Park Board finds new sponsor for Jordan Valley Ice Park

Jordan Valley Ice Park in Springfield, formerly known as Mediacom Ice Park, will soon have new signage and a new name.

The Springfield-Greene County Parks Department has named Brightspeed Broadband, LLC as the purchaser of the temporary naming rights for the ice park, subject to Springfield City Council approval of an upcoming budget adjustment.

Brightspeed is an Internet service provider based in North Carolina. It is one of two service providers for SpringNet, a division of City Utilities that provides Ethernet in Springfield.

The license agreement has a term of up to 10 years, with either party having the right to terminate the agreement after 3 years. Under the agreement, Brightspeed will pay the Park Board $150,000 annually for a 10-year period. If the agreement is renewed, Brightspeed will pay the Park Board an additional $150,000 annually for each year the agreement is in effect.

In addition, Brightspeed will reimburse the Park Board $50,000 – in two installments of $25,000 each over the first two years of the agreement – for the initial cost of new signage on the exterior of the ice park. Brightspeed’s name and/or logo will also be displayed in the center of the facility’s two NHL-sized rinks.

New name, probably “Brightspeed Ice Park”, expected in autumn

According to city council documents, Park Board staff will work with Brightspeed to develop a “mutually approved, co-branded name and/or logo for three signs to be placed on the building.” Jenny Fillmer Edwards, public information officer for the Park Board, said the working title is “Brightspeed Ice Park.”

While there is no exact timeline for the installation of the new signs, Edwards said the sponsorship agreements will be implemented after final approval from all parties.

“We expect the exterior signage to take several weeks to build and install, so we plan to have it completed in the fall,” Edwards said. “We will begin implementing the new branding inside and in digital and print publications in the next few weeks.”

Brightspeed’s first payment of $150,000 will be split evenly between the ice park and park authority operating funds and may be spent on any Springfield-Greene Park Authority property.

“We are excited about this opportunity, which will provide us with the necessary financial resources for the ice park and overall park operations,” Parks and Recreation Director Ron Schneider told City Council members at an Aug. 5 meeting.

Jordan Valley Ice Park, located at 635 E. Trafficway St. in downtown Springfield, is home to the Missouri State University Ice Bears, the Drury Panthers hockey team, the Springfield Youth Hockey Association and the Jordan Valley Figure Skating Club. Opened in 2001, the facility is also available for public skating, private parties and special events.

The ice park has been without a sponsor since the park administration’s naming rights agreement with Mediacom expired in 2017. The city council will vote on the licensing agreement with Brightspeed on August 19.

Jack McGee

Jack McGee is the government affairs reporter for the Springfield Daily Citizen. He previously covered politics and business for the Daily Citizen. He is a graduate of MSU with a Bachelor of Science in journalism and a minor in political science. Reach him at [email protected] or (417) 837-3663. More from Jack McGee