Broome Arena Naming Rights Yet To Be Awarded

Three months after the bidding deadline, the naming rights to the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena have not been sold.

County officials in October announced a plan to solicit bids to rename the 40-year-old downtown Binghamton facility.

The county was seeking at least $50,000 annually for the naming rights.

The proposal called for dropping "Broome County" from the name of the venue, which is located just west of the Governmental Plaza.

Officials have said the Arena has been losing about a million dollars a year. Bids were to have been accepted through October 30.

A spokesman for County Executive Debra Preston said the administration was still pursuing the plan to sell naming rights.

There was no information immediately available about the number of bids the county has received or how many of them were higher than the $50,000 minimum.

County legislature chairman Jerry Marinich says he sent letters to about 30 veterans organizations to elicit comment on the naming proposal.

Marinich says he heard back from a few groups and none expressed any opposition to the plan.