Stadium Special Session Shot Down (Minneapolis, Duluth: living, prices, bus)

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

It's obvious you have never been in the dome for a Vikings football game.

I second Ghengis!!

This list of things that could be improved over the current dome is a LOOOONNNNNNGGGG one. I can't think of one positive thing about the current dome. The place totally sucks and has been rated as one of the worst major league sports facilities in the country for any sport.

And no I am not talking luxury suites.

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by golfgal

If they build a domeless stadium, the metrodome will continue to exist to have a venue for organizations that use the dome the 360 days of the year that the Vikings are not there.

Another reason I think they should look at a cheaper open air stadium. Keep the dome for the indoor events.

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by TimtheGuy

Another reason I think they should look at a cheaper open air stadium. Keep the dome for the indoor events.

exactly!

New England's Gillette Stadium also hosts an MSL team, charges $40 for Patriots Parking and was built for $325 Million in 2002, Wikispeedia calls that $397 Million in 2012 dollars, I'm not convinced of that but, even so....

(all pics from Wiki Gillette Stadium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Le_Gillette_Stadium_.jpg (broken link)

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

It's obvious you have never been in the dome for a Vikings football game.

Actually I have been to games at the old met and the dome. I don't like the dome either, but I think it is rather silly to go on about how much the dome sucks, then advocate another dome stadium.

I like the post you made on what they built in Boston. If it works there, it could work here. We are talking 1/3 the cost of proposal in Arden Hills. It does seem difficult to believe it could be built today for $400M though. Still, it does bring a more sane aspect to the entire discussion.

[golfgal]

We will never host a Superbowl if we don't have a domed stadium.

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by golfgal

We will never host a Superbowl if we don't have a domed stadium.

I thought you were an advocate of the Cold-Home Field advantage? While I go back and forth on this, with all things considered, I would rather we play in another one than host another one.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by knke0204

I'm not expecting any change, but this mess just shows how big of a joke we are. Let's just get it done. We're not on the same page as Fargo, Omaha and Des Moines, so why don't we act like it?

While it's all fine and good to say things like "We're not on the same page as...", what does that even really mean? That because those are cities typically known as boring and because they don't have football teams, those two equate? And so somehow the state wrangling over how to build a stadium with a ~$600 million subsidy makes us one of those boring cities?

Originally Posted by golfgal

If they build a domeless stadium, the metrodome will continue to exist to have a venue for organizations that use the dome the 360 days of the year that the Vikings are not there.

They pretty much determined the Dome would be a total loss if the Vikings left. Upkeep would be far more expensive. So it's pretty much a guarantee that if the Vikings leave, the Dome will be shuttered and eventually destroyed. I'm not necessarily opposed (I am fairly site neutral), but let's not pretend moving it will just magically leave this stadium that everyone thinks is crappy for use for every other event with no consequences.

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by xandrex

...They pretty much determined the Dome would be a total loss if the Vikings left. Upkeep would be far more expensive. So it's pretty much a guarantee that if the Vikings leave, the Dome will be shuttered and eventually destroyed. I'm not necessarily opposed (I am fairly site neutral), but let's not pretend moving it will just magically leave this stadium that everyone thinks is crappy for use for every other event with no consequences.

The operating expenses for the dome run about $10 mil/yr and a majority of that relate to the Viking's operations. During the rescheduling of the dome events last winter/spring after the collapse, 300 baseball games were lost including 40 from the U of M and another 250 from the other small colleges in the area. Seems that keeping it for $5 mil/yr (less a nominal amount of revenue likely realized) would be better use for the site than building a park. Especially when any of those "park" funds could be allocated to the riverfront green-space development that everybody seems to think is long overdue.

I'm sure those baseball teams would prefer the dome with all it's warts than having to travel south and incur those expenses for 2 or 3 months every year.

Besides, it would be a good emergency site just in case a Halloween Blizzard renders Target Field unplayable during the inevitable World Series around the corner. Also, the first few years in Arden Hills will likely result in giant toxic worms or gophers frequently being stirred up and the eradication of such could render that stadium unplayable for a few weeks at a time. In any case, it's always good to have a fall-back plan available.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

I thought you were an advocate of the Cold-Home Field advantage? While I go back and forth on this, with all things considered, I would rather we play in another one than host another one.

Very much a cold field advantage fan, however, the Vikings play 8 days in the dome, out of 365. It's the rest of the year that needs to be considered as well and I agree, we can't sustain 2 stadiums like this, thus the new stadium needs a roof of some kind-retractile or not. If we don't have a domed stadium, Minneapolis loses a LOT of convention type business and while those 8 days are nice for various bars and whatnot in Minneapolis, the convention business is their bread and butter so to speak.

[iNviNciBL3]

We need something like Ford Field
http://always****ty.files.wordpress....eld_1_main.jpg
Indoor but alot of windows to let in sunlight
Great for Monster truck shows, NCAA Final Four, Concerts, etc..