Touting its energy efficient standards, Wal-Mart officials talk increasingly about improving the environment.

Sometimes, they forget to talk to each other.

On Sept. 24, Paul Smith, a local attorney representing Wal-Mart, told the Twin Falls City Council that construction for the store scheduled to be built along Pole Line Road would be delayed by three months as the company redesigned the store to make it more energy efficient.

The council asked a few questions, careful that any changes would not affect the requirements set in April when it amended a land-use agreement for the retailer to, among other things, operate 24 hours a day.

But exactly what is being redesigned, if anything, remains unclear. Smith told the council he was unsure what the company meant and did not present new building plans. He said the council would have to take his word.

"The basic look of the building is not changing," said Smith, who was hired by the Arkansas retailer after previous unsuccessful attempts to come to Twin Falls. "They just told me to tell you that internally it is going to be a better building."

But the company has no plans to redesign the building, according to Karianne Fallow, a company spokeswoman based in Boise.

"I just confirmed that we are not redesigning the store," Fallow told the Times-News.

The city will still require the company to follow special rules pertaining to lighting, landscaping and signage requirements. Fallow said that all the "green" elements, like skylights, special light bulbs and white roofs were drawn into the plans.

"I think the inside was exactly how we submitted it to the city," she said. "If anything, there would be minor modifications but there's no full blown redesign."

So why did Smith assure them changes were being made?

Full Story: http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2007/10/11/news/local_state/122394.txt