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Should a Wal-Mart super center store be approved for Lady's Island? |
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Yes - Increases convenience, employment, taxes.
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21.7% (38) |
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No - Negative impact on local businesses and infrastructure. |
74.9% (131) |
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Don't Know - Need more info regarding +/- impact on our community. |
3.4% (6) |
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User Comments |
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02-25-2008 18:44:22 - Rich Gibbons: The land in question is a CHOKE point on 21 and Lady's Island. How are we going to get by this point and all it's traffic?
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02-21-2008 15:40:41 - Daniel Pierce: The one in Beaufort is close enough.
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02-16-2008 16:26:47 - Cissy Nichols: There is already a Wal-Mart in Beaufort. I would prefer a Target built in an Island style and to blend in with our beautiful surroundings.
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02-15-2008 20:41:34 - AE Rickard: Go for it!
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02-13-2008 13:19:30 - O'Brien: If Walmart comes, so will everyone else. Let's leave somethings natural, as God intended them to be.
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02-13-2008 08:33:02 - JB: Everyone
keeps talking about all the traffic congestion this would cause. What
about the fact that the Woods and McTeer bridges would have less traffic
because more people would stay on Lady's Island? Beaufort is a unique
community! Allow Walgreens to install a sign and then try to fine them
because it was approved, make Outback change their roof color, etc, etc.
Maybe if Target, Kohls or Bed Bath and Beyond wanted to build, it would
be okay. But not WalMart!!!! |
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02-13-2008 07:25:49 - Julia Hetherington:
Businesses going under because of the direct competition of Walmart
is obvious. But the traffic impacts businesses in other ways. When the
bridge was down, our business (Physical Therapy) suffered because people
did not want to "deal with the traffic." Walmart would bring way too
much traffic for our roads to handle. |
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02-12-2008 15:22:26 - Peter King:
Walmart is no dummy. They will have surveyed the store's feasibility. Of
course, aestheticssdsoes not enter their mind. The land owners, whoever
they are, are known to be greedy opportunists looking for big bucks.
People will go there in droves if it is built. We would not set foot in
the place, but as a taxpayer, I object very much. Some people will
sacrifice their all. Real estate values will plummet. So much for my
opinion. |
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02-12-2008 14:45:36 - Lois Driscoll:
What will be built instead. It is zoned industrial Comercial? |
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02-12-2008 14:08:13 - Arthur Looney:
We already have a Walmart super center; no need to clog up rt 21 traffic
for another one. |
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02-12-2008 12:52:03 - Jerry Stone:
There are plenty of other locations other than the Sea Islands to place
big box stores. The Sea Islands should be kept as pure as possible.
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02-12-2008 12:09:08 - Jenifer Lugar:
A superstore is a bad idea for this area - it will have ripple effects
for hwy 21 for runaway growth. And not the kind we want. |
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02-12-2008 09:59:11 - Rosa Lee Vitez:
Feel this will totaly change the area and not for the good of the
community...all the charm and ways of life will be changed forever, as
well as all the small business owners that have been soooo important to
this part of the community...do not feel they need another WalMart
within 7 miles of the other....the impact to the natural areas would be
devestating....hope our elected officials will take time to re-evaluate
this project to protect our environment...anything that has to have 7
feet of extra dirt, and be built on stilts is not viable...... |
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02-12-2008 09:39:35 - joseph happe:
we already have one..leave the island a quaint place to live!! |
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02-12-2008 08:59:04 - Frederic Houle:
Store much too large. resulting traffic delays will be a total
nightmare. |
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02-12-2008 08:12:17 - Ed Hill:
Envioronmental Hazard, Traffic Congestion, Overuse of bridges, Loss of
local businesses |
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02-12-2008 07:57:33 - Carol H Morgan:
I so enjoyed going to Hilton Head in the 70's and early 80's until
developers turned it in to the zoo it is today. Don't let this happen to
Beaufort. Besides as someone said in today's paper, let them get the
existing store in order. It is not an incovenience to drive to that
store. |
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02-12-2008 07:09:14 - Stephen Krakehl:
Wal-Mart has never been a good neighbor. If the Beaufort City
Council wants to put another nail in the struggling downtown business
coffin all they need to do is approve Wal-Mart. |
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02-12-2008 06:46:40 - Judith McAuley:
Walmart already has a store here which is more than adequate to serve
the needs of the community. |
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02-12-2008 06:40:47 - Bernard McAuley:
Wal-Mart has a store within 15--20 miles of the proposed location. The
