To the editor:

Being a former assistant manager with Wal-Mart, I am curious to know what is the big deal about another Wal-Mart being built? Why is the biggest concern the amount of traffic that will be generated in front of FSHS? When Wal-Mart says 800 cars per hour, that is not necessarily at 8 a.m. in the morning or 3 p.m. when students are leaving school. The figure is geared more towards late afternoon/early evening and weekend traffic.

When FSHS was built, was the idea to build the school and not have anymore development at Sixth and Wakarusa? Does LHS complain because of all the KU students who drive through the intersection of 19th and Louisiana?

Wal-Mart is not trying to hide the store like some people think. A store that size will have semis coming and going at about the average of four per day, not including all of the local/national vendors who drive their own trucks. Then there still is the holiday season when the number of trucks will increase.

Wal-Mart is just trying to do what is best for Lawrence. They would do the same thing in Bentonville, Ark. Wal-Mart can see the growth potential Lawrence has, and another Wal-Mart would generate 400-500 more jobs. If the store is built, it will not affect downtown. downtown has its own niche of customers who go downtown for that reason. Let’s not run another company out of town.

Brandon Perkins,

Lawrence