The Suicide Stampede of Wal-Mart Haters

I found some rather interesting data about the financial impacts of a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

This is from an arbitrator who was settling a dispute between the Omak Police Officers Guild and the City of Omak:

City revenues from taxes have increased slightly over the past four years. Omak’s 2004 current expense budget, shows $1,830,200 in tax revenue which reflects an increase of $50,000 in retail sales from the 2003 budget. In 2004, Omak expects to receive $940,000 in sales tax revenues, while property tax revenues account for $635,000. In 1997 and 1998 sales tax revenue increased 2.19% and 3.6% respectively; in 1999, 2000, and 2001 sales tax revenue remained relatively flat. However, in 2002 and 2003 sales tax revenue increased by 6.32% and 8.4% respectively, primarily due to the expansion of Walmart into a “Super Walmart.”

In addition to the increasing Omak’s sales tax revenue, the new Super Walmart employs
more than 325 people. Additionally, Omak is home to several other fairly large “chain” or franchised retail establishments including Penny’s, Safeway, and Ace Hardware. Omak is also the medical center for the area. The Omak Clinic has recently expanded, and a new Eye and Ear Clinic has opened. Omak shows other signs of a growing economy, e.g., increased auto sales and new housing developments.

This description of Omak appeared in the Seattle P-I:

A few weeks ago, while I was returning from British Columbia, a large sign promoting downtown Omak caught my eye near southbound Route 97. It had been strategically placed north of the new Wal-Mart.

The white sign with bright red lettering just read, "Kick back in Omak" and directed motorists to turn right at the next traffic light to reach downtown (the Wal-Mart is on the left).

Despite the highway reroute and the Wal-Mart, there still seems to be a lot of vitality and spark in downtown Omak, with some excellent restaurants and small shops. Several folks I spoke with even complained about too much automobile traffic through town.

In a bold move several years ago, city engineers installed a push-button crosswalk controller at one of the main downtown intersections. Some townsfolk are even lobbying for a second controller at the north end of town.

This flies in the face of the gloomy predictions made in a May 1994 article in 14850 magazine:

This year, Wal-Mart is opening more than 150 new stores. Many of them are in places that have so far escaped the discount invasion-places like Omak, Washington, an isolated town of fewer than 5,000 people in the rugged northeastern part of the state. Downtown Omak has stayed alive. But by next year, if all goes according to plan, this tiny town will have two huge discount stores staring at each other across the highway. "After Wal-Mart and K mart fight it out, you aren't going to have a downtown Omak," says Kenneth Munsell, director of the Small Towns Institute in nearby Ellensburg, Washington. Nevertheless, the approval for giant stores made it through the town planning commission in two days. "They are blithely unaware of the consequences" Munsell says.

It is the Wal-Mart haters that are "blithely unaware of the consequences" when Wal-Mart comes to town.

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"Business plan competition good for area growth"

I have been harsh on the Moscow-Pullman Daily News as of late, but full kudos to editor Steve McClure for his cogent explnation of the role of government in economic development in yesterday's edition:

No one wants to start throwing around thousands of dollars without a plan. In the world of business, success and failure often can be traced back to a solid game plan.

That's why the program sponsored by Washington State University, the Port of Whitman County and the Palouse Economic Development Council makes so much sense.

In the spirit of promoting business growth, the three organizations combined to put together a business plan competition for those folks who might want to get in touch with their entrepreneurial spirit.

The competition ended earlier this month and called for people to put together a plan for a business they hope to start. The idea was to help those individuals put ideas into action and give them a better understanding of what their business needs in order to survive.

While that might not attract a bunch of attention in comparison to more high-profile projects, it's a serious investment in economic development.

As Port Commissioner Bob Gronholz noted, "Even if we can get one or two start-ups in the county every other year from this competition it would be a great success."

For all the talk that's bandied about among government officials, their role in actual business growth is a support role. Government can create a climate that's open to new ideas and new investments. It can build up infrastructure that's attractive to companies, and it can create a clear path for prospective business owners to travel on the road to success.

