Saturday, February 26, 2000

Stadium manager: Deadline can be met

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BY DAN KLEPAL
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Stadium construction is two months behind schedule. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

        The beer taps are in and the bathrooms are nearly done, but the amount of work left to do on Paul Brown Stadium is staggering. Still, Project Manager Dan Streyle says it will all get done during the next six months and that the Bengals stadium will be open for business on Aug. 19.

        Valuable time has recently been lost because the Ohio River crested above flood stage. That time will be made up with more people working more hours.

        How much all that will add to the bottom line of a 66,000-seat stadium, already estimated to cost $45 million more than expected, is unknown.

        “We've got a lot of work to do, I won't kid you,” Mr. Streyle said. “But I'm still feeling pretty confident that we'll make the deadline.” Each preseason game played at Cinergy Field means a $2 million penalty paid to the Bengals.

        Mr. Streyle said it's impossible for him to estimate how many more days lost would cause the project to miss the deadline.

        “We're at the stage that we never lose a full day of work because we'll always be able to work in some places,” he said. “I can't answer that.”

        Mr. Streyle and the county's public relations people took the media on a tour of the facility Friday.

        He would not address cost overruns that an audit blamed on lax oversight over hundreds of changes.

        County commissioners last week approved an additional $14 million to keep work moving.

        The auditor laid most of the blame for the cost overruns with the stadium project team, consisting of construction manager Turner Barton Malow D.A.G., project man ager Getz Ventures and architect NBBJ.

        County records show the project team has been paid more than $40 million of taxpayer money to date — $20.7 million to NBBJ, $17.4 million to Turner and $3.3 million to Getz.

        “We have not had a chance to meet with the auditor,” said Mr. Streyle, who is a Getz employee. He said that meeting likely will happen next week.

        There are about 800 em ployees working on the stadium on a typical day.

        “It all very much has to be choreographed,” said Mr. Streyle, who estimates the stadium to be 70 percent complete.

        The thousands of individual tasks happening at the stadium include:

        • Assembling the large scoreboard in the south end zone.

        • Seat mounts are being riveted into the concrete.

        • The building's facade is being put on.

        • Crews are preparing to pour concrete in the plaza level.

        Mr. Streyle said there will be a lot of work to do after the stadium opens, but that everything needed to safely host a football game will be in the stadium for the first game.

        Things not completed by the deadline could include landscaping and painting; some individual light fixtures and signs could need hanging.

       

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