Although 2012 is an election year for Minnesota legislators, it’s likely a Vikings stadium bill will be approved in the coming weeks.
That’s the opinion of an experienced stadium authority who spoke to Sports Headliners this week with the understanding his name would not be used. There’s public pessimism a stadium deal won’t get done not only because the controversial issue has been pending for more than a decade, but also state legislators are up for re-election in November.
Maybe some legislators will be concerned about voting for a stadium bill and then going back to face angry voters in their home districts but that possibility didn’t remove the optimism of the stadium source. “If the governor wants to get something done, normally we can get…it done,” the authority said.
Vikings stadium proponents pushed the issue in front of governors Arne Carlson, Jesse Ventura and Tim Pawlenty, but only Mark Dayton has been aggressively supportive. Dayton is advocating a downtown facility that the source said is likely to have a permanent, not retractable roof. Given the minimal need for outdoor events including Vikings games, the source said he didn’t know why stadium planners would “go to the expense” of having a retractable roof that would add another $25 million to the project.
Dayton has reportedly persuaded the Vikings to commit about $427 million for a new stadium on or near the Metrodome site. It’s a figure similar to what the Vikings had talked about spending on their preferred site at Arden Hills. “That’s pretty significant,” the source said.
Funding details for a downtown stadium costing about $975 million remain unsettled, although it appears Dayton is favorable toward sourcing part of the cost from electronic pull-tabs. Although that represents an expansion of gambling, the source said it’s a move more politically acceptable than other gaming options.
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