Stadium Watch Blog

December 29, 2012 4:00 AM

Target Field on track for early payoff

The Star Tribune is reporting that the debt on Target Field may get an early payoff. The county was expected to be servicing bonds on its part of the deal through 2037, with revenue from a 0.15 percent county-wide sales tax. Apparently low interest rates and good tax collections are filling up the coffers early.

by Tim Nelson

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December 21, 2012 8:00 AM

Why the MSP Aiport matters for the stadium

The Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport approved the installation of electronic pulltabs in six airport bars this week, and that’s a big deal, considering 33 million people a year go through the place. Technically, the new pulltabs are a drop in the bucket: the state is projecting 15,400 of the pulltab machines will eventually be…

by Tim Nelson

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December 17, 2012 10:30 AM

The Shape of Tabs to Come

Here's what the new electronic pull tab machines from e-tab Manufacturing look like. They were approved by the Minnesota Gambling Control Board this morning, and they'll be rolling out in bars starting on Thursday.

by Tim Nelson

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December 5, 2012 8:00 AM

Will pulltabs pull their weight?

Uh oh. The new state budget forecast is out for the next biennium. That’s economist Tom Stinson delivering the news. And while it’s got some doozies among the caveats, like the potential impact of the fiscal cliff, there’s some other bad news in there, too. The money isn’t going to be coming in from electronic…

by Tim Nelson

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November 16, 2012 7:00 AM

Vikings, MSFA make nice

Everybody just calm down. That's the advice from Vikings vice president Lester Bagley today. "This is not Dallas. This is not New York. This is not San Francisco," Bagley said. "A lot of people are jumping the gun as to what they're thinking we would do in a stadium builder's license program. We've not made a decision, the market has to be surveyed and the market will determine. We're doing our homework. That's all we're doing."

by Tim Nelson

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November 15, 2012 8:00 AM

What do the Vikings want?

The Vikings are keeping their personal seat license plans pretty well under wraps. It looks like they're gaging their fans' interest in paying up front for the stadium with a very discrete online survey

by Tim Nelson

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November 15, 2012 6:00 AM

Dayton walks back PSL threat

Governor Mark Dayton took a considerably more concilatory stance towards personal seat licenses at the new People's Stadium this morning. Sort of. Speaking after keynoting an education conference in Plymouth, Dayton said he's actually okay with PSLs, to a point. But he also suggested the Vikings had something to hide about the issue.

by Tim Nelson

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November 14, 2012 7:00 AM

MSFA: Don’t count PSLs out

Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority chairwoman Michele Kelm Helgen was doing a little damage control today. She spoke on Minnesota Public Radio's Daily Circuit and walked back her agency's charge, made in a letter from Governor Dayton, to repudiate one-time seat fees at the new Vikings stadium the MSFA is building. She noted a survey by the Vikings spread some alarm that fans might have to consider a second mortgage to keep their seats at the Vikings games -- some of which have been in families since the team started in 1961.

by Tim Nelson

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November 13, 2012 4:00 AM

Dayton to Vikings: Drop dead

Wow. There has been some testy correspondence in the stadium debate in the last two years, but nothing, NOTHING like the letter released by Gov. Mark Dayton this morning, blasting the Vikings for even considering a personal seat license sale.

by Tim Nelson

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November 11, 2012 3:00 PM

Survey says!

It looks like the Vikings are broaching the very, very touchy subject of personal seat licenses. A story in the Star Tribune says that the team is putting out a survey gaging interest in the practice, which is being used by 17 of the NFL's 32 teams (although the Packers $3,000 fee isn't really a seat license in the traditional term, since it has to be turned back to the team for a refund of the selling price. It's not very personal, as seat licenses go.)

by Tim Nelson

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