Wal-Mart
gets go-ahead from planning commission despite public
protest
•
Photos of the protest at City Hall
By Natalie Andrews
Septmeber 9. 2005 | LOGAN -- Picket
signs failed to blockade the yellow smiley face Thursday
at a passionate planning commission meeting.
The Logan Planning Commission granted the permit that
will put two Wal-Marts within five miles at a heavily
attended meeting. Whether it is a monstrosity or landscaped
gateway of low prices, one thing is for sure: it's coming.
The chants were numerous and signs plenty. The protesting
group, about 400 people, started at the future location,
currently Macey's, and marched two miles to city hall.
The group is organized as StopLoganWalmart.com. Though
Wal-Mart now has its approval, the protesters aren't
stopping. They hope to drive their point home this month
by boycotting the North Logan Wal-Mart until Oct. 9.
The boycott won't be difficult.
"I think the boycott is mostly to educate the people
who do currently shop at Wal-Mart," said protest leader
Dave Wind. "The boycott has to be the way. A lot of
us who are involved in the protest don't shop there."
Wind used to be a regular at Wal-Mart. A PBS documentary
showing the store's manufacturing processes changed
his mind, and he'd rather pay a higher price and have
peace of mind. "I used to shop at Wal-Mart all the time.
It's more a case of finding out."
The North Logan Wal-Mart general manager, Ron Tuttle
is excited to have a sister store nearby. Tuttle isn't
worried about losing customers from the south end of
the valley. He looks at the store as a stress relief.
"We do a lot more volume (than a usual Wal-Mart).
It will be good to have the pressure off," he said,
noting that the two will work together to be community
partners.
With the anti-big-box spirit heating up in Logan,
Wal-Mart corporate decided to place a petition asking
for support in the North Logan support. After two days,
Tuttle reported 1,600 signatures.
"Most of the people I talk to are very excited about
it coming," Tuttle said, noting that the excitement
comes from Wal-Mart's donations to the community. North
Logan has given over $20,000 in grants to the community
this year. Some of his employees brought sugar cookies
with yellow smiles to the meeting. Some of the protesters
helped themselves.
Those boycotting, however, seemed to look at the global
community and the problems the store would bring, such
as traffic and light pollution to neighborhoods. They
are now planning on the boycott and letter writing to
avoid being "book-ended by sprawl-mart." One protester
yelled into the P.A. system that he worried Logan would
become another St. George, which has two Wal-Marts,
and one empty mall in between.
Protest leader Arthur Taylor believes the boycott
will work because while Cache Valley residents don't
always show emotion, they are about Wal-Mart, and that
can make a difference. Taylor organized the rally, bringing
a horse trailer, truck and getting the speaker system
donated by KSM Music.
"The boycott is an attempt to show Wal-Mart corporate
headquarters that we can make a business decision,"
said Taylor, a manufacturer from Hyde Park.
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