Bank To Sponsor Naming Rights For White Park Skate House

CONCORD, NH — A group of Concord City Councilors, meeting as the city’s Facilities Naming Committee, will make a recommendation to the full board next month to allow Merrimack County Savings Bank to purchase the naming rights for the new White Park Skate House. The skate house, if approved by the full Concord City Council at a future meeting, will be called The Merrimack Lodge. The bank will contribute $80,000 to the city in four installments during the next four years for the naming rights.

The naming rights proposal is just another way for the city to raise money to pay for the project, which was partially funded by taxpayers and by donations to the project from the Black Ice Hockey Tournament and pavers that are being installed at the entrance of the facility.

The naming rights, according to City Attorney Jim Kennedy, will be for 10 years with an option for the city council to renew. A renewal proposal would be negotiated by the bank and city in the ninth year of the contract.

City officials, at that time, could renegotiate the cost, up or down, based on inflation or deflation, Kennedy stated, adding that he was working with the bank on the specifics of the contract.

The bank will pay for the creation and installation of the sign. It will be similar to the sign in front of the North Main and School streets bank location.

“It’s the same concept but not the same sign,” noted City Manager Tom Aspell at a meeting on Thursday.

The signage will be installed on two granite posts not on the building itself. The city would be responsible for the care of the signage after it is installed. Kennedy noted that the Planning Board would be briefed about the signage and could make recommendations about how it looked but the final approval would be made by the city manager.

Both Ward 7 City Councilor Keith Nyhan, who was chairing the committee’s meeting on May 30, 2019, and Gail Matson, a Ward 8 city councilor, said they were comfortable with the proposal of having a future city council reup the plan in a decade. At-Large City Councilor Mark Coen said he liked the idea of having a committee to eye naming rights and financials but also wanted to caution that the proposal was for a specific facility.

“We’re not changing White Park to Merrimack County Savings Park,” he said. “I feel strongly that we should have another set of parameters for naming rights, for the financial considerations, because this is a great tool for the city.”

Kennedy added that this contract could be used as a template or be used for the committee to consider future naming rights for facilities. Matson said she liked that idea, too, and Nyhan stated that the committee needed to have a charge added to its mission to consider other opportunities.

“I personally like naming it The Merrimack Lodge rather than The Merrimack,” Nyhan said. “It actually helps identify and isolate the fact that we are naming the building.”

Aspell said the proposal would be put on a future city council meeting agenda for the full board to consider while Kennedy continues to iron out the specifics with Merrimack County Savings Bank.

The community grand opening of the White Park Skate House is scheduled for Saturday, June 14, 2019.