The sponsorship and lease agreement allowing Lawrence Memorial Hospital to locate facilities at Sports Pavilion Lawrence is a great partnership between two local entities.

The five-year agreement approved by Lawrence city commissioners last week calls for LMH to pay $50,000 a year to lease about 4,000 square feet of vacant space at the recreation center. The space is part of the 6,000 square feet that city officials originally had earmarked for an LMH wellness facility. That plan didn’t work out, but LMH now plans to use part of that space for “sports performance training and other health/wellness related” activities.

In addition, LMH will pay $50,000 a year to become an “entitlement” sponsor of SPL. That sponsorship agreement includes allowing LMH some signage inside SPL, two banners at each of the city’s other three recreation centers and some promotional consideration in Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department publications and the department’s website. All of those benefits seem reasonable and warranted for the LMH sponsorship investment.

What the agreement doesn’t include is any LMH signs on the SPL exterior or in the parking lot. Some city commissioners already have raised concerns about outdoor signs and possible naming rights, which had been envisioned for a single “entitlement” SPL sponsor who would pay $100,000 per year. SPL is a city, taxpayer-funded facility, they say, that shouldn’t bear the name of another sponsor. Other commissioners aptly point out that money obtained through various sponsorships is money that local taxpayers won’t have to contribute toward the ongoing operating costs of the recreation center.

Those differing opinions likely will be aired in future sponsorship discussions, but they shouldn’t detract from the partnership with LMH. The local hospital and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department have a common goal of providing services that contribute to the health and wellness of Lawrence residents. LMH’s programs and sponsorship support are welcome additions to the popular Sports Pavilion.