Hamilton County estimates the Paycor dome will cost $1 billion. “We just can’t afford it”

A dome at Pacore Stadium would bring big benefits but also come at a big cost, according to a presentation given to Hamilton County commissioners Tuesday.

The cost of roofing the 24-year-old stadium would be about $1 billion, Hamilton County Administrator Jeff Aluotto said as he presented a study by two architecture firms.

The cost of the dome would be in addition to about $1 billion in improvements currently being considered as the district and Bengals negotiate a new lease for Pacore Stadium.

Two of the three county commissioners concluded the cost was too high. Commission members Stephanie Summerow Dumas and Denise Driehaus said the dome could not be built.

“From my perspective, we just can’t afford it,” Driehaus said. “I haven’t heard people demanding a dome.”

Hamilton County spent $139,000 contracting with architecture firms Gensler and AECom to consider building the dome. Hamilton County Board of Commissioners President Alicia Reece floated the idea of ​​turning Pacor Stadium into an arena earlier this month at a meeting of The Cincinnati Enquirer’s editorial board, saying she wants the county to consider all possibilities.

Fig: Don’t rule out the dome

Rees, without specifying who should pay for it, said Tuesday that the dome should not be immediately written off. Domes could become a necessity for stadiums in the future, she said. She said she doesn’t want the county to be faced with an obligation to put a dome on the stadium in 10, 20 years.

“I’m trying to make sure we don’t have to go back for 20 years,” Reece said. “I want this thing to last 20 years. Is this stadium still viable in 20 years? That’s why we’re here now. They didn’t do the dome the first time.”

The outdoor stadium dome will allow the region to host some of the biggest events in the country, including the Super Bowl, WrestleMania, Final Four and other major events, Aluotto said Tuesday. The main obstacle? Who will pay for the extra billion dollars?

“Fencing a stadium is a very expensive undertaking,” Aluotto said. “While it was a good and smart move to explore this opportunity, without an additional source of revenue, it would be very difficult financially to cover Paycor Stadium.”

Arena on Bengals field of practice?

On Tuesday, Reece put forward her proposal to combine the Paycor Stadium redevelopment with another item on the business community’s wish list – a new arena. She asked Tom Gabelman, one of the attorneys negotiating with the Bengals on behalf of the district, if an arena could be built on the site of the Bengals’ practice field next to Pacore Stadium.

“I would like to see a multi-faceted structure that could become an arena…” said Reece. “I’m looking for a sports entertainment component.”

Reece said she was under the impression that the Bengals were not interested in the county’s proposal to build a $300 million indoor practice facility and team offices next to Paycor. Gabelman explained that the Bengals want improvements inside Pacore Stadium to take priority over any practice facilities or improvements on the surrounding property.

If the arena were built next to Pacore Stadium on land the Bengals use for practice, the county would have to find another location for the practice field, he said.

Commissioners said negotiations with the Bengals have not yet begun in earnest. Paycor Stadium’s lease expires in 2026.

This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: How much will the dome at Paycor Stadium cost?