Iowa's Community Choice Credit Union was doing marketing damagecontrol Tuesday in the wake of a civic flap over its winningsignage rights at a refurbished Des Moines veterans conventioncenter set to open in three weeks.

“It's unfortunate that at a press briefing there wasmisinformation relayed of exactly what facilities would have ourname,” explained Josh Cook, vice president of operations andbusiness development for the $327 million Community Choice ofJohnston, a Des Moines suburb.

Veterans groups calling in to TV stations apparently objected tothe reports that the Veterans Memorial Auditorium and ConventionCenter would be renamed the “Community Choice Convention Center”when only the internal rooms of the convention center portion wouldhave the Community Choice moniker.

The Iowa CU had earlier signed a $2.5 million, 10-year deal withthe Polk County Board of Supervisors and partners in the renovationproject to retain the Community Choice name on rooms within thefacility.

“But there were no plans of any sort to alter any of the signageon the outside of the building,” said Cook.

The auditorium, which is in the midst of a $43 millionrenovation set to open Jan. 9, will include eight exhibitsdedicated to Iowa servicemen and women and images, personal storiesand statistics from every conflict since Iowa's statehood in 1846,according to a press release from the Polk County Board ofSupervisors.

The board was scheduled to discuss the naming controversy at ameeting Tuesday.

On its website, the CU stressed its long ties with veterans andsaid its “primary concern was making sure that our veterans wereproperly honored. It was our belief that if the building itself wasbeing renovated, the dedication to veterans should also beimproved. We believed that if a naming rights sponsor was to exist,it firmly needed to be one that would make sure that honoringveterans came first.”

As evidence of its commitment to veterans and as part of thenaming program, the CU said it donated $25,000 to the Des MoinesVet Center, called by veterans groups the largest contribution ithad received.

Community Choice stressed that the naming arrangement was onethat was a “very long and thought-out process” since it felt closeto the veterans community considering it has employees and boardmembers who are veterans.

“In addition to making sure that a naming sponsor was one thathad veterans at the forefront of their decision, Community Choicealso wanted to make an immediate impact on also helping veterans”by extending the $25,000 donation, said the website.

Cook said he thought more of the public confusion might becleared up during Tuesday's regular meeting of the Polk CountyBoard.