By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM --- The Town of Potsdam has been meeting with representatives of grocery and variety retailer Aldi on a plan to put a store on US Rt. 11 across from Walmart.

“They came to us a couple of months ago,” said Town Supervisor Marie Regan, and they proposed the store, to be between Tractor Supply and Mahoney’s Auto Mall.

Regan said the plot they have in mind is owned by Pat Doneghan of Watertown, who also owns the Tractor Supply lot.

For that reason, Regan said, some aspects of the process should go more easily, since they have worked with Doneghan before, as have the engineers the town has selected to oversee the town’s interests, O’Brien and Gere, who also worked with the town during the Walmart development.

“We’re early in the process,” said Regan, who notes the array of approvals that are required from locals authorities and the state transportation and environmental authorities, among others.

The steps taken at Tuesday night’s town board meeting include setting up an escrow account to pay the engineers.

Regan said the developers would like to begin building in the spring.

Aldi has 1,000 stores in 31 states, including outlets in Massena and Ogdensburg.