FORT MILL--The first person who stood up to speak at a public forum Thursday night about a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter in Tega Cay was forced to leave by police.

Teri Ackerman, one of the leaders of the Wal-Mart opposition group "Us Against the WAL," was gaveled down by Tega Cay Mayor Bob Runde when she started talking at the forum at the Fort Mill High School auditorium Thursday night, because her name was not listed on the agenda.

Ackerman refused to leave the stage, and Runde asked police officers there to remove her. She then left, and she was not arrested.

Minutes before "Us Against the WAL" had asked to adjust the agenda to allow Rand Ruland to speak for the group instead of Tom Vollmer, who had been scheduled. Vollmer did not ask to add Ackerman's name to the agenda, though Ackerman later said he should have.

Competing chants of "Let her speak!" and "Sit down!" rang throughout the 850-seat auditorium, which was nearly filled with people.

The forum was the first chance for township residents to voice their opinions about the proposed Wal-Mart supercenter in Stonecrest, a 120-acre development planned for Tega Cay along Hwy. 160 West and Dam Road.

Over the coming months, the Tega Cay City Council will be considering the proposed Wal-Mart, and whether to annex 15 more acres into Stonecrest to fit the 203,000-square-foot supercenter inside what would become the peninsula city's first commercial area.

More than half of the 43 people allowed to speak at the forum ­ 25, including 20 Tega Cay residents ­said they opposed a Wal-Mart supercenter.

Opponents concerned about crime, traffic

After the initial commotion on stage, Ruland ran through his group's reasons for opposing a Wal-Mart in Stonecrest: the increased crime and traffic and the harm it would cause to local businesses.

Ruland quoted an Iowa State University study that states retailers within a 20-mile radius of a Wal-Mart saw a 25 percent drop in sales. The study looked at 14 different Wal-Mart sites, he said.

"Profits from small businesses go back into the community. Wal-Mart's profits go back to Arkansas," he said.

Ruland said residents could expect between 9,000 and 11,000 cars and trucks, including 18-wheelers, to go through Wal-Mart's parking lot each day. Those numbers came from Wal-Mart, he said.

The group also presented crime statistics. The Rock Hill Police Department received 405 calls between July 2003 and July 2004 at the Galleria Wal-Mart, Ruland said. He also said Charlotte-Mecklenburg police got 2,150 calls from the five Wal-Marts in the Charlotte area between October 2003 and last March.

Ruland said the petitions his group posted at 12 township businesses garnered 933 signatures opposing Wal-Mart and 138 supporting it.

"That's over 80 percent against Wal-Mart, and you folks in Tega Cay are 9 to 1 against," Ruland said. More than half the crowd gave Ruland a standing ovation as he finished speaking on behalf of "Us Against the WAL."

Wal-Mart presents it case

Ruland was followed by three officials from Wal-Mart who tried to allay people's fears about Wal-Mart's environmental impacts, the supercenter's appearance, and quality of jobs.

John Dorman, an engineer from Charlotte, responded to concerns about traffic and environmental damage.

Dorman said Dam Road would become the supercenter's "driveway for truck traffic." He said residents could expect five or six 18-wheelers each day entering and leaving the parking lot via Dam Road. The trucks typically would come in the morning hours or between 8 and 10 p.m., but delivery hours would be flexible, he said.

The current Stonecrest development plan estimates 12,706 "trips" in the commercial area each day, with morning and evening peak hours at 635 and 1,288 "trips" respectively, Dorman said. He defined "trips" as any time someone enters or leaves a business.

With a Wal-Mart in Stonecrest, the number of trips would rise to 17,505 total "trips," with peaks of 1,201 and 1,578. That means more than 2,400 more people coming into Stonecrest's commercial area on average each day.

Dorman said future improvements to the area would include new traffic lights at Hwy. 160 and Dam Road, Hwy. 160 and Old Tara Lane, and the future intersection of Hubert Graham Way and Gold Hill Road.