present store has served Ladys, St. Helena Harbour, and Fripp Island
very adequately. Another store, with all of the negative impacts that
Wal-Mart inevitably brings, doesn't make any sense. |
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02-11-2008 21:37:04 - Ashleigh Sawdon:
It's 6 additional minutes to the current WalMart. And that WalMart is in
an area where the infrastructure will support it. Lady's Island is not
in a position to support a business the size and scope of a Wal-Mart. |
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02-11-2008 21:26:54 - Kenneth Hirsch:
We rely on a single road, Sea Island Parkway, for all travel and it is
already overloaded. It will be difficult keeping up with the growth in
population and development without adding this big box store. The
history of Wal-Mart is that it kills smaller local retail business,
costing more jobs than it creates, and harming the local economic
backbone of our community. We do not want to replicate Bluffton here. |
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02-11-2008 21:23:18 - Susan Dickson:
Until there is a new bridge, there shouldn't be anything that brings so
much more traffic onto the island. |
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02-11-2008 20:30:32 - Virginia Lurcott:
Why could we possibly need another Walmart. Besides conjestion,it
will mar the beauty and atmosphere of the barrior islands. |
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02-11-2008 19:45:24 - Jack Sparacino:
We moved to St. Helena Island 3 years ago in large part because of the
relatively unspoiled environment which is simply magnificent. Adding a
WalMart here is not only guaranteed to add an eyesore to the area, but
virtually certain to aggravate traffic problems, promote chemical
runoff, and threaten the viability of local businesses. I believe we
need a WalMart here like we need an outbreak of malaria. |
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02-11-2008 19:34:17 - harriet gallow:
one wal-mart is all we need - why would we want to have another one? |
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19:09:35 - Bill Carpenter: We have no need for another box store!
Keep this type of development on Robert Smalls Parkway and Ribaut Road,
where there is already a large commercial presence. Keep the Sea Islands
natural! This is where their true beauty lies!! To develop this huge box
store and parking lot will be greatly detrimental to our natural
wildlife and their natural marsh home. |
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02-11-2008 19:07:12 - Carol Carpenter:
There is a Wal-mart within 5 miles of the current requested site. We
have too much at stake...environmental issues, economic issues, and
traffic issues that make this request ridiculous! We have no need for 2
WalMarts within 5 miles of each other! Keep this natural part of the low
country sea islands in their natural state and don't encumber our
environment with more run-off into our beautiful, natural marshes!! |
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02-11-2008 19:04:41 - John Myers: The
increased traffic in that location and on all the overtaxed bridges will
be excessive. One super Wal-mart is more than adequate for Beaufort.
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02-11-2008 18:33:38 - George &
kathyJohnston: Traffic nightmare & environmental disaster. |
02-11-2008 18:17:06 - Alice Massey:
What environmental safeguards can the city guarantee us regarding this
project?
What traffic impact studies is the city using in their decision making?
These are questions that need to be answered before a rational decision
can be made.
I would prefer not to have Wal-Mart on that site but if it has to be I
would hope that it could be constructed in a way to not negatively
impact the fragile environement surrounding the site.
Will I shop there? NO, I do not shop at Wal-Mart now and I won't i the
future. |
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02-11-2008 18:06:25 - wehrenberg:
most concerned about impact on traffic and environment |
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02-11-2008 18:05:31 - Patricia B.
Stevens: It will be a disaster for this area! Too much fill, too
much cement and too much traffic on too few roads. |
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02-11-2008 17:37:51 - Anne Williams:
Lady's Island does NOT need a Wal-Mart! The roads will not be able to
handle the additional traffic and it will have adverse affects to the
marshlands. |
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02-11-2008 17:27:16 - elizabeth blair:
Absolutely NOT! It would be a traffic and culture nightmare. |
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02-11-2008 17:15:51 - Rebecca McCann:
I am very opposed to the construction of a Wal-Mart on Lady's Island for
many reasons: environmental impact, increased traffic, loss of jobs,
impact on local businesses and because there is a Wal-Mart already in
our area. Please DO NOT allow a Wal-Mart to build on Lady's Island. |
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02-11-2008 17:15:46 - Dean Hewitt:
Some 30,000 residents of Fripp, Harbor, St Helena, Dataw, Distant Cat
Coosaw,and Lady's Islands are underserved by commercial infrastructure.
This leads to thousands of round trips a day across the two bridges to
do their shopping. To be able to afford themselves of the economy of a
Wal Mart these residents must travel 20 to 60 miles round trip costing
$3 to $10 in gasoline per trip. To afford themselves the benefit of the
jobs created by a Supercenter is prohibitive to some because of the
commuting costs. These extra costs diminish the opportunity of a large
segment of poor and near poor residents of some of these islands to
access an ecomomical source of retail products. Beaufort proper, Port
Royal, Burton, Mossy Oaks and west have their super shopping centers.
