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Wal-Mart request granted after verbal jousting
BY FRANK ZUFALL
Spooner Advocate
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 27th, 2006 10:54:41 AM
The Washburn County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Sept. 19, approved
17-2 a sales-agreement extension to purchase 35 acres of the northwest
quadrant of Cty. Hwy. H and Hwy. 53 in Spooner for a proposed
153,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter.
The approved three-month extension expands the latest date when Wal-Mart can close the purchase from Nov. 12 to Feb. 12, 2007.
The approval came over the objections of Washburn County First
(WCF) members who spoke against it at the meeting during public
comment.
A Wal-Mart representative said the company is waiting for the Wisconsin
Department of Transportation (DOT) to resolve with local municipalities
a plan for upgrading highway improvements near the proposed store.
Two WCF lawsuits regarding Wal-Mart’s proposal are pending. One of the
suits is against the Washburn County Board of Supervisors for allegedly
violating open meeting laws in discussing the land sale in alleged
unauthorized closed meetings and conducting a walking quorum
(pre-arranging votes).
The other suit is against the city of Spooner’s Board of Appeals for
allegedly not following protocol by not offering discussion and reasons
before granting three variances to the project.
Polacheck, a Milwaukee-based developer/broker, was given the
original sales agreement approval Nov. 8, 2005, and had already opted
for two, three-month automatic extensions with each extension costing
the company $7,500, for a total of $15,000.
The latest extension brings the total to three.
After the anniversary of the first year of the sales agreement
approval, three-month extensions are not automatic but require approval
of the county board.
A Polacheck official said his company, which had been renamed CB
Richard Ellis, is no longer the buyer, having “assigned” the status of
“buyer” to Wal-Mart Real Estate Trust.
Thus, Wal-Mart itself will pay $7,500 for the extension granted Sept. 19.
Voting against granting the extension were supervisors Chuck Wulf and Steve Sather.
Voting for extending the sales agreement were Chairman Micheal
Bobin, Eugene Barrett, Michael Waggoner, Thomas Persen, Michael
Livingston, Elizabeth Esser, William Allard, Clay Halverson, Barry
Nielsen, Jay Hands, Gregory Krantz, Ed Olund, Romaine Quinn, James
Sundeen, Wayne Stevenson, Michael Quinton, and William Campbell.
Supervisors Barbara Love and Mitch Fox were absent.
Why no discussion?
Prior to the actual vote on the extension, the 19 supervisors offered
no discussion for or against, even though WCF members and
representative and a Wal-Mart official had presented over one hour of
testimony. (See “Strong appeal made to denie extension to Wal-Mart” and
“Wal-Mart rep. says...)
Barb Crites, owner of Country House Motel and member of WCF, who
spoke at length from various studies about the adverse affects Wal-Mart
stores are alleged to have on communities asked why the supervisors
offered no discussion prior to the vote.
“It seems all the topics you people you discussed this evening,
you had discussion on every topic except one of the most important in
our community, whether you should extend the contract to Wal-Mart,” she
said. “It seems that nothing anybody has ever said made any decision to
any of your decisions.
“I don’t understand in the democratic process how 20 of you can sit
here [Note, only 19 supervisors were present] with an issue that big
and have absolutely no discussion,” she said.
Bobin responded, “You saw a demonstration of the democratic process, the representatives of the community voted democratically.
“But there was no discussion,” said Critz.
“You don’t think there was discussion during citizen comments and
questions and answers?” asked Bobin. “It seems you WCF people will not
be happy unless it is a ‘no.’
Critz asked the supervisors, “Do you all know something we don’t know?”
“I suspect what the board thinks is that there 15-20 people who are
adamantly against Wal-Mart and there are 16,850 for it,” said Bobin.
Bobin added, with the exception of WCF members, all the input he
has received via phone and letters has been in favor of the Wal-Mart
store.
“Are they truly informed or listening to Wal-Mart’s propaganda?” she asked, concerning the feedback of the constituents.
Bobin said the board had listened to WCF and had gotten their
studies and had been informed and was the elected representative of the
people.
“It is hard to say this board is not informed,” said Bobin.
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