Do you remember Fallujah? Well, if you need anymore evidence that we have won in Iraq, here's proof.
Not quite "democracy, whiskey, sexey," but probably more importantly symbolic. How about a new slogan for Iraqi liberation? I propose democracy, whiskey sexey, KFC.
Hat tip: Gateway Pundit.
If John McCain is smart, he'll use this in a campaign commercial. That means, it won't happen.
Showing posts with label Total Victory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Total Victory. Show all posts
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
"Developer: PARD decision lets city 'move forward'; End of legal fight against Wal-Mart expected to hasten other development projects in Pullman"
In answer to the question, "Tom, why did you, April and the others fight so hard to see Wal-Mart come to Pullman?", native son and Pullman's biggest and most successful developer Duane Brelsford, Jr., says it all:
Stay turned next week for a series of reports on what we can expect to happen after Wal-Mart comes to town.
From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:
I'm not a pro-Wal-Mart person and I'm not an anti-Wal-Mart person. What I am for is what Wal-Mart will bring, and it's other national tenants, and that's what Pullman needs.Kudos to Hillary Hamm for bring out the truth about the real "Wal-Mart effect" in Pullman. It's not "urban blight" and loss of business as PARD falsely claimed. It's new jobs, new tax revenue, and new opportunities. Her article details many of the exciting new things we can expect to see soon on Bishop Boulevard. What an exciting time for this city.
Stay turned next week for a series of reports on what we can expect to happen after Wal-Mart comes to town.
From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:
Development projects that were on hold pending the outcome of a legal case against a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter in Pullman now are on the fast track for completion.Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart
Corporate Point Developers President Duane Brelsford said he's pushing to begin construction as early as this year on three projects around Bishop Boulevard, where the super center is expected to be built.
The Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development announced Wednesday it will not appeal a Washington Division III Court of Appeals ruling that clears the way for construction of the super center. The decision effectively ends the group's four-year legal fight against Wal-Mart.
A Wal-Mart representative said the company is designing the Pullman super center, with plans to open on Bishop Boulevard in late 2009 or early 2010.
Brelsford said he can start the projects that were dependent on the super-center being built.
"Most of our tenants were pending Wal-Mart's location," he said. "Now Pullman can move forward. And that's what I'm excited about."
Brelsford said it's about time projects can get started.
"I'm not a pro-Wal-Mart person and I'm not an anti-Wal-Mart person," he said. "What I am for is what Wal-Mart will bring, and it's other national tenants, and that's what Pullman needs."
Brelsford said pending projects include a 600-square-foot facility for a "national coffee chain" to be located adjacent to the Wal-Mart store and the development of 10 acres on South Grand Avenue for future retail, and possibly hospitality tenants.
Development of Pullman Building Supply also can get under way on a 15-acre plot near the Wal-Mart site. The new Pullman Building Supply store will replace its smaller store on North Grand Avenue. Pat Garrett, owner of both the Pullman and Moscow Building Supply stores, did not return calls for comment.
Brelsford said he's also aware of a California man who purchased land near the Bishop Boulevard Jiffy Lube for development pending Wal-Mart's construction.
City Supervisor John Sherman said Wal-Mart's construction is likely to spark further development. He added that the Pullman-Moscow area's population is expected to exceed the 50,000 mark in the 2010 Census and that Washington State University anticipates its highest freshmen enrollment ever in the fall. Those all are good signs for more development, as are the success of high-tech businesses like Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and Pullman Regional Hospital, he said.
"I think Pullman is just very, very well-positioned to attract more people here. And when you do that, it opens opportunities in the retail sector, too," he said. "All in all, I think the fact that Wal-Mart is coming in is going to be a major plus as far as providing more shopping for citizens and expanding our tax base."
Sherman said the Wal-Mart Supercenter - which will provide groceries and retail items - may help draw shoppers into Pullman rather than Moscow.
"The Palouse Mall has had a decades-long effect on Pullman," he said, noting that the number of stores in Moscow draws business away from Pullman.
Sherman said he doesn't expect Pullman to become a shopping metropolis, "but we can start to become a community that is more balanced in its economy."
"I think the future for Pullman is very bright," he added. "If Wal-Mart chooses to come to your community, it's pretty much a check-off point for other businesses. That's a good sign."
"Pullman Wal-Mart opposition will not appeal"
PARD will continue to encourage residents to shop locally? So does that mean they will encourage people to shop at our local Wal-Mart they way they have encouraged people to shop at our other local big-box store, Shopko?
From KLEW TV:
From KLEW TV:
PULLMAN - What has been an almost constant fight against a Wal-Mart in Pullman may be over.Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart
Early this month, a Washington Court of Appeals sided with the City of Pullman and the Spokane Valley developer who wants to build a Wal-Mart supercenter on Bishop Boulevard. The Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development, who has fought Wal-Mart in a number of courts, announced they will not appeal that decision to the state Supreme Court.
