City feels pangs after burger giant's withdrawal
By JILLIAN OVERSTAKE
Intern Staff Writer
Fearful of the economic, social, and psychological impact of the sudden closing of McDonalds, alarmed Hillsboro leaders, ranging from the mayor, the chamber of commerce director, and top business leaders, began rallying this past week to find a solution.
As the scramble to find a replacement franchise begins, city officials agree that the process will be anything but fast.
Because there's no instruction manual on how to woo a Wendy's, local problem-solvers say they plan to be guided by other small communities who've lost a McDonald's and replaced the restaurant with another fast food franchise.
In the meantime, hundreds of basketball fans coming for the Trojan Classic next week will not be able to find fast meals between games.
While they are hopeful that a franchiser will see the value of locating in Hillsboro, officials say it is unlikely that the problem can be solved by this summer when baseball tournaments come to town, or even by late September when tens of thousands of people swarm the city for the Arts and Crafts Fair.
"Is there anybody else in town who can handle the food needs in the same capacity that McDonald's could? No, not right now," said chamber of commerce director Christy Wulf, who also directs the craft fair.
"We have restaurants in town, but none of them can handle the number of people who would be buying at one time with any speed at all," Wulf said.
In addition to lost McFlurries, Wulf added that the loss was a blow to Hillsboro's ego as well.
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"We've also lost a little bit of clout," Wulf said. "It was a status symbol, we were the only McDonald's in Marion County, and now that's gone."
Wulf met with the Department of Commerce to talk about the closure and discovered that other small towns also have dealt with McDonald's disappearing. Lyons, Lindsborg, and Eureka recently have lost their restaurants as well.
"Lyons now has a Wendy's in the same spot," said Wulf. "There was renovation done and it was enlarged. I'm trying to contact someone and meet with the mayor and anyone else who might be helpful [in attracting another restaurant]."
As for now, the restaurant's contents will be auctioned off, and the building itself, which the corporation bought, will remain vacant.
According to Mike Kleiber, out-going director of the Hillsboro Development Corporation (HDC), other cities in similar situations are a big help to Hillsboro.
"Basically we look at other towns that have had similar experiences and visit with them to see how their situations transpired," said Kleiber.
Kleiber and the HDC plan to help the community find a replacement as soon as possible.
"I think we lost an important part of our town," said Kleiber. "We're not just going to sit back and wait for something to happen. We're going to be proactive."
When the Golden Arches fell, the community also lost the golden generosity of the former owner Dan D'Albini.
D'Albini's business provided cups and drinks for high school and middle school sporting events, coupons for hamburgers used as rewards at the elementary school, and free condiments for a hot dog giveaway.
"Dan did so much for the community," Wulf said. "He's been incredibly giving and supportive of Hillsboro.
"I know there's not another restaurant here that's going to step up and fill those gaps. I don't know if we'll ever have any idea what kind of impact he really made."
At city hall, Hillsboro Mayor Dolores Dalke's concern is the significant loss to the tax rolls.
While the city was unable to provide specific numbers, Dalke said tax dollars generated by McDonald's helped fund the Hillsboro Family Aquatics Center, the Main Street improvement project, as well as other capital improvement projects in the city.
In addition to the money lost by the city, according to Dalke, Marion County lost money as well because of a one-percent sales tax. The loss means "a huge amount of money won't be coming to this area."
"It's not going to affect just Hillsboro," she said. "But [also] the county. It's a county issue."
Also affecting the county is the 24 employees who lost their jobs, not all of whom were Hillsboro residents.
"Many of the employees who worked there didn't live in Hillsboro," said Dalke. "They live all over Marion County and were dependent on McDonald's for their income."
Although D'Albini said half of his former employees already have jobs, the chamber director said the impact was overwhelming.
"A bomb went off in their lives," said Wulf.
In agreement with Wulf, Mayor Dalke said that of all the businesses that have closed their doors, the closing of McDonald's "has had the most impact in recent memory."
"It was something of a status symbol to say that our town was progressive enough for a McDonald's," Dalke said.
"Hopefully, somebody will see that Hillsboro is the place they want to be with their franchise."
Unlike manufacturing business, Hillsboro will not be able to use tax breaks and incentives to recruit another fast food restaurant to town.
"The state of Kansas doesn't allow you to give tax breaks to fast food or retail establishments," Dalke said.
Even with all of the leaders in Hillsboro working together, Dalke is concerned about the slow pace of the process.
"I don't know how quickly it can be done," she said. "Or how quickly someone will respond. This is a totally new experience for us."
At this point, this much is clear: it's hard to be a college town without a Dollar Menu, and it's hard to be a bedroom community without a place to get a Happy Meal.
