Stadium debate begins

On Dec. 12, a severe winter storm caused the roof of the 28-year-old Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome to collapse.

Officials from the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission appeared before the House Government Operations and Elections Committee Feb. 2 to discuss the aging home to the Minnesota Vikings and a possible replacement facility. No action was taken.

Commission Chairman Ted Mondale said engineers are still trying to determine whether the roof will have to be repaired or replaced.

“The top issue driving what we will do … will be making sure that facility is a safe place,” he said.

The Minnesota Vikings’ lease with the Metrodome expires later this year. Mondale said he hopes a deal can be reached this year on public funding to build a new stadium.

“I think probably the largest change from a year ago is that we actually have a governor who … said he would support the building of a new stadium,” Mondale said.

In addition to hosting professional football games, the Metrodome hosts more than 300 “community events” annually, ranging from high school sports tournaments to monster truck rallies. Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) said any new stadium design should allow for a similar public benefit. He said the facility needs to include a roof that would accommodate events year-round.

“It seems to me that if this is a public benefit to the state, it needs a roof,” Winkler said.

Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Mpls) voiced concerns about what the public’s share would be of the funding. He asked whether the Vikings could pay two-thirds or even three-quarters of the total cost, rather than the state paying that much.

Mondale said it was unlikely that the team would agree to pay such a high percentage. He said private funding accounted for roughly one-third of the cost of building Target Field, and suggested that might be a good starting point for a new Vikings stadium, too.