COEUR d'ALENE - The Coeur d'Alene City Council formally accepted more than $250,000 in park sponsorship money for naming rights of amenities at Ramsey and McEuen Parks.

Thorco Electric donated $20,000 for naming rights of the American Legion Baseball Field at Ramsey Park. Those naming rights extend for the next eight years.

Interim Parks Director Bill Greenwood said the naming rights buys Thorco Electric the right to display its logo in three locations at the park.

Coeur d'Alene American Legion Baseball held an official opening of its new home, Thorco Field, on Wednesday between two baseball games.

The field is just off Ramsey Road next to the Kroc Community Center, and replaces the Legion's former ballpark at McEuen Park.

Greenwood said the vast majority of the sponsorship money will come from Avista, which purchased the naming rights of the Grand Pavilion in McEuen Park.

Avista paid $100,000 to the city for the right to name the pavilion Avista Pavilion for at least the next 30 years.

"As soon as we solidify the agreement, the money will change hands," Greenwood said, adding Avista will be installing its signage on the pavilion in the very near future.

With that large of a sponsorship, Greenwood said, Avista can use the facilities for corporate events without having to pay the fees.

The money raised through the sponsorships will go to both the city and the Panhandle Parks Foundation.

Greenwood said the city will manage the Avista sponsorship and put the money into a capital improvement fund to help maintain infrastructure and maintenance in the city's park system.

"These funds can be spent on any of the parks, not just McEuen," Greenwood said.

All the other sponsorships will go through the foundation, to be spent the same way, he added.

The Panhandle Kiwanis Club paid $35,000 for the naming rights to the SS Kiwanis boat on the splash pad at McEuen Park. Those rights are extended for 15 years.

The Rotary Clubs have kicked in $50,000 to sponsor the Rotary Harbor House for the next 15 years, and Parkwood Business Properties donated $50,000 to construct a giant sundial on the promenade along Front Avenue.

"It's just great that we have all of this money coming in," Greenwood said. "With all of this and the $30,000 the Realtors gave us for the playground at Person Field, this is just wonderful."

Greenwood said Intermax has also offered to provide free wireless Internet at McEuen park, which amounts to about a $25,000 donation.

"It took between $12,000 and $15,000 to put in the infrastructure, and about $10,000 for the service over the duration of the five-year deal," he said. "So I would say that rounds out to roughly $25,000."