Bath village warned of Wal-Mart impact
'The village is going to take the beating, not the town.' - Scott Ward Bath resident
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

BATH - A village resident whose local family business has been operating for four generations warned the Bath village board Monday a Wal- Mart superstore on state Route 54 outside village limits would have a detrimental impact on the village economy.

Scott Ward of M.J. Ward and Son advised board members to partner with the Bath town board in hiring an independent consulting firm that would assess the local economic impact of a Wal-Mart superstore.

The study, Ward added, should also address the traffic and safety impact of a 150,000- square-foot Wal-Mart, which the corporation announced it wants to build on Route 54 in the vicinity of the current Owl Homes.

Ward made a similar recommendation during a recent meeting of the Bath town board, where deputy Supervisor Robin Lattimer noted Southern Tier Central Regional Planning and Development Board, located in Painted Post, would be a possible candidate for the consulting position.

Town board members, however, took no action on Ward's request.

Ward received a similar reception at the village board Monday, where members made no response during the public session.

"The village is going to take the beating, not the town," Ward warned.

He was joined by Wheeler resident Beth Miller, a member of the Bath NY Group, which has warned for several weeks a Wal-Mart superstore could put heavy, and in some cases fatal, pressure on local businesses.

Miller Monday warned village board members a superstore would have a serious impact on traffic patterns in the village that in turn would create hazardous conditions for pedestrians, especially children.

"We're talking about real safety issues for children who go to school in the village," Miller said.

Bath Mayor David Wallace noted the village will be a respondent in a state-mandated environmental impact study of the proposed Wal- Mart project. The village government, Wallace said, would study, in particular, a superstore impact on local traffic and the publicly owned Bath Electric Gas and Water Systems utility.

But Wallace indicated he wants to keep the village's role in the project limited to the environmental impact study.

"I don't see the (village) board being responsible for telling the town board what they should be doing," Wallace said.

The Wal-Mart project is under the purview of the town Planning Board, which earlier this month kicked off the environmental impact study by announcing it would serve as lead agency in the environmental review.

The board is in the process of notifying numerous state offices, in c luding the Department of Health and the Department of transportation, of its lead status.

Town Supervisor Fred Muller has said he expects the environmental review to last at least a year. No building certificates would be issued to the Wal-Mart corporation until the review is complete, Muller said.