Stadium

Stadium Bill To Take Final State-Level Step Today

May 14, 2012, by 11 comments

While the “Mission Accomplished” banner is clearly strung across the deck of the aircraft carrier, and Minnesotan’s are rightfully celebrating what appears to be a guaranteed future of their pro football team within the State, it is not yet officially official.

On Monday, however, the State will make their commitment to the new stadium official when Governor Mark Dayton signs the recently-passed bill into law.

The bill will be signed at a ceremony within the State Capitol at noon on Monday.

In order for this thing to be a 100% done deal, however, the Minneapolis City Council must vote in favor of the bill within 30 days of the Governor signing the bill.  Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak predicts that the vote will take place on May 25th.

That means there is a nearly two week window for something absolutely, positively horrible to happen that throws a wrench into the whole thing.  Something like that would be more disheartening to Vikings fans than a Cowboys hail mary, a missed Gary Anderson field goal, and a 12-men in the huddle call all wrapped into one.

Now, I’m not trying to be an alarmist here or anything, as plenty of people who know far more than myself about this situation consider this a done deal.  However, weirder things have indeed happened.

The Council needs seven “yes” votes to put the bow on this bill once and for all, and Mayor Rybak has received seven letters of support for the original version of the bill from Council members.  The thing is, though, this isn’t the same bill they agreed to as it has been changed around by the House and the Senate.

At least one Minneapolis Council member that put forward a letter is reserving the right to change his mind should he see something in the bill that he doesn’t agree with.

“Right now I am reviewing every line of it, and obviously I have to determine if what’s in there, line-by-line, is consistent with some of the goals and concerns I had,” said Council member Kevin Reich. “So it’s undetermined at this time. It’s under review.”

In his comments, it sounds like Reich will be voting “yes” once again and that there is little to worry about.

As I have said in the comments section, however, there are significant events that could take place between now and May 25th that could make members reconsider their commitment to a professional sports venue.

Links Of The Weekend: Stadium Euphoria

May 12, 2012, by 2 comments

Well, we all know what topic has dominated Vikings news this week, and we’ll get back to assessing the ongoing roster transformation soon, but in the meantime let’s highlight some of best articles available right now.  Most are stadium related, but I tried to find a good mix.

Here To Stay

May 11, 2012, by 13 comments

“We’re here to stay.”

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said these words from the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol on Wednesday, a statement that was received by cheers and high fives from fans that had gathered to celebrate what seems like a certain win in the Vikings stadium battle.

After clearing the State House and the State Senate, all that remains for the stadium bill is a stroke of the Governor’s pen and a final vote by the Minneapolis City Counsel.  The Governor has always supported the stadium bill, and Minneapolis appears to not be a problem.

After years of speculation and concern, it seems that the Los Angeles market is going to have to target a different NFL team, and the Wilf’s never even had to publically threaten to leave.

“We knew from day one that we were going to fight to ensure that this day would come,” Zygi Wilf said. “Our commitment to having Viking football here for generations was always the overriding factor.”

The end result of a decade’s worth of positioning (and then some) is a deal that will see the Vikings and NFL contribute $477 million, the State will contribute $348 million, and the City of Minneapolis will pick up the rest of the tab which comes in at $150 million.

The Vikings are expected to play the next two seasons in the Metrodome, but have already come to an agreement with the University of Minnesota to rent TCF Bank Stadium at a price of $250,000 per game while the Metrodome is demolished and the new stadium is finished.

It is expected that the new stadium, which does not yet have a name (any suggestions?), will be ready in time for the 2016 season.

That means that I have at least another four years of writing stadium articles, but these future ones are sure to be a lot more fun than the “will-they-won’t-they” articles we have all been scouring over for what seems like forever now.

“This will be truly special,” Mark Wilf said. “As hard as we’ve worked for this day, we will commit going forward that this will be first class and special, and something that all Minnesotans can be truly proud of.”

