The Moose Jaw Kinsmen Club continues to demonstrate its commitment to the community, after signing another agreement with city hall to sponsor recreation upgrades in the northwest corner of the community.
During its May 24 regular meeting, city council voted unanimously to approve a sponsorship agreement between the municipality and the club for the naming rights to Regal Heights Park for $100,000 over 25 years, commencing June 1 and concluding May 31, 2047.
Council also authorized the mayor and city clerk to sign the agreement for the city, while it agreed to split the money into amounts of $25,000, $37,500 and $37,500 and allocate that funding to the 2022, 2023 and 2024 general capital reserve, respectively.
Furthermore, council voted to direct the $25,000 toward improvements to the Blackwell baseball diamond within the park, while it agreed to prioritize municipal contributions to the Northwest Community Association (NWCA) spray park project at Regal Heights Parks in the 2023-27 parks and recreation capital budget submissions.
Coun. Jamey Logan recused himself from the vote due to a conflict of interest.
Project highlights
“This agreement is an opportunity to build on the excellent partnership with the Kinsmen Club. It’s structured very similarly to the naming rights agreement (the city signed with the club) with West Park in 2020,” said parks and rec director Derek Blais. “The biggest change is that that agreement had $100,000 over 25 years … (while) this has a shorter payment period.”
The NWCA approached council last June about constructing a spray park at Regal Heights Park and requested approval to begin a fundraising campaign; council agreed to the proposal, he explained. The association then approached the Kinsmen Club, which agreed to contribute $75,000 toward the project.
The NWCA has also raised about $36,000 and hopes to generate another $14,000 for a total contribution of $125,000. Since the new spray park will cost $250,000, the parks and rec department is looking for opportunities in its 2023 capital budget to match the funds so it can build the venue next year.
Moose Jaw Minor Baseball also approached the Kinsmen Club recently about assisting with upgrades to the Blackwall baseball diamond, which the U15 Canucks and U18 men’s team use, Blais said. The upgrades would include installing a score clock, replacing the backstop, and upgrading the dugouts so they can host provincial championships this July.
Since both projects involve municipal assets and the department would manage the spray park and diamond, the Kinsmen Club approached city hall about how both initiatives could be supported under the same agreement, he continued. City administration thought it would be in everyone’s best interest to combine the requests into one long-term naming rights agreement for Regal Heights Park.
Some highlights in the agreement include:
- City hall will give the club favourable consideration for renewal if the club performs its obligations under the agreement satisfactorily
- The city will co-ordinate the installation of the park naming signage, with all production and installation costs split 50/50, while the club will have its logo displayed on the score clock
- Once all projects are complete, city hall will co-ordinate a grand opening ceremony and publicly recognize the club for its contributions
- The city will be responsible for regular maintenance and repairs to all signs
- The club will have the ability to install extra naming signs at other park entrances, at its expense and with approval from city hall
“It’s very, very impressive how they (the Kinsmen Club) continue to raise money and put their name on facilities in this city. This is in addition to all the other commitments they’ve made … ,” said Mayor Clive Tolley.
“It’s a significant contribution to our facilities. And the more we upgrade our facilities, the more young families want to be in our community and we grow our community.”
The next regular council meeting is Monday, June 13.
