ELLSWORTH—Presenting Wal-Mart as a "community-based store" interested in establishing an open exchange of information, company officials Tuesday addressed a breakfast meeting of local business professionals.

"We feel...there should be a back and forth, with correct information," said Robert Moody, Wal-Mart’s senior real estate manager for the New England region.

"We want to know the community’s view. We are a community-based store.... We look forward to the planning and zoning process, and continuing our tradition as a good corporate citizen in this community."

Moody is responsible for the site selection and development of new stores across New England, following them through to their grand openings.

The Ellsworth store, built in 1993, has performed well for the national retail giant, but is now inadequate to serve the needs of the community, according to the Wal-Mart officials.

Keith Morris, Wal-Mart’s director of community affairs for New England, said that in a "perfect world" the present store would simply undergo an expansion. Currently, he said, the store is "cramped" with merchandise, making it difficult for customers to shop.

The present Route 3 location cannot be expanded, because of the presence of wetlands. The corporation has a purchase agreement option on a 32-acre parcel about half a mile up the street from its present location—directly across from the Myrick Street intersection.

The new site would allow Wal-Mart to open a 208,252-square-foot supercenter, complete with a grocery, general merchandise, hair salon, indoor gardening center, photo development center and a bank branch.

It would have 1,072 parking spaces.

The store would operate 24 hours a day.

The proposed supercenter is about twice as large as the current store and would offer customers, according to the Wal-Mart officials, "a complete shopping experience."

Proposals in Rockland and Belfast recently to build supercenters have been challenged by local residents. A group of Ellsworth citizens are exploring the possibility of a moratorium on development.

Morris said such an action is not feasible.

He reminded the approximately 35 present at the "Talk to Wal-Mart" forum at the Hilltop House restaurant that Ellsworth is not a rural town, but an urban city that is growing—commercially and residentially.

Morris urged business owners who have concerns about the impact the supercenter may have on the area to visit communities that already have similar stores: supercenters exist in Augusta, Windham and Oxford. Rather than relying on rumors, he said, "I would encourage you to do some research yourself...talk to the mayor, the town planner, the local chamber of commerce."

Morris said that in the majority of those communities the businesses have remained, and some even grew due to the additional traffic the supercenter attracted.

"Wal-Mart keeps local residents in the community to shop, and it may draw customers from the fringe communities," he said, "who will come and stay a day to shop in town."

Morris stressed that Wal-Mart gives back to the state through an estimated $1.2 million in charity on an annual basis—averaging $50,000 per store.

Morris said the average Wal-Mart store in Maine generates $2.5 million in state sales tax revenue. That amount of tax revenue would require at least $50 in retail sales revenue.

Morris went on to say that "Ellsworth has been a very good market for Wal-Mart," and that the local store "has done very well."

In addition, he said, that statewide the corporation spends $108 million on in-state suppliers, as well as funneling almost $50 million worth of sales and property taxes back into the local economy.

"How many millions and billions of dollars have been taken out of the state and sent to Arkansas?" asked Pat Stanley, a Bar Harbor resident and operator of several local campgrounds. (Wal-Mart is headquartered in Bentonville, Ark.)

Neither Morris nor Moody answered Stanley directly. Morris said that "money doesn’t get sent to Arkansas," pointing to the $6 million payroll that goes to employees who "work here and live here."

When Stanley repeated her question, Morris explained that figure isn’t released "for proprietary reasons."

"I rest my case," Stanley said.

"It is a national business—the money doesn’t stay here," Moody said. "We are a part of free enterprise."

Thelma Beal, an employee of Shop ’n Save, asked what percentage of the new store’s additional hirings would be full-time—and proposed that in the tight labor market it might be difficult to find a workforce.

Morris said that of the 250 new jobs proposed, about 70 percent will be full-time—meaning they will average more than 28 hours a week. The wages and benefits packages would be competitive, he added, with the employee search beginning about six months prior to the store’s opening.

Wal-Mart hopes to open the Ellsworth supercenter in 2002.

City Manager Tim King asked what the plans are for the current store, once the supercenter is built.

Morris said that space will be sold. He said the company is "actively negotiating with retailers" to purchase the site.

King also asked whether the new store’s design is "subject to negotiation with the local planning authorities?"

"Absolutely," Moody said. "We encourage the community to work with us."

Weston Kenney, project manager with Sain Associates of Bangor, said the company must conduct a traffic impact study, which is then submitted to the state Department of Transportation for review. He said any action plan devised as a result of that study must address ways to mitigate traffic congestion and potential high accident locations caused by the new development.

Kenney said that he anticipates working with W/S Development Corp.—the Boston-based developer of the Acadia Crossing shopping center (which will include a 116,000-square-foot Home Depot store) located on Myrick Street.

"We’re a convenience store," said Moody, "it behooves us to have our customers get in and out as easily as possible."

Micki Sumpter, executive director of the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce, said that the meeting was "a good beginning."

"I think Wal-Mart answered what they could, but they could have been more detailed," she said. "I think it was a good beginning."

Sumpter said the economic development committee will sponsor follow up meetings with Wal-Mart officials—on an as needed basis.

The chamber, she stressed, is eager to be in the role of "communicator," between Wal-Mart—which is a chamber member—and the local business community.

She said it is important that the community be involved in the discussion—and kept informed.