Minnesota Lawyer
Gov. Mark Dayton (Staff photo: Peter Bartz-Gallagher)
Gov. Mark Dayton has set a schedule by which time he wants a stadium proposal for the Minnesota Vikings finalized.
Dayton met with a stream on interested parties including Block E owner Bob Lux, Ramsey County Board officials Tony Bennett and Rafael Ortega, and Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf and head Vikings lobbyist Lester Bagley.
He said he wants the financing and legal framework for operating the stadium, as well as assurances of financial commitments by the interested parties, worked out by November 7. That would kick off a three-week period of time for lawmakers to assess the plan and meet in special session for a vote before Thanksgiving.
Over the last week, Dayton has repeatedly declared he’s “site neutral” as to whether the stadium should be either in downtown Minneapolis or Arden Hills. Today, while speaking to reporters in the governor’s reception room, he focused his remarks on the Arden Hills site and extolled the economic opportunities that could take place there apart from the stadium.
There’s no guarantee, however, that the details of the eventual proposal, such as the costs of cleaning up the Superfund site that was once an Army munitions plant, will be amenable to the team. Another issue that needs to be figured out is whether Ramsey County voters will be given the chance to vote on a county-wide sales tax increase to help pay for the Arden Hills stadium.
Dayton didn’t rule out Minneapolis as a site when asked if he’s now assuming that the stadium will be built in Arden Hills. But he noted that the team’s blessing is essential.
“I don’t rule anything out. …I’m running under the assumption at this point that the only site that the Vikings are willing to consider and put (between) $400 (and) $500 million dollars into is Arden Hills. There’s no way to build a stadium that I’m aware of in Minneapolis without the active support and financial participation of the Vikings,” Dayton said.
