Garden center plays Scrooge to the Boy Scouts

December 11, 1:55 PMSouth St. Paul ExaminerRob Shirk

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Christmas Tree Lot

Southview Garden Center, 50 Crusader Ave. West St Paul, MN squared off against the Boy Scouts of America in front of the West St. Paul City Council over the issue of selling Christmas trees, of all things.

All the Scouts wanted was a temporary permit to sell Christmas trees. Megan Anderson of Sun Newspapers wrote the story of the cofrontation that eventually involved three organizations and a city council.

Local Boy Scout troops had an agreement with Cub Foods, 2001 Robert St S # 2, West St Paul, MN to use part of their parking lot to sell Christmas trees. The lot is adjacent to Southview Garden Center, who also sells trees during the season.

Dan Motenson, spokesman for Southview Garden Center, explained that it was simply a business conflict and that he, personally, had nothing against the Boy Scouts, at all. He argued that whoever sells trees in that location are "poaching" and that it isn't fair to businesses like his who pay taxes all year round. He maintains that it unfairly affects his business.

We wait for these times to make our living. It gets very frustrating.

On the other side of the controversy we have the Boy Scouts who merely want to sell the trees to help finance summer camp programs and chose the site after scouring the area to set up a spot for the season and Cub Foods was the most accommodating. They just didn't see the flare up coming. Dale Wallin of South St. Paul is one of the Scout Masters and has acted as the unofficial spokesman for the Scout troops.

Many families in the community are part of the Boy Scouts, and this type of fundraising allows them to operate.

Southview Garden Center is looking at it from a business standpoint, city council member Jim Englin said, but the council lacks a sound legal reason to deny the permit. The council approved the permit 5-0.

An eyewitness to the proceedings at West St. Paul City Hall that night reported that there were eyes rolling and elbow jabs among the council and attendants.

Merry Christmas, Southview Garden Center? Humbug!