Residents will decide on whether to annex land for a supercenter.
BOONVILLE — The campaign signs dot the businesses and yards of homes along Main Street: “Vote NO Proposition A. Poorly Planned Annexation.”
The signs are the work of Not So Super for Boonville, a group trying to galvanize opposition to Proposition A on the Nov. 8 ballot. Boonville voters will decide whether the city will annex 28.8 acres for a new Wal-Mart Supercenter and provide water and sewer service to the site near Interstate 70 at Jackson Road and Route B.
Annexation opponents cite inadequate roads for increased traffic, the absence of barriers between the development and two subdivisions, storm drainage issues and the effects of the store’s parking lot on a nearby lake owned by the Knights of Columbus.
The “Yes on Proposition A Committee,” fully funded by Wal-Mart, has sent out full-color mailings made by Target Creative Communications Inc., an advertising firm in Alexandria, Va., that specializes in direct mailings for Republican political campaigns.
Not So Super for Boonville has been distributing yard signs, placing newspaper and radio ads, making and distributing bumper stickers and appearing on local radio shows.
The Wal-Mart campaign outspent annexation opponents tenfold from Oct. 1 to 27, spending $26,000 to the opponents’ $2,600.
Boonville resident Larry Meine, treasurer of the Yes on A committee, said a supercenter would create jobs and generate tax revenue for the city. He said a new Wal-Mart won’t be a problem for existing businesses if they keep their customers happy and their prices low.
Some business owners are concerned about a supercenter, which would also include gasoline pumps.
Julius Udinyiwe, owner of Hope Photo on Main Street, said a supercenter would harm the image of Boonville and “take away the spirit” of the town. He likened the new store to a flood; effects won’t be bad at first, but eventually businesses won’t be able to handle the competition and will be forced to shut down and create a Wal-Mart monopoly.
Mark Thomas, owner of C&R Market, recognizes the new competition that a supercenter would bring to the grocery market. But his main objection to the annexation is that the site is not appropriate for commercial development.
Dave Nicholas, owner of Dave’s Country Market, is concerned with the traffic problems on Route B. He said he knows he has an obligation to his employees to do everything he can to maintain business.
“I enjoy Boonville for what it’s got,” Nicholas said, adding that he’s “not sure a supercenter is something we need at this time.”
The annexation battle dates to January, when Wal-Mart asked the city to spend $500,000 for infrastructure to support a supercenter at the site. The City Council, on an 8-0 vote, denied the request.
City Administrator Irl Tessendorf said the city would provide no funds to the proposed supercenter and would require that developers pay for improvements to an intersection and install signals.
Citizens then petitioned the council to put the annexation to a public vote.
Mark Farnen of Strategists LLC said his company was hired by Wal-Mart as consultants. He said the portion of Jackson Road included in the annexation, which is gravel, would be paved by developers along with installation of a traffic light. Wal-Mart also plans on adding turn lanes and widening Main Street, he said. The estimated cost for these off-site improvements is $900,000.
Farnen said the development would benefit the Boonville economy. Since many residents leave Boonville to buy goods, he said, a supercenter would help keep that money in the city. He also said the new store would be a “local business” that would be an anchor of shopping opportunities and generate tax revenue.
Farnen said that the new supercenter, like the current Wal-Mart store, would be “non-threatening” and will not compete with downtown businesses that he described as more specialized and more service-oriented. The existing Wal-Mart has been in Boonville for 20 years, and Farnen thinks businesses have learned how to compete.
Farnen said the reason the site was chosen was that it is in an area that is already highly commercial.
There have been no plans to find another site in Boonville should the annexation fail, Farnen said.