Public Facilities Board

How many residents can explain what the Springdale Public Facilities Board really does? I know they control the industrial park and the baseball stadium and meet on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, but beyond that I wasn't sure.

I went to the city's website to learn more, but all I really found out is that four of the five board members' terms are expired.
It appears to be yet another group much like the Advertising and Promotion Commission that just hands over taxpayer money to the Chamber of Commerce. As a matter of fact, the meetings that were once held at City Hall, are now held at the Chamber's office. And to prove my point, just try to contact them yourself.

Ballpark District Still Empty

The NWA Naturals' season opener was last night at Arvest Ballpark. A tired-looking Mayor Sprouse stated he has been trying to recruit new business and we just need to continue to be patient.

Sprouse blames the economy for the lack of any new businesses three years after the ballpark opened and states he is confident the area will be fully developed in five to twenty years. He is jetting off to Sin City in a few days in another attempt to lure new business our way.

Be patient for another twenty years?

PETA to Visit Springdale

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals was in Little Rock yesterday dressed in what is intended to look like pink and blue condoms to promote spaying and neutering your pets.

PETA has planned a similar demonstration today in downtown Springdale on Emma Avenue in near the Hirsch Law Office.

PETA caused quite a media buzz recently for a billboard referencing well-known Springdale residents JimBob and Michelle Duggar. The Duggar family stars in the TLC reality television show, 19 Kids and Counting.

http://www.4029tv.com/slideshow/23103766/detail.html?taf=fts

Buffer or Royal Shield?

Local area Chambers of Commerce are again in the news. This time managing to make the front page of the Sunday edition of the NWA Democrat Gazette.

Robert Smith's article credits Springdale resident Anita Davis for raising awareness last year when she accused the chamber leaders of misspending the city's tax dollars on lavish trips, dining and more.
The Democrat Gazette decided to question nearly forty other cities to compare how they spend money on economic development.

Perry Webb, president of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce admits he pats himself on the back for everything in the community because he really doesn't know what business, if any, the chamber actually brought to town.

Webb also defended the practice of awarding exotic trips in exchange for fundraising. Webb changed the chamber's accounting system in 2010 to avoid having their future spending habits become public knowledge under the Freedom of Information Act.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is quoted as saying it is unlawful under Arkansas Constitution Article 12, Section 5, for funds of a “county, city, town or other municipal corporation” to be given to a private, nonprofit entity. It bars public money from being donated to a chamber of commerce, McDaniel said.

If the Attorney General believes it is unlawful to give taxpayer money to the chamber then why do we continue to do so?

UPDATE: Apparently Webb called in all the favors he saved up at the newspaper for running those full page ads about the Chamber's trips to China. We have been ordered to remove the newspaper article that put them in the unfavorable light they deserved. It's okay. Most of the town has already read it and those who didn't, feel free to email me and I'll let you look at the copy we paid for. Or better yet, maybe we'll just start passing out copies in parking lots.

Money Go Round

During a recent City Council meeting, local businessman Mark Henry was elected to the Springdale Advertising & Promotion Commission (A&P) replacing Belinda Cole who resigned the position.

A.C.A. 26-75-605 and Ordinance No. 3293 provides that appointments for these positions will be made by the remaining members of the A&P Commission, subject to approval of the City Council.

Perry Webb submitted a letter to Mayor Doug Sprouse in the capacity of Director of the A&P Commission stating they had unanimously voted to recommend Henry, owner of Catering Unlimited.

The problem isn't with Henry, although he seems to have benefited nicely from the CoC's love of fine dining, but rather the continuing conflicts of interest in Springdale.

The Director of the Advertising and Promotion Commission is in fact the same person as the President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce (CoC). Why in the world would we need both since the A&P gives taxpayer money to the CoC on an annual basis and the CoC decides who gets what's left of A&P money? Confused yet? If you want to request funding from the A&P, you have to contact the CoC.

This is a similar conflict of interest as our Mayor sitting on the chamber's board of directors while he is directly involved in giving them taxpayer's money.

We have a handful of people with handfuls of taxpayer money, but it all seems to get shuffled to the same pot?

Local Principal Arrested for DWI

61 year-old Springdale resident and Huntsville High School Principal, Michael Gray was arrested Saturday, April 3, for suspected DWI. Gray was apparently driving up Dickson Street around midnight without turning on his headlights.

According to KNWA, Gray failed three sobriety checks and blew .12 on the breathalyzer test.

