Stadium discussion

[marshallb]

Vikings and Ramsey County Announce Stadium Deal

[Crazy_Chris]

Thank god, now this get this mother ****** through the legislature... Nice to see the Vikes give up some more money in the deal too.

[vikes_28]

Woo! It excites me that this is almost done.

[The_Dude]

except that Chris Coleman is a giant douche....

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ium-is-unfair/

Previously, St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman had said nothing about the deal that would put the new Vikings stadium in his county — and that would subject his city to a one-half percent sales tax aimed at covering the county’s portion of the total financial package. His silence spoke volumes.

Now, Coleman has said something other than nothing, and he apparently wants nothing to do with a proposal that imposes a significant burden on the county that has the privilege of hosting the building in which the Vikings’ home games will be played. Thou he has yet to take an official position, he called the imposition of a sales tax by Ramsey County an “unfair burden,” according to Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“People in Virginia [Minnesota] watch the Vikings on TV. People in Mankato are eating buffalo wings and drinking beer on Sunday [and watching the games],” Coleman said.

Still, Coleman favors the concept of building a stadium. “I start with the premise the Vikings are an important asset. We’ve got to find a way to keep them here,” Coleman said.

Coleman said he won’t take an official position on the proposal until he has more time to study it. “I need to know those numbers,” Coleman said. “What are they asking the residents and the people shopping in St. Paul to pay? What are the benefits of the Arden Hills site to St. Paul? . . . The fact that it’s not in Minneapolis is not a reason to support something in Ramsey County.”

Coleman prefers a statewide one-cent or two-cent tax on beer and liquor sales to fund the project.

Though Coleman has no direct power over the question of whether the Legislature will or won’t pass a bill imposing the sales tax in Ramsey County, Coleman’s position would give extra ammunition to the opponents of the move, and possibly nudge some fence-sitters toward not supporting the project.

[The_Dude]

I guess that i should have added that i am in favor of a state-wide tax increase for this stadium. Regardless of my opinion of the mayor of St. Paul, it is silly to ask the residents of Ramsey county (which i am not one of) to carry the largest burden of this project.

I would also like to see the Vikings pony up over half of the $ since Zigy is going to be reaping the benefits of this huge complex. It won't be just the stadium. And where is the NFL in all of this stadium ****. As a multi-billion dollar a year industry, they should be contributing to the construction of facilities that will only make them MORE money downthe line. .....but i am not holding my breath on either of these points.

Just get it done already!

[russie]

minneapolis trying to kill the arden hills plan:

http://www.dailynorseman.com/2011/5/...olis#storyjump

[russie]

Vikings stadium foes may have found a key loophole

Posted by Mike Florio on May 16, 2011, 8:33 PM EDT

AP
With the Minnesota Legislature only one week away from ending its 2011 session and with the current proposal hinging on a local contribution to the project raised without a public vote that surely would fail, opponents of the stadium believe they’ve found a way to avoid the effort to avoid a vote.

Heron Marquez Estrada of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that a new group of stadium foes, NoVikingsTax.com, believes that the “charter” nature of Minneapolis and Ramsey County permits a referendum on any local efforts to raise money via raise taxes to be placed onto a public ballot, if at least 10 percent of all registered voters sign a petition to that effect.

“We could usurp their usurpation,” said Chris David, head of the group.

It’s the kind of issue that seems destined for litigation, which could serve only to slow the project down even more.

Either way, the folks in Minnesota need to make a decision, and they need to make it soon. If they want to keep the Vikings, they need to find a way to build a stadium with a fair and appropriate public contribution to a venue that will benefit the public in various ways, including hosting a Super Bowl and other projects that will generate tax revenue and business activity. If they don’t want to keep the Vikings, then they need to do the same thing they’ve done for the last decade or longer — nothing.

[Crazy_Chris]

Originally Posted by The_Dude

I guess that i should have added that i am in favor of a state-wide tax increase for this stadium. Regardless of my opinion of the mayor of St. Paul, it is silly to ask the residents of Ramsey county (which i am not one of) to carry the largest burden of this project.

I would also like to see the Vikings pony up over half of the $ since Zigy is going to be reaping the benefits of this huge complex. It won't be just the stadium. And where is the NFL in all of this stadium ****. As a multi-billion dollar a year industry, they should be contributing to the construction of facilities that will only make them MORE money downthe line. .....but i am not holding my breath on either of these points.

Just get it done already!

They had a stadium fund program that ended with the CBA. I am sure that the new CBA will include it aswell...

This recent wave of news isn't sounding good, I am hoping that can get this thing finished.


