Watertown Residents Protest Potential Walmart Near New Billboard

Dozens of Watertown residents rallied Saturday to keep up the effort to prevent retail giant Walmart from moving into town.

"We're still here!" said Barbara Ruskin, a member of Sustainable Watertown, a group that seeks to protect local businesses.

Protesters gathered on Arsenal Street, near a billboard saying "Imagine No Big Box," which went up next to the proposed site of the 92,000 square foot Walmart. Plans have not officially been brought to Watertown officials, but and Irving streets.

Mike Mandel, who designed the billboard with his wife Chantal Zakari, told WBZ radio that he was protesting because he wants to see small, locally owned stores in the area that can be used by residents of nearby neighborhoods.

“The second thing is, what we really also wanna do is make sure that Walmart gets the message that they break the lease and that they get out of town," Mandel told WBZ.

Steve Restivo, Walmart's senior director of community, released a statement on the day of the protest.

“We’re proud of the positive impact our stores have on countless communities across Massachusetts. From creating jobs and generating tax revenue to helping customers save and contributing to local non-profits, we strive to be a good corporate neighbor here and all across the country," Restivo wrote. "Moving forward, we’ll continue to focus on things customers care about like jobs, healthier foods, sustainability and workforce development. Our commitment won’t change and as we evaluate opportunities to serve more local customers, we’ll continue to try and offer solutions for our customers in Watertown and other communities across the Commonwealth.”