City seeks $1 million in sponsorships
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on August 25, 2016 1:46 PM
City leaders are seeking nearly $1 million in sponsorship donations that will secure naming rights at the future multi-sports complex near Seymour Johnson Air Force Base along Oak Forest Road.
Fundraising efforts, designed to enhance amenities within the 62-acre site, are available including $250,000 for the entire complex and $100,000 for the championship athletic field.
Scott Barnard, Goldsboro Parks and Recreation director, and Rick Sumner, former chairman of the Goldsboro Travel and Tourism Board, are leading the fundraising campaign.
"The fundraising effort is going to allow us to make a good or great facility better," Barnard said. "It'll be a lot of knocking on doors."
The Goldsboro Parks and Recreation Department has put together a sponsorship packet that outlines different donation opportunities and associated benefits.
Sponsorships will last for five years, and the process of seeking additional donations will continue in future years.
"Our goal is to sell every one of these sponsorships as advertised," Barnard said. "It will really almost be an ongoing thing."
The campaign includes $987,500 worth of naming right opportunities for the complex, a championship field, seven athletic fields, a children's sprayground, concession stand and picnic pavilion.
The campaign will extend through winter with the goal of securing donations by spring, Barnard said. Sponsorships can be paid in five years or longer with naming rights lasting five years.
Marketing opportunities will be attached to the donations, including prominent naming on signage, displays, scoreboards, tournament schedules, literature, press releases and websites.
In addition to the entire complex and championship field, other sponsorship levels include a $75,000 cost for each athletic field, $50,000 for the sprayground, $37,500 for the concession stand and $25,000 for the picnic pavilion.
The multi-sports complex, estimated to cost $6 to $8 million, will be constructed by the city of Goldsboro with a $3 million, low-interest loan from Wayne County government. The 15-year loan includes a 1.5 percent interest rate.
City officials are also seeking voter approval of another $3 million through a general obligation bond referendum that will be on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
City officials, including Mayor Chuck Allen and City Manager Scott Stevens, confirm that a property tax increase is not planned to support repayment of the $3 million bond.
General obligation bonds are issued based on a city's ability to repay the debt through taxation or other revenues. The city's general fund and hotel occupancy taxes will be used to pay the bond debt, Stevens said.
In March, city and base officials entered into a 20-year lease agreement that allows for the construction and shared use of the property. The city will develop and manage the complex, and the base will also have access to the complex, during designated dates and times.
The agreement includes a city commitment to spend up to $600,000 for a 2,500-square-foot addition to the base fitness center.
In July, the city contracted with Seegars Fence Co. to install a security fence along the perimeter of the base, in an effort to move the fence and open up the 62-acre property for the athletic complex.
The company plans to add an 8-foot-high, black steel fence that will extend 4,200-linear feet around the base, under a city contract of $458,926. Work on the site is expected to start within the next several weeks.
Site Solutions is also working under a $187,300 contract to design and oversee the construction of the complex.
Inquiries about sponsorship opportunities can be directed to Barnard, who can be reached at the Goldsboro Parks and Recreation Department at 739-7480.