Government also can put up roadblocks, particularly when it forgets what role it's assigned in this mix.

Economic development, though, doesn't come from the halls of government. It comes from individuals who put their ideas - and their money - on the line to break into the competitive marketplace.

"AWB Urges Lawmakers to Consider Businesses in Washington's Border Counties"

A press release from the Association of Washington Business, dated April 12, 2007:

OLYMPIA—"The sharp contrast between the cost of doing business in Washington compared to its neighboring states should be of primary concern to lawmakers," said Don Brunell, president of the Association of Washington Business.

Brunell, who has spent the past few days meeting with chamber and business leaders in eastern Washington, said he was reminded of the competition between Clarkston and its "twin city" Lewiston, which is just over the Snake River in Idaho.

"Both cities fight hard for business. While Clarkston offers more readily available commercial property, Lewiston offers Idaho’s lower business and regulatory costs," said Brunell. "These are important considerations for businesses that are already on the border and looking for more affordable opportunities. Likewise, these are also important considerations for large businesses, like Costco or Home Depot, who may be looking at siting a new facility."

In the Milken Institute’s 2005 Cost of Doing Business Index, Idaho ranks as the nation’s 46th most expensive state to do business, while Oregon ranks 30th. In comparison, Washington ranks eighth. The differences are staggering—especially in border counties that lack the economic security that the Puget Sound region provides.

Idaho stays competitive by offering generous incentives to Washington businesses. "Unless lawmakers keep border counties in mind and pass legislation that provides them with regulatory relief, Washington may lose business to their more business-friendly neighbors," said Brunell.

Instead, the legislature just passed a five-week paid family leave bill, making Washington the only state to have such a program other than California. This combined with more stringent environmental regulations that were passed make us even less competitive with Idaho and Oregon. Meanwhile, the legislature did nothing to reinstitute property tax caps, land use regulation reform, or B&O tax reform that would make Washington more competitive.

Stalking Heron, Hidden Agenda

No sooner do I mention the theme park mentality that I have observed on the Palouse, than two writers submit letters to the Daily News amply illustrating that attitude.

Here's an excerpt from one:

Pullman and Moscow have individual identities along with unique businesses and restaurants. Why do we want them to become just any small town U.S.A., complete with sprawl, strip, and low quality of life? Let's put a stop to these sprawling developments that spring up overnight. Let's maintain our autonomy by saying "no" to the big box find-them-anywhere businesses. Let's keep the Palouse a distinctive place, one that we can be proud of.

We have the opportunity now to plan our towns in such a way that could mimic the charm of European cities. These are on the whole unique and vibrant, with downtowns that provide good shopping choices, year-round markets, public transportation, green parks, and walking and biking areas. Our opportunity to align with them is now. Let's not destroy it with business as usual decisions about growth and development.

So in addition to "Frontierland" and "Main Street USA," we can add "Busch Gardens Europe" to the list of theme parks that our local elitists want Pullman and Moscow to emulate.

One small point, that I have made before: Pullman and Moscow ALREADY HAVE dozens of "local" national chain stores and restaurants, including two Safeways, two Rite Aids, Macy's, Wal-Mart, Staples, Office Depot, Hastings, Michael's Jo-Ann Fabrics, ShopKo, Barnes & Noble, Radio Shack, Blockbuster and numerous Starbucks and McDonalds. It is topography, flora and fauna, climate, language, accents, culture, etc. that make regions "distinctive," not stores. Why do people get so hung up on that?. If you crave a place with no chain stores so badly, then move to Anatone. Studies have shown that college students want chain stores and restaurants and a more urban environment, and that's what Pullman and Moscow have to provide as the home of two major universities.