Donations Needed for Meals on Wheels Program

KNWA is reporting that our senior citizens are being placed on a waiting list to receive hot meals from the Meals on Wheels program.

Only about 49% of the cost of each meal is paid by government sources. The remaining 51% must be raised locally.

This is a very worthwhile program so please try and donate $5 to the center if you can so they can start accepting new seniors again.

The Senior Center is located at 203 Park Street in Springdale.

Does Springdale Need a Facelift?

Gars are a relic from a large group of primitive fishes. They are long, slender with toothy mouths and hard, diamond-shaped scales.

Gars are most common in a warm, sluggish economy and feed primarily on other fish.

Gars are generally considered a nuisance and their eggs (roe) and gonads are extremely toxic if eaten.

Top Shelf at Fisherman's Wharf

In September 2009, the apparently recession-immune Springdale Chamber of Commerce treated a select few to dinner and drinks in San Francisco.

The evening began at the Top of the Mark Intercontinental Hotel. This bar is famous for its amazing views of the city below. The total bill for nine cocktails was a lofty $156.07.

The following day the group headed over to Fisherman's Wharf for a fabulous seafood meal and of course more cocktails. The final tab for this development of Springdale's economy? A mere $791.54.

Oh, and just in case someone tries to say this was for the Regional Government Affairs Conference the US Chamber of Commerce sponsored...that was in November.

Lobbying Top Spenders 1998-2009

Lobbying Top Spenders (1998-2009)

US Chamber of Commerce $606,758,180
American Medical Assn $220,832,500
General Electric $196,410,000
AARP $175,702,064
American Hospital Assn $174,890,431

Pharmaceutical Rsrch & Mfrs of America $173,403,920
AT&T Inc $150,471,757
Northrop Grumman $143,005,253
Exxon Mobil $138,886,942
National Assn of Realtors $138,417,380
Blue Cross/Blue Shield $136,317,077
Business Roundtable $134,030,000
Edison Electric Institute $133,995,999
Verizon Communications $132,534,841
Lockheed Martin $122,340,423
Boeing Co $121,528,310
General Motors $106,914,483
Southern Co $104,620,694
Freddie Mac $96,194,048
Altria Group $93,650,000

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
source: www.opensecrets.org

Lobbying Top 10 Spenders 2009

Top Spenders 2009 Lobbying Client Total.

Notice the large difference between first and second place.

US Chamber of Commerce $144,496,000
Exxon Mobil Corporation $27,430,000
Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America $26,150,520
General Electric $25,520,000
Blue Cross/Blue Shield $22,715,439
Pfizer Inc $21,930,000
AARP $21,010,000
American Medical Association $20,830,000
Chevron Corp $20,815,000
National Association of Realtors $19,477,000
American Beverage Association $18,850,000
American Hospital Association $18,347,176
ConocoPhillips $18,069,858
Verizon Communications $17,820,000
The Boeing Company $16,850,000
FedEx Corp $16,370,000
BP $15,990,000
National Cable & Telecommunications Assn $15,980,000
Northrop Grumman $15,180,000
AT&T Inc $14,729,673

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
source: http://www.opensecrets.org/

Slick Advertising

According to Wikipedia: the United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is the world's largest not-for-profit lobbying group, representing many businesses and associations across the US.

The Chamber is staffed with policy specialists, lobbyists and lawyers and is known for spending more money than any other lobbying organization on a yearly basis.
Max Brantley shares a press release from Arkansas members of Americans for Financial Reform urging Congress to pass strong legislation to overhaul the financial system. The statement also urges Arkansans to be skeptical of the slick television ads sponsored by the USCC. The ads were part of a $3 million campaign by the Chamber to oppose a Consumer Financial Protection Board.

Small business owners from the Main Street Alliance network responded with their support for a strong, independent consumer agency and question the backing for the Chamber’s new ads.

Los Angeles Times article by Tom Hamburger reports how a swelling tide of money could put the Chamber in an even better position to sway elections.

3rd Congressional District Forum

Citizens for a Future Springdale held a forum for republican candidates of Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District last week at the Pontiac Coffee House.

All eight republican candidates attended the event, but little was learned to separate one from the other.

Steve Womack, Rogers Mayor

Bernard Skoch, retired Air Force

Steve Lowry, former DEA special agent

Mike Moore, Boone County Judge

Kurt Maddox, Gravette businessman

Cecile Bledsoe, State Senator

Gunner DeLay, former legislator

Doug Matayo, former legislator

See all of the recent tweets from Arkansas' third congressional district candidates at one place plus links to the latest news on the race here.

