City council turfs business naming deals for rec centres in Edmonton

There is something in a name, Edmonton city council decided Friday, voting to keep recreation centres like Meadows, Clareview, and the future Lewis Farms outwardly reflecting the communities they serve.

It’s called “visible investment – proactive signage for upcoming infrastructure projects.”

A clause in the carried motion allows interior facilities to still be named for a fee, but those sponsorships will be subject to city council approval.

Article content

The deal doesn’t affect facilities that have already been legally contracted — namely, a 10-year sponsorship deal for the Booster Juice Community Centre in Terwilligar, and downtown Edmonton’s Rogers Place.

Coun. Joanne Wright cited Sherwood Park, Leduc and Morinville as communities that have kept community names for the exterior of buildings, while allowing commercial support for interior facilities.

“I think this is a great compromise as well; keep some of maybe the cultural neighborhood community feel as well for some of these facilities,” Wright said.

Selling the exterior names wouldn’t address core causes of the city’s current fiscal gap between revenues and expenses, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said earlier in the week.

“And, at the same time, they take away community pride and the community’s predominant name on those buildings,” he said.

Article content

Coun. Aaron Paquette wanted to make sure naming for interior components would still come before councillors for approval.

Coun. Ashley Salvador called it a “smart compromise.”

While a sum of $21 million (after expenses, spread over 10 years) had been estimated for the total possible revenues for the sale of names for city facilities, administrators demurred from citing specific figures for specific features, leaving room for negotiations and what the market will bear.

City administration told council earlier in the week they would be able to work around such a policy, and continue to gather sponsorships for other parts of the properties.

Councillors opposed to the motion included Tim Cartmell, Andrew Knack — both declared mayoral candidates in the October electoral race — and Sarah Hamilton.

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.

Article content