City could consider new revenue options

If Blytheville Mayor Barrett Harrison and the City Council are looking for ways to shore up the city's budget for 2010, they might turn their attention toward KFC.

Two Indiana cities did just that, getting $7,500 each to allow the fast-food chain to advertise its new "fiery" chicken wings on its city fire hydrants. As of last week, the company was looking for three more cities to participate in the marketing campaign. Perhaps it's worth a phone call.

Actually, something along these lines could help the city generate revenue streams now and well into the future. After all, if KFC is willing to dole out thousands to advertise chicken wings on fire hydrants, surely other companies would be willing to do something similar.

For instance, the arches on Main Street are just screaming out to be painted bright yellow as an advertisement for McDonald's. Surely passing through Blytheville's golden arches would result in increased sales of Big Macs, Quarter-Pounders and Chicken McNuggets. McDonald's would no doubt pay a hefty sum for such a thing.

Starbucks already pulled out of Blytheville, but perhaps they would come back if the city agreed to sell the coffee franchise advertising rights to the water tower on June Gosnell Drive. Just imagine, the tower modified into a giant grande mocha cappacinno. It would be a huge boost to local coffee sales.

Captain D's would no doubt be interested in naming rights to one of the local fishing holes. I can see it now: "The Captain D's Lagoon at Walker Park." If one of the local seafood eateries, like Ed's Catfish, wants in on the action, we can name one of the other fishing holes for them, or just give them the Pemiscot Bayou.

Naming rights for sporting venues have been a big money-maker for years, whether it's "Busch Stadium," "Autozone Park" or "The FedEx Forum." As such, there's obviously money to be made at Blytheville Youth Sportsplex. I could see regional banking institutions getting involved here. We could have the "Southern Bancorp Fields" on the "Bancorp South Sports Complex," all adjacent to the "Southbank Soccer Park." It wouldn't be confusing at all.

And as long as there are streets in Blytheville, there's ways to advertise local companies. (And perhaps a way to get a pothole or two fixed.) Ash Street could become "Nucor Street." Walnut could be "Tenaris Drive." Ruddle could become "Roll Coater Road." Air Base Highway could become "ART Boulevard."

And Main Street, of course, could become "Walmart Way," leading to great conversations, in which a person could go shopping in downtown Blytheville; and when asked by a friend where they went, they could answer, "at Walmart," and be telling the truth.

There's a million ways for Blytheville to make money, provided the city is willing to turn itself into a giant billboard. And why shouldn't it? A few good deals, and the city could fund all the non-profits it wants to.