By Kristin Garrard, Moon News Cloud Contributor

University Boulevard is recognized for several things including the many restaurants lined up and down it, various car dealerships and the busy traffic that travels on the road to reach their destination.  Moon residents and the local college students are accustomed to seeing and using University Boulevard during the day while traffic is at a steady pace.

But what happens once that traffic dies down, or when everything is closed?  The strip of road practically resembles a ghost town once the restaurants close and RMU is not in session.

Sheetz is the only 24-hour establishment on the boulevard.

I come from a city where there are many different kinds of schedules that people follow and a road like University Boulevard would be completely useless in the late evening and early morning hours. Sure, Sheetz allows people to get fuel, fast food, drinks and snacks, but it is ignorant to not include the needs of people that work various hours and would maybe want to grocery shop.

I find it very indifferent that there is no 24-hour grocery store, McDonalds or any other establishment that will offer 24-hour service. I get that many full-time residents of the township might not need such 24-hour spaces, but RMU has an ever-growing population that requires different services. The absence of such amenities easily could easily lead people to travel out of Moon to either Robinson or Coraopolis, close but not as convenient as 24-hour places on University Boulevard would be.

I view the establishment of another 24-hour place to buy items from or eat as beneficial to Moon Township since it will only continue to grow in size and population.  If plans are still being followed, the new addition of a 24-hour Wal-Mart to Moon Township will evolve into a blessing for Moon residents.