Stadium Saga Part XI - Saga is Over, Time for Celebration

[Bermuda Viking]

[vikingsrule]

how much say does the state/city have over the design the Vikings put forth. Will there be another battle regarding that, or does the bill basically allow the Vikes to do as they please within the budget?

[Bermuda Viking]

It appears they have carte blanche within budget. The Wilfs wouldnt do anything offensive, so whilst Minny input is welcome it will have little say. That is just my opinion.
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I love the Vikings.

[Klomp]

[Klomp]

[vikingsrule]

[vike daddy]

After the Minneapolis City Council gave final approval on Friday to funding a new Vikings stadium downtown, fans in face paint and Vikings shirts rushed into Mayor R.T. Rybak's office to serve him Grain Belt beer in a giant drinking horn. Another professional sports team also had a reason to cheer: the Timberwolves.

The 7-6 vote cemented a plan years in the making to redirect at least $60 million in sales taxes toward renovations of the city-owned Target Center, home of the state's NBA team. The 22-year-old facility has struggled to compete with the younger Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and is viewed by many on the council as a costly boondoggle.

The deal also will cover the annual debt and operating obligations on the building, which altogether will free up money in the city's budget that can be used for property tax relief.

http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/153642825.html
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[Vikefan79]

The black guy there wearing the Peterson jersey supposedly has been a huge fixture in the lobbying for the the stadium. I have no idea who he is or what he does.
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[vike daddy]

[vike daddy]

The next step will be for Dayton and Rybak to appoint a five-member committee to the “stadium authority,” which will oversee the operation of the stadium. Rybak will appoint two members to the committee. And now the Vikings, who will sign a 30-year lease, will be in Minnesota for at least another generation.

Vikings spokesperson Jeff Anderson: “It’s just an absolute moment of relief. This is a big moment, an exciting moment, but now we turn our attention to building it. We’ve got four years. We want this thing to open on time in 2016. The hard work just starts now.”

http://min.scout.com/2/1189689.html
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[ProudHorn]

[disaacs]

Back in 1995, after the original owners of the T-Wolves, Harv and Marv, threatened to sell the team to the boxing promoter Bob Arum (who was planning to move the team to New Orleans), they ended up having to sell Target Center to the city who assumed its' debt.

And in fact, ProudHorn is incorrect, Target Center has not yet been paid off (they still owe $55M on a $80M bond from 1995). Part of this bill is going to pay down the Target Center's debt and also provide funding for renovations. The decision to purchase the Target Center and its' debt back in 1995 was a terrible financial decision (as can be seen from the money still owed).
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Thx to Uncle Buck!

[vike daddy]

President Barack Obama was in the Twin Cities over the weekend and, as part of his remarks, took time to praise those who championed the Vikings stadium effort. Those are big words coming from a Bears fan.

http://min.scout.com/2/1191854.html
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[vike daddy]

With the legislative battle now history, the first major step toward erecting a downtown Minneapolis stadium for the Minnesota Vikings came Thursday when Gov. Mark Dayton appointed one of his top aides to oversee development of the nearly $1 billion project.

Dayton named Michele Kelm-Helgen, his deputy chief of staff for legislative affairs, as chairwoman for the newly created five-member Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority. The authority, which could meet publicly for the first time as early as next week, will work in step with the Vikings on nearly every phase of a massive construction project that promises to reshape the downtown skyline for decades.

Joining Kelm-Helgen on the newly created authority are:

•John Griffith, 50, executive vice president of property development for Target Corp., who lobbied the Minneapolis City Council and state legislators in recent months in support of the stadium financing deal.

•Duane Benson, 66, a former NFL linebacker, state legislator and GOP Senate minority leader from Lanesboro, Minn., who served as executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership from 1994 to 2003. While there, Benson worked with Lester Bagley, who is now a Vikings vice president.

•Bill McCarthy, president of the AFL-CIO Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation.

•Barbara Butts-Williams, 63, dean of the School of Education at Capella University, Minneapolis.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/159087675.html
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[disaacs]

I was hoping that there would be at least 1 name I'd recognize.
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Thx to Uncle Buck!