I am one of the "putrid preservationists" Orange County Supervisor Mark Johnson mentioned in his comments after the Walmart public hearing and subsequent vote to approve the Wilderness battlefield site ["Walmart on its way," Aug. 26].
Yes, there was a majority for this action by both the residents of Orange County and the Board of Supervisors to grant the permit to build on the Wilderness site.
But history is peppered with examples where majorities of residents and the government have been wrong. I believe this is one of those cases.
Is there anyone out there naive enough to believe that the development at this site will stop with the construction of Walmart and the three smaller boxes?
Certainly we have seen that the adage of "big boxes beget more big boxes" is true. This is akin to dropping a stone into water. Once the stone is dropped, it is impossible to stop the ripples it creates.
I don't believe the residents of Orange want another Central Park as the gateway to the county. Neither do we want the Wilderness Battlefield to suffer the same fate as Salem Church.
It's sad but true; this is what will happen if Walmart is built at this location.
Do we sell this legacy of priceless history so cheaply? A nation that loses its history loses it way.
Curtis D. Abel
Orange