lincolnsguard
01-26-2011, 10:33 AM
:mrgreen:Civil War Trust News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2011
For more information, contact:
Jim Campi, (202) 367-1861 x7205
Mary Koik, (202) 367-1861 x7231
WALMART ABANDONS PLANS TO BUILD SUPERCENTER ON WILDERNESS BATTLEFIELD
Preservation community pleased with decision by retail giant to drop
plans to build a supercenter within historic boundaries of Wilderness
battlefield
(Orange, Va.) - In an unexpected development, Walmart announced
this morning that it has abandoned plans to pursue a special use
permit previously awarded to the retail giant for construction of a
supercenter on the Wilderness Battlefield. The decision came as
the trial in a legal challenge seeking to overturn the special use
permit was scheduled to begin in Orange County circuit court.
"We are pleased with Walmart's decision to abandon plans
to build a supercenter on the Wilderness battlefield," remarked
James Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Trust. "We
have long believed that Walmart would ultimately recognize that it is
in the best interests of all concerned to move their intended store
away from the battlefield. We applaud Walmart officials for
putting the interests of historic preservation first. Sam Walton
would be proud of this decision."
The Civil War Trust is part of the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition,
an alliance of local residents and national groups seeking to protect
the Wilderness battlefield. Lighthizer noted that the Wilderness
Battlefield Coalition has sought from the very beginning to work with
county officials and Walmart to find an alternative location for the
proposed superstore away from the battlefield.
"We stand ready to work with Walmart to put this controversy
behind us and protect the battlefield from further
encroachment," Lighthizer stated. "We firmly believe
that preservation and progress need not be mutually exclusive, and
welcome Walmart as a thoughtful partner in efforts to protect the
Wilderness Battlefield."
In August 2009, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a
controversial special use permit to allow construction of the Walmart
Supercenter and associated commercial development on the Wilderness
Battlefield. A wide range of prominent individuals and
organizations publicly opposed the store's location, including
more than 250 American historians led by Pulitzer Prize-winners James
McPherson and David McCullough. One month after the decision, a
group of concerned citizens and the local Friends of Wilderness
Battlefield filed a legal challenge to overturn the decision.
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5-6, 1864, was one of
the most significant engagements of the American Civil War. Of
the 185,000 soldiers who entered combat amid the tangled mass of
second-growth trees and scrub in Virginia's Orange and
Spotsylvania counties, some 30,000 became casualties. The
Wilderness Battlefield Coalition, composed of Friends of Wilderness
Battlefield, Piedmont Environmental Council, Preservation Virginia,
National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Parks Conservation
Association, and Civil War Trust, seeks to protect this irreplaceable
local and national treasure.
The Civil War Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation
organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve
our nation's endangered Civil War battlefields and to promote
appreciation of these hallowed grounds. To date, the Trust has
preserved nearly 30,000 acres of battlefield land in 20 states.
Learn more at www.civilwar.org.
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=TO_LzkoAqnYytBWbjg0TJQ..
###
www.civilwar.org
Click this link to manage your newsletter subscriptions: http://members.civilwar.org/site/CO?i=zQLN9AJyDcuCxRdinF29kb2lDBrV87lG&cid=1121
Civil War Trust | 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005 | (202) 367-1861
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2011
For more information, contact:
Jim Campi, (202) 367-1861 x7205
Mary Koik, (202) 367-1861 x7231
WALMART ABANDONS PLANS TO BUILD SUPERCENTER ON WILDERNESS BATTLEFIELD
Preservation community pleased with decision by retail giant to drop
plans to build a supercenter within historic boundaries of Wilderness
battlefield
(Orange, Va.) - In an unexpected development, Walmart announced
this morning that it has abandoned plans to pursue a special use
permit previously awarded to the retail giant for construction of a
supercenter on the Wilderness Battlefield. The decision came as
the trial in a legal challenge seeking to overturn the special use
permit was scheduled to begin in Orange County circuit court.
"We are pleased with Walmart's decision to abandon plans
to build a supercenter on the Wilderness battlefield," remarked
James Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Trust. "We
have long believed that Walmart would ultimately recognize that it is
in the best interests of all concerned to move their intended store
away from the battlefield. We applaud Walmart officials for
putting the interests of historic preservation first. Sam Walton
would be proud of this decision."
The Civil War Trust is part of the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition,
an alliance of local residents and national groups seeking to protect
the Wilderness battlefield. Lighthizer noted that the Wilderness
Battlefield Coalition has sought from the very beginning to work with
county officials and Walmart to find an alternative location for the
proposed superstore away from the battlefield.
"We stand ready to work with Walmart to put this controversy
behind us and protect the battlefield from further
encroachment," Lighthizer stated. "We firmly believe
that preservation and progress need not be mutually exclusive, and
welcome Walmart as a thoughtful partner in efforts to protect the
Wilderness Battlefield."
In August 2009, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a
controversial special use permit to allow construction of the Walmart
Supercenter and associated commercial development on the Wilderness
Battlefield. A wide range of prominent individuals and
organizations publicly opposed the store's location, including
more than 250 American historians led by Pulitzer Prize-winners James
McPherson and David McCullough. One month after the decision, a
group of concerned citizens and the local Friends of Wilderness
Battlefield filed a legal challenge to overturn the decision.
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5-6, 1864, was one of
the most significant engagements of the American Civil War. Of
the 185,000 soldiers who entered combat amid the tangled mass of
second-growth trees and scrub in Virginia's Orange and
Spotsylvania counties, some 30,000 became casualties. The
Wilderness Battlefield Coalition, composed of Friends of Wilderness
Battlefield, Piedmont Environmental Council, Preservation Virginia,
National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Parks Conservation
Association, and Civil War Trust, seeks to protect this irreplaceable
local and national treasure.
The Civil War Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation
organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve
our nation's endangered Civil War battlefields and to promote
appreciation of these hallowed grounds. To date, the Trust has
preserved nearly 30,000 acres of battlefield land in 20 states.
Learn more at www.civilwar.org.
http://members.civilwar.org/site/R?i=TO_LzkoAqnYytBWbjg0TJQ..
###
www.civilwar.org
Click this link to manage your newsletter subscriptions: http://members.civilwar.org/site/CO?i=zQLN9AJyDcuCxRdinF29kb2lDBrV87lG&cid=1121
Civil War Trust | 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005 | (202) 367-1861