The town will be developing a new naming policy for parks and other facilities following a discussion at council's policies and priorities committee meeting on Sept. 16.
The town currently operates under guidelines established by a public advisory committee that looked at the issue in 2000.
That committee looked at honouring late citizens who had made significant contributions to the community. With the assistance of the Olds Historical Society, the committee then forwarded recommendations on to council.
The new policy will update the guidelines and establish firm criteria that take into account local wishes about park and facility naming, said Norm McInnis, the town's chief administrative officer.
Coun. Harvey Walsh said during the meeting he thought the suggestions from town administrators to update the issue were good. He suggested incorporating provisions for public/private partnerships in any draft policy that would come before council.
McInnis said following the meeting that town administration felt that the guidelines needed to be updated and that the town should have a formal policy on the issue to ensure clarity.
“A lot has changed in the last 13 years. The way that we work with the community, and not just not-for-profit organizations but individuals in the community has changed so we want to make sure that that policy is up to date and we're taking advantage of all the things that we can when it comes to naming of facilities and parks,” he said.
The Kiwanis Club of Olds has been a major force in the development of local parks, McInnis said, and with the Rotary Club of Olds now also getting involved, town staff thought it prudent to establish some criteria on the issue.
“There is oftentimes a potential to generate revenue through naming of facilities, so we'll have a look at that and see if it makes any sense in our context here,” he said.