Let the growng population of Lady's and St. Helena Islands have theirs
and reduce their costs while saving gasoline, pollution, and across the
river congestion. |
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02-11-2008 17:14:36 - Ralph Bricker:
This store will be an asset to the community, in providing low cost
prescriptions, groceries, and other merchandise. |
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02-11-2008 17:11:50 - Bernie Moscovitz:
Council should LISTEN to what the people want. Two WalMarts within seven
miles of each other in this area is insanity |
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02-11-2008 17:05:40 - Walker Henry:
My feeling is not directed at Wal-Mart which I use frequently but rather
at the negative environmental impact a store of that type would have on
Lady's Island and the surrounding communities |
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02-11-2008 17:02:46 - James H. Gourd:
Traffic, we already have one 7 minutes away from proposed site,flood
plane problems, negative impact on local long standing businesses; ie,
Grayco, Walgreens, Publix, St. Helena Market and the list goes on and
on...Changes the whole personality of the island...WE DO NOT NEED
ANOTHER WALMART JUST TO BROADEN THE TAX BASE!!!!! |
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02-11-2008 17:00:31 - Holly Dolan: A
large store complex near the airport/marsh area is a disaster for both
the existing roads and bridges and the environment. Find a moe suitable
location. |
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02-11-2008 16:58:08 - Ellen Corbett:
NO, NO, NO! One Wal-Mart in town is enough. This would just be the
beginning of more and more large-scale commercial development on the
island. Once one large business is allowed in, others will follow
quickly and we would soon become another Bluffton/Hilton Head Route 278.
The traffic would be horrendous, and the roads are simply not adequate
to accommodate all the extra vehicles. And, it would most certainly put
many, if not all, of our local shops out of business. And, these are the
stores that have been around for years, contributing to the community
and local causes and treating their customers in a friendly, personal
and helpful manner -- a far cry from the likes of a Wal-Mart! Is this
the thanks our wonderful local shop owners deserve? |
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02-11-2008 16:57:08 - Larry Lance: We
need new and thorough studies of environmental impact, traffic studies
and impact on local business. |
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02-11-2008 16:56:56 - R Mueller:
Studies need to be completed before any further discussion. But we
cannot forget the backup of traffic all the way to Fripp with the bridge
outage last spring. |
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02-11-2008 16:44:55 - Don Bowers: The
existing Wal-Mart meets the needs of Northern Beaufort County, both
present and future. |
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02-11-2008 16:42:35 - Rosemary L. Little:
Opens the door for future "super" commercial development. Also will
affect flood control in the area. |
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02-11-2008 16:38:34 - Tim and Lynn Maher:
WE feel this is a huge negative for folks living on St. Helena and
Ladies Islands. The environmental and traffic impact will be enormous.
This is only a way for the City of Beaufort to obtain a ratable without
considering the impact on residents on the islands. To think that we
can't drive 5 or 6 more miles to go to a Wal-mart is ridiculous. We urge
the city to come to its senses and vote this down. |
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02-11-2008 16:34:14 - R. Nalwasky:
This is NOT the place for another wallmart. The one in the area is
sufficient. Environmental impact too great. |
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02-11-2008 16:30:29 - Robert Brandriff:
The major asset of Lady's Island and the surroundings is the natural
beauty of the low country. A Wal-Mart is a major detraction. |
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02-11-2008 16:27:13 - J Foutch: Or,
we can drive across town - and nominate ourselves for a "Friends of
OPEC" award. |
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02-11-2008 16:26:51 - M. McKeown:
Wal-Mart's appearance on Ladys Island wil spell doom for the local
business' along Hwy 21. The tire shope will not be able to compete, the
paint store, etc. Plus, the highway will not handle the increase of
traffic volume. The timing of the traffic light at 21 and 802 will have
to be revised. |
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02-11-2008 16:07:53 - Frank Hager:
Infrastructure cannot support this type of retail activity. Damage to
the ecologically sensitive Wasaw flats loated directly behind the site
would prove to be disastrous. Traffic congestion in Beaufort, Ladies
Island, and surrounds would be a nightmare. Forget the retail impact,
think about trying to get to a doctor, dentist, or other professional
appointment. We simply DO NOT NEED A SECOND WALL MART IN NORTHERN
BEAUFORT COUNTY |
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02-11-2008 08:32:42 - Rob McFee: On
pages 8 and 9 of the traffic report there are some items that I believe
need a closer look. The report states that not all trips would be
'external trips'. As this reduces the traffic footprint in the analysis
I think this should be justified further. Also we are given 4505 new
trips in and out to be the estimated load. I believe we should be given
(or should find out) what the existing traffic counts are at the
existing Wal-mart on SC 170. If 4505 is an understatement it raises
questions about the whole report. Also the impact on the two bridges to
LI do not seem to be addressed. Finally it should be noted Kimley-Horn
is the Lady's Island Bypass designer for Beaufort County as well as the
author of this report. Any errors or weak points in their previous work
would most likely not get a fair or timely correction under these
circumstances. |
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02-09-2008 20:10:23 - Peggy Allard:
The negative impact on small business owners on all the islands, not
just Lady's Island would be significant. Additionally, the profits of
locally owned business are generally fed back into the local economy.
