SKOWHEGAN — Town officials rejected a proposal to name a football field after a longtime coach who recently died, largely agreeing that the town needs a policy to guide those decisions.

The Board of Selectmen took up the issue Tuesday in response to a recommendation from the town’s Recreation Advisory Committee to name the football field at the Skowhegan Community Center after Al Wilson.

Wilson, who had coached many Skowhegan Area High School sports teams since graduating from the school in 1978, died in July at 64, according to an obituary published in the Morning Sentinel.

Longtime Skowhegan Area High School coach Al Wilson died in July 2024.

The board ultimately decided to hold off on dedicating the field, with the motion to name the field failing 3-1. Elijah Soll was the lone board member to vote in favor of the name; Chairman Paul York, Steven Govoni and Amber Lambke voted against it.

York began the discussion by reading a letter he said he received from a Skowhegan taxpayer. The letter said that though Wilson was well liked and dedicated many years to youth sports, he was primarily a high school-level coach, so the field, if named after anyone at all, should be named after someone who worked with youth teams at the Parks and Recreation Department.

The letter also suggested that any decision should be made by a larger consensus, rather than just a few people.

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“I really have to agree with that letter,” York said. “I think we need to be very cautious for several reasons in reference to putting a name to a field.”

Many people have dedicated years to youth sports in Skowhegan, and the town should try not to discourage that by only honoring one person, York said. He said Wilson could be honored in the form of plaques or other memorial.

York said two other athletic facilities are named: the Bucky Quinn field, on South Factory Street, and the Carl Wright Baseball Complex, next to the community center.

The Carl Wright baseball fields were named because Wright had left funds for their construction, York said. The Bucky Quinn field was named a long time ago, when things were done differently, and likely had to do with who built the field, he said.

The town probably needs a policy about naming anything else, York said. Govoni and Lambke agreed that developing a policy would be helpful.

Often, there is a rush to dedicate something after someone dies, Govoni said.

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“Does that hold over the time test?” he said. “If you look at professional sports, they have this five-year kind of criteria. Whether you retire or pass on, you’ve still got that five years before you’re allowed into the hall of fame.”

Lambke said she could imagine a system where people propose nominations for the town to consider, perhaps by collecting signatures.

“I love the idea of reflecting the color and the personality and the generosity of the community in dedications like that. I think it’s a tremendous honor,” she said. “I also support process.”

Soll, who voted in favor of dedicating the field to Wilson, said he tries to be objective in making decisions. “But I can’t think of anybody that deserves it more than Al Wilson,” he said.

“I think you could ask any athlete in the town of Skowhegan, and they would single out Al Wilson as memorable, influential, kind, funny,” Soll said.

John Grohs, a Skowhegan resident, and Gail Pelotte, town clerk and treasurer, recommended that town officials consider a corporate sponsorship for naming the field. Pelotte mentioned that the Augusta Civic Center could soon sell naming rights for its auditorium as part of a $828,000 proposal reported this week.

After the vote, the board agreed it would keep the issue of developing a policy for facility dedications on the “unfinished business” section of its meeting agendas.

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