I am aware that this isn’t done, at least not in the true sense of the word, but the Wilfs’ willingness to celebrate this as a true victory sure is exciting.

I suddenly have a new found excitement for the upcoming season, that is for sure.

SKOL!

We Finally Have Our Stadium

May 10, 2012, by 15 comments

It feels weird writing this post to be honest with you. Part of it seems a little surreal… We’ve spent so, so much time following the ridiculous roller coaster ride that has been the Vikings pursuit of a new stadium to call home. Part of it is also this feeling that this moment is too big for me to comment on… too momentous. I imagine it may be somewhat equivalent to writing our first post celebrating the Vikings [inevitable] future Superbowl victory. This really is a huge victory for the Minnesota Vikings organization and Vikings fans everywhere.

So, here it is, what we’ve all been waiting for:

The Vikings finally have a deal on a new stadium and will remain in Minnesota for a long, long time.

That felt good.

I’m not going to get in the details of who voted for what, what still needs to be signed, the politics, etc… It just doesn’t seem fitting. What matters right now is the assurance and the comfort knowing that the Vikings aren’t going anywhere. They are not going to Los Angeles. They are not going to San Antonio. They are staying right where they belong.

I wanted to encapsulate this moment by clipping some reactions to the news from Twitter. Before we move on though, I think it’s important to show our appreciation to all the parties involved in obtaining this amazing feat. I can’t even fathom the countless amount of hours of work that went into making this happen. Zygi Wilf and the Wilf family should also be commended for never giving up, packing their bags and moving on. They stuck it out and made possible what other Vikings owners were unable to.

Continue Reading →

Vikings: “The Wilfs have stepped up and made a huge commitment to Minnesota and a huge commitment to the fans”

May 9, 2012, by 2 comments

One of the biggest questions over the last few days has been how the Minnesota Vikings, particularly the Wilf family, would respond to the public squeezing that the State Legislature has put on them.

The House tried to get an extra $105 million out of them in their version of the stadium bill, while the Senate wanted an extra $25 million.

The Conference Committee met late on Wednesday night and the Vikings have agreed to pay what amounts to a compromise, an increase of $50 million.  That bring the Vikings (and NFL’s) contribution to the new stadium up to $477 million.

“The Wilfs have stepped up and made a huge commitment to Minnesota and a huge commitment to the fans,” Vikings vice president Lester Bagley said to the Committee.

At this point, it is kind of hard to argue with him.

Now, it is time to see if the State is willing to show the same level of commitment.

The House and the Senate should have final votes completed by Thursday night at the very latest.

Conference Committee Produces A Merged Bill

May 9, 2012, by 1 comment

The Conference Committee settled the differences between the State House and State Senate bills regarding the Vikings new stadium deal.

The product is the bill found by clicking this link.

The House had previously wanted to see the Vikings and NFL’s portion of the funding increase by $105 million while the Senate had it increasing by $25 million.  This version is a “compromise” of sorts and sees the private funding portion increase by $50 million, which leaves the team and the league with a $477 million price tag.

At this time, it is unknown whether the Vikings and the NFL have agreed to fund the increased amount.

Final votes are expected to take place on Thursday.

The Bill Passes The Senate

May 8, 2012, by 5 comments

By a vote of 38 to 28, the Vikings stadium bill passed through the Minnesota Senate after another exhausting day of debates and re-debates.

After amendments succeeded only to later fail, the Senate ended up including two major amendments to the original bill.

The first amendment ups the Vikings and NFL’s contribution by $25 million, which is considerably less than the $105 million increase that the House called for on Monday.

Second, the Senate’s version of the bill demands no blackouts occur for games played by the Vikings in their new stadium.

Neither the increase in private contribution nor the ultimatum on blackouts are likely to sit well with the NFL, but the fact that this thing has cleared its latest hurdle is only a positive for those that want to see the Vikings tradition upheld.

The House-Senate Conference Committee will now have to find a compromise between the two versions of the bill.  Then it needs to go back to both the House and the Senate for another up or down vote.