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Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY), Nov 5, 2001 p3b

Webster in $1 million deal with Coca-Cola. (Towns and Villages)

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2001 All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co. Inc. by the Gale

Group, Inc.

Company receives exclusive rights to sell drinks at town and school sites.

BY STAFF WRITER

JOHN KOHLSTRAND

WEBSTER - Coke adds life - and it could add nearly $1.2 million in revenue for town government and Webster

schools over the next five years.

Local officials have reached a five-year deal with Coca-Cola Bottling Corp. to make Coke products the only drinks

sold by machines and boosters on school and town property.

The deal guarantees town government and the schools $80,000 a year, plus 31 percent of the profits on all products

sold. School Superintendent Thomas Strining estimates the deal will mean $230,000 annually.

Most of the money will be devoted to operating the field house and Olympic-sized swimming pool being built as part

of a landmark $10.5 million partnership between Town Hall and the schools.

The deal - for what is commonly called "pouring rights" - may be less than officials originally hoped. In February,

officials talked of generating $300,000 a year.

Still, "we're relatively pleased with the outcome," Strining said.

The deal insures the school system and Town Hall get a piece of the money spent each day on soda, sport drinks,

bottled water and other beverages by students. Two Powerade machines in the Webster Schroeder High School

gymnasium alone turned a collective $42,000 profit last year, Strining said.

More school systems are looking for a share of this kind of revenue. In January, for instance, Greece schools inked a

similar 10-year deal with the Pepsi Bottling Group worth $1.4 million to the district.

Not everyone is pleased with the trend. Webster Board of Education member Sue Casey was the lone vote against the

deal last month.

"It's junk food," she said. "We teach the kids about healthy eating, then we turn around and use them to make money

off junk food."

Others, such as C.J. Rapp, president of Wet Planet Beverages, the Penfield-based producer of Jolt cola, have

criticized such deals for driving up prices to consumers and driving less-well heeled brands out.

ttp://web2.i1 ‘roup.com/itw/infomark/153/980/39619657w2/purl=rel SPO1 0 CJ96396209 8/27/200:

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