When a business puts up $100,000 for the right to name something, it’s tough to argue that the name chosen should clearly reflect the business and its generosity.
But there’s no such demand from LLF Lawyers, which is sponsoring a newly developed public square located at Simcoe and Aylmer Street adjacent to the newly renovated Peterborough Public Library.
Instead, the prominent local law firm is turning to the public to decide on the name.
On Wednesday (April 4th) at the library, LLF Lawyers partner Bill Lockington revealed seven name choices for the space and invited the public to choose the winning name. The choices are:
- Firehouse Square, in recognition of the Peterborough fire hall once located at the site of the current library.
- Brigade Square, in recognition of the 1908 establishment of a permanent Peterborough fire brigade.
- W. A. Howard Commons, in recognition of Peterborough’s first fire chief who served from 1908 to 1917.
- Robertson Davies Square, in recognition of the novelist and long-time editor of The Peterborough Examiner.
- Dr. Thomas Greer Square, in recognition of the original owner of the home that stood at the public space site.
- Library Commons, in recognition of the library’s proximity to the space.
- Carnegie Square, in recognition of the Carnegie Foundation’s 1911 contribution to the library built on George Street adjacent to what is now City Hall.
LLF worked with city staff to compile a short list of seven names that reflect the community’s heritage and history and demonstrate a commitment to public access to and use of the space. For more information about the name choices, visit peterborough.ca.
People can vote online for their preferred name at www.surveymonkey.com/r/MGL63RD, or you can vote in person with ballots available at Peterborough City Hall and the library. Voting is open until Friday, April 20th with the name to be announced April 25th.
“It was never our intention that this space be named after our law firm,” stressed Lockington, whose firm is located on Aylmer Street directly across from the library and a stone’s throw from the public space.
“This is a community property and it’s a community investment, so the community should name it. This was a really great opportunity to do something in this area. We’re going to get enhanced infrastructure in this community we wouldn’t get otherwise. It’s our neck of the woods. It just made a lot of sense.”
For his part, City of Peterborough Sponsorship Co-ordinator Scott Elliott is thrilled LLF Lawyers has stepped up to the plate, adding it’s the city’s largest sponsorship to date dollar-wise.
LLF Lawyers’ sponsorship of the public square amounts to $100,000 over 20 years, with an initial $20,000 to cover the acquisition of a piece of public art and the balance divided into equal annual increments over the remainder of the time.
And, as Elliott pointed out, LLF Lawyers’ willingness to give away the naming rights hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“A national publication, very specialized in the sponsorship industry, contacted me directly,” he said. “They heard about this sort of new and unique thing happening in the City of Peterborough where someone was purchasing a naming right but didn’t want to name it after themselves. It’s very rare and it has garnered some national attention in the sponsorship industry.”
“This is outside the way traditional government operates. It’s important we find out what’s working, what’s not working, what are our challenges, where are the successes. There are always opportunities. It’s about creativity, it’s about marketing, it’s about achieving business objectives.
“Bigger cities like Toronto and Ottawa have had (public sponsorship) programs for upwards of 20 years. In that sense, we may be catching up but I would still say Peterborough is ahead of the curve on this for the most part.”
While the gathering’s primary purpose was to release details of the name voting procedure and LLF Lawyers’ sponsorship, it was also an opportunity for Toronto architect Patrick Li to display a model of “Your Story”, his artwork that will call the new public space home.
According to artist and Peterborough Public Art Advisory Committee chair Bruce Stonehouse, a call for submissions brought interest from 20 artists and designers with three chosen to further develop their proposals and submit a model.
Li’s design was chosen by a selection committee comprised of: Theresa Kerr from the Peterborough Public Library Board; Nan Sidler, a community member appointed by the Library board; David Miller, a community member appointed by the project sponsor; and Krista English and Julia Harrison of the City’s Public Art Advisory Committee.
“One work stood high,” Stonehouse said in reference to Li’s design. “The sculpture is engaging. It’s big, bold and beautiful. The form is like a twisting torso with energy it is just about to release. It’s alive, dynamic, and far from being static.”
At an earlier gathering announcing his artwork had been selected, Li gave his own take.
“This sculpture is made by the undulated fin-like columns to be reminiscent of a book cover that is twisting in the wind,” he said.
“There is movement to make the sculpture feel alive. Each person who walks inside it will have a chance to experience this fluidity and discover their own journey.”
According to Elliott, tenders to develop the public space have gone out with the work expected to be completed before year’s end.
For more information about the city’s corporate and small business sponsorship opportunities, visit www.peterborough.ca/sponsorpeterborough.
