Wal-Mart officials say public largely in favor of supercenter

Wal-Mart officials say the results of a survey they sent out in late November are in, and that about two-thirds of respondents are in favor of the proposed supercenter, while a group opposed to expanding the current store has stepped up its efforts to galvanize the public.

In a recent letter sent to thousands of residents around the county, Wal-Mart manager Dave Tolley said "nearly two thirds" of people who responded supported the proposed supercenter, and he thanked residents for their support.

Meanwhile, dozens of opponents of the proposed supercenter met at Polson High School Tuesday night to ask questions of Polson city planner Joyce Weaver, and to view maps of the proposed site where the supercenter would be built, if the site is annexed into the city later this year.

Wal-Mart officials outlined their plans for the supercenter at a public meeting in October. The proposed site is located just south of Polson, outside the city limits, and would need to be annexed into the city by the Polson city council in order to receive water and sewer services, among many. Wal-Mart officials have said they will not build the supercenter unless the site is annexed in.

Almost as soon as the proposed supercenter was announced, Lake County First was formed by local residents to combat the project, and letters to the editor against the supercenter poured into the Lake County Leader, outnumbering those in favor by about 3-to-1.

However, in his letter, Tolley urged supporters to write letters to the editor, and suggested they review a "fact sheet" that was included with the letter. In the past two weeks since the letter was made public, the Leader has received more than a dozen letters in favor of the project and almost none opposed, and Wal-Mart officials say the survey results confirm that most local residents support the supercenter.

"We sent out about 10,000 cards to residents and businesses, and got about a 35 percent return rate. We were pleased with the response, not only because it was 2-to-1 in favor, but because residents took the time to look at the information we presented, and respond," said Eric Burger, a Wal-Mart regional public affairs manager based out of Seattle.

The proposed supercenter would house an optometrist, a tire and lube store, a garden center, and other small businesses, which has caused some existing small business owners to express concern about the impact on their bottom line. Lake County First organizers put petitions against the supercenter in many small businesses on Main Street in Polson, and many business owners in Ronan and Polson have written letters objecting to the supercenter.

But Wal-Mart officials say many business owners welcomed the supercenter, according to the survey results. Individual survey cards were not made available to the Leader.

"The biggest misconception we are seeing is our effect on small businesses. The fact is that in hundreds of towns across the country we create a regional shopping draw that attracts consumers to other businesses nearby," Burger said. "It enables a town like Polson to keep those retail dollars locally, where they can shop not only at Wal-Mart but at other businesses for the goods and services they provide."

Burger said small businesses can provide niche products and services that a supercenter can't.

"Sometimes it's not feasible to provide the same services that other small businesses do. We sell bicycles, for example, but we don't repair them," he said.

In addition to circulating petitions, Lake County First organizers have shown an anti-Wal-Mart film, marched in the Polson Parade of Lights, and held private and public meetings to discuss issues related to the proposal, which is expected to come before the Polson city council later this winter.

LCF organizers acknowledge that the current store is utilized by hundreds of people everyday, but say that the proposed supercenter, which would be about three times the size of the current store, would hurt the quality of life here.