Edit: Wonder just how much they will give

ST. PAUL, Minn. — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he’ll reveal details in the next few days about the league’s contribution toward a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings.

Goodell met Tuesday in St. Paul with Gov. Mark Dayton and the legislators sponsoring a stadium bill.

The Vikings prefer a $1.1 billion stadium in Arden Hills, but there’s dispute over how much it will cost to build roads to the site and who will pay for them. Dayton and some legislators say the state won’t pay any more than $300 million for a stadium project.

Goodell, when asked if he could envision a scenario in which the team would leave Minnesota, said he thought the commitment was there to get something done and that he thinks that will ensure the success of the Vikings.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports...p5G_story.html

[russie]

Report: Vikings management met with AEG officials on Tuesday

Posted by Mike Florio on May 26, 2011, 7:36 PM EDT

Buried near the bottom of the latest mish-mash of rumors and speculation from Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press appears an item that probably should have appeared on the front page, above the fold.

Per Walters: “Spotted at the W Hotel in downtown Minneapolis on Tuesday night were members of Vikings owner Zygi Wilf’s management and stadium development team meeting with LA Live! honcho Tim Leiweke and his AEG team that is considering a stadium for Los Angeles.”

That’s big stuff. Far bigger than something that should be nestled below gems like a kid from Winona State visiting the Golden Gophers’ football program last week and the local WNBA team drawing 2,055 fans for an exhibition game.

With the Vikings poised to become free agents after the 2011 season, it’s no surprise that the folks from AEG would want to talk — or that the Vikings would want to listen. As each day goes by without the Vikings having a deal in place to build a new stadium in Minnesota, the chances that they’ll follow the Lakers to L.A. increase.

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[Crazy_Chris]

This needs to be shown on tv constantly in minnesota until the stadium situation gets resolved.

[The_Dude]

**** yeah!

Officials with the White Earth Tribe will announce Thursday morning a plan to build a metro-area tribal casino with the state that would help pay for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium.

According to the tribe's "Minnesota Wins" website, backers say the casino would generate enough revenue to pay the public's share of a new stadium without new taxes. White Earth officials say they've already secured financing for development and construction.

A news conference will be held Thursday morning at the State Capitol to provide more details.

Under the proposal to be released, revenue from the casino would be split equally between the state and the tribe, which would use it for housing,economic development, health care and education. The casino would pay property and sales taxes.

After the stadium is paid off, revenues would continue to go to the state. The state would regulate and audit the casino, which is not the case with tribal casinos generally.

Officials estimate that construction of the casino would create 2,500 jobs and that operations would create as many as 2,000 new and permanent jobs.

At a Senate hearing in December, Erma Vizenor of the White Earth Tribal Council first brought the proposal before policymakers. She said that a tribal casino adjacent to an Arden Hills stadium would raise $300 million yearly.

The White Earth reservation, located in northwestern Minnesota, is the state's largest and most populous with more than 20,000 band members. The tribe runs the Shooting Star casino in Mahnomen.

Pure brillance if they do build a casino & the stadium complex both in/near Arden Hills.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/...139378093.html

[The_Dude]

**** yeah pt 2:

Governor Mark Dayton delivered his annual state of the state address on Wednesday night. And one of the obvious topics was the state of a stadium for the NFL team that eventually could head to another state.

According to the Associated Press, Dayton said that the politicians “may be getting close to a site, a deal and a bill.”

Each of those three prongs is critical to building a new stadium. The site has shifted over time and currently seems to be a location near the Metrodome, which would involve minimal movement of games to TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota while the new venue is constructed.

The deal entails a combination of money from the Vikings and the league, along with public contributions divided between the state and the city/county hosting the stadium. The source of the public money remains a point of contention and debate.

Ultimately, the deal needs to be reduced to a bill that would be passed by an election-year legislature that represents a populace that has been cool, at best, to the idea of using any public funds to build a new football stadium.

Because the Vikings are now essentially stuck in Minnesota for 2012, given that the team didn’t file paperwork with the league office indicating an intent to relocate before the February 15 deadline, the challenge ultimately will be to persuade lawmakers to support a measure that would allow their opponents to use the ballot box in November as an after-the-fact stadium referendum.

That fact alone makes it more likely that this project won’t be finalized until next year, at the earliest.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...-may-be-close/

[Crazy_Chris]

Originally Posted by The_Dude

**** yeah!






Pure brillance if they do build a casino & the stadium complex both in/near Arden Hills.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/...139378093.html

It's too bad some of the morons in office are seemingly trying to make the Vikes stay in Minneapolis. Because that proposal makes a lot of sense.

