The Middle Valley Walmart Makes No Sense - And Response (3)

  • Friday, March 6, 2015

There has been quite a bit of hoopla over the proposed new Walmart grocery store in Middle Valley.  Since my family has lived in Middle Valley in a home they built by hand way back in 1954 and said house is now housing generations 3, 4 and 5 I feel that I can give my opinion based on nothing more than life experience.   

When this house was built there was a gravel road that led back to this house, one across the street and one a bit further up on the hill. That was it.  Just those three houses and a lot of woods.  Since then, the road has been paved, lots more homes have gone up and I can stand at the dining room window and look at a subdivision that was built and from the front porch I can see another one up the hill.  I had family that lived in that one.  That's called progress. 

I'm all for progress unless it just makes no sense at all.  This is one of those "what are they thinking" projects.  Allow me to expand. 

For starters, I have about a 6-7 minute drive from no less than two super Walmarts now.  There is a Bi-Lo at the end of Daisy Dallas Road and another one right before you hit Middle Valley Road there on Hixson Pike.  Let's not forget the Publix, Save A Lot and either of the Dollar General Stores.  There are "stand alone" pharmacies at each end of Daisy Dallas not to mention the ones inside both the Bi-Los and there may be one in Publix (personally, I can't afford to shop there so I honestly don't know). 

Why do I need another store?  I can get gas at either the Stop-N-Go there at Gadd and Middle Valley, go a bit further down to the Kangaroo or hit the one across from that little driving range (FYI this one does the Bi-Lo bonus points on gas).  And if none of those has what I want then I can hop across the way, so to speak, and hit Hixson Pike that has tons more places to get gas, meds, fast food, meat, stop in one of the churches to say a quick prayer and the list goes on.  See how this is confusing for me?  Why on earth do I need yet another possible choice?  Because it's closer?  Might be cheaper?  Well hey, as my Pappaw was fond of saying, if a frog had wings he might not bump his bum when he jumped.  Ok, so that's not exactly how that went but I'm trying to be polite here.  Work with me. 

Let's talk traffic.  Raise your hand if you've ever been at the intersection of Thrasher Pike and Middle Valley Road say around 7:30 - 8ish a.m. or 2:30 to 3ish p.m.  If you raised your hand then you know how much fun it is now.  I have a student at Ganns (Go Roadrunners Whoot Whoot) and I have made the morning trek everyday for the last six years. This is my last year doing that.  My student graduates from Ganns this year.  At times there are cars stacked about four deep turning onto Thrasher.  If you are trying to go straight on Middle Valley heading towards Boy Scout, chances are you have had to go almost into oncoming traffic to get around the stacked cars.  Imagine this type of pile up all the time.  It gives me a massive migraine just thinking about it.   

They planning on widening Thrasher Pike?  What about all those houses that are there now?  Will they offer to buy them out?   Where will they go?  Better yet, what happens if the family says no?  Claim imminent domain and basically steal the property?  What happens to traffic in the interim while they are working on it?  I know my way around the back roads but what about those that don't?  And this is suppose to be all in the name of progress and convenience?   Call me blonde (which, I am) but this makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever therefore I must decline Walmart Inc.'s most gracious offer to toss a monkey wrench into the workings of my day.  It's hectic enough as it is.  Sorry. Maybe next time.

Stacey Massengale, GEN3

* * * 

Stacey, it is all about tax revenue!  Walmart promises a certain about of revenue. The city and county council hide behind our system.  Our so-called representatives pretend to support their constituents while working with the local establishment to tax and spend. They will claim they only have one vote so they can’t stop a purposed vote. The commissioners could stop the store by not supporting other commissioner’s districts if they vote against the will of constituents in their district, but they won’t.  Remember this when you vote and keep a tally on your Commissioner, they hide behind this process. Your commissioner will claim they did everything he or she could do.  It is usually a 8-1 vote with the commissioner in the opposed district voting against a contested issue.

We should be able to vote for all the commissioners, this would stop issues where a majority are against proposed changes. Commissioners from other districts do represent the other districts  in this process, so we should be able to vote for them. They are afraid of Referendums, they should vote only to put an issue on a Referendum. We need zoning changes, property tax increases and sales tax increase on Referendums.

Chuck Davis
Lookout Mountain, Tn.

* * *

I live in East Brainerd and don't really care one way or another about the new Walmart in Middle Valley.  I do however feel the need to call baloney on the "new" tax money that backers, politicians, and media are quoting as fact. 
 
In order to create new tax money for the county, this store needs to produce revenue that isn't there now.  In order for that to happen one of two things must be true:  1)  The area residents are now eating venison and wild berries instead of purchasing food because there is no Walmart within walking distance. (not likely)   2)  They are now driving to another state or county to purchase their groceries. (look at a map).
 
A bit of common sense would suggest that any revenue produced by the new store comes at the expense of existing area grocery stores, gas stations, and even other Walmarts.  I believe the old Indian quote regarding daylight saving time is applicable here:  "Only the white man would cut three feet off the end of his blanket, sew it on the other end, and believe he has more blanket."  Those in favor please make your argument on the grounds of convenience because that's all you got.
 
Jerry HIckey
 
* * *

Ms. Massengale,
      The Middle Valley Walmart  makes sense. Add up the property tax from commercial and residential and then compare it to land under commercial roof.   Our county government stands to create much more property tax income from that land being business. I can't help but feel that commissioners are elected to represent the people rather than the government. As for the ruse of sales tax collections going up, my hunch is there won't be many Bledsoe or Sequatchie County residents stopping there for groceries.

          Your input that there is an abundance of grocery in the area is spot on. As for traffic,  I have also made the mistake of going through at the end of a school day. Those are good  points. By the way, the letter I responded to in a previous opinion was written by someone paid to write it on behalf of the developer. Like your letter, my letter came from the heart.

As for the point that one commissioner made that progress brings growing pains. I have a bridge  in Lookout Valley many of us commute on.  It is four lanes, new, with 12-foot shoulders. One can see it  from a quarter mile west though a view framed by a decades-old, two-lane underpass with four-foot' shoulders. And then drive east about three miles to another two-lane underpass. In this case TDOT had to replace the bridge to current federal code. Yet they,  our City Council, County Commission,  state and  federal representatives can't bring  progress in that regard. Next traffic jam you endure going west from Tennessee's fourth largest city, you may witness that visual fact.

Prentice Hicks

 

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