Oct 2, 2009 2:27 pm US/Central
Pawlenty Says Minnesota Needs To Keep Vikings
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
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Pawlenty said the stadium issue was "back burner" after the team signed quarterback Brett Favre in August.
Scott A. Schneider/Getty Images
Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who not long ago called the Minnesota Vikings' desire for a new stadium a "back burner" issue, turned up the heat slightly himself Friday by saying on his radio show that the Metrodome's time is fading.
Pawlenty's remarks came a day after the team renewed its long push for a new arena in a presentation to a legislative committee. The governor invited listeners to weigh in and promised to devote a future show to the issue.
"It's fair to say the Metrodome has served us well, but its time is fading," Pawlenty said. "And so we've got to figure out a way to keep the Vikings here. We value the Vikings. They're an incredibly important asset to Minnesota."
The team wants taxpayers to subsidize most of the cost of building a new stadium, with a price tag that could run to nearly $1 billion. The commission that runs the Metrodome, where the team has played for almost three decades, is developing a less expensive renovation plan.
The Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis is losing the Minnesota Twins, who start playing in a new ballpark in April. The collegiate Minnesota Gophers are already gone, having opened the football season on campus in the new TCF Bank Stadium. The public is picking up much of the cost of both of those stadiums.
The Vikings' Metrodome lease runs through the 2011 season, and team officials have said they don't plan to renew it. The team is near the bottom of the National Football League in revenue. Officials say the facility trails other football stadiums in moneymaking amenities such as suites and modern concessions.
Metrodome officials presented a previously aired economic benefit study for a new stadium at a House Commerce and Labor Committee hearing at the Capitol on Thursday.
A Republican state lawmaker is set to propose a funding plan for a Vikings stadium on Monday. Rep. Tom Hackbarth of Cedar tried in 2009 to establish a new Twin Cities casino, with proceeds going to pay for a stadium. A similar proposal failed in 2004.
Public enthusiasm has been mounting since the Vikings signed former Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre. Pawlenty and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle will attend Monday's Vikings-Packers game at the Metrodome.
Pawlenty's efforts to position himself as a potential 2012 presidential candidate rest largely on his fiscal conservatism. The race to succeed him in 2010 could also dampen interest in stadium legislation, with nine state lawmakers in the running.
On Friday, the two-term Republican governor said that government has a role in providing infrastructure for public amenities such as hunting and fishing grounds, the arts and bike trails.
"The philosophical question is, is this the appropriate time or the appropriate way to spend public dollars," Pawlenty said. "But we need to find a way -- setting that aside, we need to find a way to keep our Minnesota Vikings. They're exciting. They bring a lot of joy to a lot of people in our state."
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Pawlenty's
new Web site went live on Thursday with section titled "Meet TPaw".
Pawlenty was elected governor of Minnesota in 2002 in a tight three-way contest between Democrat Roger Moe and Independent Tim Penny. Pawlenty won re-election in 2006 against Mike Hatch in what was again a very tight race.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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