Thursday, May 04, 2000
$1M more on bill
By Dan Klepal
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cost overruns at Paul Brown Stadium have grown by $1 million, but this time around taxpayers won't be footing the bill for the added expense.
Or will they?
Construction managers for the $450 million football complex said Wednesday that a $5.3 million contingency fund — already built into the budget — will cover the additional overruns.
But the county is due to get back whatever balance is in that contingency account at the end of the project.
W. Shelby Reaves, project director, said he thinks most, if not all, of the contingency fund will be used to pay for overtime and other expenses as crews rush to make the stadium ready by Aug. 19.
“The estimate we did last week came in at $46 million (over budget),” Mr. Reaves said. “So we'll reduce the contingency fund to offset that” by $1 million.
If some of that contingency fund is returned at the end of the project, the money could be used to reduce the $45 million in additional costs that county taxpayers are on the hook for.
Commission President Bob Bedinghaus said Tuesday that the county will not pay anything over the $45 million, so the project team had better figure out a way to keep costs in check. Mr. Bedinghaus did not return repeated phone calls Wednesday.
Commissioner John Dowlin agrees with the cap on overruns.
“As far as I'm concerned, the max is $45 million,” Mr. Dowlin said. “So we have to make sure it sticks there.”
The cost overruns were first made public in February — more than six months after commissioners found out about them.
The overruns were caused by hundreds of changes to individual contracts on the stadium, which increased the scope and cost of project.
Commissioners already have allocated $14.3 million to help cover the overruns, and Mr. Reaves said the construction team will need the rest of the money by next month.
He also said the county needs to work more quickly in paying contractors' bills. Mr. Reaves said there is $6 million in bills from March that needs to be paid.
“We've got to keep these contractors interested in doing what they have to do,” Mr. Reaves said.
Meanwhile, construction managers say the stadium will definitely be ready for football on Aug. 19.
“We are confident that the stadium will be ready,” said Harvey Oliva, assistant project director.
Among the scores of individual jobs being done on the site every day:
• Stadium lighting has been installed and electrical crews are hooking them up while also installing the canopy that will be the stadium's signature.
• Dirt is being laid over the playing field's heating, drainage and irrigation system, and the Bermuda grass will be laid in the third week of May. The heating system will extend the growing season, allowing the grass to stay greener longer into the season.
• The outer skin will be finished at the end of May.
• The Elm Street bridge will be complete in early August.
Mr. Oliva said there has been a shortage of labor, particularly iron, electrical and sheet metal workers. But managers have been able to offset that by hiring workers through unions and local contractors.
“We have agreements in place, so we don't anticipate any more problems,” Mr. Oliva said.
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