Stadium Special Session Shot Down (Minneapolis, Duluth: plumbing, trains, best)

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by TimtheGuy

Do you know how much it costs to park in the tailgaiting lots near the dome now? Last year it was $45!. I didn't go this year as my buddy cancelled his season tickets that his law firm has had for decades because we couldn't take going to games in that P.O.S any longer.

Originally Posted by TimtheGuy

100% the dome! I despise the place. Would much rather see an outdoor stadium. No dome. No retractable roof.

I can about guaranty you that the parking price would be less (probably a lot less) in Arden Hills. I am thinking $10-$20.

Yes, but where the dome is located you can just as easily take a bus or train to the stadium for $1.75....which is a great option for us folks that don't want to bother with tailgating. In Arden Hills that won't be so easy, especially since they'll already have to invest so much money in just putting in extra roads and parking lots. I'm not convinced on the low parking price either. Your only real option in the area will be Wilf's parking lot so he can pretty much charge whatever he wants...at least competition from numerous lots in surrounding blocks downtown keeps the prices somewhat reasonable there.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

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.

Wait...so part of the reason for keeping the Dome is that it's backup in case all of these brand new stadiums are rendered useless because of a blizzard or toxic worms? Don't we have places like TCF for when the toxic worms come out? And any blizzard that hits in the middle of the World Series will have to stop the games for a while anyway because it would likely take a few days just to get the Dome ready. By that time, they could have cleared the field.

Presumably, a lot of the events being held at the Dome could be moved to the new facility no matter where it is. No point in having two separate stadiums if part of the reason for a roofed stadium is to host other events.

Also, I believe the park is really only being proposed with the idea of a lot of high-density living surrounding it. Surely those tax receipts and added population could help fund the riverfront project and the park (if it's not already accounted for in some other way...I believe if Arden Hills is chosen, Minneapolis has said it's supposed to get some sort of payout for lost tax revenue as spelled out in the contract? not sure about that one, though)

Originally Posted by golfgal

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.

Doesn't Minneapolis have the convention center for conventions? While the Dome has been used for various events, surely most of the conventions it has held could be moved?

[golfgal]

The convention center isn't appropriate for all of the things that happen at the dome and usually both places have activities going on at the same time. One venue just isn't enough.

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by Slig

Yes, but where the dome is located you can just as easily take a bus or train to the stadium for $1.75....which is a great option for us folks that don't want to bother with tailgating. In Arden Hills that won't be so easy, especially since they'll already have to invest so much money in just putting in extra roads and parking lots. I'm not convinced on the low parking price either. Your only real option in the area will be Wilf's parking lot so he can pretty much charge whatever he wants...at least competition from numerous lots in surrounding blocks downtown keeps the prices somewhat reasonable there.

You think $45 is reasonable?

[audadvnc]

Originally Posted by xandrex

blizzard or toxic worms?

That's a good enough reason for me! Two, in fact!

[Clifford63]

Sounds like City of Minneapolis is 50M or so short on cash they offered up with the proposal made. Time to re re cook some books.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by golfgal

The convention center isn't appropriate for all of the things that happen at the dome and usually both places have activities going on at the same time. One venue just isn't enough.

Yes, but surely those could then move out to the new stadium if it goes to Arden Hills? It makes absolutely no sense to keep a professional-sized stadium in use all year round for no- or low-revenue events when the state and county/city/local entity just shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars for a new place. If we're putting a roof on the thing and it's not on the Metrodome site, the Dome just needs to go down. Otherwise it's just a very expensive, ugly building for oversized convention-shows and toxic worm infestations.

[Ghengis]

It's clear that with all the demand for a new stadium just one likely will not be enough. It seems now there is a proposal to locate it in Duluth and finance it through Sunday Liquor Sales. Brilliant! We will fund our stadium on the backs of the Cheese-head Liquor Industry. People will be whisked to the stadium via the new NLX (Northern Lights Express) Trains.

I love this ****! Stadiums are fun.

Senator Plans Vikings Stadium in Duluth, Minn. (http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/Vikings-Stadium-Duluth-MN-sunday-Liquor-feb-9-2012 - broken link)

[iNviNciBL3]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

It's clear that with all the demand for a new stadium just one likely will not be enough. It seems now there is a proposal to locate it in Duluth and finance it through Sunday Liquor Sales. Brilliant! We will fund our stadium on the backs of the Cheese-head Liquor Industry. People will be whisked to the stadium via the new NLX (Northern Lights Express) Trains.

I love this ****! Stadiums are fun.

Senator Plans Vikings Stadium in Duluth, Minn. (http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/Vikings-Stadium-Duluth-MN-sunday-Liquor-feb-9-2012 - broken link)

Lol Awesome! Thank you Duluth for your support i would actually go to a game in Duluth that would be cool, but if its going to be outside the Twin Cities id rather have it in Rochester

[xandrex]

I'm pretty sure that Duluth is DOA. While I would love to see it there as it's my hometown (and the city really needs all the economic help it can get!), there are too many other problems, the biggest of which seems to be transportation.

The letter states the NLX rail line as part of the way to get people up to Duluth. But this is assuming all funding goes through and the line is built. That alone is a big question, as last time I heard, the plan was on the rocks.

Additionally, I'm sure just about everyone who has traveled to Duluth on a weekend knows how bad I-35 can be. With that being the only major route to Duluth, I'm guessing it would pretty much need to be upgraded to 3 lanes in both directions most--if not all--of the way. That's a huge expense.