To the editor:

The article in Monday’s paper regarding the Wal-Mart development proposed for Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive made no mention of a major problem with allowing that development to proceed. There is a high school located there with a population of about 1,300 teenagers, of whom about 1,000 drive cars to and from there every day. Free State High School also has an open lunch policy so students are also leaving the school at noon every day.

Traffic is bad enough at that intersection. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand putting a Wal-Mart SuperCenter in a location that also has 1,000 teenagers driving around on a daily basis which includes many evening activities as well as the traffic generated by the city swimming pool is city planning at the worst, not to mention the accident risk to our youth.

The quality of life issue is extremely important as well. As a parent, I don’t want the band to have to fight the traffic noise of a Wal-Mart when they are practicing. I don’t want to have to build a stadium around the baseball diamond to protect it from Wal-Mart. I don’t want hordes of teenagers driving/walking over to Wal-Mart on their lunch hour. I don’t want to fight Wal-Mart/development traffic to go to a concert or parent conferences in the evening. I want the high school to be located in a residential area that is attractive, quiet, comfortable, and safe for teens.

I don’t know anyone who actually wants a huge discount store at that location. However, regardless of one’s feelings about that development or any other in that location, I hope the powers that be will put the needs of our children above any other issue regarding this location.

Karen Anderson,

Lawrence