The proposed Wal-Mart would also mean more impervious pavement in the development, which would increase runoff. Stonecrest as planned without Wal-Mart would be 39 acres, 70 percent of which would be paved. With Wal-Mart, the development increases to 54 acres, 82 percent of which would be paved. That's 17 additional acres of pavement.

To counteract this, Wal-Mart would build two retention ponds to divert some of the runoff from Nivens Creek. The retention ponds would give sediment in the runoff a chance to settle out, Dorman said. He also said Wal-Mart's erosion control standards surpass what's required by state law.

Wal-Mart's Michael Simons presented the architectural side of Wal-Mart's proposal. Simons elaborated on Wal-Mart's "Main Street Look."

The Wal-Mart façade would be designed to look like many buildings connected by common walls, like a traditional downtown area.

"Wal-Mart wants to build the Main Street Tega Cay never had," Simons said.

Wal-Mart spokesman Glen Wilkins defended the mega-retailers' community involvement and employment standards. Wilkins said 90 percent of the company's workers have health coverage.

Wilkins tried to address concerns that Wal-Mart could eventually abandon its building by saying there are no vacant supercenters in the U.S.

Tega Cay would get more money

Tega Cay City Manager Grant Duffield then spoke for the city, describing the tax revenues the proposed supercenter would bring.

Despite months of public criticism and controversy, the Tega Cay City Council voted to annex the 120-acre Stonecrest last year in part to create a commercial tax base for the city, which has until now relied only on residential property taxes for funding.

Duffield said the Wal-Mart supercenter would bring in about $150,000 more each year in tax revenues for the city, compared to a Stonecrest commercial area without a Wal-Mart.

And in 10 years, Duffield said, Stonecrest with a Wal-Mart would produce more than $1.4 million in tax revenues. Without it, he said, the development would produce a $9 million debt.

In previous revenue estimates from Duffield, Stonecrest was never projected to run a deficit after it was built out.

It's appalling that we signed off on a $9 million deficit. Twelve months ago, this was a great deal. "What happened?" Tega Cay resident Gerard Norseman responded later during the forum.

More people speak against Wal-Mart than for it

In all, 43 people spoke at the forum, 38 from Tega Cay. Of those 38, 20 were against Wal-Mart as were all five of the nonresidents allowed to speak.

Speakers were limited in number by Runde so that the meeting did not run past 10 p.m. Thursday.

Many of those who said they supported the Wal-Mart proposal were elderly.

They talked about the convenience of a Wal-Mart down the street to make it easier and cheaper to get medicine and medical supplies.

Former Tega Cay Councilwoman Kitty Updike spoke in favor of Wal-Mart. Besides cheaper medicine, Updike said, shorter trips to Wal-Mart would cut down on car emissions.

Many of the others speaking in favor of Wal-Mart said they'd rather see a Wal-Mart than more apartments in Tega Cay. They pointed to the strain that 207 apartments would place on Fort Mill schools.

"The only advantage Wal-Mart has is that they aren't bringing more kids with them," resident Ted Young said.

Stonecrest's owner and developer Herman Stone has offered to remove all 207 apartments from the development, and replace it with an office park, if the Tega Cay City Council agrees to annex and rezone the 15 more acres needed to fit a Wal-Mart supercenter.

Others said they want a commercial tax base, something Tega Cay has never had "Tega Cay is changing and needs more services, and we need a commercial tax base to pay for it," Betty Worrell said.

But many of the peninsula city¹s residents opposed to Wal-Mart said they moved there to enjoy the quiet, recreation-oriented atmosphere, and Wal-Mart would threaten that quality of life.

"Anyone who wants to be closer than five minutes to a Wal-Mart should leave Tega Cay and move there," said resident Tom Stamp.

Other residents opposed to Wal-Mart worry the supercenter's proposed site is too close to Gold Hill Elementary and Middle schools. They said their children would no longer be safe at school, given the increased crime associated with a Wal-Mart so close.

Others warned of the plight of urban sprawl.

"No one ever moved to Tega Cay for crime, traffic and sprawl," resident Tom Vollmer said.