Then there was this letter that really made me laugh out loud:

Pullman needs creative planning

I would like to join Lennis Boyer in applauding the column by Katherine Meier, (Town Crier, Feb. 28). Meier decries the loss of beautiful natural areas in our neighborhoods with little or no advance notice, as building projects mushroom throughout Pullman. The partially filled wetland she mentions had previously created a charming view from the Aquatic Center weight room, from which I once watched as a stately heron stalked along the tiny brook, and rabbits played in the meadow. Such amenities are few and far between in Pullman, and we should do more to treasure and save them. We can hope the finished housing development will maximize the effectiveness of the remaining wetland.

Meier also mentions the new strip mall on Bishop Boulevard. It is replacing a calm, tree-filled riverside meadow with small businesses. These may well be desirable additions to our tax rolls and consumer options, but they also reduce the natural beauty around us, replacing the extraordinary with the ordinary. We need both. Affordable housing and a vital economy for a growing population are necessities, but can't we be more creative in our planning and provide both roofs over our heads and sustenance for our spirits?

Mary Carloye, Moscow

So let's now add "Disney's Animal Kingdom" to the list.

"A stately heron stalked along the tiny brook, and rabbits played in the meadow?" "A calm, tree-filled riverside meadow?" "Sustenance for our spirits?" Bwwhahahahahahahahhahahha! My side hurts!! This is too over-the-top, even for the treehugging liberals. The only thing "creative" about this letter is Carloye's writing.

First of all, the view out of the weight room at the Pullman Aquatics Center is mostly of Jim Logan's house, yard, and garden. Impressive, but hardly "charming." And no wetland is being filled in, God forbid. Wurgler Marsh is untouched by this development. In any case, the owners of the land being developed are not obligated to preserve Carloye's view while she works out, unless of course Carloye is willing to buy the land herself and then pay property taxes on it each year. She fails to mention that the development is adding desperately needed family housing to Pullman. What is more desirable? A place where one can hear the laughter of children playing in their own backyard or watching rabbits play? Remember, the place Carloye is talking about was just a run-of the-mill, weed-infested field, not a wildlife preserve. Don't worry the cute little bunnies will still roam freely, as will the moose, the deer, the cougars, and the packs of coyotes on Military Hill.

As far as Crimson Village goes, how "calm" was that area to begin with, as it is directly adjacent to traffic on Bishop Blvd? The trees in the "riverside meadow" were planted by the city, not Johnny Appleseed. And it's not Moscow's tax rolls and consumer options, it's Pullman's, thank you very much. Go complain about the new Goodwill building next to the mall. It would be just as applicable and infinitely more appropriate for a Moscow resident.

Carolye's comments clearly demonstrate the fraud that is our local "smart growth" movement. If they are against development in small vacant lots in ALREADY DEVELOPED AREAS, i.e. "urban infill," the mantra of true "smart growth," then they are really against ALL growth. Neither project she cites represents "sprawl" in any way. This kind of highly romanticized and poetic moonbattery is also what gives environmentalists and conservationists a bad name. No one is going to take objections like Carloye's seriously.

On a side note, The FON (Friends of Nancy) have now submitted one Town Crier column and two letters to the editor in defense of the embattled Mayor of Moscow. Nice try, but it's not going to help any with the Whitman County Commissioners.

Wal-Mart: "If you can locate near one do so"

This appeared in today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News. If you remember, I made the connection between Ace Hardware and Wal-Mart a long time ago.

Doug Henry and his partners filled a big void at the Wheatland Center in Pullman.

Doug, his wife, Linda, and longtime friends, Paul and Jan Strohbehn of Dayton, Wash., on March 1 opened Henry's ACE Hardware in the old Safeway building on the city's south end.

This is the second venture with ACE hardware for the Henrys of Walla Walla, Wash. They've owed a hardware store in Milton-Freewater, Ore., since September 2004.

The Henrys took a circuitous route to becoming retailers.

Doug worked in health care for 30 years, beginning as a respiratory therapist and eventually becoming an administrator at St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla.

For years he had thought of owning a hardware store but was too busy to consider pursuing the dream. That is until he saw a small ad in the newspaper selling a hardware store in Milton-Freewater.

