(File Photo of a Drawing of Beaver Falls)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver Falls, PA) City and state leaders are now attempting to address what is commonly known as a “food desert” in Beaver Falls after the closings of several stores. Beaver Falls City Manager Charles “Mick” Jones and Mayor Kenya Johns as well as State Representative Roman Kozak (R-Beaver) are in discussions related to solve this problem. Beaver Falls residents had access to at least three major grocery stores: City Market on Seventh Avenue, A&P on 24th Street, and Economy Supermarket on Ninth Avenue in the lower end of the city a couple of generations ago. All three of those grocery stores have been closed for at least 20 years, while the Sav-A-Lot (formerly Economy Supermarket and Foodland) recently shut its doors on Ninth Avenue. Jones stated that they are considering appropriate, centrally located sites within the city that would be convenient for residents to walk to retail grocery outlets. According to published reports, Beaver Falls has a significant need for improved grocery access, as parts of the city are officially classified as food deserts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Even though there are major supermarkets in the general vicinity, many of them are located in the Chippewa Township area. This creates a gap of three miles, which makes it difficult for downtown Beaver Falls residents and older residents who lack reliable transportation. Jones noted that he recalls when Beaver Falls hosted several stable grocery store operations and he expressed that one place that was contacted about this situation was Grocery Outlet, which is based in California. However, not all residents of Beaver Falls consider the food situation as dire.