Posts tagged: metrodome

Much Ado About Something?

February 29, 2012, by No comments yet

Wednesday was a sllllow news day.

Thursday might be the opposite.

Reports emerged via KFAN that the Vikings, the City of Minneapolis, and the State of Minnesota are close to reaching an agreement which would formulate a bill to be presented to legislature.  It is expected that the various parties involved are working late into Wednesday night and an announcement will be made on Thursday.

In fact, a press conference has already been scheduled at the Capitol at 9:00 a.m. Central Lutefisk Time.

According to KFAN’s report, the bill proposes a stadium built adjacent to the existing Metrodome and lays out a three to four year construction timeline.  The Vikings would have to play on season at TCF Bank Stadium under this plan.

The total cost of the project is expected to be about $975 million with the Vikings organization taking on half of those costs and half of the operating costs.  At this point, no details are known about how the public funds portion of this bill is set up.

Don’t get too excited, as the legislature still has to, you know, vote and stuff.

This still has a ways to go.

Arden Hills Gets The First Crack

February 22, 2012, by 1 comment

With as many twists and turns that have occurred surrounding the Vikings stadium situation it should come as no surprise, nor should it be easily dismissed, that a bill proposing to legislature the all-but-dead Arden Hills location as the site was the first to be introduced.

All the momentum has, by all appearances, been behind the plan to keep the Vikings in Minneapolis by placing a stadium near the current site of the Metrodome.

Electronic pull tabs and bingo games pay the public portion of this proposal, according to the Daily Norseman,  and the entire bill can be read by clicking here.

Pre-Lim Stadium Deal Agreed Upon

February 17, 2012, by No comments yet

6,521.

That is my roughly estimated number of eggs counted over the last decade by Vikings stadium supporters before they hatched.

So, take the latest momentum towards a stadium deal in Minneapolis with a grain of salt or two.

Still, it is encouraging to hear that a preliminary deal has been struck that would place a new Vikings home near the existing site of the Metrodome, and thus keep the purple in gold where they belong.

A preliminary agreement has supposedly been reached that would have the Vikings and the NFL pay $427 million of the costs of the new stadium.  The State of Minnesota would be responsible for $398 million while the City of Minneapolis would pay $150 million.  Minneapolis would also be responsible for paying the $180 million in operating expenses expected over the next 30 years.

This agreement is not a guarantee, however, as the State Legislature and Minneapolis’ City Council, in addition to the NFL, would have to agree in full to the deal and make it official.

Minnesota’s White Earth Tribe has proposed a casino be placed in the Twin Cities to help pay for the public portion of the financing. 

That proposal is similar to the one backed by then-Governor Tim Pawlenty back in 2005 and was shot down by a Senate Committee that faced heavy opposition from anti-gambling groups and competing tribes that already owned casinos in the area.

Nothing is a done deal, and this progress may just be superficial, but superficial progress is still better than none at all.

I hope.