Road show begins to promote new Vikings stadium
The commission is holding public meetings in Moorhead, St. Cloud and Duluth this week to make its case that a new Vikings stadium complex would be valuable to people outside the metro area.
Commission chair Roy Terwilliger says a new stadium would ensure that the Vikings will stay in Minnesota when their lease at the Metrodome ends in 2011.
Terwilliger says members hope to convince people outside the metro area that a new Vikings stadium is important to the entire state.
"It's really applicable to everybody. It's a statewide regional type of facility, that it would be a shame not to have this type of offering as we go forward," he says.
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Terwilliger adds that a new indoor stadium would be home to high school sports and other events.
"Certainly we don't want to lose the Vikings, but also we don't want to lose this opportunity for the people to be able to have a place like this to go year round," says Terwilliger.
Vikings owner Ziggy Wilf wants the state to enter a public-private partnership to pay for the nearly $1 billion stadium complex.
But Gov. Tim Pawlenty has said funding a new stadium isn't likely when the state faces an estimated $373 million budget deficit.
