(Host) The state of Vermont is back on the list of “most endangered places” compiled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The group says plans for seven Wal-Mart stores threaten the character of the state.
Peter Brink is the senior vice president of the Washington D.C.-based organization:
(Brink) “Our hope is that because you have so much at stake and because you’re a state that so many people love, that you can devise a way to have the benefits of the big box and retain the downtowns and the community and the landscapes that you have.”
(Host) Vermont made it onto the trust’s list in 1993, when it was the only state without a Wal-Mart. Vermont now has four Wal-Mart stores in Williston, Berlin, Bennington and Rutland. The Preservation Trust of Vermont says new Wal-Mart stores are proposed for St. Albans, St. Johnsbury, Morrisville, Derby and Middlebury.
State officials called the designation “alarmist” and said it could give the impression that Vermont will be overrun by big box development.