Now hellfire and brimstone are not going to stop progress. But your editorial on Feb. 2 hit the nail on the head, as far as progress goes. This relates to proposed Bi Lo supermarket.

I am not against progress, nor do I agree with your editorials all the time. But do we really need to clear-cut and pave eight to 10 acres of land for a grocery store? At the same time existing land and buildings lay empty. The county has made a wise choice to make use of an empty building in Carthage.

Bi L0 would do well to revamp the empty buildings in Aberdeen than start out new. Not only will you get a supermarket but along with that will come a pharmacy, bank, clothing store, a Dollar Store, at least one restaurant and one empty store.

This proposal will benefit Southern Pines’ tax base. But before they give a thumbs-up to start the clear-cut, I would urge everyone in Southern Pines to take a hard look at this proposal.

Warren E. Vittum

Carthage