NFL: Notebook
Associated Press
Arden Hills, Minn. — Officials in a Twin Cities suburb said Tuesday they have reached an agreement with the Minnesota Vikings to lure the NFL team away from their longtime home in Minneapolis with a retractable-roof stadium built on a Superfund site.
The site of the stadium would be the former Twin Cities Army Ammunitions Plant property in Arden Hills, about 10 miles from the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The agreement calls for an $884 million stadium and an additional $173 million for on-site infrastructure, parking and environmental costs.
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Ramsey County said the Vikings will commit $407 million to the project — 44 percent of the stadium costs and 39 percent of the overall costs. The county’s share would be $350 million, to be financed by a half-cent sales tax increase.
Ramsey County Commissioner Tony Bennett, whose district includes the site, said in a news release that the proposed project would “turn an environmental liability into an asset, clean up the largest Superfund site in the state, return property to the tax rolls, put people to work and provide for much-needed transportation infrastructure upgrades.”
The announcement comes one day after Minneapolis officials pitched a plan to keep the team downtown. It also came just hours after Gov. Mark Dayton said fixing up roads near the Arden Hills site would likely cost at least $175 million and up to $240 million if it includes restaurants, hotels and other amenities.
Still, Dayton said he could support either site as long as the state share doesn’t exceed $300 million.
The Vikings have been pressing for a new stadium for years, but the team
The stadium discussion had been largely put off at the Capitol as legislators struggle to resolve a $5 billion state deficit. It picked up speed last week, with Dayton saying he had met privately with owners Zygi and Mark Wilf and he was ready to sign a stadium bill.
Extra points
Eight-time All-Pro guard Alan Faneca , 34, announced his retirement after 13 seasons with the Steelers, Jets and Cardinals.
He was the Steelers first-round pick out of LSU in 1998.
… Ravens rookie linebacker Sergio Kindle has pleaded guilty to a drunken driving charge in Baltimore, and sentenced to one year with all but five days suspended.