Double Solitaire

Snopes.com/photos/politics/solitaire.asp confirms the authenticity of this photograph making the rounds on the Internet.

House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, pictured standing, far right, speaking while colleagues Rep. Barbara Lambert, D-Milford and Rep. Jack F. Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, play solitaire.

The guy sitting in the row in front of these two is on Facebook, and the guy behind Hennessy is checking out baseball scores.

Photograph by Jessica Hill

City Council Meeting

Residents interested in suggested changes to Springdale's animal ordinance attended the City Council meeting on Tuesday to voice their opinions. One resident said the cost of identifying chips for pets would be too burdensome at $55-$65.

A spokesman for the animal shelter said there would be a one time cost of $20 which would save pet owners money compared to the current $5 per year cost of registering pets in the city.

Every lost pet that can be quickly reunited with its owner is potentially saving another animal from euthanasia by opening up that space in the shelter.

In other news, the city council approved the conditional use permit allowing Ozark Electric Cooperative to erect a communications tower on property located downtown on Emma Avenue.

NWA Online article here.

March 31, 2009 - How We See It Article here.

Northwest Arkansas Animal Rescue offers microchipping for $20.

For Pet's Sake

Humane Society of the Ozarks

Fayetteville Animal Shelter

Year of the Patch

KFSM reported yesterday the City of Springdale is referring to road conditions as "the year of the patch," due to damage caused by worse than average winter weather.

The short article goes on to say that the three worst spots are Huntsville Avenue at Elmdale Shopping Center, Randal Wobbe near the railroad tracks and Lakeview Drive by the Springdale Country Club.

Would you come up with the same three?

A&P

The Springdale Morning News reported Wednesday that the city's Advertising & Promotion Commission is considering hefty budget cuts to cover falling tax revenue.

The article quotes Chamber of Commerce President Perry Webb as the group's spokesperson. Apparently the chamber provides the A&P staft [sic]. What a convenient way to keep the chamber's paws in the pot.

If the A&P would break their old habit of annually tossing $60,000 at the Chamber of Commerce for their lavish luxuries the problem would be solved.

See how easy that was?

The best news came in a short sentence at the end of the article:

"The commission also approved moving its meetings to the council chambers, in the city administration building. The meetings can be recorded and televised at the council chambers."

This is GREAT news. I for one can't wait to watch these meetings in the future. Stay tuned to Jones Television Network for programming.

The A&P is regularly scheduled to meet the second Wednesday of each month.

Suspicious Activity Report

Just moments ago (10:00 AM on Thursday, March 18, 2010) motorists passing Price Cutter at 1109 N. Thompson Street in Springdale reportedly spotted Jim Phillips (Springdale Liquor Association Cartel) and Arkansas State Representative Jon Woods in the parking lot, cars facing each other in what appeared to be a suspicious exchange.

Exactly what the two were exchanging in such an inconspicuous manner is unclear at this time.

Google Fiber for Communities

Google Fiber for Communities is an experimental initiative that would offer open access direct-to-home fiber-optic connections for selected test communities. Towns across America are pulling out all the stops to get Google's attention.

Google hopes the experiment will make Internet access better and faster for everyone. They plan to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations that have a population of at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.

From now until March 26, interested municipalities can provide information about their communities through a Request for Information (RFI), which Google will use to determine where to build their network.

I haven't heard a peep if the City of Springdale or the Chamber of Commerce has made any attempt to at least put our name in the hat to bring Google Fiber to Northwest Arkansas.

Maybe we can petition the city for economic development funds if we take it upon ourselves to nominate Springdale here.

Who Screwed Up The Census?

The 2010 United States Census is underway, but not without a few glitches. Census letters have been sent to residents of Springdale with the incorrect city printed on them.

This could mean a huge loss of dollars for the city if the records end up going to other towns such as Fayetteville.

40/29 reported that the Census Bureau has received numerous reports of incorrect addresses and is advising residents to cross out the incorrect information and write in manually the correct address.

SLA Cartel Strikes Again

We thought this was old news.

We thought Macadoodles was on the home stretch to opening their doors.

We were wrong.

There was no mention of the latest antics of the Springdale Liquor Association in the local newspaper today, but television station 40/29 reported a new battle is brewing just days before the store is set to open.

Springdale should be welcoming any new business with open arms rather than allowing the greed of one person to embark on a campaign that is nothing short of harassment. Does the SLA have new evidence that makes them think appealing an already lost appeal is necessary?

