In the Times-Tribune.com account “Secrecy still name of game”, a paragraph mentions “Lackawanna County Stadium was renamed PNC Field in 2007 after SWB Yankees reached a three-year, $1.1 million deal with PNC. That deal was ratified by the authority. The public body should insist on ratifying the extension, which would require public disclosure of the terms.”
Readers may recall that in another example of extraordinary overreach, S. Dale High personally (who isn’t even a party to any contract) was given certain exclusive rights over the naming of the Lancaster Convention Center Project. By permitting him to match an offer by another, it both discourages bidding and sets a possible situation for outright abuse.
Perhaps naming of the Convention Center isn’t worth as much as the naming of Clipper Stadium or PNC Stadium in Scranton. But it likely would contribute a hundred thousand a year on upwards to help off set the recently announced ‘unanticipated’ added operating loss of around a million dollars a year. (This is without taking into consideration debt service which comes out of the Hotel Room Sales Tax, assuming there is enough …which is another story.)
High’s firms have already received millions in consulting and tens of millions in construction fees and an eventual half interest in the Marriott Hotel when it has paid off its bonds. Isn’t it time for High to release the Authority from the dubious and one sided naming rights obligation?
Isn’t it about time to run S. Dale High and all the rest of the “powers” (Jack, Ray, Ernie, Marv, Rick and Gib) out of town on a rail???
I move that we name it the “Taxpayer’s Chagrin Convention Center”. Do I hear a second?