No decision on Wal-Mart before June 30

CENTERVILLE — The next city Planning Commission deliberation on the proposed Wal-Mart development on Parrish Lane and 400 West will take place May 12. However, the commission will take at least until the end of June to decide whether to approve the 22.5-acre project.

During an hour-and-45-minute presentation to the Planning Commission earlier this week, Wal-Mart and project representatives gave a glowing report to the commission. The effort was meant to dispel the negative comments the commission took two weeks earlier from the public.

Eric Berger, Wal-Mart community affairs manager from Seattle, said the construction of a Super Center Wal-Mart in Centerville would be good for the community because the store would contribute $700,000 to city revenues. It would be a good neighbor, would hire employees at a higher hourly rate than competitors, provide benefits to workers and not run local businesses out of business, Berger said.

As for the much-touted higher crime rate associated with Wal-Mart stores, as reported by an Ogden paper, Berger said most of the crimes are committed against Wal-Mart in the form of shoplifting and check fraud. The stores' security people, he said, help local police by apprehending and detaining suspects and filling out paperwork for the arriving officers.

Wal-Mart plans closed-circuit cameras inside and outside the Centerville store, as well as having plain clothed security employees in the parking lot as well as inside, he said.

"In conversations with police across the country, they say our loss prevention people are helpful to them," Berger said. He presented a letter from Harrisville Police Chief Max Jackson, which he said supports Wal-Mart.

One commissioner asked Berger how a Centerville Wal-Mart would affect existing stores such as Dick's, Winegars and Albertsons. Berger responded that Wal-Mart lets the customers decide which stores to patronize.

Other concerns, such as a large number of shoppers coming to Centerville from Salt Lake County, were expressed and Berger answered, that because of the new Super Center under construction at 1300 South and Main in Salt Lake City, he would be surprised if the Centerville store drew customers from south of Bountiful and Woods Cross. Customers from North Salt Lake, he added, would probably shop at the Salt Lake store.

Robin Salvigio, vice president of CLC Associates, a Salt Lake engineering firm, told the commission the site plan has been upgraded to make the exterior of the proposed store more appealing and other community concerns have been addressed.

She presented an extensive written response to community concerns as expressed at the April 13 meeting and said the firm would respond to further concerns from the Planning Commission and the public.

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