Portune: Why not consider refurbished Cinergy?

There seems to be a lot of confusion about my Jan. 31 suggestion, embraced by Hamilton County Commission President John Dowlin and County Administrator David Krings, that the county and Cincinnati Reds revisit the concept of a refurbished Cinergy Field. Allow me to explain.

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First and foremost, this will only work if the Reds agree. No one is trying to force it on the team. Contracts have been signed and leases executed. Mutual consent to the approach is necessary.

Why would the Reds agree, you ask? Several strong financial incentives. The Reds are obligated to pay for all costs in excess of $280 million for ballpark construction. Good deal for the taxpayer, but bad for the team if the end result is accepting a significant financial burden that cuts into the revenues the team is counting on from the stadium. Already, without the first steel beam in place, the Reds have assumed millions of dollars of new obligations. This trend does not portend well for the future.

Second, a way to limit the total expense when projected change orders increase the cost is to change the scope of the project or to engage in what is known as “value engineering.” What that means in real terms is that the ballpark's design changes toward a reduced cost.

Over $13 million has been shaved off the ballpark's original design through this approach at this very early stage of the project - again, without a single beam in place. Ultimately this leads to a lesser product - one that becomes more out of place with the football stadium down the river in all of its grandeur.

The “bite” at Cinergry has opened people's eyes to what it could be. Obviously, significant improvements are in order - luxury boxes, adding decks or seats like a sun deck in centerfield, expanding the concession areas and a redone parking garage. However, even after adding all of those improvements the end result is a significant long-term savings to the team and to this community.

The Enquirer takes issue with my suggestion's timing. I agree that a preferable time would have been years ago, but having just obtained this office, now is the first time and only time to raise it from a county commission perspective. Besides, now is the last time we as a community have to reexamine the issue if people, namely the Reds, are interested.

Ultimately, we all want a redeveloped riverfront. The lack of cost controls at Paul Brown Stadium and the generous lease with the Bengals have jeopardized our ability to realize the vision. I have proposed several steps already at addressing some of the residual Bengals-related issues (mostly without other commissioner support at this time), but we have to keep trying, including attempting to renegotiate the Bengals' lease.

Refurbishing Cinergy Field also helps get us there. It allows for a better incorporation of the Firstar Center into the plans and for dealing with the center's legitimate issues of pedestrian access. It also aids in the process of reducing the lengthy and risky financial demand on the county, the sales tax and the county general fund from the stadium construction.

The Banks has a chance to develop because it positions the county in a better financial posture to help build the garages that the Banks is dependent on. In case anybody hasn't been listening, right now there is NO MONEY available to build those garages.

My job and the clear mandate I was given by the public last November was to try to get the county's finances in order and to look for ways to reduce county debt and retire the sales tax within the original 20 years, as promised by county officials and supported by opinion makers such as the Enquirer. We cannot get there unless we are willing to remain open to revisiting old issues or to explore new approaches.

The Reds may ultimately reject this idea in which case we all move on and look for other ways to accomplish the same goals. But we at least have to raise the question because an awful lot is riding on the answer.

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