Palmer City Council gets earful

April 29, 2005

KATE GOLDEN/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - For the third meeting in a row, a group of Palmer residents aired its opposition to a Palmer Wal-Mart at the city council meeting.

Some group members have clarified that the People of Palmer, now an organized nonprofit organization, is not just an anti-Wal-Mart group. They'd like to see it as a positive force to build small businesses downtown and "cherish the charm" of Palmer however they can.

Nonetheless, that's where the group's major efforts focus. Comments from group members, both at the beginning and end of the Tuesday night meeting, ranged from a presentation of information to one of personal frustration with the council.

Rick Shields read from a University of Iowa study detailing Wal-Mart's apparent negative impact on businesses in that area.

Denise Statz, co-owner of the downtown store Alaska's Finest, chastised council members for the apathy she perceived toward the group's efforts. Not one council member, she said, had showed up to their otherwise well-attended Saturday meeting.

Most council members addressed the group's concerns and provided some reason they hadn't made it to the weekend meeting. Jim Wood said he was happy to see people participating.

Tony Pippel noted that his responsibilities as a council member are different than those of his constituents, but lauded the group for its political involvement and approach to amassing public favor.

"It's good that people get churned up," he said.

Shields, a founding member of the group, said he appreciated the council's comments, but he's far more concerned with getting some results.

Contact Kate Golden at

352-2284 or kate.golden@

frontiersman.com.