Put Your Name On A San Diego County Trail, Ballfield Or Playground For A Price

MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: This is KPBS Midday Edition, I am Maureen Cavanaugh. There is nothing that warms up the philanthropist heart is much to see their name on the Lacy building or project, San Diego is full of examples, and now such naming rights could be yours for a slightly more modest scale, city of County Board of Supervisors recently voted to allow individuals businesses or nonprofits to baby sections of public parks including all feels, playgrounds and trails for fees starting in $1000, it's your favorite favorite garden or pool could soon be brought to you by your neighbor or a local pest-control business, joining me to talk about this is my guest Amy Harbert. Are other counties doing this? AMY HARBERT: This came out a few years ago and with the initiatives as part of this plan was to seek alternate funding for Parks and Recreation needs also putting the future. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Do you have a model you are looking across the country, to what other places have done? AMY HARBERT: To get another of we get a lot of edge barking as part of our process and miss municipalities have an inability this. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: If these are opened up they will be for naming what? AMY HARBERT: Things such as trails and playgrounds and ballfields. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Are the things said the parks and rec centers that can be named? AMY HARBERT: The links themselves will not be part of the program because the Board of Supervisors still reserves authority to name the buildings at the buildings, existing amenities are ones that we're assisting on our programs, new amenities. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Will the trails and ballparks that are possible candidates for naming rights, but they have a set price or will people bid on them? AMY HARBERT: We do have proposed minimum pricing is the starting way but we are working closely with our purchasing and contracting department so there is multiple parties that are interested in the same opportunity, there'd be a chance for some negotiations MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Had it usually come up with the prices they are starting out with? AMY HARBERT: We looked at four factors primarily, with that the cost of construction at the time of construction for the argument of the, we also took a look at the visibility and how many people come there, each year, for the unique fitted sitters or do they come multiple times the same group of people, looked at the location, and we also looked at the draw, does it draw and it could attract part patrons from throughout the region north of the local draw throughout the community? MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: I started in the open that the prices started around $1000 for an example, what would be the types of things that somebody might be looking at in terms of putting their business name on order of ? AMY HARBERT: Could be a part of amenity that her lower drop were lower visibility such as a play ground or trailside. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Part of the trail, how that actually work? With there be some sort of plaque? AMY HARBERT: Assigned the recognized the name of. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: And if you charge for decide, so that he wants to be my guard and they come to an deal said, how long can the name stay on the card? AMY HARBERT: We have an opportunity for naming for five, ten, fifteen and twenty years MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: So can somebody just get one year? AMY HARBERT: We set the term as five years for a few reasons, one for example with our trails would be the minimum term to look at and [ [ CHECK AUDIO ] ] also the stuff time with updating of marketing materials to conclude that name. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Is that $1000 a year or for five years? AMY HARBERT: Depending on the category or how is pricing could be a amenities threat of dollars for five years. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: The idea of courses to raise money, how much money does the county expect to raise? AMY HARBERT: Is hard to estimate to the potential's scope, depends on how many interested members that we have, we look at our amenity list and look at those five, ten, fifteen or twenty year terms, if everything a list, everything that we had for the five-year term in the maximum we asked me to for that would be 1.5 million, the twenty words your term if everything was taken for the twenty years of two 6 million, we'll see how it goes, see what kind of interest is generated for this opportunity. It will go to the County of San Diego reserved for projects for capital improvements, even a specific part way that it neighbor designates or the overall trust fund for a larger capital improvement perjured for the region. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Is the idea that this will free up some of the money budgeted for the parks? AMY HARBERT: The idea and intent here is to identify an alternate funding source, so if it is for this program will go towards those one-time capital type it of his expenses, at the county County we had a fiscal this plan of using one-time revenues for one-time expenses, and the ongoing revenues for ongoing expenses. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: So if an immigrant program is successful, what are the types of things that you think the public might see in terms of improving the parks? AMY HARBERT: Amenities in playgrounds, maintenance, maintenance of structures and facilities, or the park amenities. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: And there's much interest in San Diego for naming rights? Has the county did any research? AMY HARBERT: We did more than forty-five community meetings as part of our outreach program and largely across the board the concept was supported, and since the board of supervisors took action, we had calls that had people of interest list. