CEDARVILLE (KFSM) – Cedarville council members welcomed public comments on the Walmart store closure in a regular city council meeting Tuesday (Jan. 19).
The mayor said a petition to keep the store open, signed by hundreds, will not change the company’s decision to close the store.
“Walmart called me and said it’s a done deal,” Mayor Mark Isenhower said, after the city council meeting.
One resident spoke up on the issue at the meeting, suggesting the building be used for a CVs or a restaurant.
Isenhower said he reached out for help in finding someone qualified to buy the building.
“I reached out to two individuals who I thought could manage it and have the financial backing,” he said. “Then I also reached out to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, and they’re going to advertise it for us, once Walmart decides how much it’s worth and what they want to sell it for.”
The Walmart in Cedarville opened in December of 2014 and is the only grocery store, gas station and pharmacy in town.
"I would like it to serve the same purpose. I don't know if we'll be lucky enough to get a pharmacy, a grocery store and a gas station, but if we do, that'll be great,” Isenhower said. “And if we can get any of those components, it would be better than what we're going to have in a couple weeks, which is an empty building."
The store is scheduled to close Jan. 28, 2016. A Walmart spokesperson said the reason the store is closing is because it's an express store, and the company is no longer moving forward with that format.