Ask Mr. Answer Person: Can you fact check a claim by the Menard's representative?

Posted: Wed, Sep 5, 2018 3:36 PM

(Spencer, Iowa satellite photo courtesy of Google Earth)

(Steven e-mails Mr. Answer Person: "According to Google Maps, it takes 4 minutes to drive 7/10th of a mile to go from the Menard's to the Walmart in Spencer, Iowa. According to Google Maps, it takes 4 minutes to drive from the Decorah Walmart to the Decorah Business Park (granted the distance traveled is more). My point is that a Decorah Menard's located across from the Airport could be virtually equal travel time as their Spencer store to Walmart."):

Mr. Answer Person says: "Google Earth shows the Menard's in Spencer is not next to the Walmart, as Menard's representative Tyler Edwards stated Tuesday night at Decorah City Hall. However, it possibly could be seen from the Walmart.

This seems like splitting hairs, however, and it's giving Mr. Answer Person a splitting headache. Looking at the bigger picture, a Menard's store in Decorah would draw from a six-county area, so someone getting here from Harmony, Fredericksburg or Monona would already have a fair amount of 'windshield time' before getting anywhere close to Menard's or Walmart. That's an indication that 4 minutes of additional travel time isn't that big of a deal."