For several days he weighed his options and took the plunge.

He didn't quit his day job.

Instead, he hired his daughter and son-in-law, Laura and Justin Schouten, to run the store.

That worked well for a few years until the opportunity came up in Pullman. ACE wanted to locate a store there and company representatives felt the Henrys were the ones who should own it.

Doug and his fellow hospital administrator, Paul Strohbehn, entered into a partnership to buy the building and quit their jobs to devote time to the new store.

ACE is a co-op. Every store is individually owned and operated with ACE as the main supplier.

"As owners, we have a lot of freedom and (with ACE's buying power) we can compete with big-box stores." Doug said.

Doug is confident if Wal-Mart is located near his store, which is the plan, he and others will benefit.

"Wal-Mart provides some competition but, generally speaking, it will bring in enough traffic to help us," he said. "ACE advised us not to be afraid. They said 'If you can locate near one do so.' "

The new 20,000-square-foot store will feature a full range of hardware items, housewares, lawn and garden supplies, paint and decorating supplies and gifts. The store also offers key- and glass-cutting and screen repair.

"We're not filled yet," Doug said. "We want to see what the needs are in Pullman."

The Pullman store has 20 employees.

A grand opening is planned for Friday, March 31 and April 1. Doors open at 8 a.m.

There will be demonstrations, entertainment, refreshments, prizes and daily specials.

Henry's ACE Hardware is located at 1690 S. Grand Ave. Business hours are Hours 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (509) 332-1450.

I wonder how PARD will spin this. I'm reminded how Deirdre Rogers stated at last year's UI Economics Club forum on Wal-Mart that "PARD had plans for the old Safeway" after I pointed out that the union-friendly grocer was the only company that required a dark-store ordinance in Pullman.

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Pullman: The Land That Time Forgot

Cosmopolitan aesthete Mike Hanly sees Pullman on a "grand march toward saturated development." Pull-up-the-drawbridger James Krueger sees Pullman becoming a "big-box clone of a thousand other places."

But what does the outside world think of Pullman? Thanks to NCAA Division I sports, we get an occasional glimpse.

On College Football Signing Day this year, Tom Dienhart of The Sporting News wrote that Pullman reminded him of a moonscape.

Now, in a story last Friday on Cougar men's basketball, Monte Pool of InsideBayArea.com has even more unflattering things to say about our town. Some of the more memorable quotes:

There is the Land That Time Forgot. Then there is Pullman, Wash., an entire town in the witness protection program.

The home of Washington State University is a dot in the southeast corner of the state in the northwest corner of the country. Among Division I basketball programs in a major conference, it's probably the most isolated and arguably the most forlorn.

A group of recruits nobody else wanted are out to change that. While they can't do much about the sleepy solitude of Pullman, they are progressing nicely at bringing some cachet to the place.
...

This proves to civilization that there is life in Pullman, of which it was famously said is "not the end of the world, but you can see it from there." More to the point, there is a quality program in the outback of the Pacific-10 Conference.
...

As if the charm of Pullman wouldn't be enough.

"When I actually got there, I flew into Spokane and I was thinking the school was somewhere in that area," Weaver, of Beloit, Wisc., said. "Then we started driving and driving and driving.

"An hour-and-a-half later, I saw this town spring up out of nowhere. And I'm thinking 'There's a school here? People live here? In this little village?' I didn't see many people of color, either. There wasn't really a lot to do. I just remember going home and telling my mama it's like jail out there. That I can't go to school there."

Weaver has come to accept Pullman. So have his teammates. They got to love the program and embrace the town.

Thank goodness for the Cougars that Weaver and his teammates came to accept Pullman. But how many others haven't? What other potential talents have we been denied? How can we have a "world class university," or a world class anything, when people say Pullman is "forlorn" and compare the town to a jail? We can't do anything about our distance from large cities, but we can provide more things to do, more places to shop, and better places to live.

