This is an appeal to all residents and homeowners living west of Highway 113:

We are in danger of losing our neighborhood grocery because many of us fail to shop locally on a regular basis.

Whatever our excuse, it is not worth losing the Westlake IGA Market, the heart of our community and the jobs it provides.

Sure, we might find “cheaper prices” on some items in other stores but is it worth driving clear across town to save a few cents on a gallon of milk or whatever?

The current average auto operation cost is 60 cents per mile (and going up daily). It is almost 8 miles roundtrip to Nugget or the Co-op from Westlake Plaza, so it costs almost $5 to make that drive. Not to mention the 30 to 35 minutes of drive time and the associated environmental impacts!

Westlake IGA employs 20 Davis residents, and approximately 68 percent of every dollar spent at Westlake IGA stays in Davis.

Homeowners should realize that a good “walkability factor” adds about 10 percent to the value of our properties. This translates to anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 added value to our individual homes.

If the grocery goes away, so does our “walkability factor,” a pile of value in our homes, along with 20 local jobs … and that “cheap” milk becomes very expensive! So think before you go driving for that “cheap” milk!

Please come to the community SOS rally at Stonegate Country Club (919 Lake Blvd.) on June 1 at 7 p.m. to meet our Westlake IGA grocers and give them your input.

Eric Nelson

Davis

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