small business with a vested interest in the community. Dollar General is a faceless corporation, with no responsibilities to anyone except its shareholders, who care for nothing except more profits.

We will have lost much if a Dollar General is built across the road from perhaps the most pristine one-room schoolhouse in the state. We will look a little less like Gaines, and more like every other community in the United States that finds itself situated on a major highway. Some things are more important than the bottom line. Character matters.

Sincerely,

Adrienne Kirby,

Resident of Childs in Gaines