Polson's parking problem was solved

Editor,

I just wanted to share a few observations of my own concerning the expansion of the local Wal-Mart.

I have lived in Ronan for over 30 years and worked for a couple of years in Polson. Polson always had lovely shops and boutiques that I and my out-of-town guests and visitors enjoyed. There was always one major problem; parking on Main Street.

You could drive around for 10 minutes looking for a place to park. The talk for several years was, "What are we going to do about parking in Polson?"

Then Wal-Mart came in. They promised that they would be a boon to the local economy. They would draw so many shoppers to Polson that Main Street would thrive on the overflow. The only problem local merchants would have was that pesky parking situation.

Now, 10 years later, I haven't heard a thing about a parking problem. You can park in front of any local store at any time. The number of shops and boutiques has diminished. The thriving Main Street has thinned out considerably. The new, improved Wal-Mart is again making big promises. Experience has proved their predictions to be false.

Now they are threatening the local grocery stores. I get most of my groceries in Ronan, but regularly go to Safeway and Super 1 for items I need. Wal-Mart needs as much business for their new "superstore" as these two combined. If Wal-Mart comes in, we will lose one or both of these stores.

How many local businesses are we willing to sacrifice for our need to have a bigger and better Wal- Mart? I won't even go into their hiring practices, lack of benefits for employees, sweatshop goods, and multi- billionaire owners. In my view, the cost of "saving" at Wal-Mart is too high a price to pay.

Cheri Rowbury

Ronan