July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
We need a Super Wal-Mart
Editor's Mailbag
By To the editor:-
When I moved to Portland it had five or six groceries, two meat markets and two auto parts stores. Now we have one grocery, one meat market and five auto parts stores. Ever since LoBill forced Gerber Bros. out of business the people of Portland have been telling economic development officials that a second grocery is their top priority.
Today when my wife and I shop for groceries we start at Wal-Mart and buy what we can from their limited selection. Then we reluctantly go on over to LoBill. Once every month or so we go to Aldi’s in Muncie because you can’t get good generic items at a decent price in Portland.
When it’s convenient we stock up on fish and frozen products at Marsh in Muncie because there are so many items we like that we can’t find in Portland and the Marsh store, which is higher-priced than LoBill in Muncie, is cheaper than Portland on most items. It has only been in the last year that you could even buy a loaf of French bread at the Portland store. Last week when I was there were people lined down the aisles because only two check out lines were open.
Virtually everyone Claudia and I have talked to is excited about having a Super Wal-Mart so that there will actually be some competition in the grocery field. It is a pretty sure bet that anyone who votes to put Wal-Mart on hold while they “explore other options” will have a hard time getting re-elected. They have already had far too many years to explore those other options with no results to show for the effort.
A recent letter opposing the Super Wal-Mart talked of a potential threat to local liquor stores, photographers, optometrists, tire stores, beauty shops and gas stations. Even the local paper would be hurt by a lack of advertising from the photographers, optometrists, liquor stores and gas stations that rarely advertise. In fact, we don’t even know that the proposed Super Wal-Mart will even have all of those features.
I, for one, only purchase gas in Portland in an emergency. I have been trying to fill up in Muncie whenever I can because it is usually at least 10 cents a gallon less. It all comes from the same refinery, so why do we always have to pay more? Lately it has been even cheaper in Albany and Redkey.
Beauty shops, on the other hand, tend to be a very personal choice and most people tend to stick with someone they know does their hair the way they like.
The water problems in the north end have, for the most part, been ignored or put on hold for 15 years. When Vaughn Bailey was mayor he had a plan for correcting the problems, but when he died the ball was dropped and never picked up again. In fact, it is only a problem during a heavy rain. There is little doubt that good engineering and a large enough holding pond should take care of the problem.
The best and cheapest fix would be to use city and county people and equipment to deepen and widen the ditch for a mile or two out in the country. That would be more than enough to hold the worst run-off that I have seen in the last 30 years. It is a project that should have been done years ago. And it should also include separating storm and sewer water as Vaughn had planned to do in the north end 15 years ago. Good engineering should also be able to take care of privacy concerns at Heritage Commons.
We are told that businesses located near the present Wal-Mart would be hurt by the move. But in any other town a 30-second drive would be considered as being next to that business.
If the businesses in question were really good the distance would certainly not keep us from frequenting them. The new El Camino Real Mexican restaurant is as good an authentic Mexican restaurant as Puerta Vallarta in Muncie and will certainly continue to get our business on a regular basis despite being less than a minute or two away from the new Wal-Mart.
Perhaps the gloom and doom people who are so opposed to a Super Wal-Mart should pool their money and open a grocery store and a filling station that are actually competitive with the outside world.
Of course LoBill would probably cut prices and put them out of business like they did to Gerbers, but at least we would have had real competition for a limited time.
The majority of people in Portland are sick of paying higher prices for groceries and gas because we don’t have a choice except to pay up or drive a 60-mile round trip to Muncie
Stephen and Claudia Erwin
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
Today when my wife and I shop for groceries we start at Wal-Mart and buy what we can from their limited selection. Then we reluctantly go on over to LoBill. Once every month or so we go to Aldi’s in Muncie because you can’t get good generic items at a decent price in Portland.
When it’s convenient we stock up on fish and frozen products at Marsh in Muncie because there are so many items we like that we can’t find in Portland and the Marsh store, which is higher-priced than LoBill in Muncie, is cheaper than Portland on most items. It has only been in the last year that you could even buy a loaf of French bread at the Portland store. Last week when I was there were people lined down the aisles because only two check out lines were open.
Virtually everyone Claudia and I have talked to is excited about having a Super Wal-Mart so that there will actually be some competition in the grocery field. It is a pretty sure bet that anyone who votes to put Wal-Mart on hold while they “explore other options” will have a hard time getting re-elected. They have already had far too many years to explore those other options with no results to show for the effort.
A recent letter opposing the Super Wal-Mart talked of a potential threat to local liquor stores, photographers, optometrists, tire stores, beauty shops and gas stations. Even the local paper would be hurt by a lack of advertising from the photographers, optometrists, liquor stores and gas stations that rarely advertise. In fact, we don’t even know that the proposed Super Wal-Mart will even have all of those features.
I, for one, only purchase gas in Portland in an emergency. I have been trying to fill up in Muncie whenever I can because it is usually at least 10 cents a gallon less. It all comes from the same refinery, so why do we always have to pay more? Lately it has been even cheaper in Albany and Redkey.
Beauty shops, on the other hand, tend to be a very personal choice and most people tend to stick with someone they know does their hair the way they like.
The water problems in the north end have, for the most part, been ignored or put on hold for 15 years. When Vaughn Bailey was mayor he had a plan for correcting the problems, but when he died the ball was dropped and never picked up again. In fact, it is only a problem during a heavy rain. There is little doubt that good engineering and a large enough holding pond should take care of the problem.
The best and cheapest fix would be to use city and county people and equipment to deepen and widen the ditch for a mile or two out in the country. That would be more than enough to hold the worst run-off that I have seen in the last 30 years. It is a project that should have been done years ago. And it should also include separating storm and sewer water as Vaughn had planned to do in the north end 15 years ago. Good engineering should also be able to take care of privacy concerns at Heritage Commons.
We are told that businesses located near the present Wal-Mart would be hurt by the move. But in any other town a 30-second drive would be considered as being next to that business.
If the businesses in question were really good the distance would certainly not keep us from frequenting them. The new El Camino Real Mexican restaurant is as good an authentic Mexican restaurant as Puerta Vallarta in Muncie and will certainly continue to get our business on a regular basis despite being less than a minute or two away from the new Wal-Mart.
Perhaps the gloom and doom people who are so opposed to a Super Wal-Mart should pool their money and open a grocery store and a filling station that are actually competitive with the outside world.
Of course LoBill would probably cut prices and put them out of business like they did to Gerbers, but at least we would have had real competition for a limited time.
The majority of people in Portland are sick of paying higher prices for groceries and gas because we don’t have a choice except to pay up or drive a 60-mile round trip to Muncie
Stephen and Claudia Erwin
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
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