The Bengals and Hamilton County say Paycor stadium is ready for some football. The first phase of about $500 million in renovations is complete.
Bengals Event Operations Director Duane Haring says while there are a lot of cosmetic changes, there also are infrastructure improvements behind the scenes.
“A building like this always has a five- and a ten-year plan. We’re looking ahead and trying to get in front of any issues,” he says. “We’re just following the plan. What we did with the infusion of capital is we looked to accelerate and try to shore up some of those areas that were a little more urgent. This has been a really great marriage of upgrades and core infrastructure."
This first phase has cost about $200-million dollars, nearly $65 million of which came from Hamilton County’s half-cent sales tax.
Haring says while some of the changes are obvious, some are not, like waterproofing the floor under the canopy levels, so new club suites beneath won’t be damaged by water.
“I think it does a lot of things for us. It not only extends the life of the building for years to come, but it also allows us as a team to continue to compete in the NFL in the ticketing landscape and the premium areas that are in demand across the market.”
Haring says bathrooms, dining areas, and club suites all were upgraded during this phase. More concession stands were converted to “grab-and-go” instead of ordering at the counter as well.
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