Arden Hills

The Vikings are inching closer to a new stadium. It's about time. The roof collapse at the end of last season was further evidence of how pathetic the Metrodome is. A bill for a new stadium has to be passed in the current legislative session. Not only is the dome a dump, the Vikings lease expires at the end of the coming season. A bill has been presented and discussed some, but there is still work to be done. The bill divides the financial responsibility between the Vikings, the state and a local partner equally. One difficulty that was immediately evident was the lack of a local partner. It is difficult to move forward without one. That problem may be moving to a solution. The St. Paul suburb of Arden Hills is reportedly close to an agreement with the Vikings to be that local partner. It has long been in the running. Now, it looks to be in the lead. Of the local possibilities, Arden Hills is the only one that will have the space for tailgating. Always a perk and already has many fans drunk with glee. The site is the old Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant. 260 acres ready to be developed. Stadium construction in Arden Hills also has the added benefit of allowing the Metrodome to be used while the new stadium is being built. Like the labor situation, this stadium situation needs to be fixed now.

Update: This just in, the Vikings have upped their share to at least 40% of the total cost. I would love to see the Vikings pay for the whole thing just to keep the political crap that stalls everything out of the game. All the idiots at the capitol see the stadium as a football stadium, A Vikings stadium really. I doubt they see that the Vikings play there only 10 days out of the year, hopefully a couple of playoff games too. A new stadium is going to be used far more often for events other than football. Get it done, people.