Sunday, December 12, 1999Paul Brown Stadium on schedule for 2000
BY DAN KLEPAL
The Cincinnati EnquirerWhen Jim Foster pulls into the Cinergy Field parking lot this morning at 7:30, he'll have a clear view of the Cincinnati Bengals' past while sitting in the shadow of the team's future.
Mr. Foster, president of the Bengals Fan Club, decided two years ago to stake out a spot closest to Paul Brown Stadium for tailgate parties.
As the team prepares to play what will likely be its final game in Cinergy Field, Mr. Foster will be able to see a ring of concrete emerging on the upper deck of the new stadium, along with small posts popping out of the seating bowl on the lower deck.
These posts will hold future seats in the future stadium.
“We just wanted to watch the progress of the new stadium, take pictures of it, that kind of thing,” said Mr. Foster, 29, of Green Township. “It's a unique opportunity.”
Hamilton County has millions riding on the new stadium being done on time. And the county has bet millions more that Paul Brown Stadium will be filled with fans on game days.
County officials agreed to pay $4 million for any regular season game and $2 million for any preseason game the Bengals would have to play in Cinergy next year.
The county also has agreed to buy any tickets necessary to make sure 50,000 seats are sold during each game for the first two years.
Stadium Project Manager Dan Streyle said there may be some finish work left to do when the Chicago Bears come to play the first exhibition game in the new stadium on Aug. 19, 2000.
That finish work could take an additional month, he said, but the stadium will be ready for some football.
“There might be a space here or there that might need some painting,” Mr. Streyle. “We might need to fix a light fixture, or do one of a hundred little things.
“But from a fan perspective, we'll be done. And our people will be invisible to the fans and the team.”
Hamilton County Public Works Director Gary Van Hart said bad weather wouldn't hamper any of the concrete work left to do on the stadium. But the weather can impact the remaining steel work, he said.
“We keep the concrete heated and covered and we can pour in almost any weather,” Mr. Van Hart said. “But icing conditions can make the steel work real difficult.”
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Paul Brown Stadium on schedule for 2000