There won’t likely be a policy anytime soon establishing the criteria for naming the various Park Shelters or other such structures in Atlantic after persons or groups who offer large donations for improvements or new facilities that are controlled by the City’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Parks and Rec Vice Chair Mary Strong said Monday, she called numerous other communities to inquire what their policies are for placing sponsor names on buildings and shelters. She said none of the seven communities she contacted had a policy in-place. Representatives of those communities suggested however, that if someone has funded an entire structure or helped donated and has helped out in the community many times before, they that have their name placed in commemoration on a building.

Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring suggested the Board take requests as they come, on an individual basis, because his experience has shown him “It’s a very personal thing,” to want a building or some other type of structure named after someone. He says it’s difficult to come up with a specific policy, however, because of the varying degrees of donations and what they are intended for. Herring says there’s no way to honor every request, nor make everyone happy.

Herring says he recalled a case when he was the Principal at the Atlantic High School, where memorial money was offered, but the funds would cover about half of the project they wanted to raise money for. He said he could have covered the other half, but a wrench was thrown into the deal.

He says out of nowhere, another “big hitter,” [donor] wanted to pay for the entire project. Because there was already an offer on the table, Herring asked that influential second person if instead, they would be interested in paying the remaining half of the project cost, but they declined, saying they would pay for the whole thing or nothing at all. Herring said that person refused to talk to him about participating in the project after that.

He said that’s why coming up with a policy is so hard, because sooner or later you’re going to close the door on fundraising opportunities down the road by upsetting certain individuals who want their name on the marquee and no one else.