The Cincinnati Enquirer

A gutted Cinergy Field stands next to Great American Ball Park, but not for long. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

DON'T MISS IT

Go to Cincinnati.com for updated coverage before, during and after today's implosion of Cinergy Field. There will be live reports from 5:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. on the latest traffic and weather conditions, real-time video from inside and outside the stadium and more.

Cinergy Field has closed its doors for the final time, less than an hour before it is to be blasted into memory.

Officials with O'Rourke Wrecking Co. sealed off the 32-year-old stadium shortly after 7 a.m. this morning, one of the final steps before the scheduled 8 a.m. implosion that is expected to last 37 seconds.

"No one will ever enter it again," said Mike O'Rourke, the company's president.

Cincinnati police and officials overseeing this morning's implosion of Cinergy Field had earlier done a final sweep of the area, and also have given the all clear.

Between 5-6 a.m., Cincinnati police officers and officials with O'Rourke searched the restricted area around Cinergy Field to make sure no one had entered the area.

"We want to make sure that no homeless people or others wandered into the area," said Lt. Kurt Byrd, Cincinnati police spokesman. "So far, we haven't found anything. Everything looks ready to go."

Demolition officials have also met with utility company representatives and county officials to go over the final plans and checklist.

Captain Bob Becker of the Cincinnati Fire Department said that two fire trucks will be stationed on Mehring Way on the east and west side of Cinergy Field for the implosion. An emergency rescue unit will also be on the scene in case of any injuries.

A dozen seismograph machines were being placed at locations around the stadium, on the Roebling Suspension Bridge and in downtown to record the impact of the stadium falling.

Mr. O'Rourke said that he expects the devices to show that the implosion's impact will be six times less than federal blasting standards.

The official "implosion program" was to begin at 7:30 a.m. with the playing of the National Anthem at Paul Brown Stadium. A final perimeter check happens at 8 a.m., followed by a 20-second siren. Then, a 10-second countdown will begin.

Earlier in the morning, the downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky shorelines began stirring to life in before daybreak this morning, as thousands began counting down the hours until the 8 a.m. implosion of Cinergy Field - a process that should reduce the 32-year-old stadium to a pile of rubble in just 37 seconds.

Spotted early in the crowd gathering at Paul Brown Stadium was Marge Schott, the former Cincinnati Reds owner. She reminisced about memories she had of her team playing in the 32-year-old stadium.

"It's sad, kind of, because I had a lot of good years down here," she said, standing in the VIP area of the Paul Brown Stadium plaza. "I would wear my Schottzie (her pet St. Bernard dog) pins. She had a lot of good years down here, too. I always thought in a city of this size it was better to have football and baseball in the same stadium."

Mrs. Schott, 74, was managing general partner of the Reds from December 1984 to April 1999. She was pushed to sell all but one share of the team after Major League Baseball suspended her twice for insensitive comments toward minorities.

Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune also was spotted sipping a hot chocolate inside a VIP suite at Paul Brown Stadium with more than an hour to go before the destruction of the county-owned stadium.

He said there's only one reason that he was there along with Commissioner Tom Neyer: "If anything at all goes wrong, the buck stops here. So we have to be here to answer to that."

Cincinnati police blocked traffic on Third Street from Race Street to Broadway at 4 a.m., to accommodate the thousands who are expected to line the north side of the sidewalk for what will be the closest public viewing area for the 8 a.m. implosion, about 600 feet away.

Police in Northern Kentucky also shut down vehicular and pedestrian traffic on the Roebling Suspension Bridge, one of the structures closest to the stadium, and the Taylor Southgate Bridge.

For those still trying to make it downtown, police warn that Third and Fourth Streets will be closed to traffic, which could make parking close to the river difficult.

The best public gathering spots are along the north side of Third Street from Broadway to Race. Officials warned all week that that if a breeze kicks up, the crowd will be pushed back to Fourth Street. However, the early-morning forecast calls for clear skies and little wind.

