When Should We Sell Naming Rights?

At the the held some interesting and well-reasoned discussions. But perhaps the most interesting issue was the item that they chose to discuss at a future point.

Item 10, "Consideration of the Following Items Concerning the Pocket Park on the Public Right-of-Way Located at the Southwest Corner of the Intersection of St. Johns Avenue and Elm Place" was moved to be discussed at the more informal precouncil setting.

In English, the Mazzetta Corporation wishes to build a park on the public right of way. This park is an intriguing and interesting proposal and would feature numerous elements of sustainable design. When it was presented before the Design Review Commission, I was excited about what it had to offer, both for its clear aesthetic value, but also for the larger point of our property owners once again taking the lead on an iniative to benefit Highland Park. A private corporation choosing to help build a new park, albeit a small one, seems like a great example of public-private partnership. Just the sort of partnership our city should encourage.

Except when it came before the City Council there was a catch. The Mazzetta Corporation wishes the new park to be named after it. Previously, the city policy stated that names were determined by geographical or historic considerations. This park would require a new policy, one where the city could sell naming rights.

Now the matter becomes a bit trickier.

The Park District in October looked at its own naming rights policy. During discussion with the board, it became clear the board had reservations about allowing a private company to buy the naming rights to a park. More than seven months after staff first brought the proposal to the board, a revised policy has yet to be adopted.

I hope the City Council takes similar care and caution. The new policy does require that any corporation we name a public entity after be of high reputation and financially liable for the upkeep and maintenance for 20 years. Of course, as we saw during the great financial collapse, firms of the highest reputations can disappear overnight or turn out not to be the corporate paragons they were once believed to have been. All I know of Mazzetta is that they wish to create this park, so my only impression of them is a favorable one. This isn't about them, but rather whether or not this new policy is a wise endeavor.

In the very recent history we've also seen that private entities will undertake public projects without selling the naming rights. One only need look at the new welcome fountain being installed at the corner of Green Bay and Central, paid for by property owner and resident Larry Hillman. This new fountain isn't being named after anyone, but will still enhance the character of our downtown.

Mazzetta deserves recognition and plaudits for its initative, but is taking the route of a sports arena by selling naming rights the correct way to give those kudos? I'm not sure it is.