Dollar General put out a press release to select news outlets yesterday announcing a surprise gift for Widmyer Elementary School in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.
“Dollar General has a top-secret surprise for the students of Widmyer Elementary School,” the press release read. “No one knows what is in store on Tuesday morning — not the students, not the teachers, not even the principal.”
“All we can say is that Dollar General is making a big impact on the school, and you need to be there to capture the surprise on everyone’s face,” the press release read.
If you showed up at the press event today at 10 am at Widmyer, you would have had the opportunity to interview Dollar General regional director Tom Aruanno, Dollar General district manager Paul Motter and Widmyer Elementary School Principal Rhett Beckman.
At the appointed time — 10 am today — Dollar General was at the school and presented the school with a check for $40,000 “to support youth literacy programs.”
Surely not civic literacy.
There was no mention by Dollar General of some relevant facts on the ground.
Like the fact that Dollar General wants to put yet another one of its stores in a rural residential area of southern Morgan County — against the wishes of many county residents.
Like the fact that that local residents have filed a lawsuit against the Morgan County Planning Commission for cutting corners when it approved the proposed Dollar General store — at the corner of US 522 and Oakland Road.
Like the fact that there will be a hearing on that lawsuit on May 15 at 1 pm before Judge Christopher Wilkes at the Morgan County Courthouse.
And why $40,000 this year when in 2013 Dollar General gave a mere $3,789 to Widmyer?
Maybe it had something to do with the public relations battle over the proposed store?
Like, maybe, with a community split over its proposed third store for Morgan County, Dollar General was trying to buy a little community support?
Dollar General spokesperson Mary Kathryn Patterson said that the $40,000 corporate donation had nothing to do with the battle over proposed the Dollar General store in Morgan County.
Patterson said that Morgan County was rewarded with the grant because customers at the Dollar General store in Berkeley Springs store were exceptionally generous with their donations to the literacy fund.
“It’s our way of giving back to the community,” Patterson said.
Local resident Paul Stern said he was happy for Widmyer Elementary and for all the students at Widmyer Elementary.
“But that doesn’t change the fundamental issues involved,” Stern said.
“We want a Planning Commission that is independent, that follows its own rules, that doesn’t bend over backwards to accommodate businesses,” Stern said. “We want independent planning decisions. And also, we want to maintain the rural nature of our community. I don’t see any reason why we can’t have all of those things. It’s certainly not a question of having good education or having a Dollar General. We want Dollar Generals in the appropriate locations.”
“As citizens, we are going to continue to fight so that our community looks like the way we want it to look,” Stern said.