For many of these elitist PARD professors, living in Pullman is nothing more than a nostalgic trip to Disney World's Main Street USA. They're here for a few years enjoying the "quaintness" and then head off back to "the real world" of Berkeley, Seattle, Columbus, East Lansing, Boulder, Urbana, or wherever. If we let them hold back our progress, Pullman truly will be the Land That Time Forgot.

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With "Friends" Like DOE, Who Needs PARD?

Even if PARD didn't exist, the Washington Department of Ecology would make sure Pullman and Whitman County stay trapped in our agricultural past forever.

From last Tuesday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

Stream mandates may restrict Whitman County growth

Study will determine how much water can be drawn from area waterways; could limit number of new wells

New stream-flow mandates for the North Fork of the Palouse River and other area waterways could have a dire effect on growth in Whitman County.

The Washington State Department of Ecology is in the process of determining water rights for Palouse-area waterways. They will be granted their own water rights through the Minimum Instream Flow process, which will require that a certain amount of water be left in the streams during low-flow seasons.

The process could limit the number of new wells that are allowed in Water Resource Inventory Area 34, which includes most of Whitman County.

The goal is to protect existing senior water rights and set flow standards for each stream that must be maintained. All rights issued after the Minimum Instream Flow process will be junior to the existing rights, including water allocated to the streams.

Junior water rights could be lost if the river falls below the levels set during the process.

The process is designed to involve the community. If area residents and governing entities do not become involved, the Department of Ecology will conduct the study and set the standards without local input.

Rob Buchart, director of the Palouse Conservation District, said Palouse-area representatives are working with Ecology, and he hopes to find a balance that will protect fish and wildlife while allowing for residential and commercial growth.

Buchart used the situation facing WRIA 35, which includes most of Asotin County, as an example. WRIA 35 is nearing the end of its instream flow study, and Ecology has recommended it not drill more than 36 wells in the next 20 years.

Whitman County Commissioner Michael Largent said a similar recommendation for WRIA 34 could have negative consequences.

"If that happened here, housing in rural areas may be precluded from growth," he said. "We want to maintain water capacity to open up the county."

Largent said there is a need to be aware of the pressure on the Palouse aquifer systems, but streams shouldn't be granted so much water that opportunities for growth will be choked.

Mimi Wainwright, with the Department of Ecology, said the goal is to combine science and local communities in order to reach a reasonable solution that will balance environmental needs with growth. She said it should be a homegrown effort to look at the watershed area from a big-picture standpoint instead of a single angle. Ecology tries to manage water and not limit growth, but the process may force an area to recognize it does not have infinite water resources.

"We are dealing with a finite resource that we are dependent on and it's highly competitive to get," Wainwright said. "We're looking at reasonable ways to store water, conservation practices, irrigation efficiencies in order to provide water for population and economic growth and instream values."

The measurements are complete to start the WRIA 34 study. Now it's time to figure out what those numbers mean and determine how much water is needed to support the instream habitat and how much can be pulled from the river.

Wainwright said Ecology considers surface water and groundwater to be connected unless a WRIA group can prove otherwise, and one of the goals of the instream flow study is to discover how the groundwater and surface water are linked.

Largent said the connection between surface water and groundwater could negate the county's developing land-use laws by limiting the number of new wells in the county. The county will be involved in the process so it can champion business and residential growth.

Tim Simpson, general manager of the Asotin County Public Utility District, said WRIA 35 members also had initial concerns about the instream flow process limiting expansion in their area. But the WRIA 35 watershed is different than the Palouse watershed because it has to allocate water to salmon and steelhead runs, and it does not have a steadily decreasing aquifer system. Simpson said WRIA 35 representatives do not believe limiting the number of new wells in their area is necessary. The WRIA 35 study group focused on riparian areas around streams and encouraged people to drill and use water away from those areas to minimize the impact on the instream flows.

"We are very concerned about our riparian areas," he said. "But the areas outside, we're not concerned. In our opinion, use outside the riparian areas will not impact those areas."

