Springdale : Pastor retracts stadium OK over beer sales
Posted on Wednesday, June 21, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/158292/
SPRINGDALE — The Rev. Ronnie Floyd has withdrawn his support for Springdale’s proposed baseball stadium after learning of plans to sell beer at the minorleague ballpark.
Floyd, pastor of First Baptist Church of Springdale, appeared last week in a video supporting the proposed $ 50 million baseball stadium. The video was shown June 13 at a Springdale Chamber of Commerce luncheon and has been replayed twice a day on Jones Television network on Cox Cable in Northwest Arkansas since Monday.
But the church’s spokesman said Tuesday that Floyd hadn’t been informed of the intended beer sales before taping the address three weeks ago.
Alan Damron, associate pastor of strategic communications, said Floyd was in meetings Tuesday and unavailable for comment. Floyd, Floyd however, addressed the issue in an e-mail to a Springdale resident who brought it to his attention.
“At the time we stated our support we were unaware that alcohol would be sold at the park,” Floyd wrote this week in an e-mail to Virginia Pozza. “Our support will be withdrawn from any action that would place the sale of alcohol in a family-oriented environment.”
Pozza is secretary and manager of Overstore storage facilities, owned by Springdale Alderman Mike Overton, an outspoken critic of plans to finance the stadium with public money. She said her business relationship with Overton plays no role in her opposition to the stadium.
Springdale voters will decide July 11 whether to extend a 1 percent sales tax to finance bonds for a 6, 000-seat stadium on 40 acres at the southwest corner of 56 th Street and Watkins Avenue west of Interstate 540.
Last month, Springdale aldermen were told beer would be sold at the ballpark. That’s one reason the stadium is being proposed in Springdale rather than Benton County, which doesn’t allow liquor by the drink, said Perry Webb, president and chief executive officer of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce.
Webb declined to comment when contacted Tuesday.
The chamber sponsored a luncheon last week and invited several civic groups to the first public viewing of renderings of the stadium drawn by HOK Sports Architecture of Kansas City, Mo.
Pozza e-mailed Floyd last week after she noticed the Southern Baptist Convention in Greensboro, N. C., approved a resolution urging opposition to alcohol and urging trustees and appointees of Baptist agencies not to drink.
Pozza said she opposes the use of city funds to build a stadium, and e-mailed Floyd because she was surprised to see him endorse the project.
“If they’re going to tout it as a family thing, then they cannot have alcohol,” Pozza said. “How are you going to control underage drinking ?”
Floyd and First Baptist Church have always been against alcohol use and anything that doesn’t promote families, Damron said.
“This is not some vision he’s had as of lately,” Damron said. “He’s always been against that. He definitely does not support the sale of beer.”
Overton opted to put the election and the stadium’s fate in the hands of Springdale residents, but has said he’ll vote against it July 11. “Now it appears that Mr. Floyd hasn’t been told the whole truth, and I’m just wondering if the whole truth has been told to the public,” Overton said. The chamber has worked for more than two years to attract professional sports to Springdale and has pledged to pay for the estimated $ 10, 000 cost of holding the election. Webb has said the Class AA Wichita Wranglers of the Texas League is Springdale’s target team. Damron said he didn’t know whether Floyd would ask his congregation to vote against the ballot question.
To contact this reporter: cmorasch@arkansasonline. com