In Kentucky, the best public view will be from Covington's riverfront, east of the Roebling Suspension Bridge, or in Newport along the mouth of the Licking River.

People were preparing for the event throughout the Tristate, either along at the scene along the river or at numerous parties in the region, all while reminiscing on the history of the stadium.

"We have been sold out for the past two nights," said Meghna Sharma, a receptionist at Embassy Suites Rivercenter in Covington. "People started heading out to the stadium at about 5:30 a.m. But I'm going to be here answering phones all morning. Maybe I'll watch it on TV."

The 23-year-old Milford resident had to leave her home at 4:45 a.m. to beat the road closings and make it to work on time.

BB Riverboats will have 1,002 on three vessels to view the implosion from the Ohio River. The boats left port on scheduled at 6:30 a.m., a spokeswoman said, adding that the atmosphere was festive.

In other areas, concessionaires were out as early as 4:15 a.m., selling souvenirs.

"I was a Riverfront fan - we won't call it Cinergy," said Burt Gross, who was selling t-shirts for $10 and sweatshirts for $15 in Newport. "Am I going to miss this? No. Because there's another one there. There's still going to be baseball in Cincinnati."

Father Barry Windholetz of St. Rose Roman Catholic Church in the East End offered this prayer for Cinergy: "Lord, we thank you for 32 years of bringing people together. We thank you for all who have contributed to the life of this structure. Life has changed."

Despite the festive atmosphere, officials are asking the public to stay away.

"Watch from home," is the advice of Mike Sieving, Hamilton County's construction manager. Cinergy, is being destroyed to make way for a new county-owned stadium - Great American Ball Park - which will become the new home of the Reds next April.

For those who do stay home, all four of the area's network television stations were planning to carry the event live.

WLWT (Channel 5), which has the most history with Cinergy/Riverfront, will also have the longest broadcast. The station, which carried Cincinnati Reds games for nearly 50 years, will be on the air from 6-9 a.m.

Cinergy's implosion could have been broadcast live to football fans around the country, but Hamilton County officials rejected requests from ESPN and CBS-TV. Both networks asked that the 8 a.m. implosion be pushed back - ESPN wanted it to lead its 9:30 a.m. "SportsCenter" broadcast, and CBS asked that it be held until its 12:30 p.m. NFL pre-game show.

Both requests were denied, said Debra DeCourcy, spokeswoman for the county and the implosion crew.

Over the past week, the concrete columns that support the former home of the Reds and Bengals were loaded with 1,400 pounds of explosives. O'Rourke Wrecking Co. expects that, once the explosives are detonated at 8 a.m., it will take only 37 seconds for the stadium to be reduced to rubble.

There were several parties planned around the event around the area, including the VIP party at Paul Brown.

"It's really a place that I missed when I went off to college at Wake Forest, and I'll miss it even more when it's gone," said Will Kaldakis, 20, of Indian Hill, who was at the Paul Brown party, and who said he was a life-long Bengals and Reds fan and had attended numerous games in the old stadium.

Downtown Covington's riverfront area was buzzing as early as 4 a.m. Customers bundled up in sweatshirts, sweaters and gloves grabbed snacks and soft drinks at convenience stories. A parade of cars was spotted at the White Castle restaurant.

"Things are pretty sleepy in here at 4 in the morning on a Sunday," an AmeriStop Express clerk said. "The implosion has been good for business."

Joanne McCarty, manager of the Frisch's restaurant in Covington, said she left early to get to work anticipating lots of people and cars. She arrived on time. "There's quite a few cars out there and some people milling around but there was not a lot of cars on the expressway.''

Enquirer reporters Howard Wilkinson, Kristina Goetz, Jim Hannah, Dan Klepal, Kevin Aldridge, Patrick Crowley, Cindi Andrews, James Pilcher, Amy Higgins contributed.

SEE CINERGY IMPLOSION
Animation from Enquirer photos
Video from WCPO
Galleries: Implosion | Crowd | Aerial shots | Views from Kentucky

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