Kinsmen Club gets 25-year naming rights to upgraded West Park greenspace

Moose Jaw’s Kinsmen Club has received the naming rights to West Park’s upgraded park, which means children living there today will bring their kids to the same-named park in 25 years. During its March 23 regular meeting, city council voted unanimously to approve the naming rights sponsorship agreement between the municipality and community organization for the soon-to-be upgraded park within West Park, with the agreement to start on Oct. 1, 2020 and expire on Sept. 30, 2045. Furthermore, in exchange for the naming rights, the Kinsmen Club will pay the municipality $100,000 over 10 years in installments of $10,000.

A report to council discussed some of the important clauses contained within the naming rights’ agreement:

• The municipality would give the club favourable consideration for renewal, provided the club has performed its obligations under the agreement in a satisfactory manner;

• The municipality will provide the club with the right to name the park as Kinsmen West Park for the duration of the agreement;

• The municipality will co-ordinate the installation of the park naming signage, with all production and installation costs to be split equally with the club;

• The municipality will recognize the club’s contribution on the donor wall that will be installed near the new outdoor recreation amenities identified for West Park;

• The municipality will provide reference to the park name on all municipal communication platforms, including but not limited to news releases, the city’s website, social media and directional signage;

• The municipality will co-ordinate the grand opening and invite the media to the ceremony, where the club will be publicly recognized for its contributions and provided the opportunity to speak about the project;

• The municipality will be responsible for the regular maintenance and repair to all sign structures;

• The club will have the ability to install additional naming signage at the other entrances to the park, at its own expense and with the approval of the municipality. The immediate funding needed to complete the West Park project will come from the land development funds within the parks dedication reserve. All revenue received from the Kinsmen Club of Moose Jaw for the naming rights sponsorship agreement will be credited back to the land development funds within the parks dedication reserve.

The West Park Community Association received approval last October to designate the outdoor recreation amenities project as a municipal project. The association has taken the approach of acquiring partners to help support the project, which includes a community fundraising campaign.

In early March of this year, city council approved a resolution to fund the park improvements within the West Park neighbourhood for $372,700. Of that cost, $38,600 would come from community fundraising efforts; $100,000 from the Kinsmen Club; $10,000 from community service clubs; $10,000 in accessibility grant funding from the Kinette Club; $24,100 of in-kind contributions from community contractors; and $190,000 from the parks dedication reserve.