During a recent Open Line on KTTN, a caller asked Trenton Mayor Jackie Soptic about the status of the former Orscheln building in Trenton.
Soptic said a discount grocer is going into the building. She thinks it will open in mid to late September or early October.
Soptic reported the neighboring building where Shopko was previously was bought by a leasing company that works to find things to go into the buildings the company owns. She noted that is common practice in retail currently.
She said there had been no official announcement and that, to her knowledge, nothing had yet been decided for that building. She mentioned that people were in the building working and cleaning it.
Soptic agreed that empty buildings are not good for communities and wants to see activity at properties. She reported a two to two-and-a-half-block area on Main Street has seen major demolition and cleanup recently, and that downtown Trenton has benefited from the farmers market Saturdays.
She reported that data from a program that tracks activity from cell phones showed there were 1,100 people at the farmers market’s Christmas in July event and in the Downtown district.
Soptic said when she was elected as mayor, someone requested looking at putting sidewalks on the west end of town from where the sidewalk ends at Main Stop to the newer Dollar General.
Soptic noted the city is working with the Missouri Department of Transportation to apply for a grant to put sidewalks in that area. The city would put up 20% of the money for the match, and 80% would come from MoDOT.
After a caller asked about the status of the Green Hills Women’s Shelter in Trenton, Soptic said she did not know a lot about what is happening with the shelter because the city is not on the shelter board. However, a shelter case worker was at a recent mayor’s breakfast.
It was Soptic’s understanding that there is a legal issue that cannot be discussed publicly.
Soptic noted the Green Hills Women’s Shelter is still providing services.
