ST. ALBANS, Vt. (AP) – Terry Perron says she’s glad she may soon no longer have to travel a half hour or more to buy paper towels in bulk.

“I was happy about it,” Perron said of this week’s announcement that Wal-Mart was planning its biggest Vermont store in St. Albans. “It’s convenient.”

David Giroux, a life-long St. Albans resident, agreed.

“I thought it was wonderful news,” he said. “You can’t buy a set of sheets in this town. We’ve needed this for a while now.”

Wal-Mart has proposed a 150,000-square-foot store on U.S. 7 across from the St. Albans Drive-In — less than a mile from Exit 20 of Interstate 89. The store, the plan for which was announced Tuesday, could open as early as spring 2005.

Franklin County’s nearly 50,000 residents have been without a major discount retailer since Ames went bankrupt and closed a year ago. Without another retailer in the area, Ames’ demise has forced consumers to drive up to an hour away to shop.

St. Albans City is about 30 miles north of Burlington.

Mixed in with the positive feelings about the anticipated store were a few worries about the economic drain the major discount retailer could have on the downtown shopping district.

“When big stores come in, and when their prices go down low, they do push the small guy out,” Perron said as she stood along the quaint stretch of businesses on Main Street.

The retail chain’s first attempt to build in St. Albans met with criticism, debate and ultimately rejection. In 1993, the company proposed a store for the site detailed in the current plans. Although the town approved the project, state regulators turned it down.

Rick Manahan, president of St. Albans for the Future, a group that promotes downtown and the surrounding area, suggested that Wal-Mart, which has since expanded to other locations across the state, is no longer unique or a major focus of debate.

“Most people are indifferent or encouraged by the potential of a Wal-Mart,” said Manahan, who was not speaking for his organization.

AP-ES-12-27-03 1506EST