[The_Dude]

**** yeah! pt 3:

HomePoliticsHot Dish Blog

With an insider’s eye, Hot Dish tracks the tastiest bits of Minnesota’s political scene and keep you up-to-date on those elected to serve you.

Contributors in Minnesota: Jennifer Brooks, Baird Helgeson, Mike Kaszuba, Patricia Lopez, Jim Ragsdale, Brad Schrade and Rachel E. Stassen-Berger. Contributor in D.C.: Kevin Diaz.
resize text subscribe via RSSSources: Vikings, state, Minneapolis have preliminary stadium deal
Posted by: Mike Kaszuba under Funding, Minnesota governor, Gov. Mark Dayton, Minnesota legislature, Minnesota state senators, State budgets Updated: February 17, 2012 - 4:15 PM
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By ROCHELLE OLSON AND MIKE KASZUBA



Minneapolis, the state and the Minnesota Vikings have reached preliminary agreement on the division of costs for a $975 million stadium on a site at or near the 30-year-old Metrodome, according to multiple sources who spoke Friday on condition of anonymity.

The city would contribute $150 million in construction costs to the downtown Minneapolis project. The state would pay $398 million and the Vikings would pay $427 million. The city also would pay approximately $180 million in operating costs over the next 30 years, the sources said.

The sources close to negotiations spoke on condition they not be identified. They added that details such as cost overruns remain to be worked out, but an announcement is anticipated next week.

Vikings vice president Lester Bagley declined to comment Friday on the numbers, but said “there is no agreement. Everything is subject to negotiations. We’re working hard on an agreement, but we’re not there yet.”

If the preliminary agreement holds, it is only the beginning. The package would need to pass the Legislature and likely the Minneapolis City Council – neither of which is assured. The National Football League would also have to approve the agreement.

The legislative session hits the midway point next week and, with the Republican majority talking of adjourning in late April, stadium supporters have worried that there will simply not be enough time this spring to win approval at the state Capitol.

Renovations to the Target Center are not part of the deal, but the city would be allowed to use hospitality taxes for that project, the sources said. Mayor R.T. Rybak initially proposed including Target Center upgrades and renovations in the deal, but that has not been well received at the Legislature.

On Thursday, a House panel in fact discussed eliminating a series of city hospitality taxes – a move that was seen in some circles as a way to pressure the City Council to support a stadium agreement.

City Council President Barbara Johnson, along with a spokesman for Rybak, said Friday they would not comment on the agreement until details were made public.

Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, the chief House author of stadium legislation, said Friday he had not yet seen the dollar amounts – and said he was “perturbed” that they were being released before key legislators were briefed. “I can’t confirm or comment on the numbers that I haven’t seen,” he said.

But Lanning said that removing Target Center directly from a Vikings stadium agreement would likely help sway votes towards the stadium project. “Target Center being included in this complicates the whole deal,” he said. “If, in fact, they’re not, then that would avoid some complication.”

Lanning however reiterated that he had not been told whether the Target Center renovations and refinancing had been removed from the stadium agreement.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/...139543818.html

Getting closer at least. The Minneapolis City Council will be the hardest part of this process.

[vikes_28]

Looks like a deal is done. Sad that it is a fixed roof and not a retractable.

http://www.vikings.com/news/article-...3-dfe6d6c4b8fb

[yo123]

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/9...s%7Cbc%7Clarge

It's definitely not done yet. I'm so sick of the constant "It's almost done" ******** that I'm not celebrating until the ground is broken.

[The_Dude]

I still think that the Minneapolis City Council is going to be the big hang up. They require a vote of Minneapolis residents for any sports facility funding over $10 million.

I also like how they have referred to this as "The People's Stadium".... yeah, right. Nice sell job.

We are getting really close to finishing this off, but i'm with you, yo. No celebrating until it is a done deal.

[J-Mike88]

Recap all this schit for me.
Is it a done deal, and if so, when will the thing be built? Where?

It should be a retractable dome by the way.
If the Cardinals and Cowboys can do that in the south, and the Brewers in the north, why the hell can't Minnesota do it?

[The_Dude]

Read the posts above....

[vikes_28]

Sounds like the Vikings have chosen an architect for the design of the stadium. They went with the same people who designed Lucas Oil and Cowboys stadium

[prock]

Dope.

[vikes_28]

holy ****!!!

[The Dynasty]

Originally Posted by prock

Dope.

I saw that on reddit yesterday.. that's awesome if thats how its gonna look.. Dallas Stadium but better haha.

[marshallb]

Damn. If that's how the stadium actually looks, I might blow my load just looking at it. That's just ******* insane. Like 8858943651394651976316758974327598277174 times better than the dome.