With the news still fresh that the downtown City Market will close on Sept. 11, various community groups and individuals are voicing their concerns in attempts to have the decision reversed.

City Market, part of Kroger, announced Aug. 16 that the downtown location, the smaller of two stores in Pagosa Springs at 15,334 square feet, is no longer profitable and will be closed.

Since the announcement, letters and calls have been sent by citizens and community leaders to the corporation.

The Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners Aug. 19 approved a letter to City Market President Phyllis Norris expressing “extreme concern” and asking that the company reconsider its decision.

“We stand ready to listen to alternative ideas or suggestions that would make the location a viable enterprise,” the letter states.

Similarly, Pagosa Springs Mayor Ross Aragon sent a letter to Norris which indicates the store “is an essential part of the character of our community and is a focal point of downtown activity.”

The letter also notes the number of elderly residents who rely on the store and the stabilizing effect of the store on the downtown’s economy.

Enclosed with the letter as part of the effort to urge City Market to reconsider was a list of incentives available to retail businesses, part of a policy previously adopted by the Town Council.

Town Manager David Mitchem said, “We’ve opened that door and, thus far, City Market has been pretty firm in the stance that they are closing it.”

Mitchem said the town is still in discussions with the company in an attempt to find a solution, but he said no favorable response has been received.

Another letter, sent by the Pagosa Springs Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, asks a number of “what now?” questions concerning the employees, elderly customers, and the building that will soon sit empty along the community’s main corridor.

“Kroger’s decision was made without ANY community or business input by any one of our business leaders: the County, the Town, or the Chamber of Commerce,” the letter states, continuing, “Without this input, there were decisions made by Kroger that as a community we might have been able to overcome with some creative problem-solving skills.

“Kroger has left the community to pick up the pieces and your decision puts the onus back onto the community to solve many of the problems that are a result of this closing .”

Steve Vassallo, executive director of the Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation, and Mike Alley, CDC board chair, spoke with Norris on the phone last week, with Vassallo reporting that Norris’ stance is that the store’s closing is irreversible.

Vassallo reported he was told that an internal survey by City Market found that the vast majority of the people shopping at the downtown store also shopped at the uptown location.

Vassallo said the CDC is committed to helping any employees who will not be transferred to find jobs in the community and said the CDC will work with the county to alleviate transportation issues, using the Mountain Express bus system.

Vassallo is also slated to meet with City Market Regional Manager Rick Banford next week.

Other community leaders are meeting to brainstorm ways to alleviate the effects of the store’s closing.

Pastor Don Ford of the Community United Methodist Church said a number of area clergy are discussing ideas to help in both the short-term and long-term, but reported that no decisions have been reached.

“There needs to be a band-aid for the immediate situation,” Ford said, and a long-term solution until the wound heals.

City Market Public Relations Manager Kelly McGannon said the company has received many customer comments, but added, “The current economy just doesn’t allow us to run two stores in the community any longer.”

McGannon said the company has to be a viable employer for its other 19,000 employees.

“We appreciate their comments and we appreciate their passion about the store, because that means we were doing lots of things right,” McGannon said.

An ad running in this issue of The SUN includes a letter from Norris thanking the community for its support over the years and explaining that, economically, two stores can no longer be supported.

The letter states that City Market is working one-on-one with each of the employees at the downtown store to relocate them within the company.

“I want to assure you that City Market is committed to Pagosa Springs; we value your business and your comments. We will continue to support the community as a positive presence and good corporate citizen,” the letter states in its closing paragraph.

Also included in the ad is a 10-percent-off coupon valid at either Pagosa Springs location until Sept. 11.

randi@pagosasun.com