Naming rights could help reduce the cost of adding a second sheet of ice to the Castlegar and District Community Complex.
The Regional District of Central Kootenay board has agreed to award rights to name the new arena to whomever wins the design-build contract for the proposed facility. Companies will be asked to assign a value to the rights and deduct that amount from their bids.
It’s one way the RDCK hopes to bridge the gap between the project’s expected cost of $19 million to $29 million and the $15 million that City of Castlegar and Area J taxpayers will be asked to pick up in a referendum this October. The project also includes an indoor walking track.
The RDCK board has approved extensive guidelines for naming the arena. Whatever name is chosen must be “consistent with the standards expected of a public recreation facility” and not “vulgar, discriminatory, or offensive.” The facility can’t be named after tobacco, cannabis, or gun manufacturers, among other things. There are also limitations on the name’s length.
The board has the final say in whatever name is chosen. A provision further calls for community consultation on the types of names residents would find acceptable, even if the specific proposed name isn’t yet known.
Whatever construction company wins the contract is allowed to name the facility after themselves, subject to the same criteria and board approval. They can also transfer the naming rights to a third party.
Naming rights would last 20 to 25 years and then revert back to the RDCK, which could extend them or choose a different name. If no name is applied within two years of the facility’s completion, the rights would also revert back to the RDCK.
The guidelines say the RDCK retains the right to name specific rooms within the facility.
