LAC LA BICHE - Plans for a local group to sponsor the naming rights at a Bold Center baseball diamond have been thrown out before they even got to first base.
Lac La Biche County councillors have unanimously agreed to halt the $25,000 sponsorship play after hearing about it just days before the planned photo-opp to highlight the deal.
In an invite to media sent out on Friday, June 24, municipal recreation staff were promoting a photo opportunity for Wednesday, June 29 at the "Elks Lodge Field" at the Bold Center Sports Fields. But at their regular council meeting the day before the event, councillors put the kibosh on the photo-opp... and the sponsorship, saying they weren't involved in the process.
The sponsorship package included naming rights at one of the three ball diamonds in the newly constructed municipal recreation area near the Bold Center. The sponsorship was a 10-year deal, with the group spending $2,500 per year to keep the Elks name over the diamond.
"For $2,500, I feel that's quite small for a multi-million dollar facility naming rights"
— Lac La Biche County councillor Lorin Tkachuk
The Bold Center Sports fields were completed earlier this year after a four-year construction project that cost more than $16 million. The Sports fields include an artificial turf football field, a running track, soccer fields, a campground, basketball courts, spectator stands, scoreboards and the three ball diamonds.
Councillors said their decision to halt the sponsorship is based on several factors including the amount of the proposed sponsorship, the value of the location, their lack of involvement in discussions, the history of the baseball diamond project in the community, and the overall process.
"For $2,500, I feel that's quite small for a multi-million dollar facility naming rights," said Coun. Lorin Tkachuk, adding that council wasn't made aware of the deal, despite the fact that plans to relocate the long-standing baseball diamonds at the downtown recreation grounds to the Bold Center continues to be a sore point for many in the community.
When council and senior administrators first announced plans to build the new Sports Fields, they also announced plans to re-shape the downtown recreation grounds and McArthur Park, removing the main baseball diamond that had been in the location for more than 80 years. The decision forced a community survey, angry protests and several rounds of public consultation before council continued with the plans to remove the main diamond.
"It was a contentious issue from the beginning," said Tkachuk, again stressing the need for council's involvement in the sponsorship plan.
"Building the new ball diamonds, whether we are removing the old diamonds or not, I would have preferred to see the naming of the ball diamonds... come to council first," he said.
'Slapping a name on'
The councillor, who was part of the Sports Fields planning committee since its inception, also said that for a group to name a portion of the multi-million project without being part of the build was also an obstacle. Referencing a local group like the Lac La Biche Rotary Club, he said they donated funds to the McArthur Park gazebo project, helped to build and plan the outdoor fitness park and were active in the creation of the new frisbee golf course at the Hamilton Trout Pond. Each of those projects carries the Rotary Club's name.
"To me, that changes things, versus just slapping someone's name on a multi-million dollar facility," he said, adding that a more open and public process, a "fair competition" should be part of a municipal sponsorship. "At the end of the day, this is a big, large money-ticket item... and it was a contentious in the community. I understand it was done with the best of intentions, but I think we might have missed the mark on this one."
Coun. Sterling Johnson agreed, urging the municipality's senior administrators to bring back an updated version of the County's policy on sponsorships.
"I look at ball diamonds and facilities like this, like a street anywhere in Lac La Biche County. You don't just say, 'Here for 2,500 bucks I'll name a street.' There has to be consideration of what group it is, who it is, the history of it. This is selling your soul for $2,500," he said, going further to say the process so far has felt like an insult to council. "It shouldn't be up to administration to throw it through and say, 'By the way, we're having an opening.' You have to respect council and I don't believe council was respected in this decision."
Founding fathers
Coun. Kevin Pare said not only were councilllors left out of the decision, but countless other possible families who also deserve recognition. He would like to see historic and significant local figures added to future policies for naming rights.
"I think when we come to name something in the future instead of something being for sale we should take into account the founding fathers of this community, or having input from elders in our surrounding communities. It shouldn't just be for sale," Pare said.
Coun. Darlene Beniuk was also in support of halting the sponsorship deal. She also wanted senior administrators to explain the mistake to the sponsor.
"I think administration needs to address their mistake to the would be sponsor, and come back to the drawing board," she said.
Council voted unanimously not to endorse the naming of the ball diamond. The same vote also called on administrators to bring back an amended policy on sponsorships to include council endorsements and involvement.
News to the Elks
When contacted for comment two hours after the decision, a representative from the Lac La Biche Elk's Club told the Lac La Biche POST newsroom he had not been told about the sponsorship rejection, and had been looking forward to the sponsorship announcement the next day.
According to Lac La Biche County's Associate CAO of Recreation and Community Services, Darrell Lessmeister, the $25,000 Elks Lodge Field sponsorship had been in the discussion stages for several years. He said the Elks deal was one of more than 40 agreements with sponsors that are in place, in discussions or ready for renewal.
Lessmeister said he will compare the details of sponsorship and advertising policies in other municipalities and return to council with an updated policy proposal in the coming weeks.
The Lac La Biche Elks have been a long-running service club in the region, operating locally, raising funds and offering community support since 1962.
