Village wants study of Wal-Mart impact
Board members back Chamber of Commerce recommendation
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

BATH - A solid majority of Bath village board members is sympathetic to the idea of conducting an economic impact study of a proposed Wal-Mart development in the Town of Bath.

Three board members - Mike Skelly, Donna Simonson and Tom Sears - expressed support Monday for the study, which had been recommended in a letter to the municipality from the Greater Bath Area Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Willard Caudill has also urged the Town of Bath to collaborate with the village on such a review.

Town board members have taken no action on Caudill's suggestion, and village board members Monday took no formal action, although Sears said he will contact The Center for Governmental Research for information regarding a study, including possible costs.

"Who pays for it?" Sears asked other members of the village board, adding he had been referred to the CGR by the Southern Tier Regional Planning and Development Board, based in Painted Post.

Other board members suggested the study would be valuable in the village's effort to assess the impact a Wal- Mart superstore on the village economy.

"We don't know what the impact of Wal-Mart will be on the village," said Simonson. "We should at least be proactive."

The idea of an economic impact study was initially broached by Bath resident Scott Ward, of M. J. Ward & Son, Inc., who has urged the town and village to collaborate on such a review. Ward has warned the construction of a Wal-Mart superstore on state Route 54 just north of the village line would force numerous local businesses to close or slash their inventories.

The Greater Bath Area Chamber of Commerce in late June reviewed Ward's proposal, with the board of directors agreeing to support an impact study.

Specifically, the Chamber has urged the municipalities to incorporate "an independent economic impact study into (the) planning and evaluation process with regards to 'bigbox' retail stores, such as the Wal-Mart Supercenter."

Review of the Wal-Mart development remains in the hands of the town Planning Board, which has been cast as the lead agent in a state-mandated environmental impact study of the project.

The town Planning Board has identified the Village of Bath as an interested party in the environmental review and has invited the municipality to submit comments with regard to the development.

However, as the Chamber noted, 'The environmental; study may not assessed the long-term economic impact that the (Wal-Mart) establishment could have on the region."