What if growth is not sustainable?

Editor,

If the question regarding the Wal-Mart expansion was only about access to more goods, cheap prices, the increase of our tax base, the logical answer would be to build a Super Wal-Mar

More importantly, the question is about our way of life. I was born and raised here and I was offended by the comment by Chuck Ripley in his letter to the Lake County Leader that, "If you want to live in a backward rural setting, then go buy yourself a mountain top and leave us alone."

I never thought of our communities as being "backward." What is the motivation behind the support of this expansion? If we want to have everything available in our communities that you find in Missoula or Kalispell, we will eventually become a Missoula or Kalispell. Those that oppose the expansion of Wal-Mart are not the ones wanting to change the personality of where we live. We are committed to the future health of our communities and preserving our quality of life. The building of a Superstore would affect that quality. There is always a trade off, I am not willing to trade our uniqueness.

I would regret to lose our sense of community. The Rev. Kathy Boeschenstein and Father Val Zdilla both have had firsthand experience in communities that have experienced the impact of Big Box Stores. Growth begets growth. Worse, if that growth is not sustainable, there is collapse; neither scenario is appealing. We are still small enough to know and be involved in the lives of our neighbors. If I were only in business for the bottom line, I wouldn't choose to be in business. I want to be part of the lives of the people in my community.

I am still overwhelmed by the tremendous support we received when Gary and I were involved in the car accident. I treasure being involved in the life of a customer who has a new grandchild, who needs prayers for illness, or simply a hug for the day. We are happy to offer special pricing when a local group renovates the North Crow Creek Community Clubhouse, happy to donate to the fund-raisers (those many spaghetti suppers) for community members that have suffered loss from fire or need help for medical costs. I fear that we will lose this if we do not have controlled growth.

Wal-Mart is not the bad guy. As the manager of the Polson Wal-Mart store said, he and his employees are members of our community also. Their children attend local schools, they shop in other local businesses. Wal-Mart does contribute generously to local organizations. This should not be a "good guy, bad guy" discussion.

Joe McDonald put it very well when he spoke at the public meeting. It's about balance. There were certainly some changes after the present Wal-Mart opened. We lost some businesses and some of the rest had to do some adjusting, but we have come to a balance. A Super Wal-Mart will shift that balance big time.

There is only so much "pie" (i.e.: customer base) available, and the expansion would definitely impact many existing businesses, not just the bottom line but the very existence of these businesses. We could well lose grocery stores, gas stations, tire stores, optometrists, garden centers, or "other small businesses."

We need to take that discussion further. Losing businesses translates to people losing jobs. That has to be part of the equation of the promise of more jobs. Bigger stores and cheap prices can come at a very high cost.

The word 'monopoly' comes to mind. One-stop shopping is enticing in our busy lives, but ending up with only one choice is another matter. That is a definite possibility. You may have noticed that prices are not the same at every Wal-Mart.

The prices will probably be somewhat lower at Wal-Mart when the superstore is starting up, as the local businesses do not have the luxury of a "megacompany" to absorb the loss for however long it takes to get established.

There are few local businessmen who are "getting rich" but there are many local businesses making a decent living, paying fair wages and serving their community. Let's look at all the facets of this proposed expansion.

Norma Lake Granley

Ronan