Big Day Today In Orange County?

It seems that a few peaceful days can never go by in the nation’s premier Wal-Mart site fight in Orange County, Virginia.

Anyone who reads this blog knows about Wal-Mart’s plan to build on the Wilderness Battlefield in Virginia - one of the most storied places in Civil War history. It’s where Grant and Lee first met on the battlefield and where 160,00 Americans fought - and over 20,000 were killed or wounded.

Today could be another big day in the fight over the plan. AP reports that the Orange County planning commission will possibly vote tonight on a recommendation to the Orange County Board of Supervisors, who have the final say on the matter.

And as of yesterday, the planning commission will have some new opinions to take into account. Clint Schemmer reports in the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star that the Virginia Department of Historic Resources has weighed in on the issue, advising the planners to fully address the concerns of the Park Service”

At the county’s request, VDHR advised Orange planners and the Board of Supervisors on the proposal in a seven-page letter sent Monday to County Attorney Sharon Pandak by Kathleen Kilpatrick, the department’s director. “In our considered judgment, the National Park Service’s concerns about the impact of the proposed development and the park should not be dismissed, but squarely addressed by the county, ideally in the context of a comprehensive planning approach,” Kilpatrick wrote.

Just yesterday the Free Lance-Star reported that Wal-Mart turned down other possible sites in the area, and is insisting that they build a store on the landmark.

It just doesn’t seem to make any sense, does it? For a company that has clearly become more PR-savvy in the past few years after a string of humiliating press scandals, is this one store worth it? Why continue to accumulate the bad headlines? This is a company that much of the general public already thinks has no respect for the communities and local businesses around its stores.

Either way, Mike Duke’s got himself a big mess on his hands - and it’s not going away any time soon.

We’ll watch for anything that happens tonight, and we’ll keep you posted.

Posted by Eric Bull on Thursday, June 11, 2009

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