The profits of Big Box companies leave the area; they do not benefit the
local economy. The owners dont live here. Jobs will be lost when the
small business are forced to close. The traffic is already much heavier
and if this were added it would be more than the area can handle and
decrease the quality of life on the island. Environmentally, a building
and parking lot of that size creates storm water run-off, which carries
pollutants directly into our marshes, threatening an already stressed
area. I realize building will continue but we must be vigilant in
ensuring that it does not ruin the unique ecosystem and the exceptional
quality of life we all enjoy. |
02-09-2008 10:18:42 - Mark Generales:
For better then 8 years I did all I could to protect the Lady's Island
side of the river from continued encroachment by the City of Beaufort.
Unfortunately, the leadership form our side of the river has agreed with
Bill Rauch and sold out our future. They have backed the annexation
zones Rauch wanted in the Northern Regional Plan and have told Rauch
that ultimately they agree with his annexing ALL of Lady's Island. Given
this sell-out, no one should be surprised by this action. But it should
be remembered that public actions did stop McLeod - Clarendon. I believe
public opposition to any big box on the Lady's Island side of the river
can be stopped. Remember - the County ordinances do not allow for big
boxes anywhere east of the river. We must get organized and deal with
this with facts. The County has done the traffic studies - the big box
won't work. And the aesthetic destruction of our area will be dramatic.
In the end, this is why I have always called for Lady's Island to
incorporate.
Be at the Armory - this one is important |
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02-09-2008 09:20:19 - Rose Ewing: I
don't understand why everyone is always opposed to any kind of change.
This would save me and my family time on the road and gas. |
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02-09-2008 08:05:18 - Gerie C. Martin:
This Wal Mart is absolutely unnecessary and will have a huge impact
on our infrastructure and environment. They may advertise cheap prices,
but in the end we'll all pay a VERY HIGH PRICE! |
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02-09-2008 06:43:48 - Harley Laing:
The size of individual stores on the island should be limited - to say
50-75,000 - 200,000 sq. ft. is just too much, traffic being one ofthe
key issues. |
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02-08-2008 18:48:49 - Bob Stoothoff:
Are marketplace is awash in retail space, and population growth has
slowed. I don't see the need for another Wal-Mart. |
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02-08-2008 16:55:08 - Mickey Fuller:
It would seem that traffic would be the #1 concern - secondly, the
impact on Grayco (whose owners have spent thousands on upgrading the
shopping center) and other businesses. I cannot see that Walmart would
gain by having 2 superstores within such a few miles - and I'm certainly
against it for the reasons stated above. |
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02-08-2008 16:29:23 - Michael J. O'Regan:
Only a additional 5500 trips it will bring? We don't have the
infrastructure! |
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02-08-2008 15:38:04 - Emmie Hamm: I
disagree with a large supercenter on Lady's Island. There is no need.
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02-08-2008 14:40:43 - Sonny Bishop:
No! Increased traffic on 21, a 3 lane road and environmental issues are
not worth the convenience. I'll drive to Cross Creek. |
02-08-2008 13:13:46 - Dennis Williford,
Lady's Island Resident: Can Ladys Island Afford
Wal-Mart?
Extreme Gridlock
More Crime
Loss of Island Community
Loss of Local Businesses
Loss of Down Town Businesses
Loss of Tourism
Loss of Local tax infrastructure
Decreased home values
What does Wal-Mart offer Ladys Island?
Environmentally unfriendly
Depressed wages for the Sea Islands
Increased taxpayer expense for health care
Blight from closed local stores
Increased Taxes
Unemployment and underemployment
Convenience
What goals for the City of Beaufort does Wal-Mart NOT support?
Relieve Traffic Congestion on US 21
Primary Route Access Control on Major Corridors
Open Space program
Diversify Economic Base/ Downtown Redevelopment
Pursue Alternate Sources of Revenue
Thats 5 out of 8 listed online.
Demand fiscal responsibility for our community |
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02-08-2008 06:55:16 - Leonard Conapinski:
Our road system is not set up to handle the heavy traffic that would
ensue. The charm of Lady's Island would be lost forever. |
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02-07-2008 14:41:05 - Ken Maliken: If
I need to go to Wal-Mart I'll go to Burton |
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02-06-2008 13:18:35 - Everett Ballenger,
Broker,ABR,: We all know what happens to a local area when a
Wall-Mart opens up. In the right area they are an asset. I don't
personally think this location is right for a store like that.
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