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Civil War Preservation Trust chief calls on Orange supervisors, Wal-Mart to use 'common sense' in Wilderness development decision Date published: 7/26/2009
BY CLINT SCHEMMER James Lighthizer says he has no beef with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as a company, and admires its business savvy. But he does have a big problem with where it plans to build a Supercenter in eastern Orange County: on part of the Wilderness battlefield within a cannon-shot of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Lighthizer's Civil War Preservation Trust--with other national, state and local groups--has been pressing Orange officials and Wal-Mart to locate the retail center elsewhere along State Route 3, farther from the battlefield. On the eve of the Orange supervisors' vote this week on the issue, he still believes a compromise is within reach. "We just want Wal-Mart to do the right thing here," the CWPT president said in an interview while visiting Fredericksburg late last week. "All we're asking is for them to be good corporate citizens." Likewise, Lighthizer believes the Orange Board of Supervisors could choose a different path, though he doesn't sound optimistic that it will. "Orange County can have it all," he said. "The supervisors can preserve the battlefield, encourage tourism, promote economic development and have a well-planned retail project where people can shop." He noted that the trust, its allies and the National Park Service are willing Trust spokesman Jim Campi said more than 10,000 people have written letters and e-mails to Wal-Mart and the Orange supervisors urging them to find another site for the 138,000-square-foot Supercenter, proposed for a site a quarter mile from the national park. Lighthizer appealed to both parties, principally Wal-Mart, to use "common sense." "Wal-Mart is a national corporation. They don't need this controversy," he said. "According to what I read in The Wall Street Journal, they're trying to change their image. And they've still got a chance to be heroes here. "Wal-Mart shouldn't be involved in destroying, or denigrating, this very significant part of American history. The Wilderness was the beginning of [Union Gen. Ulysses S.] Grant's Overland Campaign, the beginning of the end of the Civil War."
Walmart is only concerned with selling cheap Chinese products, paying low wages with no benefits, and killing their competition (bye-bye small businesses). In ten years, when traffic is a mess, crime is up and Locust Grove looks like Central Park (Hell’s parking lot), the three board members who sold the county out will be long gone and the rest of us will be left holding the bag....anybody who saw Northern Virginia paved under over the last twenty years knows this to be true....
all of Rt. 3 in Spotsy? That has all been built up around some sites that are just as historic. Harrison Crossing was built within a cannon shot of part of Chancellorsville and nothing was said..............you've got monuments surrounded by big box stores..............
Walmart has launched a new campaign emphasizing the ways they are getting on board with being 'greener'. Moving the supercenter to a differnt location would be a perfect way to top off their campaign. Building away from the battlefield would provide for green initiatives in the future.
is not so common
Would be for the preservationist to offer to buy the land in
question, reimburse Wal Mart for every penny they have spent
so far, offer to pay Wal Mart for thier future expenses on a
new site. Along with reimbursing OC for the lost tax revenue
from a delay and any expenses they've accumulated. Heck I
am Sure Robert Duvall would be willing to la the bill since he
decided to stick his nose into it!
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