The city of Pullman is researching the possibility of groundwater storage and the WRIA 34 Palouse Watershed Planning Group is in the midst of a feasibility study for a passive recharge area on the flanks of Kamiak Butte that could raise groundwater levels.

Wainwright said water could be collected for the storage projects during the winter and spring, when instream flows are at their peak.

"At this point we don't know what's going to happen," Buchart said. "But it's like a giant elephant in the room that we have to address."

Buchart said providing accurate information about the project is vital to its success. The Palouse Watershed Planning Group will hold a public information meeting at 6 p.m. March 20 in the Public Service Building in Colfax to answer questions about the process.

Simpson said WRIA 35 hopes to have its plan in action by July.

"In the end I think this will be very beneficial," he said. "But it wouldn't have happened without the local folks driving the process."

You can see why I backed Michael Largent for county commissioner last year. Thank God our elected officials are willing to stand up to the tyranny of the unelected bureaucrats from the Department of Ecology.

Your "Genius" is Showing

The oversize egos of the PARDners was on full and sickening display this past week in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

On Tuesday, Citizen Hosick wrote:

Do you ever wonder why they [Wal-Mart] have not proceeded? Certainly, in part, because it would be costly for them to begin construction and have a PARD appeal upheld in the courts. That happened to them elsewhere, and they had to "deconstruct" the store.
...

So while we await the next hearing, it's our responsibility to keep our eyes open to ideas for forward-looking responsible planning. There still is a chance to rewrite this Wal-Mart debacle, to the general satisfaction of the community.

Where exactly, Cynthia, has Wal-Mart been "deconstructed?" Not Chelan. The local socialists lost there. And why is it PARD's responsibility to rewrite the debacle to the "general satisfaction of the community?" Who put them in charge? Certainly not the voters of Pullman. For that matter, what public commission do the PARDners serve on? PARD speaks for only a few in the community, and are only relevant because of the legal resources of a labor union located outside of Pullman.

Even better, on Wednesday, we got to see how professor of "Justice Studies," Deirdre Sommerlad-Rogers (of "undesiable social classes" fame) is now an expert on traffic and site planning:

Other developments, such as the strip mall on southeast Bishop, are extremely ill-advised. It is built on a flood plain at the base of road banked in the wrong direction and will impair an already impacted area near the turn of a steep descent.

Our main objection, of course, is to the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter, which is of a scale and on a site that will create huge traffic problems. It is a little late for this $45,000 study to help rectify this issue; a lot of horses are already out of the barn. If done competently, there can be little doubt that without Wal-Mart, Bishop Boulevard will be a useable, attractive new shopping area.

Then there was PARDner Don Orlich tooting his own horn in Vera White's INK column yesterday:

The INKster recently heard from her old friend and fellow jazz lover Don Orlich, who had exciting news to share. The Pullman man, who retired in 1996 from Washington State University as professor of Education and Science Instruction, quickly grabbed her attention with this e-mail teaser:

"Since you have long been an 'out of the closet' Democrat, thought you might find this interesting," he wrote.

It seems a friend of Don's had opted to send copies of his book, "School Reform: The Great American Brain Robbery," to top political leaders in Congress.

The effort wasn't in vain as attested by copies of letters he's received, with "real signatures," from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
...

In their letters, both Pelosi and Clinton expressed their gratitude for the efforts Don had put into the book.

Don joked to the INKster these were not like form letters from George Hansen, referring to Idaho's trouble-ridden seven-term Congressman. He indicated even former Lewiston Tribune editorial page editor Bill Hall would be envious, mentioning "all he has" are the late Sen. Frank Church signatures.

Oh, brother. Nothing like humility.

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Spring Break In Mexico!!

I just returned from a week in Mexico. No, not Cancun for Spring Break.

