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By Doug Belden
Updated: 01/24/2012 11:37:39 AM CST
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_19802650
The Metrodome about 90 minutes after the game when the Minnesota Vikings lost to the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, December 18, 2011 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. (Pioneer Press file photo: Chris Polydoroff)
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Gov. Mark Dayton told the owners of the Minnesota Vikings on Monday that the team's new stadium will have to be at the Metrodome site if a stadium bill is to pass the Legislature this year, and the team is not happy.
"We were told by the governor's office that the Linden Avenue site is not viable at least in the short run," said team vice president Lester Bagley. "Vikings ownership is extremely frustrated with the situation."
He declined to say what if anything the team intends to do about its displeasure.
The Vikings' lease at the Metrodome expires Feb. 1, and team owners are asking for public money to replace a 30-year-old facility they say is no longer profitable enough compared with other NFL facilities. Fans fear that no new stadium could drive the team to another city.
Bagley said team owners Zygi and Mark Wilf might be meeting with the governor Wednesday to talk further about a stadium plan.
Said Dayton spokeswoman Katharine Tinucci: "We're only looking at negotiating the Metrodome now."
Tinucci said she didn't know what led Dayton to decide the Dome was the more practical option.
A call to Ted Mondale, Dayton's point man on stadium issues, was not returned Monday night.
Messages left with Rep. Morrie Lanning, the chief stadium negotiator in the House, were not returned either.
The 2012 legislative session begins today, and the stadium is a likely issue.
Church officials at the Basilica of St. Mary, next to the Linden Avenue site, have objected to having a stadium there, as has at least one business owner.
And there is some concern Minneapolis leaders would be reluctant to sell a city-owned portion of the site for a stadium.
Last week, the governor said all three main sites under consideration - a former army ammunition plant in Arden Hills, the team's current home at the Metrodome, and the Linden Avenue site - had potential drawbacks but that Linden Avenue would be preferable to the Dome.
The Vikings have said they prefer the Ramsey County proposal to build a $1.1 billion stadium in Arden Hills, but Dayton said that site faced significant obstacles, in particular lawmakers' reluctance to approve a countywide food and beverage tax without a voter referendum.
A substantial rehab of the Dome would require the Vikings to play in the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium for three years, which would mean financial and other hardships, team officials have said.
Ramsey County Commissioner Tony Bennett was more than disappointed upon hearing about Dayton's message to the team, noting the county has given two detailed proposals for the Arden Hills plan.
"We must be second-class citizens on our side of the river," Bennett said.
Minneapolis still faces challenges, he notes, with funding and a charter amendment in that city that limits money to a pro stadium to $10 million.
And "we still have not heard how the state is going to fund their portion," Bennett said. "A bad process beats a good proposal."
Arden Hills Mayor David Grant responded cautiously to the news.
"We'll have to wait and see what legislators come up with when they're in session," Grant said.
He added that he didn't want to comment on the governor's statement because he wasn't sure of its context.
The Metrodome plan was the least expensive - $918 million - of those proposed. That figure includes $11 million for improvements to TCF Bank Stadium to make it NFL ready.
Dayton's office, in reviewing the site last week, assumed a $428 million team contribution and $340 million from the state.
The Vikings have not said how much they would contribute to a stadium site other than Arden Hills.
Minneapolis' plan uses some tax revenue that now supports the convention center. Starting in 2016, the city would kick in $6.5 million annually (escalated by 3 percent a year) for 30 years, plus backing $150 million of the capital costs. That works out to $313 million in 2016 dollars, officials said.
The plan likely would need to be OK'd by the city council, and legislative intervention would be required to override the $10 million cap in the city charter.
The new stadium, as well as a renovated Target Center that's also part of the deal, would be owned and operated publicly by a new stadium authority.
The Associated Press and staff reporters Frederick Melo and Tad Vezner contributed to this report.
Updated: 01/24/2012 11:37:39 AM CST
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_19802650
The Metrodome about 90 minutes after the game when the Minnesota Vikings lost to the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, December 18, 2011 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. (Pioneer Press file photo: Chris Polydoroff)
Related
Gov. Mark Dayton told the owners of the Minnesota Vikings on Monday that the team's new stadium will have to be at the Metrodome site if a stadium bill is to pass the Legislature this year, and the team is not happy.
"We were told by the governor's office that the Linden Avenue site is not viable at least in the short run," said team vice president Lester Bagley. "Vikings ownership is extremely frustrated with the situation."
He declined to say what if anything the team intends to do about its displeasure.
The Vikings' lease at the Metrodome expires Feb. 1, and team owners are asking for public money to replace a 30-year-old facility they say is no longer profitable enough compared with other NFL facilities. Fans fear that no new stadium could drive the team to another city.
Bagley said team owners Zygi and Mark Wilf might be meeting with the governor Wednesday to talk further about a stadium plan.
Said Dayton spokeswoman Katharine Tinucci: "We're only looking at negotiating the Metrodome now."
Tinucci said she didn't know what led Dayton to decide the Dome was the more practical option.
A call to Ted Mondale, Dayton's point man on stadium issues, was not returned Monday night.
Messages left with Rep. Morrie Lanning, the chief stadium negotiator in the House, were not returned either.
The 2012 legislative session begins today, and the stadium is a likely issue.
Church officials at the Basilica of St. Mary, next to the Linden Avenue site, have objected to having a stadium there, as has at least one business owner.
And there is some concern Minneapolis leaders would be reluctant to sell a city-owned portion of the site for a stadium.
Last week, the governor said all three main sites under consideration - a former army ammunition plant in Arden Hills, the team's current home at the Metrodome, and the Linden Avenue site - had potential drawbacks but that Linden Avenue would be preferable to the Dome.
The Vikings have said they prefer the Ramsey County proposal to build a $1.1 billion stadium in Arden Hills, but Dayton said that site faced significant obstacles, in particular lawmakers' reluctance to approve a countywide food and beverage tax without a voter referendum.
A substantial rehab of the Dome would require the Vikings to play in the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium for three years, which would mean financial and other hardships, team officials have said.
Ramsey County Commissioner Tony Bennett was more than disappointed upon hearing about Dayton's message to the team, noting the county has given two detailed proposals for the Arden Hills plan.
"We must be second-class citizens on our side of the river," Bennett said.
Minneapolis still faces challenges, he notes, with funding and a charter amendment in that city that limits money to a pro stadium to $10 million.
And "we still have not heard how the state is going to fund their portion," Bennett said. "A bad process beats a good proposal."
Arden Hills Mayor David Grant responded cautiously to the news.
"We'll have to wait and see what legislators come up with when they're in session," Grant said.
He added that he didn't want to comment on the governor's statement because he wasn't sure of its context.
The Metrodome plan was the least expensive - $918 million - of those proposed. That figure includes $11 million for improvements to TCF Bank Stadium to make it NFL ready.
Dayton's office, in reviewing the site last week, assumed a $428 million team contribution and $340 million from the state.
The Vikings have not said how much they would contribute to a stadium site other than Arden Hills.
Minneapolis' plan uses some tax revenue that now supports the convention center. Starting in 2016, the city would kick in $6.5 million annually (escalated by 3 percent a year) for 30 years, plus backing $150 million of the capital costs. That works out to $313 million in 2016 dollars, officials said.
The plan likely would need to be OK'd by the city council, and legislative intervention would be required to override the $10 million cap in the city charter.
The new stadium, as well as a renovated Target Center that's also part of the deal, would be owned and operated publicly by a new stadium authority.
The Associated Press and staff reporters Frederick Melo and Tad Vezner contributed to this report.