Cincinnati may ask state for $10 million to support soccer stadium project

The City of Cincinnati hopes to obtain $10 million from the state to help cover costs related to building the FC Cincinnati stadium, should the city be awarded a Major League Soccer team later this month.

An infusion of that sum from Columbus would get the public infrastructure package within striking distance of the $70 million to $75 million total needed to build roads, sewers and utilities and make a site in Oakley a viable stadium option.

Cincinnati and Hamilton County have already agreed to pony up $51 million; the team would build the stadium itself.

The ask is among 43 Hamilton County projects totaling $64.6 million being vetted for a final list the region wants the state to fund. The soccer stadium project request is by the far the largest on the list, accounting for 15.5 percent of the total.

The list was sent to state representatives Thursday and obtained by The Enquirer on Saturday.

“These projects are very important to the community,” said Gary Lindgren, executive director of the Cincinnati Business Committee, which is coordinating with the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce to present requests to the state.

As for the stadium plan, he said, “The FC Cincinnati project is an important one and will get a thorough review just like all the other projects."

The deadline for requests is Jan. 3.

It's not unprecedented for sports stadiums to receive state money. Around $80 million in state funds were used to build Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park.

In the 2016 capital budget, the Cleveland Browns initially sought $5 million for a practice facility, although the plan died before any money was spent. And last month, the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer unveiled a plan for a new stadium that included $5 million from the state to relocate a children's theater and arts facility on the soccer campus. That plan has run into local criticism.

FC Cincinnati General Manager Jeff Berding did not want to comment Saturday, but has stressed for weeks that the team is paying for the stadium itself, with the city and county helping with the roads, sewers and utilities.

County and city officials spent the past few weeks hashing out how to pay for those roads and other costs, landing on the $51 million finance package. But that left a gap, with at least some saying the state would be asked to help as well. Major John Cranley was firm that no more city money would be used.

"I'm not necessarily down on it. I'm not for it," state Rep. Tom Brinkman told The Enquirer on Saturday. "I'm bemused."

The Mount Lookout Republican added: "I hate to draw some crazy line in the sand. I'm just trying to represent my district."

A pavilion on The Banks, bikeway improvements and a moon rock

The Cincinnati Business Committee and Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber drive the vetting process. George Vincent, managing partner and chairman of Dinsmore & Shohl law firm, and Jim Henning, president of Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky, are co-chairing the local request task force. Hamilton County-area state lawmakers also have a voice in the process.

Forty-three projects made the first cut, with requests totaling $64.6 million.

Among them:

* $29.9 million for government projects.

* $25.5 million for arts projects, most in Cincinnati.

* $3.9 for park projects.

* $5.3 million for health projects and social services, including drug treatment.

Notable projects on the list include $5 million to finish Smale Riverfront Park, which is listed as an alternative location for a long-rumored music pavilion near The Banks.

The Film Commission is asking for $2 million to help build a Queensgate campus.

Cincinnati Museum Center is asking for $5 million to add science exhibits to Union Terminal. This comes in a wake of a major repair to the building, paid for with a sales tax, a project leaders promised would lead to better exhibits. One notable part of the project: It will include a moon rock collected by Neil Armstrong.

Wasson Way, a $7.6 million recreational trial underway on the east side that will connect 12 neighborhoods and lead to the Little Miami Bike Trail, needs another $1.6 million.

The state Legislature doles out capital dollars every two years, and lawmakers are due to hand out money for wish-list projects in 2018.

Hamilton County is expected to receive between $17 million and $18 million from the capital budget, Brinkman said, according to what state budget officials have shared with lawmakers. That would be down from around $20 million Hamilton County received in 2016.

The Banks received $10 million out of last year's capital budget, part of an attempt to lure the University of Cincinnati's new law school to the riverfront. But the UC board eventually decided to build a new law school on the Uptown campus.

Enquirer political columnist Jason Williams contributed.