Vikings Message Board.Com

Raptorman wrote:I knew somehow they would shoot down the Arden Hills site. It makes to much sense to build a stadium in the open area that needs to be developed.

State Sen. John Marty, a Roseville DFLer who opposes public funding for a Vikings stadium, is accusing Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission Chair Ted Mondale of trimming the facts to win the team a bigger stadium subsidy.

In a letter sent to Mondale late last week and released Monday, Marty accuses Mondale of "lobbying for that subsidy, instead of representing the public interest and working to negotiate a privately financed stadium."

Mondale could not be reached for comment. The stadium commission he has chaired for the last year owns and operates the Metrodome on the public's behalf.

In the letter, Marty writes that Mondale used percentages from a Vikings consultant at a December legislative presentation that suggested public funding has accounted for more than half the spending on recent NFL stadiums. Dollar figures used by Mondale in the same presentation prove otherwise, Marty says.

Such "selective use of numbers shows up at other places as well, in a manner designed to make a large public subsidy appear more acceptable," Marty writes.

For instance, he writes, the stadium commission used information that left out the fact that the Carolina Panthers built a stadium on public land in 1996 with private funding.

Marty also took issue with a statement he attributes to Mondale that every NFL city that has lost a football team has later paid three or four times more to get a team back. That's not true of Los Angeles, he says, where business interests are competing to build a privately-financed stadium.

Marty long has long one of the Legislature's most vocal opponents of public subsidies for pro sports facilities.

dead_poet wrote:Marty accuses Mondale of bias for public stadium funding
http://www.startribune.com/politics/sta ... 53228.html

Marty also took issue with a statement he attributes to Mondale that every NFL city that has lost a football team has later paid three or four times more to get a team back. That's not true of Los Angeles, he says, where business interests are competing to build a privately-financed stadium.

The Vikings and the State of Minnesota continue working toward finding a stadium solution that will keep the Vikings in Minnesota. While the Vikings believe that Arden Hills is the ideal stadium location, the club has been asked by State Leaders to assist the City of Minneapolis with its site analysis and due diligence.

In a letter from Owner/President Mark Wilf to Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Council President Barbara Johnson, the Vikings have followed up with the City of Minneapolis on the City’s state preference for a building a new stadium at the Metrodome site.

Building a new stadium at the current Metrodome site would require the Vikings to play three seasons at TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota, and the letter from Wilf to the City lays out costs that would be associated with this move, including: TCF Bank Stadium Revenue Limitations; Capital Improvements to TCF Bank Stadium; and NFL Program Requirements at Metrodome.

In summary, there would be $67 million in additional costs associated with building a new stadium at the current Metrodome site, and thus relocating the Vikings home games to TCF Bank Stadium. In the letter, Wilf also references disruptions to the football team, fans, sponsors and partners, as well as the potential challenges created for University of Minnesota neighborhoods during the three-year period in which the Vikings would play home games on campus.

Governor Dayton has asked the City of Minneapolis to submit a stadium proposal by January 12, 2012.

"The $67 million in costs identified above bring the total costs to build at the Metrodome site to $962 million."

dead_poet wrote:If true, the proposed "ideal" spot at Arden Hills costs (I believe) a proposed $1.057 billion. I'm an Arden Hills supporter so I'm a bit bias but the cost savings to me aren't significant enough to see much benefit to the Metrodome site over Arden Hills. YMMV.

New Shakopee mayor wants #Vikings to build down there, notes success of RenFest etc. Shakopee mayor plans afternoon newser at state Cap to discuss #Vikings. Working with @savethevikes

smoothoperator wrote:good luck with that one shakopee.

PurpleMustReign wrote: Where were all these cities three years ago? Morons.

From what I hear, Ramsey County and Shakopee stadium proposals both will be dead on arrival. Look for #Vikings to push Basilica site hard. The key will be figuring out in Minneapolis' financing idea will work. If it does, city will push Dome site and #Vikings will push Basilica. Look for the governor to rule out RamCo and Shakopee, choose Minneapolis and then take until the session begins to hear both arguments.

Yes and I still think it ends up on the Dome site. RT @kevingustafson: @TomPelissero Do you think the stadium deal gets done.,

Ramsey County’s Minnesota Vikings stadium plan increased by $75 million the state and county contributions to the proposed fixed-roof facility in Arden Hills.

The overall cost of the stadium would also increase from $1.57 billion, mainly because the proposal now incorporates the estimated $101 million in upgrades to surrounding roadways.

The county would now contribute $375 million and the state would pay $350 million. Ramsey County would issue bonds and pay them off through increased food, beverage and on-sale liquor taxes. The origins of the state contribution remain undetermined.

The county submitted and updated development agreement, reached overnight, with the Vikings that holds the team’s contribute at $425 million.

The 148-page report also lays out arguments for why the former munitions site offers the best development opportunity. For example, the stadium would be built on 230 acres, but the surrounding 170 acres would be available for team owner Zygi Wilf to develop.

County Finance Director Lee Mehrkens said the estimated value of the developed land surrounding the stadium would be $232 million. That would generate $6.6 million annually in local property taxes as well as $3 million annually in state property taxes that could be used to finance debt on the stadium.

The deal would set up a public entity, the stadium authority, to oversee operations by the Vikings, who would contract with a third-party operator to run the facility.

The county and Mehrkens say the proposal is the most thorough because it would build a stadium, cleanup a SuperFund site, add jobs and increase the tax base.

The stadium would have 21,000 parking spaces and 65,000 seats with the possibility to expand to 72,000.

The team would sign a 30-year lease and be responsible for cost overruns in the construction of the stadium and surrounded infrastructure.