Walmart Engineers to Meet With Conservation Commission in August

Walmart engineers have a set of municipal hoops to jump through before  a Route 6 supercenter are set in concrete.

According to Town Planner John Hansen, the corporation must send in a payment to Seekonk's engineering firm, Woodard & Curran, to look over site plans submitted to the Seekonk Conservation Commission. Schemas must adhere to the town's planning and traffic guidelines.

"It's still our contract - not the big box store's," Hansen said.

The Seekonk Planning Board is also expected to review Walmart's plans in a separate process.

"They approach things differently, conservation and planning," Hansen said, noting the conservation commission makes sure the Wetlands Protection Act is adhered to, while the planning board might make design suggestions.

At the meeting, members voted against a variance to allow engineers to build within 100 feet of a vernal pool. Members from Bohler Engineering said they would create a plan that abides by the Wetlands Protection Act.

"It remains to be seen how they're going to fix that issue," he said.

The next Walmart public hearing scheduled for July 11 is canceled, according to the town's website. It will be held at the next conservation commission meeting scheduled for Monday, Aug. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen's Room at Seekonk Town Hall.