Should the Decorah Walmart be painted a different color?

When the Decorah Walmart supercenter was built, part of the agreement that ended the court battle over the development was that the new building would be painted in earth tones, so it would blend in with its surroundings.

Now it's time for a new coat of paint for the building and Walmart officials are asking the City of Decorah for permission to modify their original agreement with the city.  Walmart officials say they'd like to paint the Decorah store "Walmart Blue."  The company has a guidebook on the use of colors, which says blue "communicates image attributes such as "friendly," "approachable," "reliable," and "trustworthy."

But some members of the Decorah Planning and Zoning Commission want the business to stick to its original agreement.  The commission did recommend allowing the new coat of paint--but with two out of the seven commission members voting against the variance.

The question now will be decided by the Decorah City Council, which meets next Monday evening and will be asked whether it approves of allowing Walmart to change its color.