Letter to the Editor
Board Meeting Statement – Logan & Harrison County Growth
Dear Editor,
I was invited to speak at today’s Harrison County Board of Supervisors meeting following my post about the Logan community and the proposed Dollar General just outside our city limits. I was honored to be given the opportunity to share my perspective, not just as a resident, but as someone who deeply cares about the future of our town and our county. This is what I shared with them:
I want to start by saying this clearly. This conversation is not about being “for” or “against” any one store. It’s about being intentional with the future we are building.
Because whether we like it or not, every decision we make right now is shaping what Logan, and Harrison County as a whole, looks like 10, 15, 20 years from now.
We are not separate from each other. Logan does not exist without Harrison County. Harrison County does not thrive without strong communities like Logan.
So the question isn’t “Is this one store good or bad?”
The real question is, what kind of community are we choosing to become?
There is a lot of information circulating about dollar stores. Some of it is accurate, and some of it is exaggerated.
Yes, in some communities they’ve filled gaps. But in many rural towns across America, studies have shown a pattern.
They don’t just compete. They often displace small businesses.
Local grocers struggle. Main Street traffic declines. And over time, the convenience we thought we were gaining can quietly erode the very character of the town.
That doesn’t happen overnight. It happens slowly, and then all at once.
And here’s the part I think matters most.
We are not a town in crisis, not a food desert, not a dead Main Street, and we are not without resources.
We still have something incredibly valuable, a foundation worth protecting and building on. Once that foundation is chipped away, it is very hard to rebuild.
I also want to acknowledge something important, because I hear it, and it matters.
Families are stretched right now. People are doing what they need to do to get by.
Convenience and affordability matter. That is real. And it deserves respect.
But long-term growth requires us to look beyond just immediate convenience and ask what actually strengthens our local economy over time.
Because “cheap” in the short term can become very expensive for a community in the long term. So when we talk about a 20-year plan, and we should be talking about a 20-year plan, we need to ask:
Do we want a community that is driven by outside corporations that extract dollars and move on? Or do we want a community that invests in itself, supports local businesses, builds something sustainable, and creates a place our kids actually want to stay or come back to?
Because this isn’t just about today.
It’s about:
I’m not here to shut anything down. I’m here to say we need to be thoughtful, informed, and proactive. If we’re going to grow, let’s grow on purpose.
Let’s make decisions that align with a vision, not just react to what’s put in front of us.
Because the future of Logan and Harrison County is not something that just happens to us. It’s something we choose.
And after I finished speaking, I stood there with a full heart and a few shaky nerves… and I listened. I listened to the conversations, I watched the room, and I felt what this community cares about.
When the vote was cast to deny the rezoning, the room filled with applause and emotion.
That moment wasn’t just about a decision. It was about people showing up, speaking up, and caring deeply about the future of Logan and Harrison County.
God bless the people of Logan & all of Harrison County. May our future be bright and aligned with prosperity.
Missy Rowe, Logan
