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Store manager says Dollar General property neglected; council reviews options
Summary
A Dollar General store manager told council the store building and lot are owned by NAMDAR Realty Group and that the property owner is not addressing maintenance; the manager has paid for some repairs and raised concerns about security and sheriff dispatch response.
A Dollar General store manager’s maintenance and security concerns prompted discussion at the Aug. 5 Village of East Canton Council meeting about who is responsible for property upkeep and what the village can do.
A resident presenting public comment said she had spoken with Melissa House, the Dollar General store manager, who reported that Dollar General operates the store but that the building and lot are owned by NAMDAR Realty Group of New York. The presenter said the property owner is responsible for maintenance and that efforts to get a response have not succeeded. The presenter said the manager paid to fill potholes and repair a storm drain to keep the parking lot usable.
The presenter urged the council to pursue enforcement or legal remedies if the property owner failed to maintain conditions, noting she had seen prior notices sent to Dollar General and the property owner that did not elicit action. The presenter asked whether the village’s prior notices had been sent to both Dollar General and the property owner under a prior administrator; a council member replied that previous notices had been issued to both parties in earlier years.
The presenter also relayed store staff concerns about security and sheriff dispatch response: the manager said the sheriff’s department sometimes treats low-dollar-value thefts as phone reports and does not dispatch deputies immediately, and store staff asked whether the village could provide an officer or other security presence. Council members and the police chief noted that providing a private store with a dedicated officer would be a responsibility issue for taxpayers and that sheriff response times and resource allocation are handled by the county.
No formal council enforcement action was taken at the meeting. Council members asked staff to continue outreach to the store manager and to request the manager attend a future meeting to provide fuller details and documentation of lease responsibilities and prior notices. “She paid for the filling of the potholes... out of her own personal income,” the presenter said.
Background: the presenter supplied information on the property owner and urged the council to target the right entity if staff pursues enforcement; council said it did not have full lease details and would seek further information from the manager and from county authorities about dispatch practices.
