Amid rising costs associated with the construction of
the Bengals' Paul Brown Stadium, Hamilton County and its
stadium project team "took unprecedented steps" yesterday to
bring the stadium's price tag "under control," according to
the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER. At a meeting yesterday, county
commissioners voted to: pay $14.3M to cover immediate cost
overruns; hire a "construction project executive" to protect
the interests of taxpayers; extend the contract of
construction auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers until the
project is finished; "eliminate" changes to contracts
"unless they are vital to finishing the stadium"; and adopt
nine recommendations "which will allow the county to keep
closer tabs on the scope, cost and nature of work being
done." In addition, NBBJ Architects "agreed to put three
additional architects on the job," and Project Manager
Turner Barton Mallow DAG will "increase staff by
approximately 15 people and bring in two senior executives
to help expedite trade contractor work." Although the added
employees will boost the stadium price, which is "already
expected to jump" $45M due to the overruns, the county's
financial consultant said that "there will be enough money"
from the county-wide sales-tax increase to complete the
stadium. Hamilton County Administrator Dave Krings, on new
staff: "We were just operating too thin" (CINCY ENQUIRER,
2/17). County Budget Dir Suzanne Burke said that the total
cost of the Bengals' stadium and Reds' ballpark and related
development would be more than $900M (CINCY POST, 2/17).
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: In Cincinnati, Tim Sullivan calls
Paul Brown Stadium an "ever-widening money pit" and writes
that "it is destined to be remembered as the most feckless
use of public funds since the $400 toilet seat." Sullivan
wonders how elected officials in OH "could have made a
sweetheart deal with the Bengals and then made matters worse
through inattention to detail" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 2/17).
Also in Cincinnati, Laura Pulfer calls on Bengals President
Mike Brown to drop the clause that calls for county to pay
the Bengals $2M for each preseason game not played in the
new stadium. Bengals Dir of Community Affairs Jeff Berding
said that the payment was "not punitive," but to "reimburse"
the team for the costs of selling tickets, sponsorships and
club seats at the stadium (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 2/17).