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Said there is some interest, joining us now is professor Miro Copic, welcome to the program. You are an expert on marketing and is this branding, why would a business want to name apart trail or a ballpark? MIRO COPIC: Obviously for it name recognition and brand awareness and also one of the most important things that companies really look at today is what their role is in the community what is a very large or small role, and companies and individuals allowing them to be part of the community is a major advantage for people to want to be involved. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: If the business is not well-liked, can the effort backfire? MIRO COPIC: Yes if you're dealing with Parks and Recreation in things that people use for enjoyment, this company had difficulty has a negative perception, I think they will elect not to do this, and I think certainly the county supervisor will always have the option be for rights, and how those factors will be taken in consideration, it also helps of the company so they can be a role but also close its employees to engage in the sun some nonprofit activities and in the community as well to help raise the profile MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: The popular has this low-level kind of naming rights become as Amy describes as an alternative source of funding for localities? MIRO COPIC: It is a work in progress, I think it's very much hope he pulled perceive the value, and I think it will be some very good demand, I think that people in these businesses are really looking at the return on were investment, but he had a very small space and have a very small traffic space they may think twice, and I think the number of opportunities that are available, it really before the business to take a look at the options see if there's something within Parks and Recreation landscape to be expected. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: My last question, is there a case to be made or is there some sort of commentary that goes along with us idea that there are some areas that should be free of business branding? MIRO COPIC: That is a major issue, we now talk to other municipalities of them is there really looking at other higher profile things and they can be highly visible, these are really small and is almost treated like if you go to the ballpark in the garden is named after somebody a lot of schools added these use things to put some of name to support her university or high school, people expect that, had it is not a major consideration, it is something to be mindful of. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Thank you so much for joining us. Now to Amy, that he posed the question to you, if you had any negative comments about introducing naming rights into parks? AMY HARBERT: Not so far. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Because everyone is completely on board with this? AMY HARBERT: The attention there is the opinion in general for philosophy that perhaps public things should not be named but I enlarge the feedback that I have personally heard from the members and members of the public we did the community outreach meetings is that they were open to it that they wanted to see additional funding for Parks and Recreation in the communities. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Does the county have the right to refuse a request from a business or an organization to be part of this to put their name on a particular our community? AMY HARBERT: How we have structured the program we have provided some guidance as we are a public entity of things that we cannot pursue, in the naming partner, if think such as any business that promoted something in conflict with the county or the department's mission, goals or objectives. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: And that would be something that was illegal obviously? Would political organizations be able to name anything in apart? AMY HARBERT: We would not be able to partner with any illegal activity or any partner that had a religious or political message, any discriminatory entities, those are prohibited from partnership with this program. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Understand, if a business was the entity that wanted to have naming rights, could they include their logo or slogan? AMY HARBERT: We're still working out the details to see what that signage would include for the various thresholds of naming opportunities but certainly there will be an opportunity for business or individual. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: How but if someone was to name a section of part in honor of someone who is deceased? Is that another or has there always been an option or what is about come under this new program of naming rights? AMY HARBERT: Priority to the naming rights program that we came up with this year, we did have a memorial policy which we still have which is specific to memorial opportunities for benches flagpoles and smaller items, but this naming opportunity and program expense that, so people could name a playground or trail or something is a special place to a loved one they could be bad memory of someone. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: And when does this program actually begin? AMY HARBERT: We're putting together the final details available for spring. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: Is there already a waiting list? AMY HARBERT: We have an interest list. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: My final question is there anything in particular or a particular minute by minute your location but seems to be attracting the most interest? AMY HARBERT: So far the trend for interest has been primarily on naming opportunities at ballfields and trails. MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: All right then, thank you so much you have outlined this very well, I've been speaking with Amy, thank you so much for coming in.