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57 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, February 11, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend January 23, 2004 Wal-Mart confirms it: store closes By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — An engineering firm working for Wal-Mart announced this week it erred when it said the retail giant might not close its Highway 62 store if a Supercenter is built in Central Point. In a letter received by the Mail Tribune on Wednesday, Kittelson senior engineer Brian Dunn said the statement was made because of "inaccurate representation of the facts" by his Portland firm. "The reality is that Wal-Mart never changed its position and has remained constant in its desire to close the Highway 62 store if and when the development of the new Supercenter at Pear Blossom Plaza is complete," the letter said. Requests for an interview Thursday with Kittelson representatives were referred to Wal-Mart spokeswoman Amy Hill, who called the misunderstanding an honest mistake. "We have always planned to relocate the Highway 62 location. It’s never been a question," said Hill. Advertisement Kittelson made the statement in a traffic study included in a new design plan that reoriented the store, planned for East Pine Street and Hamrick Road. The analysis said there would be fewer traffic problems in Central Point if the Highway 62 store remained open and that, "according to Wal-Mart representatives, there are no plans to close the Highway 62 store." Hill said when the original traffic study was being conducted, a decision had not yet been made regarding closure of the Highway 62 location. "This strictly was, unfortunately, an error that slipped through and which we did not catch despite several proofreadings. It was never our intention to mislead or misstate." Still of concern to Central Point planners and Oregon Department of Transportation officials are potential impacts of a Supercenter on the Central Point freeway interchange. ODOT has concluded that the interchange would fail the day the Supercenter opened its doors. City officials earlier this month declared that a third traffic study would be conducted and the results discussed at a public hearing in mid-March. As part of the study, the city will develop a preliminary design for a new interchange, based largely on the traffic expected from the new Supercenter combined with other planned development. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times