Minnesota Vikings have to continue at Metro-Dome if they want state funding - NFL News
The Minnesota Vikings quest for a new stadium in the Ramsey County area has hit another roadblock as the State Governor Mark Dayton has announced that if the franchise needs state funding for the project they will have to continue expansion in the Metro-dome
area.
The Minnesota Vikings who currently play at the Mall of America Stadium have been looking to move into a new home in the city this year with the franchise’s lease ending in February 1st.
The franchise believes that the Metro-dome area is not profitable anymore and it does not provide the revenues that other similar franchises derive from their stadiums with the team looking to move into the Ramsey County area and build a new billion dollar
stadium.
The new stadium will provide space for restaurants, bars and subsequent development around the stadium while the Metro-dome has limited space for such activities.
However, the state legislature who will provide part of the funding are not prepared to let the franchise build a new stadium as it will result in additional sales tax hikes.
"I've made it clear it's my belief that in this session, the only viable option is the Metrodome site," the Democratic governor said.
The Metro-dome is not acceptable to the franchise owners Mark and Zygi Wilf since they believe that the site does not have adequate space for development and have also tabled an alternative by moving to another location in Minneapolis.
The above proposal also faces strong opposition from the local community with the leaders of the Basilica of St. Mary and the Minneapolis city council providing combined opposition to the proposal.
The Church leaders are opposed to the construction since they believe that it will create parking problems and other issues for the worshippers with the reverend also threatening a lawsuit if the proposal went ahead.
The council also opposes building on the site as they prefer that the franchise develop the Metro-Dome area.
"Our owners are extremely frustrated with the situation," said Lester Bagley, a team vice president.
The Vikings do have the option to leave the city and setup somewhere else, something that the fans are concerned about and they want the situation resolved as soon as possible.
The Governor however, allayed the concerns and said that he will meet with all stakeholders to resolve the situation soon.
"I understood their concerns, and they were very valid," Dayton said "I can't foresee what's going to happen tomorrow,"
The Vikings ended the 2011 regular season with a poor 3-13 record as they tied with the worst record in franchise history.
The Vikings are looking to rebuild the roster as well as the Stadium in order to return back to their playoff glory days.
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