Is State Senator Sue Madison behind this latest stunt to delay a legitimate business from opening their doors? Last year Madison was quoted, "they have lured people across the state line to purchase alcohol. They should not get a license until they have repaid Arkansas all the tax dollars we've lost." Are you going to repay Macadoodles for any revenue they lose fighting this nonsense? Are you going to pay Springdale all the sales tax they lose because everyone is now driving to Sam's in Fayetteville? Maybe you can call it even.

Macadoodles was voted Best Liquor Store in Northwest Arkansas so the SLA needs to be worried and coupled with the latest antics they are running off even once loyal patrons in droves. People don't want to do business with a company that does things like this.

This Family Tradition Since Prohibition needs to get over it.

The Fayetteville Flyer is blogging the same story here.

Take the Survey

The Northwest Arkansas Strategic Economic Development Committee is conducting a survey of the area.

We can only hope that we will get to see the actual results this time. Not like the one conducted by now bankrupt Jeff Collins that was kept hidden from everyone as if there was no reason for us to find out what our own opinions are.

The Northwest Council uses the steady stream of luxury cars and SUVs on the roads as evidence the NWA economy is strong as an ox (or a bull). They also tout statistics such as Northwest Arkansas grew by 47 percent between 1990 and 2000, making it the fastest growing region in the state and the sixth fastest in the nation.

This is all well and good, but I would prefer to see more recent data. Maybe if we all take the survey we can get some data from at least the last decade.

Results of this survey are to be published sometime in April 2010 and posted at http://www.greaternorthwestarkansas.com/.

Historic Downtown Tower

The Springdale Planning Commission voted unanimously (9-0) to approve conditional use of the property located at 406 E. Emma Avenue to allow Ozark Electric Cooperative to erect a 66 foot communication tower.

The tower is not necessary for emergency communications but is planned to serve as a backup or duplicate of an existing dispatch center.

It's now in the hands of the city council who will vote on Tuesday, March 23.

Is this what residents and business owners have been working so hard on to revitalize downtown Springdale?

Springdale Tomorrow Today

In 2004, the Springdale Tomorrow fundraising campaign development budget of $2.2 million was to be implemented over the course of four years for the following:

INITIATIVE I: Elevate Springdale's Retail & Entertainment Profile. BUDGET: $970,000.

INITIATIVE II: Create Technology Jobs in Springdale. BUDGET: $320,000

INITIATIVE III: Pro-Business Governmental Advocacy. BUDGET: $110,000

INITIATIVE IV: Implement Business Diversity Education Program. BUDGET: $154,000

INITIATIVE V: Development for Historic Downtown. BUDGET: $646,000

Springdale Tomorrow Case For Investment

Springdale Tomorrow Prospectus - Pt 1

Springdale Tomorrow Prospectus - Pt 2

It appears this fund was kept separate from other bank accounts and because the money originated from citizen donations, we are not allowed access to it via any freedom of information requests.

However, we have located numerous transfers (see below) totaling over $650,000 (the entire amount allocated for historic downtown Springdale development) that was put directly into the Chamber of Commerce operating account that ultimately ended up co-mingled with funds used to pay for lunch, dinner, trips and clothing for the privileged few.

06/20/06 $16,155.00
07/25/06 $14,756.00
08/28/06 $28,186.60
11/30/06 $10,008.00
12/26/06 $15,091.00
02/07/07 $17,158.00
07/09/07 $57,221.00
08/09/07 $40,707.00
09/07/07 $59,025.00
10/29/07 $57,221.00
11/27/07 $40,457.00
12/20/07 $42,021.00
01/24/08 $32,969.00
01/24/08 $12,000.00
02/29/08 $31,054.00
03/25/08 $34,567.00
04/23/08 $29,669.00
05/23/08 $10,163.00
07/03/08 $2,837.95
07/03/08 $21,075.05
09/03/08 $21,322.00
01/16/09 $60,000.00

Mega Rip Off

On February 16, 2009 an $1,848.00 charge was made on the Chamber of Commerce's American Express credit card to a company listed as Mega Wholesale - Brooklyn for "office equipment."

I was curious to see what kind of mega buying was going on this time and located various reports where this company has been repeatedly accused of operating a scam - or two.

The phone number listed on the statement is 800-577-6791 which I was easily able to link to an 'F' rating with the NY Better Business Bureau. Apparently this outfit has several different names and locations. This was either taxpayer's or dues paying member's money they were being so careless with.