Through a press release, April Coggins, a member of the Pullman citizens group known as BREO, said it's a day of celebration, and that "The long and pointless legal delays are finally over."
The company plans to break ground on the SuperCenter next year.
PARD said it will continue to encourage residents to shop locally.
"Wal-Mart foes drop appeal plans; Pullman group opts not to push issue to Supreme Court"
I love David Johnson. He is the only true journalist we have in the Quad Cities. When you read this article, look at how he covers all sides of the issue, even bringing in Moscow and the recent Thompson rezone.
From today's Lewiston Tribune:
From today's Lewiston Tribune:
PULLMAN - The legal wrestling over construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter here appears to have ended Thursday with members of the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development abandoning their appeal options.Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart
"This is a day for celebration in Pullman," responded a spokeswoman for the competing Businesses and Residents for Economic Opportunity group.
Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson labeled the development "a very good thing," and a Wal-Mart spokeswoman confirmed the store should be open for business no later than early 2011.
PARD's decision, announced by board member Cynthia Hosick, comes three weeks after the Washington Division III Court of Appeals denied PARD's latest effort to stop construction by upholding a lower court decision.
"The long and pointless legal delays are finally over," BREO's April Coggins wrote in a news release. "Many people have worked very hard to make this day a reality."
Hosick said PARD members voted via e-mail against pushing their case to the Washington Supreme Court. PARD spokespersons have maintained since Wal-Mart announced its plans that a majority of Pullman residents are against the company building a 228,000-square-foot store along Bishop Boulevard.
But BREO representatives point to recent polls indicating most people favor Wal-Mart's arrival and fear other retailers have delayed coming to Pullman amid the perception of an anti-business atmosphere. Coggins called for protection against a repeat. "The laws must be changed to never allow a small group, with absolutely no proof or evidence whatsoever, to subvert the will of the majority for so long," she wrote.
PARD representatives have claimed evidence about unsavory Wal-Mart business practices, coupled with unanswered questions about construction plans. Most recently, the group pointed to a traffic study that shows several million dollars' worth of maintenance and infrastructure will be needed to accommodate the big-box store.
Pullman City Attorney Laura McAloon, who confirmed after the appeals court decision Wal-Mart simply has to apply for a building permit to start the project, more recently warned the city might seek payment of legal costs if PARD continued its appeal methods. "The court rejected all their arguments," she said.
A similar effort by Wal-Mart to build a super center in Moscow was stymied more than a year ago when the company abandoned plans amid a protracted zoning dispute. Part of the property where the store was proposed, however, has now been rezoned to allow big-box stores.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Quote of the Year (Updated)
Jennifer Holder [Spall - tf], a local representative for Wal-Mart public affairs, said the decision won't have an impact on the company's plans.- "PARD will not take appeal to state supreme court," Summer Watermelon, June 26, 2008
"We're not surprised by (the decision), the odds of the lawsuit going further were very slim," Holder said. "We already decided to move forward regardless of whether they filed an appeal or not."
Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart
"PARD ends legal fight against Wal-Mart; Group won't appeal most recent court ruling to Washington Supreme Court"
The headline I've waited three years to post. What a nice 3rd Blogiversary present TV Reed and Co. gave us.
From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:
From today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:
The Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development will not continue its legal quest to block the construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Pullman.Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart
PARD board member Cynthia Hosick said the group's members voted via e-mail whether to take their case to the Washington Supreme Court.
"I think the decision to stop is reasonable, because ... I think it probably wouldn't go too much farther," Hosick said.
PARD members point to a city-commissioned Bishop Boulevard traffic study that determined several million dollars of maintenance and infrastructure will be needed in the future to deal with issues such as traffic and pedestrian safety.
Hosick said the March release of the study was too late to help PARD in its appeal. She's certain the group would have been victorious if it had been able to present the information in court.
"We weren't able to have the traffic study be part of the appeal and that's a biggie," she said. "I think without that (another) appeal would be very iffy."
Jennifer Spall, Washington Wal-Mart public affairs manager, said PARD members made the right decision to back down. She added that the corporation was going to move forward with construction regardless of whether PARD chose to appeal. The store is being designed, although no permits have been issued by the city. The super center is expected to open in late 2010 or early 2011.
"It's probably a wise decision on their part. The chance of being heard by the Supreme Court is slim," she said. "But we had decided to move forward whether they did (appeal) or not ... As far as we were concerned, with the court of appeals, we were done. It's great for the community that they won't have to go through this again."
