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Minnesota Governor Signs Vikings Stadium Bill
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton speaks to Policy Fellows at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs on July 14, 2011 in Minneapolis, Minn. The stadium will replace the team’s current home, the Metrodome, which fell into disrepair after its roof collapsed under heavy snowfall in 2010. (Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed an agreement to a build the $975 million Minnesota Vikings stadium.
Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, in a video on the team’s website, called it “a great day for all of Minnesota.”
“We’ve known from day one that this is where we want to be … but we have a lot of hard work ahead of us,” Wilf added.
The stadium will replace the team’s current home, the Metrodome, which fell into disrepair after its roof collapsed under heavy snowfall in 2010.
The Vikings said the team will play at the University of Minnesota campus while the new stadium is being constructed.
“I’m proud of those who stepped forward and said, ‘This is what makes Minnesota special,’” said Dayton after signing the measures, according to the Minneapolis StarTribune.
The Vikings will first play in the stadium in 2016, according to the official estimate.
“These bills, that involve major public investments, are understandably controversial,” Dayton added, responding to protesters at the state Capitol building. “They’re hotly debated. They’re closely inspected—as they should be. That’s democracy, and that’s Minnesota.”
The protesters who gathered at the Capitol building chanted “Shame! Shame!” or “Zygi got bailed out, we got sold out!” while holding signs, the StarTribune reported. The crowd prominently featured supporters wearing Vikings jerseys.
However, the completion of the deal to build the stadium is not completely under wraps, as one final step needs to be completed by the Minneapolis City Council.
The Vikings, under the deal, will pay $477 million in the deal and around $13 million per year on average in operating costs. The state will pay around $348 million and the measure will be primarily supported by gambling.
The new stadium will house 65,000 people built on 1.5 million square feet. The Vikings will also consider upgrading the stadium with a retractable roof.
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