It is dèjá vu for Lindsay

Here we go again. For the third time, a Lindsay resident is opposing a proposal in that city which would bring a Dollar General store to the downtown area and for the second time, that same resident has filed a lawsuit.

Trudy Wischemann is claiming in her lawsuit the city did not provide proper notice nor follow its General Plan in approving the store planned for Hermosa Street and Elmwood Avenue.

Wischemann first fought the city on a Dollar General store which they hoped to place at Hermosa Street and North Mirage Avenue, the site of the old Citrus Exchange building. Wischemann claimed that site held historical significance. Dollar General eventually abandoned its plans.

The second time she opposed the store is at the same location of the present site. She opposed it before because she claimed a 1970s era gas station had historical significance. Again, Dollar General walked away.

City officials want the store for several reasons, one being it would bring more tax revenue into the city, but it would also give local residents another option for shopping in Lindsay. The Dollar General store in Strathmore has been very successful and wellreceived there.

We know from past comments that Ms. Wischemann and her unnamed supporters don’t want older buildings destroyed to make way for new buildings, but this latest attempt is simply, in our opinion, a dislike of Dollar General. The gas station she protected two years ago in her opposition has been torn down. The lot is vacant. If the General Plan and other reasons for the lawsuit were valid, they would have been valid the last two times she opposed the development.

Citizens have a right to oppose progress no matter the reasons, but there are also rights of citizens to see progress and have more options on where to spend their hard-earned dollars. We hope those residents stand up and be counted in favor of this project and show their displeasure with the continued efforts to block any progress in that city. Such opposition is one reason the city is struggling with providing the services it wants to provide the citizens of Lindsay.

We hope Dollar General and the city are in this for the long haul.

Editorials in The Porterville Recorder are the opinion of the editorial board which consists of Publisher Rick Elkins and the managing editor. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily of The Recorder.