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Since the lease with the Vikings expires in 2011 and the Vikings have no interest in staying in the dome, it was reported the Vikings owner was caught off guard by an offer to extend the lease for 2 more years.
It was reported the owner--vehemently-- rejected the proposal.
( apparently, the Metrodome has not charged the Vikings rent since 2002 )
It seems once again, a team is using the old threat--" build a new stadium, or we leave "
The Vikings are winning, many Minnesotans are Viking fans, but with all the budget cuts , taxpayer money for a new Viking stadium will be a tough sell------both in the state legislature and with the taxpaying residents.
The Landlord, Metropolitan Sports Commission is offering up temporary solution to upcoming (>2011 season) lease expiration.
Vikings are saying "we want ours too, sh*t-or-get-off-the-pot".
Commission says "if you don't extend, we will start charging you the rent ($4M) that we have been writing off".
Vikings say, "we'll see about that".
There seems to be more activity than a year ago in the legislature to at least begin discussing possible solutions to the Vikings Stadium desires. The recent Vikings on-field sucess does not play an insignificant roll in that development. Remains to be seen if they move enough to make anything happen in the near (next legislative session) future. A deep run into the playoffs will certainly keep them on the front-burner of these discussions.
I think we need to take the focus off it just being a stadium for the Vikings. This facility(Lol) will be more about other events then just the Vikings. It will also be an anchor for downtown east.
The specter of another tax on the citizens of Minnesota is something that won't fly at this time. Therefore...
1. Don't call it a tax! And, whatever term is used to describe the funding should contain the words "school", "transit" and/or "orphans".
2. Implement a "fund generator" on surrounding communities (not in Minnesota) that will realize a direct benefit of the new stadium. These communities could include Hudson, River Falls, Lacrosse, Madison and Chicago.
3. The Vikings should immediately abandon all talks of a new stadium at the current location. Instead, they should begin to promote the upgrade and expansion of the light-rail stop at Chicago Ave. This upgrade project could also include a series of "change-orders" to the "immediate surroundings" near the light-rail stop. Before anyone notices, the dome could be leveled and a new stadium quickly erected in it's place.
Unfortunately once that bridge collapsed it KO'd any stadium funding for 5 years at least. The Vikes are willing to pay about 50% for an outdoor stadium, but the useless Met Sports council wants a roof to hold an occasional truck pull which doubles the cost.
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