Dollar General will open its newest store on Cedar Creek Lake in Tool within the year.

The store is expected to generate $1.2 million in sales annually, according to the corporation's representatives.

The store will carry name brand products, and it will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. It will employ five to 10 people from the area.

The Tool City Council approved the rezoning of two acres of property at Highway 274 and Kon Tiki Drive from residential to commercial recently over the objections of the Malakoff Independent School District. School officials said they feared the opening of a retail store next to Tool Elementary School would post a public safety threat to students because of increased traffic.

City officials said they would not approve the sale of alcoholic beverages at the store because of its proximity to a school and church.

Dollar General representatives said the corporation had spent significant time researching the market to pick the site, and it would not consider another location in Tool.

Dollar General promised the store would be built if the rezoning was approved.

Several residents spoke in favor of the store opening in Tool because of the convenience, and they said school officials' concerns seemed unwarranted.

The seller of the property said she was surprised by the oppostion of school officials.

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for 75 years, according to its website. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations.

With more than 11,000 stores in 40 states, Dollar General has more retail locations than any retailer in America. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America's most-trusted manufacturers such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg's, General Mills, and PepsiCo. For more information on Dollar General, please visit www.dollargeneral.com.