Thursday, November 3, 2011

Minnesota Vikings Stadium UPDATE

This post is kind of ironic given my last post...

This is what I would have written yesterday:

It appears that fans are not alone when it comes to being tired of just HEARING about a potential stadium agreement - lawmakers and the media are as well.

Govenor Dayton met with Representative Morrie Lanning and Senator Julie Rosen to further discuss where any Vikings plans will go from here. It appears that a special session is in the works and that the issue will be pushed into regular session where it would be politically difficult to push through to approval.

However, Rosen did say she wants a stadium bill wrapped up before the regular session in 2012 and that the stadium bill authors are working hard to make that reality. Lanning went on to say that there are three sources of gambling revenue on the (poker) table: Electronic pull tabs, racino and a Block E casino.

A Block E casino would essentially rule out an Arden Hills casino because only a Minneapolis site would work. The other two options leave both locations viable when it came to the funding source.

Below is a press release by the Minnesota Vikings as reported by Fox Twins Cities:

The Vikings are concerned about the turn of events surrounding a stadium solution in Minnesota. While we have been encouraged by the efforts of Governor Dayton and the four caucus leaders to seriously discuss this issue, these recent developments are very disappointing. The Vikings stadium issue has been heavily debated in the public for over 10 years. With less than 90 days left on the team's lease, the urgency to act is on us.

The Vikings continue to stand ready to work with State leaders on a stadium solution that works for Minnesota and the team.

This is what I am writing now:

Less than 24 hours after it appeared a Vikings stadium deal had fallen apart, a new push seems to be on. Gov. Mark Dayton met this morning with lawmakers who support a subsidy. The lawmakers say they plan to introduce a detailed proposal soon and air it in the public hearings.

Though a special session before Thanksgiving is still out of the question, no one ruled out a callback in December or early January before the regular convening.

The team is still backing a $1.1 billion stadium in Arden Hills, but three sites in downtown remain possibilities- all of which carry a lower price tag.

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