A public hearing was held on Wednesday, July 24 at Village Hall to allow the public to share their thoughts on the proposal of a Dollar General coming to Watkins. One resident went to the podium and asked Paul Abdo (the developer wanting to bring DG to Watkins, who also owns several other DGs, including one in Baldwin, WI) if it was true that DG stores have been assessed OSHA violations. Mr. Abdo publicly stated that he was unaware of anything of the sort. However, a few online searches will show that his store in Baldwin was, in fact, cited by OSHA after referral from fire officials back in December of 2021 with potential fines reaching well over $400,000. He LIED.
He also stated that our community should not worry because he, personally, and his family would directly "own" the store. Well, he personally owns the store in Baldwin, so this should make us all very concerned. He clearly does not care to take care of the stores, the employees or anyone in the community once the store is set up and running and he has made his money.
Below is a quote taken directly from an official OSHA news release dated June 3, 2022 (Read the full news release here: https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/region5/06032022) regarding Mr. Abdo's store in WI specifically:
"In Baldwin, Wisconsin, OSHA inspectors responded to a referral from local fire officials in December 2021 and found emergency exit doors closed and padlocked on the inside with a bike lock and a board. Boxes of merchandise blocked the exit. In an emergency, these conditions would prevent workers and others from exiting the store through these emergency exits.
Store managers told OSHA inspectors the exit doors needed repairs to close properly and were frequently padlocked and blocked with a board while employees were present. OSHA determined that Dollar General allowed the door to remain in disrepair since September 2021. Fire officials inspected the store 11 times in 2021, and ordered the facility closed six times due to hazardous conditions.
OSHA issued four willful citations for blocking emergency routes, exits and fire extinguishers and failing to leave adequate space around electrical panels. The agency proposed penalties of $435,081."
As one last note, the women who currently own the land he is attempting to buy and build on do not live in Watkins and one of them (the daughter) is a realtor with Kerber Castle Realty Group and the other (the mom) is owner of Castle Realty, each of Saint Cloud, MN. They are actively pushing for this transaction to take place, even after hearing feedback that the community DOES.NOT.WANT.IT.
Please share the link to this petition and please help spread the word. No one that is involved in this project or supports it has the best interest of our community in mind.