By Caitlin Murray/murrayc@gnnewspaper.com
Tensions were high as Wal-Mart supporters and detractors packed a public hearing Monday to respond to the environmental impact survey of the proposed superstore, prompting the North Tonawanda Planning Commission to call police officers to control the public.
Some residents in the standing-room only crowd wore stickers that said “Wal-Mart: Yes.” One woman brought a cardboard sign with black marker written on it: “Wal-Mart is #1.” Some booed and heckled speakers who criticized the draft environmental impact statement as incomplete.
David Seeger, an attorney representing North Tonawanda First, a residents group opposed to the building of a Wal-Mart superstore, said he was “puzzled” by some parts of the survey analyzing traffic impact.
The survey states traffic at the Erie Avenue/Walck Road intersection, among others, would improve if the Wal-Mart was built, despite a surge in cars using the route daily and without mitigation from the company, he said.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Seeger said. “And it makes me wonder whether or not the traffic impact study isn’t basically baloney.”
Seeger added that FRA Engineering, the company that compiled the environmental impact statement, gave low ratings to many routes that would be affected by the project and wondered whether Wal-Mart didn’t want to pay to a “fair share” to fix the traffic problems.
Wal-Mart supporters in the crowd groaned and shouted in disagreement while others in the audience shouted back to let Seeger finish his statements until Planning Commission Chairman Gary Przewozny regained control of the meeting.
A member of the commission called North Tonawanda police to the scene but the outbursts stopped.
Sixteen members of the public spoke at the meeting. Wal-Mart supporters thanked the commission for their efforts to move forward with the project and expressed their satisfaction with the survey. Detractors and those undecided mostly focused on potential traffic problems the project would create.
Frank Budwey, owner of Budwey’s grocery store, echoed Seeger’s sentiments, saying the traffic problems are overwhelming and the survey does not offer adequate solutions. Though he supported the proposed development around Wurlitzer Park because Wal-Mart would fund it, he was one of several speakers who asked how new traffic signals and other road improvements elsewhere would be funded.
But Budwey will have to wait to hear the answers.
Frederick Frank of Wendel Duchscherer, the engineering firm representing North Tonawanda, said the planning board will meet with the Department of Transportation later this month before drawing conclusions from FRA Engineering’s environmental impact statement.
FRA Engineering Project Manager Timothy Gawenus said his company would reply to all public concerns in their final draft of the environmental impact statement but said he felt the survey was complete.
“It’s about 14 inches thick,” he said. “Personally, I think it’s extremely thorough and one of the best environmental impact statements we’ve ever done.”
Residents can submit written statements to the commission regarding only environment impact issues and the environmental impact survey through Sept. 21.
Contact reporter Caitlin Murray at 693-1000, ext. 113.
