DICKSON CITY -- It's a tear-down 20 years in the making. A popular plaza in Dickson City has been haunted by an old ghost of a former big box store.
Walmart is finally coming down.
"It was a real eyesore," said Lucy Burke of Hawley. "I'm very glad to see that they're finally doing something with the property."
"Yes, and such a waste of all the beautiful flowers that are planted in front of it," added Charlotte Stone of Ararat Township.
Wegmans has maintained the area around it all this time. The grocery store chain now owns the Walmart property.
Ken Quandt of Dalton just moved to Lackawanna County and doesn't know about the old Walmart's interesting history.
"I wondered why it was empty," said Quandt. "I thought maybe it closed two years ago or three years ago. I didn't know it was around so long."
It was 1996 when falling rocks from the adjacent mountain threatened the safety of the building. Walmart built a new store in another part of Dickson City.
Wegmans says the first order of business is taking the old building down to the foundation before any development. Wegmans hopes to attract other businesses that could complement theirs.
Demolition is expected to take a few weeks.