insideyournwa.com

For the City of Springdale April 10th could not come soon enough. A quick search for tax revenue in Northwest Arkansas would show a steady stream of articles showing a decline in Springdale’s revenue. Springdale City leaders blame a slow economy and the closing of Sam’s Club which they lost to neighboring Fayetteville over the ability to sell alcohol.

Citizens of Springdale seem to be saying something else. People have already criticized Springdale for their handling of the Sam’s Club deal feeling like they could have kept the large store in Springdale. There is a bigger problem in Springdale that seems to be status quo for Northwest Arkansas - growth goes to 540 and everywhere else gives up. I know that traffic count is a significant factor in a business decision, but with plenty of traffic on 71 B through Springdale what is going on there? It seems to me that the rest of the town has been forgotten. The businesses seem to be in shambles, with hand written signs that litter the entire business district. I am not talking about the great hand made signs of yesterday either - these are poster board and magic marker freehand with no sense of what looks good. Let’s get that cleaned up before we look at the blanket economy argument ok?

So all of these blunders aside Springdale made a heroic effort to get a professional baseball team to come to town. I say heroic because amid sales tax revenue decreases they had to go to citizens and ask for an increase in the sales tax to pay for the city owned stadium. By admission of the city during the campaign to get the new tax (which did pass but not by a landslide) the tax revenue from the stadium alone will be a wash. Growth and new businesses around the stadium are the target not the revenue directly from the stadium.

That being said I would be happy to announce that Springdale did the right thing and made the too small for a stadium road into a large road, and attracted many businesses to build at the same time so April 10th when the excitement is at its peak businesses will flourish and tax revenue will be on the rise for the first time in years. Unfortunately we are at one month away and no growth by the stadium, no big road, no off ramp from 540, in fact nothing that will give Springdale a bump in tax revenue.

Grand opening and first game excitement wanes quickly. Things will go in by the stadium but they will never be as successful as if they had been there on April 10th. Luckily the stadium is being built in Northwest Arkansas which still has very few things to do so people will go in droves to the ballpark hoping for something to do other than shop for clothes or watch a movie.