The largest event centre in Kingston, Ont., may be getting a new name.
Wednesday, the City of Kingston announced that it would be taking bids for the naming rights of its sports and concert venue known as the Leon’s Centre. The downtown building is currently named after the Leon’s Furniture store, which purchased the naming rights in 2018.
Chris McKercher, the owner of Leon’s Furniture in Kingston, said that he put in another bid for the naming rights in February of this year but it was rejected. Still, McKercher says he plans to make a new bid in this round.
Prior to being named after Leon’s, the centre was known for a decade as the Rogers K-Rock Centre.
According to Mayor Bryan Paterson who spoke to Global News about the renaming back in 2018, Rogers was paying close to $200,000 a year for the naming rights of the arena.
Back in 2018, Leon’s bid started at $257,500 per year, with the promise to increase the price with the consumer price index adjustments beginning in the second year for a five-year period.
There was an option to renew after five years. McKercher said when he tried to renew in February of this year, he offered less money than his 2018 bid. He did not specify what number was offered, or what he planned to offer again.
Although no one from the city was available to speak on the matter Wednesday, a city statement said that proposals will be accepted from local, national and international companies.
The city is accepting bids until Aug. 30, which will then be considered by a review committee made up of city staff, industry experts and community leaders.
Recommendations from the committee will then be sent to city council for final approval.