The Twins and the Gopher football team get new digs

[miami_fan]

Given the Marlins' stadium struggles, I have become facinated with the funding and politics that accompany new sports stadiums.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/14630534.htm

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/politics/14634763.htm

[Joe]

about damn time. I hope they don't really jack up the fees on students though.

[Sweed]

about damn time. I hope they don't really jack up the fees on students though.

GWB as a Minnesotan do you think the Twins deal will sail through the senate?
I sure hope so.

I'd love to be able to attend outdoor games again in the Cities.
The only outdoor game my son has ever been to has been at Wrigley but thats an 8 hour drive or so compared to 3 hours and we are at the dome.

Signed,
Sweed an oldtimer that misses The Met.

[Joe]

GWB as a Minnesotan do you think the Twins deal will sail through the senate?
I sure hope so.

I'd love to be able to attend outdoor games again in the Cities.
The only outdoor game my son has ever been to has been at Wrigley but thats an 8 hour drive or so compared to 3 hours and we are at the dome.

Signed,
Sweed an oldtimer that misses The Met.

It passed by 2 votes already, so its good to go.

[Joe]

that is if Pawlenty signs it, which he said he will.

[duckman]

The sales tax goes to a public referendum? Correct?

[Joe]

The sales tax goes to a public referendum? Correct?

Not exactly.


The Twins bill allows Hennepin County to levy a new sales tax of 3 cents on a $20 purchase to pay for the Warehouse District ballpark and infrastructure. Although state law requires a local referendum vote on any new sales tax, the Twins tax is exempt from that requirement.

[sovereignstar]

about damn time.

damn str8

I hope they don't really jack up the fees on students though.

I'm pretty sure that's going to happen.

[Hurst2112]

If I am not mistaken, the new twins stadium is going to be right next to the city incinerator. That's almost too funny. Guess it's a great place to have a stadium. then you can't blame the twins for stinking up tha joint.

ba-da bom!

[Hurst2112]

I hope this works...

From the map, I think it's slated for that parking lot northwest of the Target Center.

http://www.google.com/maphp?hl=en&q=&t=h&om=1&ll=44.980889,-93.277102&spn=0.008667,0.023346

[Hurst2112]

dola:

you can see with this one that the new stadium will be on the other side of downtown from the dome. what is funny is that the lightrail (train to nowhere) stops about 3 blocks short of the new location. They have a station at the dome but will probably have to extend the tracks towards the new stadium.

http://www.google.com/maphp?hl=en&q=&t=k&om=1&ll=44.977534,-93.268754&spn=0.017334,0.046692

[sovereignstar]

If I am not mistaken, the new twins stadium is going to be right next to the city incinerator. That's almost too funny. Guess it's a great place to have a stadium. then you can't blame the twins for stinking up tha joint.

ba-da bom!

I've heard from someone that lives very close to the incinerator and they said you can't smell a thing.

[Hurst2112]

I've heard from someone that lives very close to the incinerator and they said you can't smell a thing.

Yeah, from my time working near there and living here in town for 6 years, I have never smelled it either.

Course, something will stink around those parts in 5 years. ;)

What will be interesting is how they will handle the homeless shelters around there. The little spike in crime in that part of town would probably be addressed by more police (as it is starting to be now).

[Passacaglia]

Good news -- now they won't have to move the Michigan game to Friday night again!

But seriously, I'm glad to hear this. The less domes the better. So no changes for the Vikings?

[Cards4ever]

Good news -- now they won't have to move the Michigan game to Friday night again!

But seriously, I'm glad to hear this. The less domes the better. So no changes for the Vikings?


The Twins should have gone for a retractable roof, it's the first thing they will cry about once they get their new stadium.

Vikings are still on the waiting list but eventually they will get their retractable roof stadium in Anoka county.

[Joe]

damn str8



I'm pretty sure that's going to happen.

yeah me too. i'm glad it happened after I graduated because of that fact

[sovereignstar]

The Twins should have gone for a retractable roof, it's the first thing they will cry about once they get their new stadium.

A ballpark doesn't have anything retractable. And they are building a ballpark. :)

[mckerney]

Vikings are still on the waiting list but eventually they will get their retractable roof stadium in Anoka county.

