Bengals seek stadium 'enhancements'

The Bengals say Paul Brown Stadium might need a facelift and want to find out how much the work would cost taxpayers and the team.

The team sent a letter to Hamilton County officials this week asking for a review of the stadium's condition and for talks to begin on how it could be improved to keep up with newer stadiums in other NFL cities.

Any major construction work at the stadium could translate into a significant expense for taxpayers, who pay for the stadium through a sales tax and are bound by the county's lease with the Bengals to cover the cost of upgrades.

"It's the gift that keeps on giving," said County Commissioner Chris Monzel, a frequent critic of the lease, which was signed almost 20 years ago. "I'm always concerned with regard to more costs that have to be picked up due to that lease."

The team's letter, signed by Bengals Vice President Troy Blackburn, doesn't mention specific problems or potential upgrades at the stadium, which cost $450 million to build, but it does note that several NFL stadiums have been updated in recent years and that new stadiums under construction in Atlanta and Minneapolis will include "significant changes in stadium design."

"Given the current landscape for NFL facilities, we think it makes sense for us to meet, survey the status of Paul Brown Stadium, and consider stadium elements around the NFL that could be considered here," Blackburn wrote.

The county already has paid for some improvements at the stadium, including expanded locker rooms, better technology and a new $10 million scoreboard. The Bengals contributed about $4 million to those improvements, even though the lease did not require the team to do so.

County officials say the team's willingness to pick up some costs has helped improve the once strained relationship between the team and the county, which was especially challenging when sales tax revenue for the stadium came in below expectations before and during the recession, putting the county in a financial bind.

All three county commissioners have said they have been encouraged by the team's willingness to cover some additional costs. Commissioner Greg Hartmann, president of the board of commissioners, said he hopes that cooperation continues if major upgrades are needed.

"I think the relationship between the county and the Bengals is better than it's ever been," Hartmann said. "They're not coming with their hand out. They're coming as partners."

He said the potential cost of stadium improvements isn't known yet, but it's reasonable to begin talking about what might be necessary. The stadium is a major asset, Hartmann said, and the county can't neglect it without suffering consequences.

"It would be fiscally irresponsible for us to put our heads in the sand and think we don't have to maintain this stadium," he said.

As always with the stadium, however, the big question is, who picks up the tab?

The lease is favorable to the team in many ways and its provisions have been controversial for years. The one cited in Blackburn's letter falls under "future enhancements" and allows the team to force a review of the stadium's condition at three different times during the life of the 30-year lease.

The team opted not to do the first possible review because it occurred during the recession, when the county was slashing employees and budgets, and when sales tax receipts were plummeting. The Bengals had until the end of this month before the window closed on its second opportunity for a review.

Another stadium review would not have been permitted until 2020.

Blackburn said the Bengals want to bring in outside design experts to study the stadium and recommend improvements. According to the lease, the decision on whether to go ahead with stadium upgrades will be based in part on how team revenue compares to that of other teams and how money generated by the stadium compares to other stadiums.

"Our hope would be that ... we could proceed in the coming months to understand how we could make Paul Brown Stadium a competitive facility – for all parties – for the next 10 years and beyond," Blackburn wrote.

Commissioner Todd Portune said he's fine with talking to the Bengals about the stadium's condition, but he believes it's a top-tier stadium that's comparable to most in the NFL. He said he's reluctant to hire design or architecture consultants, as Blackburn suggested, until the county and team have a better idea what kind of work, if any, might be needed.

"That's putting the cart before the horse," Portune said. "I think Paul Brown Stadium remains a state-of-the-art, competitive facility. The county and the Bengals have made numerous improvements over the years to make sure it remains that way."

The lease calls for the county and the Bengals to make decisions about stadium enhancements through negotiations. But if they can't agree, the case would go to three arbitrators who would adopt either the county's or the team's proposal.

Bob Bedinghaus, the Bengals' director of development, said the team won't go into the review process with specific upgrades in mind, but will instead work with the county and outside experts to determine what's needed.

"We don't have a list of improvements we're going to come to the table with," said Bedinghaus, who was a county commissioner when the lease was signed two decades ago. "I don't view this as the team having a unilateral right to do anything. All this is is starting a conversation."