The Park Service Has Too Much Control
2009-07-29
The Park Service has too much control
Date published: 7/29/2009 Free Lance Star
The Park Service has too much control
The issue of a Wal-Mart at State Routes 3 and 20 in Orange County is reduced to the level of being ridiculous.
Even those from out-of-state are braying against the store.
The Wal-Mart store is needed in the Locust Grove community. I urge the board to approve it at its proposed location.
The National Park Service has a long history of trying to control private lands near their parks.
Examples of this include refusing to permit the widening of Route 20 through Orange County and refusing to donate a 3-foot-wide strip of land along the Lake of the Woods Church's entrance to permit two-way traffic.
It seems to me that the Park Service should have some community responsibilities. So far I have not seen any.
Almost every acre in Virginia has had some battle fought on it. Much of that may have been battles with Indians. They are people, too.
The new store will bring out-of-area visitors, many of whom will visit the parks.
John R. Henry
Orange
