Corporate names for county's parks?

Parks district already opens fields for naming, but is open to sponsorship of the entire park

By Matthew Graham

The Clackamas Review, Jun 16, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (7 Reader comments)

anthony roberts / clackamas Review

North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District is open to naming a new Happy Valley Park after a paid sponsor.

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What do you think of names for the new park in Happy Valley: Happy Valley Park? Sunnyside Community Complex? How about Safeway Park?

These days it’s hard to find a professional sports facility not named after a corporate sponsor. But what about publicly owned and maintained parks used primarily for youth sports?

The North Clackamas Parks District is soliciting sponsors for the ball fields at the new park, located south of Sunnyside Road between 162nd and 172nd avenues.

And NCPRD Director Dan Zinzer said if a willing corporate sponsor shows up before the park is named, they could buy the rights to the facility’s title.

Zinzer said the district had never sold the name to an entire complex before, but ball fields at North Clackamas Park are sponsored – there’s a Providence Field and a Rivermark Field.

“Right now what it does, ball fields at north Clackamas are $12,000 a year for three years, and that’s based on pretty much what it costs to maintain the fields for the year,” Zinzer said. Rental fees to use the fields also help pay for maintenance.

Rick Frank, who’s on the board for Milwaukie junior baseball and Milwaukie youth football and who’s been heavily involved in Milwaukie youth sports, said he likes the partnerships. He said they keep costs low for youth teams because the sponsorship covers maintenance costs.

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