To the editor:

I am surprised at the negative reaction from some west Lawrence residents to the proposed Wal-Mart on Sixth and Wakarusa. Didn’t these people who moved out to this area realize that Lawrence was growing west and that Sixth and Wakarusa is a major intersection? When they moved out there, they couldn’t have been so naive as to think that a big box store would not move out to this intersection in the future.

One resident claimed, “There are hundreds and hundreds of children in this neighborhood who will be negatively affected.” Living in the Prairie Meadows area, we have had a Wal-Mart, and other big box stores, within a half mile of us. I sure haven’t seen any signs of a “negative effect” on the children in this neighborhood. New businesses bring more tax revenue, more jobs, and more convenient services.

Mike Sullinger,

Lawrence