News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports | Minco Residents Learn to Cope Without Grocery Store
The Williams Discount Foods store in Minco burned down two months ago. Residents now have to drive far out of town to buy groceries.
It is unclear if Williams will be rebuilt, but Minco's Chamber of Commerce said a grocery store will be rebuilt in the town.By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9
MINCO, Oklahoma -- The town of Minco's one and only grocery store burned down two months ago, and now citizens are being forced to find ways to adjust.
The Williams Discount Foods store served not just Minco but also surrounding towns.
"It didn't only provide for the Minco residents. It also provided for Union City, and Pocasset, which is south of us, and the Culver community, which is west of us," said Minco Mayor-Elect Keith McMullen.
With their only grocery store gone, people in Minco have to drive a ways to buy food.
"I go to Beachlers in El Reno or to Homeland in Chickasha," said Minco resident Laverne Hines. "Sometimes I have to do without things."
For senior citizens who can't drive out of town, the First Baptist Church has set up a shuttle service for grocery shopping once a week.
The owners of the grocery store haven't said if they'll rebuild, but residents in Minco fear they won't. Meanwhile, with no grocery store in Minco, the city government has been losing money.
"The fact is, you know, in Minco, we've lost a little over a third actually of our sales tax revenue because of the loss of the grocery store," McMullen said.
The city had to put the police chief's scheduled raise on hold, while the Chamber of Commerce looks for a replacement store.
"We will have a grocery here again. Minco's a great community, a growing community. And so we are in need of a grocery store," said Deana Walje with the Minco Chamber of Commerce.
The city and the Chamber of Commerce are also working to bring other retail businesses to Minco.
Comments Terms of Use: Terms of Use: We welcome your participation in our community. Please keep your comments civil and on point. You must be at least 13 years of age to post comments. In addition, by submitting a comment, you recognize that your comment may be read or discussed on one or more television news broadcasts on NEWS 9 and you consent to any such use. By submitting a comment, you agree to these
Terms of Service
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login or register See all comments |
State revenues were below budget estimates again in January despite showing some improvement from the previous month, State Treasurer Scott Meacham announced this afternoon. More>>
A search for a missing Oklahoma City boy has ended after the boy showed up at school, police said. More>>
Several large columns of concrete fell from the expanding parking garage at the Devon Tower construction site. More>>
The possibility of more winter storms could mean more snow days for Oklahoma schools. Now, teachers are worried if students will be prepared for the upcoming standardized tests. More>>
Frequently unemployment is merely reported as a statistic, but the Oklahoma Impact Team is taking a closer look at the people behind the numbers. More>>
The Junior League of Norm is sponsoring the Healthy Smiles exhibit at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History on Sunday, February 7 from 1-5 p.m. as part of National Children's Dental Health month. More>>
Oklahoma ranks as the third worst state for women due to high rates of domestic violence, teen pregnancy and incarcerated women. The Oklahoma Women's Coalition is working to change that. More>>
High schools across the state could begin offering an elective course in the study of the Bible under a measure approved by a Senate committee. More>>
