I was at work earlier today discussing with a colleague how I feel about the relocation of Wal-Mart to the corner of Brookedale and Tollgate.  As I mentioned in a previous entry, we’ve received flyers in our mailbox from citizens who objected to the “megacentre” being built there, and we even saw what can only be described as a rather pitiful gather of people with picket signs this past weekend.  There looked to be about a dozen people, all standing around to protest the impending build.

Anyway, I was telling a co-workers that I was really looking forward to the Megacentre being built.  She lives nearby and is also pleased at the thought.  A customer overheard the conversation and told us that “they” had voted against it only last night and that our Megacentre was not going to built there afterall.  He seemed so happy with the decision.

When I got home, I told Hubby about what the man had said and we started looking it up online.  Sure enough, it was true.  Hubby found the details on the Cornwall radio station’s website, AM 1220:

“We want you in our community, just find a better location.” That from members of Cornwall’s Planning Advisory Committee who have put to bed the idea of allowing the proposed 415,000 square foot Wal-Mart SmartCentre to be built on the corner of Tollgate Road and Brookdale Avenue. PAC met at the Civic Complex last night where a significant number of concerned residents spoke about the negative impact the SmartCentre would create such as increased traffic and safety concerns. Local resident Jeanette Wimar tells AM 1220 News she can now rest easy knowing this centre will not be at her front door. Council will meet with SmartCentre reps in the coming weeks to discuss a more suitable location for the big box development. At the beginning of the meeting, SmartCentre officials asked if the matter could be deferred, but PAC decided they would resolve the issue right away.

I feel disappointed with that decision because we live near the proposed location and I liked the idea of having a Wal-Mart so closeby.  I mean, it couldn’t possibly change that much around here as we have the 24/7 operation known as the Home Depot right next door to where the Wal-Mart would be built.

There is no doubt in my mind that Cornwall needs to grow and expand.  I really hope that the Megacentre is built somewhere and that it doesn’t get dismissed altogether. 

I hate this “not in my back yard” mentality.  Let’s face it, when it is finally built, it will end up in someone’s backyard.

The city of Cornwall is planning to build a shopping mall or at least a strip of shops on the other side of Tollgate, near the Home Depot.  Wal-Mart will be moving there from its current location near the bridge on Brookdale. 

For those who don’t know Cornwall, I’d like to tell you that we don’t really have a good mall.  We have Cornwall Square, located off Pitt, down near the water, but that’s not really much of a mall.  It’s tiny and there’s really nothing there to look at.  We very rarely go there because we never have any reason to.  Sometimes, one just fancies going to a mall.  So we give it another try and we always leave disappointed.

So, to me, this new mall sounds devine!  I can’t wait.  I’m so excited to see what’s going to be there.  And with it being so close to the already established Home Depot, it’s not like it’ll change anything as far as the neighborhood goes.

But we keep getting these papers left in our mailbox from disgruntled residents who are adamantly opposed to the location of the new mall.  The reasons they give are as follows.  And I quote:

1) thousands and thousands of cars generated by this huge development will FLOOD onto nearby streets.

My response:  Why?  Anyone who knows Cornwall knows that Brookdale is the main strip and there’s no reason for cars to end up on the dead-end streets that surround the area of the new mall.

2) the 24-hour noise, light, truck anf car traffic will DESTROY the quality of life of this residential area.

My response:  Huh?  You mean the area that houses the 24-hour a day operation that is the massive Home Depot.  Trucks coming and going all night already.

3) Runoff from cars and trucks will DRAIN INTO neighborhood creeks and streams.

My response:  Do we have any creeks and streams?

4) a 24/7 Wal-mart will INCREASE crime in this quiet and safe area.

My response:  Why?  Does Wal-Mart only hire ex-cons or something?

(By the way, I didn’t choose those capital letters.  That really is as we’ve received it.)

So you see, I think that the person who wrote this and who now is urging us to contact our councillor is a little cooky.  I want the mall.  I think it’s a great idea and that it will not change the neighborhood.