MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon City Council members passed a resolution on Monday adopting a naming rights policy for city park facilities, namely ball fields, dugouts, press boxes, and concession facilities.
The decision to offer naming rights stems from the lack of funding to maintain the ball fields. City Recreation Director Tanner Salyers previously said, “by [not offering naming rights], we are leaving a lot of money on the table that could be utilized and turned back into the community.”
“Over the course of a 10-year period, with all of these particular facilities on the same time clock … we are looking at half a million over the course of the next decade,” he told the council on Monday.
Salyers said there are some legacy names, such as the Ryan Martin Memorial Field in Phillips Park or the future Hunter Wright Splash Pad, that “we don’t want to touch.”
Additionally, he said the naming of the parks themselves is a separate duty and right reserved to city council.
Salyers said that at some point, the city will pursue naming rights for the water park. However, the name Hiawatha Water Park would not be eliminated; instead, a company name could be included.
“It would not be erasure as much as added to,” he said.
The city will establish a committee consisting of the safety-service director, recreation director, and city council liaison to the recreation board.
Requests for naming rights must be submitted in writing to the rec board for review. The board will consider submissions and make a recommendation to the committee, which will bring the recommendation to city council for final approval.
The granting of naming rights must be consistent with the City of Mount Vernon’s mission and core values.
“We do hold the prerogative to deny somebody if we feel like that for whatever reason it’s a company or individual that doesn’t necessarily jive with the [city] image that we’re going with,” Salyers said.
