Official: Without Vikings, Metrodome would be lost
Published 12:00 am Sunday, August 14, 2005
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &045; Losing the Minnesota Vikings could mean the end of the Metrodome and the hundreds of non-sports events it hosts, according to the chairman of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission.
&uot;About 65-66 percent of the annual income to this facility comes from the Vikings. And so if you take away that two-thirds, you end up without perhaps enough money to keep this in first-class condition so we can have all these other things. So, it becomes problematic if it can continue with that kind of a cutback in the income,&uot; Roy Terwilliger said Friday.
Terwilliger’s comments came as new Vikings owner Zygi Wilf updated commission members on his proposal for a new stadium in Anoka County.
The Vikings are under lease at the Metrodome through 2011, and Wilf says the team will honor that commitment. In the meantime, he says he’ll continue to look for additional revenue enhancements for the stadium.
One moneymaking opportunity is already in place as the new season starts. The commission recently converted eight existing suites into a new upscale viewing area called the Terrace Suite, which will accommodate 124 fans.
Bill Lester, the commission’s executive director, said the Terrace Suite is in the end zone, &uot;so it takes existing property and elevates the value of that property. It allows the team a revenue stream, and it really enhances the Metrodome.&uot;
The Vikings are charging $400 per ticket, or $4,000 for the season, to sit in the new Terrace Suite.
Wilf, meanwhile, said he’s working closely with officials in Anoka County and the city of Blaine on plans for a new open-air stadium.
&uot;We’re working to develop a site plan including a stadium, team facilities, corporate offices and a broader real estate development. We’re looking at the present at financing options. We’re partnering with Anoka County. We also believe there’s a role for the state of Minnesota in this public-private partnership,&uot; Wilf said.
The size of that state role isn’t clear. Wilf says he’s willing to pay one third of the cost, which is estimated at more than $600 million for just the stadium.
Wilf said he will be ready with financing specifics this fall, if and when Gov. Tim Pawlenty decides to call a special session to deal with stadium issues.