Corporate sponsors a no-show for Grace Hartman Amphitheatre
The selling of corporate sponsorship was how the city had hoped to pay for improvements to the amphitheatre
No corporations want to pay to put their name on Sudbury's Grace Hartman Amphitheatre — and the lack of response to the call for the bids has moved some improvements to the Bell Park concert venue to the back burner.
The city put out the call a few months ago, asking for any corporate interest in the amphitheatre. A firm could buy the naming rights to all of it or parts of it, as well as buy advertising or product placement within the amphitheatre.
But the city reports it has received zero response.
This isn't the first time attempts to sell the naming rights to city buildings have gone poorly. A few years ago, no companies came forward to say they wanted to put their name on the Sudbury Arena.
The selling of corporate sponsorship was how the city had hoped to pay for improvements to the amphitheatre, including a $4 million roof, as well as $1.2 million to install about 600 more hard seats.
Those projects have now moved to the city "unfunded list” — a wish list of things the city would like to do, if it can ever find the money.