Mayor Glenn Johnson was pleased to hear that Wal-Mart will proceed with construction. He said PARD's fight against the super center has delayed development of other stores in Pullman, as well as the collection of sales tax and the addition of several traffic lights Wal-Mart will pay to have installed on Bishop Boulevard.
"From a city standpoint, this is a very good thing," he said.
Wal-Mart announced plans to build a super center on Bishop Boulevard in October 2004. The project's State Environmental Policy Act checklist was given a determination of nonsignificance by Pullman Public Works Director Mark Workman, meaning the city believes the project should not have an adverse effect on the environment.
PARD appealed the store's SEPA checklist and site plan on the grounds that the store would negatively affect stormwater run-off, traffic and Pullman's local economy.
A Pullman hearing examiner concluded the store's site plan and environmental checklist was sufficient and the decision was upheld by Whitman County Superior Court Judge David Frazier, who dismissed PARD's appeal.
The group then took the case to the Division III Court of Appeals, which deliberated for more than five months before denying PARD's appeal earlier this month.
Pullman Held Hostage: Day 997 (The Final Day)
In memory of Don Pelton, who fought the good fight, but didn't live to see the final victory....
It's over at last. Pullman is no longer being held hostage by a tiny group of left-wing radicals. It's V-P Day, Victory Over PARD Day. It's a day of tremendous joy and relief for the vast majority of Pullman residents whio have wanted a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
But there's also sadness and anger at what has been lost.
At the public hearing in 2006, an economic expert testified that a Pullman Wal-Mart Supercenter could do up to $70 million a year in business, resulting in some $500,000 a year in sales tax revenue for the city of Pullman.
According to the Whitman County Assessor's Office, Pullman property tax rate (as of January 2006) wass $16,4361 per thousand of appraised value. The estimated appraisal of the Wal-Mart Supercenter is $20,000,000.00.
$20,000,000.00 X .0164361= $328,722.00
$78,146.00 goes to the City of Pullman
$18,238.00 goes to the hospital
$9,958.00 goes to Emergency Medical Services
$9,958.00 goes to Pullman Metro Park District
$112,784.00 goes to the public schools
Total for Pullman is $229,084.00 per year
$35,334.00 goes to Whitman County
$8914.00 goes to the Port of Whitman
Total for the county is $44,248.00 per year
The State of Washington gets $55,390.00 per year
$500,000 + $229,084 = $729,084 per year from a Pullman Supercenter in sales and property tax revenue alone. That comes out to $1997.49 every day that PARD's endless and frivilous delays cost Pullman.
Total Tax Revenue Lost Since PARD's Site Plan Appeal was Filed Nearly Three Years Ago: $1,991,497.53
We don't know yet what the city's final legal expenses will be, but it won't be a small number, and we taxpayers will never get that money back.
That's money we could have used for our police department, our fire department, our streets, our parks, our schools, and our arts pavilion; things that could have dramatically improved our quality of life.
It's over. And we can never allow something like this to happen again.
Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart
It's over at last. Pullman is no longer being held hostage by a tiny group of left-wing radicals. It's V-P Day, Victory Over PARD Day. It's a day of tremendous joy and relief for the vast majority of Pullman residents whio have wanted a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
But there's also sadness and anger at what has been lost.
At the public hearing in 2006, an economic expert testified that a Pullman Wal-Mart Supercenter could do up to $70 million a year in business, resulting in some $500,000 a year in sales tax revenue for the city of Pullman.
According to the Whitman County Assessor's Office, Pullman property tax rate (as of January 2006) wass $16,4361 per thousand of appraised value. The estimated appraisal of the Wal-Mart Supercenter is $20,000,000.00.
$20,000,000.00 X .0164361= $328,722.00
$78,146.00 goes to the City of Pullman
$18,238.00 goes to the hospital
$9,958.00 goes to Emergency Medical Services
$9,958.00 goes to Pullman Metro Park District
$112,784.00 goes to the public schools
Total for Pullman is $229,084.00 per year
$35,334.00 goes to Whitman County
$8914.00 goes to the Port of Whitman
Total for the county is $44,248.00 per year
The State of Washington gets $55,390.00 per year
$500,000 + $229,084 = $729,084 per year from a Pullman Supercenter in sales and property tax revenue alone. That comes out to $1997.49 every day that PARD's endless and frivilous delays cost Pullman.
Total Tax Revenue Lost Since PARD's Site Plan Appeal was Filed Nearly Three Years Ago: $1,991,497.53
We don't know yet what the city's final legal expenses will be, but it won't be a small number, and we taxpayers will never get that money back.
That's money we could have used for our police department, our fire department, our streets, our parks, our schools, and our arts pavilion; things that could have dramatically improved our quality of life.
It's over. And we can never allow something like this to happen again.
Technorati Tags: wal-mart walmart
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