COLD LAKE – Deciding on a new name for the newly renovated North Arena in Cold Lake will take some time, after City council decided to defer the official naming of the facility.
At the Nov. 19 Corporate Priorities meeting, council members agreed to leave the facility’s name as "North Arena,” citing the need for further community engagement and potential sponsorship opportunities.
The arena, which has undergone significant exterior upgrades, has long been informally referred to as "North Arena" or "Blue Arena," but no official name has been established.
"The renovations and improvements at the North Arena are by and large complete, and one of the final tasks remaining is to design, approve, and install signage," said Andrew Serba, Strategic Initiatives Manager, noting the final task is to install new signage.
Coun. Vicky Lefebvre supported the idea of allowing public input, drawing from past experiences with other projects.
"I just think if we don't give them the opportunity, then they may be upset that we didn't put that out there when we've done it for other things," she said.
"So, although I don't mind the North Arena, I don't think it's really up to me, but I think that if people at least have the ability to put something forward or make recommendations, then we can go from there."
Deputy Mayor Chris Vining also leaned toward leaving the name as "North Arena" for the time being, expressing caution about rushing into a permanent name.
"I don't mind for now leaving it as a North Arena, but I do think that there is an opportunity . . . to rename or rebrand or even get corporate behind it," he said. "My thought is just to keep it simple for now."
Coun. Lefebvre pointed out that the arena's recent renovations could increase interest in naming rights or sponsorships.
"I think now that there's been a good job done at refurbishing it and making it nice and everything, people might be a little bit more open to it,” she said.
Coun. Bob Mattice agreed with Lefebvre's view, suggesting that naming rights could provide an opportunity for monetization, which could be reinvested into future recreation projects.
Council decided to leave the name as "North Arena,” allowing administration to plan for the future and acknowledging the possibility of changes.
Council also discussed advertising the Public Infrastructure Naming Policy to encourage public input and possibly hold a naming contest at a later date.
