ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has signed on for the "People's Stadium."
In a ceremony Monday at the state Capitol rotunda, Dayton signed the $975 million bill for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium. Dayton was surrounded by team owners Zygi and Mark Wilf, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and legislative leaders.
Dayton capped a hectic eight days by signing the bill, which keeps the team in Minnesota for at least the next 30 years and replaces the outdated Metrodome. After much debate in the House and Senate last week and the team stepping forward with an additional $50 million from the original proposal, Dayton put the finishing touches on the state's legislation for a stadium, which he called the "People's Stadium" when the most recent plan was unveiled in March.
"We have one last thing to do," Dayton said. "Let's build it."
Dayton was jumping the gun just a bit. The long process has one final step remaining, a vote by the Minneapolis City Council for its share of $150 million dollars. But that's considered a formality at this point. The City Council had pledged its approval if the bill met certain requirements, including a renovation project for the Target Center, home of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Minneapolis share will come from an existing hospitality tax that is being renewed, and Rybak said last week there should be support in the City Council for the finalized plan.
"People will look back on this time and probably remember very little about what happened in this building, but a lot about what happened to their kids at that Viking game, to their family when they came together to see a pro soccer game when it was here, or a concert," Rybak said. "Minnesota found a way to come together not just on the field, but hopefully in our politics to come."
Supporters and opponents lined the hallways of the rotunda for the ceremony. Dayton received a standing ovation after signing the bill, but there also were a vocal few who shouted, "Shame on you, governor," while holding signs of support for kids. The result was a raucous event, filled with chants of "Zygi got bailed out. We got sold out."
Meanwhile, the supporters drowned out the protesters with chants of "Skol, Vikings"and sang the team's fight song.
Dayton noted that the protesters are just another example of the state's democracy in action. Once Dayton was done signing, he received a standing ovation.
"I want to thank the people in Minnesota who supported this decision, and I respect the people who didn't," Dayton said. "You have a right to your own view. But I'm proud of the people that came forward and said, 'This is what makes Minnesota special.' These bills that contain major public investments are understandably controversial. They're hotly debated. They're closely inspected, as they should be. That's democracy and that's Minnesota.
"But I'm glad in this case, as many others, at that moment of truth, at that critical juncture, the most important point in the process, when the benefits are still conceptual and the cost is very real, the majority of the Minnesota Legislature stepped forward, the majority of the House and Senate and said, 'We will.'"
The bill calls for a $975 million stadium to be built on the Metrodome grounds. The Vikings will pay for $477 million upfront and an average of $13 million per year in operating costs. The state's portion is $348 million and will be supported mainly by expanded gaming, including electronic pull-tabs and tip boards. Through a public authority, the state also would retain the rights to the stadium on non-game days, when it could be used for high school sporting events, concerts and other events.
The Wilfs also have a five-year exclusive window to try to attract a pro soccer team to the stadium. The plan calls for a ground-breaking in 2013 with the hope of the Vikings opening the stadium in time for the 2016 season.
"This is a great day for Minnesota and a great day for Vikings fans," Zygi Wilf said. "I read a newspaper article the other day after the approval that said, 'Now the fun begins.' Well, the hard work begins now. To build a stadium we need everyone's effort. This is a team effort, as it was to get approved. We look forward to work with every one of you to build a great stadium for all fans and people of Minnesota."
The Vikings' lease at the Metrodome ran out after last season, though the team has agreed to play there at least through 2012. Construction could begin while the Metrodome is in use. The team is scheduled to play one season at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus.
In a preliminary agreement announced last week, the Vikings and the university agreed to a lease program in which the Vikings will pay $250,000 per game and concessions, sponsorships and advertising will be split between the teams, resulting in an average of $3 million per season to the school.
The stadium plans call for a 65,000-seat, fixed-roof facility built on 1.5 million square feet. The stadium could be expanded to seat 72,000 and meet the NFL standards to host a Super Bowl, an agreement some legislators tried to work into the bill. While the bill doesn't include such a provision, the NFL could look to reward the state with a Super Bowl, though that would come under consideration later.
The Vikings also are considering adding a retractable roof to the construction plans, though it would have to be funded privately by the team.
"We will work together to build a first-class facility, one that we all can be proud of for generations to come," Mark Wilf said.
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