The Town of Port Hawkesbury is continuing the process of renaming the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre the Billy Joe MacLean Memorial Civic Centre.
Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton said at the committee-of-the-whole session on March 17, that the town met to review the Civic Naming Policy. She said some key questions arose after the meeting.
Brian Luciano, who was the acting CAO at the time, reported that they examined commercial naming rights. He said they looked at how long council has to consider those rights before considering non-commercial naming rights. He also said there is no minimum participation level from the community that would have to be met before council considers any naming requests.
The mayor said town staff now has the information and she hopes they will be able to make a presentation to town council at an upcoming meeting.
During the committee-of-the-whole meeting on Feb. 17, former town councillor Steve MacDougall led a delegation that requested the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre be renamed for the former cabinet minister, MLA, and mayor.
Billy Joe MacLean
Noting there are many examples of public facilities being named for prominent citizens, MacDougall pointed to the nearby Allan J. MacEachen Memorial Airport and the Al MacInnis Sports Centre in Port Hood.
MacLean was elected and re-elected by the people of Port Hawkesbury for over 50 years, and was president of the former Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities, MacDougall noted.
He said the Civic Centre would not be here today without the many hours MacLean spent making it a reality.
A long-time local businessman, MacDougall said the former mayor was a supporter of sports in the community, notably the Strait Pirates Junior Hockey franchise.
MacDougall said it is important for communities to acknowledge their history and it would be difficult to deny MacLean’s legacy.
Deputy Mayor Todd Barrett said MacLean was part of the fabric of the town and Town Councillor Blaine MacQuarrie said MacLean was instrumental in the construction of SAERC and the location of the NSCC Strait Area Campus.
In addition to the presentation, Chisholm-Beaton said the town received several letters of support for the renaming.