It’s Not Tricky

Evan Harding is back in his prominent front page position I see.  I can’t blame him for what he’s reporting, I assume this statement comes from public perception and possibly the trustee’s;

Mr Crimp’s conditional offer appears to put the stadium owners, the Southland Indoor Leisure Centre Charitable Trust, in a difficult position when deciding whether to accept it.

If anyone believes it’s a difficult position maybe they should remember the responsibilities they (SILCCT) have as trustees..’to act in the best interests  of the Trust’.  Unless they have a conditional agreement with ILT in place (which yesterday’s article implied there was not) they should base their decision on the best interests of the Trust.

Can they get the $2m elsewhere without conditions?  Doubt it, it seems like they’ve tapped out everyone else.

However, stadium trust chairman Acton Smith said yesterday there was no way the stadium trustees would be falling out with the licensing trust over the issue.

Reading between the lines, it looks like the stadium trust would bow to the wishes of the licensing trust.  One would hope the stadium trustees remind the licensing trust that they have had the benefit of many years of naming rights, generously granted by the stadium trustees at the time and now the stadium trustees have to consider the Trust and what it is trying to achieve, the rebirth of Stadium Southland.

Considering ILT Velodrome is only it’s formal name, the majority of us just call it ‘the velodrome’, what does it matter?  Nothing stopping the stadium trustees having a sponsor board on the building with ILT having the most prominent position.

As for the licensing trust ELECTED MEMBERS;

Licensing trust president Alan Dennis said its board members had informally discussed Mr Crimp’s offer at a meeting yesterday, though it wasn’t on the agenda.

The board members agreed the offer was “very, very generous and exciting”, Mr Dennis said.

However, it was not up to the licensing trust to make the decision on whether to accept the conditional offer.

So they’ve discussed it and agreed the offer was “very, very generous and exciting” – then support it, show your commitment to Invercargill residents (who elected you) and do the gentlemanly thing and step aside.  Don’t make it ‘tricky’ for the stadium trustees, as Mr Dennis said:

The final decision must come from the stadium owners, the Southland Indoor Leisure Centre Charitable Trust. It will be in their hands.

We are very hopeful that something can be worked out, because it bridges the funding gap, but the stadium owners will make the final decision.

By all accounts, this is a dying man’s wish and it will help everyone achieve their goals, to help rebuild the stadium for the betterment of Invercargill and Southland.

So I ask the ILT elected members to doff their collective hat and step aside.  The credit you receive for that alone is better PR than the naming rights will ever be.