BY LUCY MAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Construction work continues on the Bengals' new football stadium and studies of a new riverfront Reds ballpark will soon begin.
But some local leaders think the stadiums will one day take a back seat to another feature planned for Cincinnati's waterfront -- the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
"I think 10 years from now, that will be the primary riverfront destination, and stadiums will be somewhat secondary," Hamilton County Commission President Tom Neyer Jr. said.
"It will be a symbol of this community's pride in our past but, more importantly, our optimism for our future."
Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls said she expects the freedom center will be a major, international attraction for the city.
"My hope would be that it would be equal to the stadium in terms of community interest and support and interest from visitors," she said.
Officials guiding the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, scheduled to open in 2003, have made significant progress over the past several months in shaping the plan for the museum, said Ed Rigaud, the center's president and chief executive officer and an executive on loan from Procter & Gamble Co.
Among the recent accomplishments are:
The U.S. Senate on June 27 passed legislation to commemorate a national network of Underground Railroad sites with the freedom center as the likely centerpiece. The House had approved the measure earlier in June, and freedom center officials expect President Clinton to sign the bill July 13.
Cincinnati City Council in June approved a development agreement, securing the riverfront site between Vine and Walnut streets for the museum.
Council also signed off on funding agreement to provide $6 million over the next five years.
Freedom center officials continue negotiations with Hamilton County, which Mr. Neyer said plans to build a development platform and parking garage for the center.
Tuesday, the center plans to announce its first recipient of the International Freedom Conductor Award, an award modeled after the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes designed to recognize individuals around the world who fight for human rights.
A panel of judges working to select an architect to design the center will look at other buildings the four finalists have designed in late July. An architect could be announced in early August, said Jennifer McGuire, a spokeswoman for the center.