I can't see the Vikings not getting a stadium deal done in the next couple years with Zygi pledging a billion dollar development around the stadium. And they'll definitely get a retractable roof because Anoka county wants one, though the Vikings have said they don't intend ever playing with the roof closed.

[sovereignstar]

I can't see the Vikings not getting a stadium deal done in the next couple years with Zygi pledging a billion dollar development around the stadium. And they'll definitely get a retractable roof because Anoka county wants one, though the Vikings have said they don't intend ever playing with the roof closed.

It would kick ass if Zygi and others could bring MLS soccer to the cities.

[Cards4ever]

A ballpark doesn't have anything retractable. And they are building a ballpark. :)

I appreciate all the tradition stuff of the great outdoors, etc. The fact is, these days doubleheaders are not the norm, they play in the rain or they play the day night doubleheaders that you pay for each game anyway and the Twin Cities market is football first and if the Twins are playing well, then they go to games, so they kill the walkup in April, May and September, when the simple solution is to have a retractable roof. I don't understand why anyone would not want to take advantage of modern technology in non-traditional baseball market like Minnesota. The Twins have such a shitty lease that they will take anything to get out of the Metrodome, as glad as I am that this insures that my daughter will have a stadium/ballpark to go to watch Major League Baseball, part of me knows this is not what the Twins should be building. They shouldn't be building something that someone will go to once a year during June July or August, they should be building something that can maximize revenue opportunities, insure the outstate ticket market and something that in 25 years the Twins cant bitch about.

[Cards4ever]

I can't see the Vikings not getting a stadium deal done in the next couple years with Zygi pledging a billion dollar development around the stadium. And they'll definitely get a retractable roof because Anoka county wants one, though the Vikings have said they don't intend ever playing with the roof closed.

It will also insure that stuff like the Final Four continues to come to the Twin Cities and also for Stadium Concert things.

[Godzilla Blitz]

I appreciate all the tradition stuff of the great outdoors, etc. The fact is, these days doubleheaders are not the norm, they play in the rain or they play the day night doubleheaders that you pay for each game anyway and the Twin Cities market is football first and if the Twins are playing well, then they go to games, so they kill the walkup in April, May and September, when the simple solution is to have a retractable roof. I don't understand why anyone would not want to take advantage of modern technology in non-traditional baseball market like Minnesota. The Twins have such a shitty lease that they will take anything to get out of the Metrodome, as glad as I am that this insures that my daughter will have a stadium/ballpark to go to watch Major League Baseball, part of me knows this is not what the Twins should be building. They shouldn't be building something that someone will go to once a year during June July or August, they should be building something that can maximize revenue opportunities, insure the outstate ticket market and something that in 25 years the Twins cant bitch about.

Yup. Excellent points. I agree with you, but if you give me the choice, as a fan, between an outdoor stadium and a dome, I'd take the stadium. I can't stand the Metrodome when the weather is nice.

But with Minnesota weather they are going to really hurt for crowds in April and September (if they aren't in playoff contention).

[Ryche]

Yeah, those games in April and September will be pretty cold. But they've done it for decades in Boston and Chicago so I'm not too concerned about it. I don't think the benefits of a retractable roof are worth 100+ million.

So glad this is finally done. I honestly didn't think it would happen. I figured the Twins would eventually leave, after which everyone would panic and do whatever was necessary to keep the Vikings. Good to see the legislature finally step up, even if all they did was give a county the authority to raise a tax without a vote. With the precedent set, hopefully it will be easier to do the same for the Vikings next year.

I'm guessing the upcoming election will act as a referendum on stadium supporting candidates, especially in Anoka County. It will be much easier for the legislature to approve the Vikings stadium if legislators and county commissioners from Anoka County that support the stadium are elected.

[sovereignstar]

ensure

[Cards4ever]

Yeah, those games in April and September will be pretty cold. But they've done it for decades in Boston and Chicago so I'm not too concerned about it. I don't think the benefits of a retractable roof are worth 100+ million.




Boston and Chicago are traditional baseball markets, all they have to do is open the gates and they draw about 2 million.

[Ryche]

Wasn't saying that they will sell out those April or September games without a winner. But I don't think they'll be getting that many fewer fans than they would with a retractable roof. My point was outdoors baseball can be played in those months. Colorado or Cleveland probably would have been better examples.