Field of (money) dreams: Naming rights for county parks are worth studying
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Edward Kress is serving as an interim at-large member of Allegheny County Council. Because the Republican from Shaler did not win his party's nomination in the May primary, his days in office are numbered -- but his suggestions for helping the county's bottom line appear limitless.
One of his latest proposals would have the county manager and other officials evaluate and report back to council and the county executive on the suitability of naming rights, advertising and sponsorship notices for the county's nine parks. Conceivably, the county could allow commercial names and advertising at pavilions, swimming pools, golf courses, ballfields or trails -- or it could consider naming rights for the park itself. When previously he proposed selling the rights to put a commercial moniker on Pittsburgh International Airport, we said that idea should be permanently grounded because tackiness had no place tainting the region's front door.
But parks are something else. When it comes to ballparks, nobody who attends PNC Park or Heinz Field makes a fuss about commercial sponsorship. It probably would be the same for county parks, too. (And in the traditional way of Pittsburghers, renaming something doesn't stop people from using the old name anyway).
Mr. Kress cites the experience of other cities with similar programs -- since 1999, he says, Los Angeles County has raised $12 million and the city of San Diego $20 million. That sort of tempting revenue -- basically, money for nothing from a regional government's point of view -- helps explain why Mr. Kress' idea has drawn bipartisan support.
But a judgment on the idea's worth hangs on how it would end up being implemented. Tastefulness has to remain important. Fortunately, county residents won't wake up one day to find that they have a Filly Corral North Park or a Budweiser South Park, because a 2008 ordinance passed by County Council set standards for naming rights, and alcohol and adult entertainment businesses were among those not eligible. Park goers also would not want to see garish ads or sign boards marring the sylvan serenity of their favorite green spaces.
Mr. Kress also has proposals to create "a department of alternative revenue" in the county executive's office and to look at naming rights for county bridges as a source of revenue.
Careful study is recommended for such ideas. This is a socially conservative community, but it is also one that may welcome creative yet tasteful ways to fund the upkeep and improvement of county amenities without raising taxes.
First Published June 27, 2011 12:00 am
