Friday, May 19, 2000
Stadium MRI was disputed
Builders' advice: Let this wait
By Dan Klepal
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Having a for-profit magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) company move into Paul Brown Stadium was an unusual move, and raised some unusual questions for Hamilton County commissioners.
Stadium Open MRI was approved to open an office in Paul Brown Stadium. But it took five months of behind-the-scenes work before commissioners approved the deal on May 1.
Early on, according to records reviewed by The Enquirer, construction managers worried that changing design plans for the office could throw off a tight construction schedule or end up costing taxpayers money.
Officials say neither of those things happened.
Still, in a Dec. 8 e-mail, construction manager Dan Streyle said the consequences could be severe if crews were diverted from stadium construction to office remodeling.
“There will inevitably be ripple effects that will cause disruption to other contractors and these costs will never be captured, but will in the end be borne by the project,” Mr. Streyle wrote in the e-mail.
“I'm also concerned that this new use will have an effect on parking, security, signage, and, potentially, the building permit ...'
Mr. Streyle recommended that all work on the office should stop until after the stadium opens.
In a Jan. 17 memo to county staff, project director W. Shelby Reaves listed 18 items that needed to be done to ensure the stadium opens on time. One item on his list was: “Defer MRI tenant work.”
That is exactly what happened.
“I'm very pleased with the way it turned out,” Mr. Streyle said Thursday.
But it wasn't clear in December that the work would be delayed. Mr. Streyle wrote to county Public Works Director Gary Van Hart that the Bengals and county are not in “alignment” on the issue.
“Yesterday, Troy (Blackburn, director of stadium development for the Bengals) told Shelby Reaves that the county has "approved' this item. In addition, the Bengals ... are under the impression that the work will start now.
“Shelby shares my concern. Look at how much effort we have already expended. Please help.”
The county did. And now county officials are pleased with the result.
Commissioner Tom Neyer said the MRI issue is an example of how county government ought to work. He said the county managed to satisfy a request of the Bengals, while protecting taxpayers.
“There is nothing associated with this development project that is simple,” Mr. Neyer said. “This is a clear example of a lot of important details being worked out to a great result.”
The Bengals own 20 percent of Stadium Open MRI, with former star Cris Collinsworth the president and co-owner of the company. The state-of-the-art MRI machine will be available for football players and the gen eral public.
The firm will pay $38,000 per year in rent to the county, meaning the county is essentially renting the same space twice — once to the Bengals and once to Stadium Open MRI.
Mr. Van Hart said the entire construction team had concerns when it first heard about a change in design to the office space.
“Our concern wasn't so much whether the MRI was going in or not going in, just so long as it didn't impact our schedule,” Mr. Van Hart said. “And we didn't want that cost coming out of the project.”
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