Home Depot will kill smaller stores

Regarding your April 5 article ("Home Depot seeks approval from Chamber of Commerce" and editorial ("The odds favor Home Depot this time around"), as president of the Agoura/Oak Park/Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, I'd like to point out that there's more than one Chamber that represents businesses in our area.

It's commendable that the Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village Chamber of Commerce hasn't yet decided how it will respond to the Home Depot's plan to open a second superstore in Thousand Oaks until more analysis of the impact to local businesses is done.

It's well known that small businesses- ''mom and pop" stores included- are the heart and soul of the local business community. Despite the possible characterization that Home Depot is simply in a dog fight with Orchard Supply and Hardware and Do-it Center, many smaller businesses would likely be driven out by the opening of yet another "big box" home improvement store here.

Those businesses, located along Thousand Oaks Boulevard especially, need to be considered before any decision is made.

Our local representatives need to consider the long history of revenues and local nonprofit support that the businesses along Thousand Oaks Boulevard and neighboring areas have provided to our local economy. Louis Masry President Agoura/Oak Park/Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce