PLAMONDON - The Plamondon Arena is no more. For the next 12 years, the indoor rink in the hamlet of Plamondon will be called the North County Co-op Arena.
Plamondon's North Country Co-op is a food and agri-business franchise of the national Co-op brand, that operates independently and is overseen by a local board of directors. Most customers are members of the Co-Op association and receive annual dividends from sales. The Plamondon business officially secured the naming rights to the building with last week's approval of a $54,000 agreement with Lac La Biche County. Councillors made the official decision after in-camera discussions about the terms of the contract.
The naming rights — working out to about $4,500 a year — will also include basic signage on the building.
The Co-op in Plamondon has been a long-time sponsor of programs at the arena, including community skates.
Lac La Biche County Mayor and Plamondon-area resident Paul Reutov applauded the move, joking that he'd like to see the word 'barn' added to the name as well.
Sponsors
Reutov's own company — Bold Developments — was part of a $1.4 million transaction with Lac La Biche County for a 10-year agreement that began in 2011 to brand the newly-built recreation centre as the Bold Center. Although that agreement has since expired, the Bold Center name will remain on the building, with new Bold Center branding for the recreation centre expected to coincide with the construction of a new aquatic centre at the facility. The aquatic centre, with a cost of $27 million, is expected to be completed in late 2025.
In recent months, the Lac La Biche Elks have also purchased their naming rights onto municipal property. Last fall, the local service club donated $25,000 to have the main baseball diamond at the $16 million Bold Center sports fields named Lac La Biche Elks Field in a 10-year agreement with the municipality.
The Plamondon North Country Co-Op Arena is home to the Plamondon minor hockey association Cougars, and recently hosted a provincial championship that drew teams from across the province to the community.