I was in Monterrey, Mexico, on business. But I did manage to keep up with things here on the Palouse. I saw that Citizen Hosick and Deirdre "Undesirable Social Classes" Rogers were at it again with more red herrings and even more unbelievably arrogant PARD pronouncements. I was also happy to see the Cougs continue their memorable NCAA run.

I will have a few more interesting things to add later in the weekend.

Thanks to Michael, Scotty, Barenjager, and Satanic Mechanic for keeping things going around here. One of Michael's blogs even got linked on Orbusmax, greatly increasing hit traffic this week.

As Always, PARD know best. NOT!

Interestingly enough, a second letter to the editor in as many days has been published by the Daily News. Today's letter seems to speak for the PARD organization. This letter shows some of the hypocritical nature of PARD.

For two years, the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development and others have been calling for a thorough traffic study of Bishop Boulevard. It is one of the bases of our lawsuit against Wal-Mart and Pullman. Imagine our surprise to read that Pullman City Council was authorizing $45,000 for such a study. PARD's traffic expert pointed out 108 flaws with the earlier work, including many issues with the southeast end of Bishop - the central part of this new study.

Had the city used common sense two years ago, the study of Bishop, all its major arterial connections, and downtown, could have been paid for by Wal-Mart as a reasonable part of a full traffic and fiscal impact study mandated by city code. Now they are adding $45,000 in taxpayer money on top of the $27,000 spent in litigation with PARD that would have been unnecessary if this work was done at the beginning of the development process.

PARD has long argued the reasonable development of Bishop needs to be consistent with the Pullman Comprehensive Plan. We have supported most recent and planned developments on Bishop, including the Fireside Grille, Crimson and Grey, the expansion of Zeppoz, and the planned new site for Moscow-Pullman Building Supply. Other developments, such as the strip mall on southeast Bishop, are extremely ill-advised. It is built on a flood plain at the base of road banked in the wrong direction and will impair an already impacted area near the turn of a steep descent.

Our main objection, of course, is to the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter, which is of a scale and on a site that will create huge traffic problems. It is a little late for this $45,000 study to help rectify this issue; a lot of horses are already out of the barn. If done competently, there can be little doubt that without Wal-Mart, Bishop Boulevard will be a useable, attractive new shopping area.

Deirdre Sommerlad, Pullman

PARD claims they are not a one-hit wonder. They are here for Pullman in the long haul. It is not a group only focused on Wal-Mart, however, this letter seems to point out otherwise.

They now blame the city for the $27,000+ dollars spent in litigation. They now claim that if the city had made WalMart do a traffic impact study, PARD would not have sued to stop WalMart. That claim is laughable. No matter what, PARD would have sued to stop WalMart. The cost of the litigation is on the shoulders of PARD.

Once again PARD makes claims that they are okay with the Zeppoz expansion. Wow, how bold. Crimson and Grey and Fireside were okay in their book. However, by Crimson and Grey building their new location, they left a large store front empty in the Wheatland shopping center.

What about Pullman Building Supply? A huge location that rivals WalMart, but that, too, is okay with PARD. Once again, this proves, PARD is an anti-WalMart group. They can claim otherwise, but look at their ACTIONS for the proof. They use lipservice and make claims on their website about supporting certain developments. That is not being involved like they would have people believe.

Lastly, the idea that they are against the strip mall, that is being built across from Crimson and Grey is also laughable! They were so against it they didn't raise a stink. They didn't have a petition drive. They didn't sue to stop it. They didn't commission major studies. They used lipservice to make themselves appear to be a group that fights for or against all development in Pullman, when in reality their ACTIONS show they are anti-WalMart.

Let's stop playing these games. Be honest about your intentions. The main objection is the scale and location? That may be your main objection today. But what about yesterday? What about tomorrow? Your kitchen sink arguments is so old and tiresome I don't even want to battle them any more.

Let's get to the real issue here. A group of people are attempting to stop someone from exercising their rights. Property that is owned by and zoned for this kind of development is being delayed by PARD who has no ownership of said land. If PARD wants a say, they should pony up all the money they have used to commission studies and start lawsuits towards buying the land in question. Then PARD could do as they wish. But, as we know, most Liberals love to do "what is best" with every one of your dollars -- not theirs.

