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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 17, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 2, 2003 Response to Wal-Mart mailers debated By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Critics of Wal-Mart’s plans to build two Supercenters in the Rogue Valley say they don’t think positive responses to recent company mailers accurately reflect community opinion. Wal-Mart, which sent out mailers to residents in Medford and Central Point, says a majority of respondents voiced their approval for the proposed 207,000-square-foot stores. "These are not scientific polls," said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Amy Hill, adding, "We’re pleased with the level of support." Medford resident Sue Dolf criticized the mailer because it did not provide a box that could be checked to show disapproval of Wal-Mart’s plans. "I just scratched some wording out and wrote, "No, I do not support you coming to Medford," she said. Advertisement Dolf was so incensed by the mailer that she decided to fight back, collecting 33 signatures from her Women With Wings Choir on a sheet of paper headed, "Sign Here to say No to Wal- Mart." The women want to block the Medford store at Miles Field because they say it will destroy jobs and businesses and create traffic congestion. They also cite news reports that show Wal-Mart pays less than other retail chains and fails to provide adequate health benefits. "I think it is devastating in the long run," said Dolf. "If you don’t stop it community by community, then you’ll just get overrun." Hill disagreed with the charges against her company, noting the two stores will add 500 jobs locally. She said the company is attempting to address traffic concerns. In Medford, the mailer was sent to 24,000 households. Of the 1,519 respondents, Hill says 999, or 65 percent, expressed support. However, 520 wrote they didn’t want the new store. "That surprises me because they didn’t encourage a negative response," said Dolf. "It would take twice the effort to respond "no." In Central Point, 9,000 households received mailers. Of respondents, 1,084 (76 percent) indicated support and 311 expressed opposition. Becca Croft, spokeswoman for a neighborhood group seeking to block the Central Point Wal-Mart, said a door-to-door petition circulated by her group has collected nearly 1,000 signatures in opposition. The signature-gathering campaign has slowed because of the holidays and the recent death of Ken Beebe, a well-known Central Point farmer who was vocal in his opposition to the Supercenter, she said. "It’s not as big as we would like it to be," said Croft of her group, Central Point First. "It’s just a few of us that go out and knock on doors." Citing a recent analysis by the Oregon Department of Transportation, Croft said the Central Point store on East Pine Street would overload roads and cause traffic backups onto Interstate 5. "This is a mess that anybody with an eighth-grade reading level would realize," she said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s