Before land costs are included, a new stadium at the Wedge could cost as much as $306 million; a new stadium at Broadway Commons could cost as much as $267 million, and a renovation of Cinergy could cost as much as $249 million, the estimates from April show.
''If the reason for renovating Cinergy Field is to save us hundreds of millions of dollars, that's not going to happen,'' said Charlie DeSando, chairman of the Baseball on Broadway Committee, a group that's pushing for a ballpark at Broadway Commons.
But Hamilton County Commission President Bob Bedinghaus cautioned Wednesday that nobody should put much stock into old figures that aren't based on the county's current negotiations with the team. Besides, he said, the stadium decision won't be based on cost alone.
''This isn't a decision we ought to be making on what is the absolute least amount of money we can be spending right now,'' he said. ''It ought to be made on what's best for this community in the long run.''
Advocates for the Broadway Commons site, who released the figures Wednesday, argue the community would get the best bang for their buck at Broadway.
They also say a renovation would, in fact, cost the same as a new stadium at Broadway. Work at Broadway Commons could begin almost immediately, they argue, while a renovation project couldn't begin until the end of the Bengals' 1999 season, when the football team leaves Cinergy.
Adding two years of inflationary increases of 3.5 percent each year brings the renovation figures up to the same level as a new ballpark, Mr. DeSando said.
But Mr. Bedinghaus argues that land costs could add another $30 million to the Broadway Commons price tag.
Hamilton County Administrator David Krings stressed that all the figures are rough estimates since county and team officials haven't agreed on any specifics for a new stadium or an extensive Cinergy overhaul.
The figures were compiled by Huber, Hunt & Nichols, an Indianapolis financial consultant working with HOK Sports Facilities Group, the Kansas City architects consulting the county.
A new stadium would almost certainly cost more than the figures show, he acknowledged, adding, ''I'm not sure that Cinergy (figure) is the same as what might ultimately be agreed to.
''The only thing we've agreed on recently is the buffet,'' he joked, referring to a lunch meeting he had Tuesday with Reds Managing Executive John Allen.
Reds CEO Marge Schott on Sunday stimulated interest in transforming Cinergy and keeping her team there. She told the Enquirer the team would love to have a new stadium. But she said she didn't think taxpayers should have to pay for two new stadiums now that the Bengals' stadium complex has reached $400.3 million.
''I just don't know if the taxpayers can pay for two new ones. We'd be paying it forever,'' she said. ''I'm a taxpayer, too.''
But Cincinnati City Councilman Todd Portune, a Broadway backer, said the county's earlier estimates on the three options raise questions about whether renovating Cinergy would really save tax dollars.
''Not to sneeze at any savings, but let's not lose sight of the overall objective here,'' he said.
NL FINES SCHOTT FOR SPEAKING
GOOD IDEA, MARGE Tim Sullivan column
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