PARD, please stop this. You are weakening property rights. You are weakening the Pullman tax base. With these continued delays the state EPA is putting more restrictions on development through regulation. There is no doubt that once WalMart is built and the other businesses that will come to Pullman because of WalMart will have a harder time building because of the more harsh environmental regulations.

Each and every day PARD is stomping on property rights and is causing harm to Pullman's future.

Another Downtown Business Location Closes

According to the Daily News' business bits we are losing a downtown business location. Is it due to Wal-Mart's impending doom over Pullman? Is it due to unfair taxes? Or could it be due to the business doing what it best for itself?

Law offices change location
The firm of Snyder and Martonick Law Offices have moved to 2305 N.E. Hopkins Court in Pullman. Attorney Steve Martonick said the move was necessitated by the firm's growing need for office space. The move also is expected to benefit clients who often complained about the difficulty of finding parking downtown.

Ah, no major claims of conspiracy here. They wanted a bigger location and better parking. So they are leaving downtown. I wonder if that is why business are choosing their new location to be on Bishop Blvd rather than downtown. Yet another sign that downtown is not what it use to be. In any city. People want to park, go in the store and leave. They don't want to stroll downtown for hours. Some do, and that is why there is still a downtown. But the average person wants convenience.

The DST Bug

Tonight, we start Daylight Savings Time three weeks earlier than normal.

According to a story in yesterday's Daily Evergreen:

People might be surprised Sunday morning when some of their clocks are an hour ahead.

This switch is because of a daylight saving time change, a month earlier than usual.

Daylight saving time usually has the country set its clocks forward one hour during April. This year, as a part of the national Energy Policy Act of 2005, DST’s start moved to March.
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As for local businesses, most expect little impact.

“It really hasn’t impacted us because it’s really a function of the weather,” said Norm Ruhoff, assistant manager of the Whitman County Growers Association.

Associate professor of horticulture Preston Andrews said farmers work based on daylight, not necessarily the number of hours in a day. The calendar change will keep the same number of daylight hours, just switch the times. Andrews said there will be more dark hours in the morning, and more sunlight in the afternoon.

Farmers should not expect much effect, Andrews said. They use the sun, not a clock, and they rely on the weather for growing.

For students, it will be spring break, and the move forward at 2 a.m. Sunday should not disturb them.

As usual, the Evergreen reporter missed the bigger story. There is more to local business than farming.

Fox News reports:

Everything from appointment times to banking transactions could be affected by this switch, and with so many businesses relying on the regulation of an internal clocking system, technology experts are bracing for the upcoming glitches.

"The worst case is that it will wreak all kinds of havoc on your network," said Mark Arnold, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Master Key Consulting, a Bethesda, Md.-based information-technology firm. "You could have employees who aren't able to sign in to the network or you could lose data. A lot of things could go wrong."

The change is especially worrisome for organizations that are sensitive to timed events. For example, Master Key Consulting, an Inc. 500 firm, works within a network that includes businesses on the West Coast, in Alaska, and even China, making time synchronization extremely important, Arnold said. If some people on the network are operating on a different time schedule, it could interfere with standard business communications. Additionally, companies that operate a large mobile network and have employees using mobile PCs will also be affected by the change.
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Another area that could be a cause for concern for businesses is e-mail. Operations that rely heavily on appointments in desktop calendar programs like Microsoft Outlook will have to install further updates.

ANY business that relies on computers on the Palouse is going to be affected by the earlier time change. As most of you know, I'm an IT professional, and take it from, this "DST bug" has been much more of a hassle than the "Y2K Bug." One reason is that earlier time change received little press and many software vendors waited until the last minute to release patches. I'm sure if the Evergreen has contacted the WSU IT staff, they would have found that they had been greatly impacted as well.

Monday could ber very interesting.