When the dust started to settle in February after a feud between Cincinnati and Hamilton County that threatened to derail the Bengals stadium project, County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus had an inspiration.
Mr. Bedinghaus wanted the official groundbreaking of the $400.3 million stadium complex to be better than the typical shovel ceremonies most public-works projects get.
The county had only $15,000 budgeted to pay for such a ceremony, though, he said. So Mr. Bedinghaus picked up the phone and started asking corporate friends for money.
"I found there was an awful lot of support out there for this," he said.
With contributions from Cinergy Corp., Cincinnati Bell, Kroger Co., Provident Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Star Bank, Corporex Cos., Delta Air Lines, Cincinnati Financial Corp. and Vorys Sater Seymour & Pease, Mr. Bedinghaus more than tripled the groundbreaking's budget.
Today's ceremony, from noon to 3 p.m. with the official program at 2 p.m., has an estimated budget of $50,000 to $60,000.
That extra money is funding a family celebration with games, face-painting, hot dogs, soda and a high school marching band.
The event will be on Cincinnati's riverfront, catty-corner from where Flanagan's Landing used to be. Free parking is available in the large lots next to the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge.
For Mr. Bedinghaus, the corporate support is a sign that things are looking up for the project.
"There was a time, not so long ago, when people were afraid to be associated with this project," he said. "And that's not true anymore."
But plenty of people still are angry about the project and its price tag, said Tim Hershner, coordinator of the stadium watchdog group Citizens for Major League Sanity.
They are invited to the groundbreaking, too, he said, to protest with Mr. Hershner and Amy Gallaher and Keith Baker, the people behind the "Shoot me, I voted for the stadium tax" T-shirts.
