Minneapolis Downtown East development: The Yard, and the Vikings stadium
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In a veritable bacchanalia of developments, we have seen three major inter-related activities in Minneapolis’s Downtown East: Continue Reading
Vikings stadium design revealed
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The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority has unveiled its design for a new Vikings stadium in downtown Minneapolis.The Star Tribune reports that new building will be nearly twice the size of the Metrodome, with an asymmetrical shape that mimics the prow of a ship or a jagged iceberg.The building facade will be made of metal panels and a glazed glass curtain wall. A walkway will surround the stadium, leading fans to and from stadium gates.Five 95-foot-tall pivoting glass doors at concourse level will allow fans to enter and exit a plaza that’s more than 2 acres in size just outside the stadium.The design by HKS Architects skips the much-discussed idea of a retractable cover in favor of a transparent glass-like polymer that will make up the south facing section of the stadium roof.KFAI’s Christina Cerruti talked about the plans with city officials, desginers and Vikings fans who attended the event. [Audio below] Continue Reading
Minneapolis Ward 12 city council candidate forum: 15-year incumbent faces two challengers
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The Ward 12 City Council Candidate Forum packed the media room at Roosevelt High School last week. People were interested to hear 15-year incumbent Sandy Colvin Roy and challenger Andrew Johnson debate local issues. Both candidates are competing for the DFL’s endorsement. A surprise addition to the event was Chris Lautenschlager, a candidate hoping to capture the endorsement of the Green Party.
Need for stadium funding is not about football
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If pull tab revenue does not increase, it may be deemed necessary to reassess the current structure of public funding for the new Vikings stadium. Should that come to pass, stadium funding proponents like myself will have to once again make the case for the stadium as advancing the public good. If we are going to do so successfully, we need to do one thing. Do not mention football. Continue Reading
Memorabilia tax proposed to fill stadium funding gap
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Legislators swallowed hard as they considered a bill Wednesday that, as Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R- Mazeppa) said, is “intended to help pay for a mistake that we made.”
Minnesota Vikings and pulltab revenues: Should we be shocked?
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Are we to be shocked and surprised that the estimates for the pulltab revenues for the Vikings stadium were essentially made up by gambling interests and not verified by the governor and legislature? Perhaps we should be no more so than was Captain Renault in the movie Casblanca when he declared that: “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” The story of the Vikings pulltab debacle unfortunately is a common occurrence, the result of pressure politics, money and politics, and the often lack of capacity or will of public officials to analyze and digest complex information. Continue Reading
2013 election issues: Housing preservation, development, and the Vikings stadium
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In past elections, this blog has been used as a platform to endorse specific candidates. This year, or at the very least this early on in the campaign season, I’m trying a different approach. Because ranked-choice voting and a lack of an incumbent running for either mayor or the fifth ward, a large number of candidates are expected to stay in the running for those seats for much of the election. Instead of openly endorsing anyone here, I plan to lay out issues that are important to me and hopefully pertinent to north Minneapolis as well. In that way, more candidates will craft their strategies around these issues. Continue Reading
Mortenson Construction wins bid to manage construction of new Minnesota Vikings football stadium
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The Minnesota Sports Facility Authority voted unanimously February 15 to select Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction to oversee construction of the new Minnesota Vikings football stadium.Once underway, construction of the new stadium will be the largest construction project in the state, said Michele Kelm-Helgen, chair of the Sports Facilities Authority.“In total, about 7,500 crafts-people will work on this project by the time we’re done,” said Ken Sorensen, Mortenson vice president and general manager. “We are looking forward to putting people to work.”Mortenson also worked to build the new Minnesota Twins ballpark and the new University of Minnesota football stadium.“They’re a great firm. They have great experience,” said Lester Bagley, Vikings vice president of public affairs and stadium development.The Vikings and the Sports Facilities Authority had narrowed the final choice of construction managers to Mortenson and Arizona-based Hunt Construction.“Taking away the issue of where Mortenson is based… they still were the strongest team, the best fit,” Bagley said. “The bonus is they’re the home team. They did a great job on Target Field. Continue Reading
OPINION | Stadium equity plan not yet a reality: Is a 32 percent people-of-color workforce goal overly optimistic?
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The plans are in full swing for the new $975 million Vikings stadium. And yet again many in the Black community hold out hope that the economic stimulus the stadium promises to provide will benefit them as well.Unemployment in the Black community continues to remain high. In fact, in the last quarter of 2012 unemployment in North Minneapolis hovered around 22 percent.While many in the Black community initially opposed the idea of a new Vikings stadium, its approval nevertheless held the promise that the community would benefit from the construction of the stadium in the form of construction jobs and other permanent jobs. And the body that is tasked to make sure that communities of color gets its fair share of the business and jobs, the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority (MSFA), has promised that it has a plan to make sure that it happens.However, while the authority advertised last year that it had a plan, it has yet to be revealed. Yet, staff at the MFSA has assured us that a plan is forthcoming and will likely be released after the first of February.The leadership of the MSFA board is comprised of people who have solid reputations in the community. Continue Reading
Built to not last
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Lots of attention has been given to yesterday’s final game at the Metrodome, with the consensus that the highlights of its three decade life span were the Twins’ World Series victories in ’87 and ’91, and the Vikings loss in the NFL’s National League championship game in ’99. Continue Reading