Article Contributed on: 1/29/2009 2:56:22 PM
Several council members pushed to preserve naming rights for the Broomfield Event Center as the city prepares to negotiate for a new operator of the venue.
The issue, which was discussed at a Jan. 27 city council meeting, came up during a review of a preliminary draft of the request for proposal (RFP) the city will use as it prepares to seek out new management for the Broomfield Event Center. Naming rights were listed near the top of the terms of negotiation in the draft of the RFP.
The city began looking for a new operator for the event center after the current operator, Broomfield Sports and Entertainment, asked to be released from its contract. The company asked for the release after it failed to pay its utility bill and insurance bill when they were due in December.
Councilman
Randy Ahrens (Ward 4) said the city should not make naming rights one of the main points in future negotiations, saying it "plants the wrong seed." When residents hear events such as Cirque du Soleil is coming to Broomfield, it gives the city a sense of pride and ownership, Ahrens said.
"To give that up and to call it another name, I don't know if I want to put that right up in the immediate negotiations," he said at the meeting.
His comments were largely echoed by councilwoman
Lori Cox (Ward 2).
"We wouldn't want to limit our ability to negotiate, but I also don't want to negotiate away our identity," Cox said at the meeting. "We're proud of our community and proud of our facility."
Others, however, were not as concerned. Councilwoman
Bette Erickson (Ward 3) said negotiating the venue's name could potentially bring in additional revenue to help improve the infrastructure of the facility.
"I don't see the naming rights as deal breaker," Erickson said at the meeting. "I see it as a potential clean slate and a fresh start. I think we may be able to use the additional windfall of money to pay for additional parking or something else."
David Ehrlich, of Denver-based FinWater Advisors, a media and sports operations consultant, was hired by the city in December to begin seeking out companies interested in taking over management of the venue. Ehrlich told council he's optimistic a new operator will step forward soon.
The event center, which opened in late 2006, has been struggling as of late to draw crowds. The $45 million venue was funded through bonds issued by the city to be paid off through sales and property taxes generated by Arista, a 200-acre mixed-use development currently under construction near the event center.