As the City of Orillia contemplates leasing naming rights for a number of public facilities, officials from the Rotary Club of Orillia hope to see Rotary Place — the twin-pad rink in west Orillia — keep its name.
The west Orillia arena has been named Rotary Place since 2009, when the local non-profit paid $150,000 to secure naming rights for the facility — a move that club members understood to be permanent.
However, Rotary Place is now one of seven local facilities that could be up for renaming, as city council gave staff the nod to explore a variety of revenue-generating possibilities at its August meeting.
Council voted to seek expressions of interest for leasing naming rights on the seven facilities, with city staff reporting that the agreement with the Rotary Club had a recommended “15-year sunset clause which expires in 2024.”
The 'sunset clause' comes a surprise to members of the Rotary Club, who wish to see the arena’s name remain Rotary Place.
“We would obviously like to keep the name Rotary Place arena in place and have it removed from the list,” said club president Sarah-Jane VandenBerg. “We simply sent mayor and council a very brief letter saying that we were disappointed and unhappy that Rotary Place is being included in the list.”
VandenBerg said the club believes the naming rights were granted in perpetuity, and she plans to speak during the open public forum portion of next week’s council meeting to request the arena is removed from the list of facilities that could potentially have their naming rights shopped.
“I would like them to have the opportunity to see what we are understanding,” she said. “I will provide some evidence. Evidence is always open to interpretation, and we absolutely want to remain respectful of the city.”
Having the arena named for the local service club is “an honour and a recognition that Rotary is … an active and vibrant part of this community,” VandenBerg said.
“People from out of town, people in town, they know the Rotary Place. They know what it is,” she said. “When people come to this community, they know that Rotary is a part of it, and Rotary is a positive contributor to, we hope, making Orillia a better place.
“It's nice to be recognized, honoured, appreciated, acknowledged, and keeping … the name Rotary just signifies that.”
VandenBerg added that Rotary Club plans to keep a positive relationship with the city, and to continue being a “positive part” of the community moving forward.
“We want to focus on the positive contributions, both financial and voluntary, that the Rotary Club of Orillia contributes to the community and continue a positive partnership with the City of Orillia,” she said.
