Minnesota pro sports teams facing vast stadium, ballpark and arena needs

Minnesota’s beloved major pro sports teams hit the turf, grass, hardcourt and ice year-round in buildings that increasingly betray their age, catalyzing a cycle of pleas at the State Capitol for help with renovation needs to keep the facilities fresh.

The state’s professional football, hockey and baseball teams are all going to be seeking help from the Legislature either this year or in the near future. The men’s and women’s basketball teams await the resolution of their ownership situation, but they already have plenty of concerns about fan experience at Target Center, their home court.

“We can do this,” said state Sen. Nick Frentz, DFL-North Mankato. Frentz, who talks enthusiastically about how U.S. Bank Stadium provided the base — and local economic boost — for Taylor Swift’s two nights of concerts in 2023 and has welcomed hundreds of high school and college students for once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Despite his affection for the building’s civic role, he’s not overly idealistic about funding.

“It’s one of those legislative issues that any one of the four caucuses can decide they don’t want to work on and, if so, it will be tough to pass something,” Frentz said.

Here’s the situation: The Wild play in the 25-year-old Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. In downtown Minneapolis, the Vikings take the field at the nine-year-old U.S. Bank Stadium, the Twins step onto the Kentucky bluegrass at the 15-year-old Target Field while the NBA’s Timberwolves and WNBA’s Lynx play at Target Center, which opened 35 years ago.

Each venue has a different owner and different needs. St. Paul owns Xcel Energy Center. The state owns U.S. Bank Stadium. Hennepin County owns Target Field and Minneapolis owns Target Center. The teams are at various stages of preparing their pitches. The Vikings and Twins will renew familiar requests.

The Wild, St. Paul and Ramsey County will ask the state to cover half the Xcel renovations, with the remaining costs split among themselves, a city spokesperson said. League and local officials have not revealed the dollar figure they’re seeking, but they previously said the project will cost about $300 million.

The needs at Target Center won’t be made clear until an arbitrator rules on who owns the teams.

At U.S. Bank Stadium, there are two separate requests of the state. The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), which oversees the building, is renewing an $85 million request to fund the second phase of a secure perimeter to meet evolving Department of Homeland Security standards.

“That will go a long way to protect the asset, enhance the public safety and to preserve community access,” said MSFA Chair Michael Vekich.

Vekich, an appointee of Gov. Tim Walz, noted that the governor didn’t include the money in his initial budget request so now it’s wait and see what the budget forecast shows in a early March. If state tax revenue projections are less than rosy, it’s going to be a tough slog.

The other U.S. Bank Stadium request comes directly from the Vikings and has been a concern since before the building opened. They’re seeking a dedicated revenue source for ongoing upgrades and renovations. Both the Vikings and Vekich note that the 2012 legislation to build the stadium included a requirement that the state maintain the facility in a first-class manner.

The 2012 bill authorized electronic pulltabs to pay for the stadium. Revenue from the tabs was so abundant that the state paid off the debt two decades early in June 2023. Revenue from the electronic pulltabs now goes to the state’s general fund, but it is often mentioned by supporters as a potential funding source for future stadium maintenance.

The Vikings are the primary tenant and the team’s Vice President Lester Bagley said it’s up to state leaders to identify a funding source for ongoing needs.

“U.S. Bank Stadium’s coming up on its 10th NFL season and it’s considered one of the best venues in all of sports,” Bagley said. “It’s time to consider the long-term capital needs and identify a reliable funding source so we can maintain the building in a first-class manner.”

Over at Target Field, the Minnesota Ballpark Authority, which oversees the park for Hennepin County, invited lawmakers for a behind-the-scenes tour last summer. The goal was helping wary legislators understand why the Twins should receive $10 million a year from a sales tax to keep Target Field in top shape.

In exchange for the annual revenue, the Twins would commit to playing in the North Loop until at least 2059. The team would also pledge $4.5 million a year toward future upgrades and continue paying day-to-day operations and maintenance costs.

“We’ve worked very hard with the county and the team to maintain this ballpark at a top-tier level and we want to make sure that continues,” said Dan Kenney, executive director of the ballpark authority. “This is an opportunity to do that without any new debt. It’s rare to extend a lease without new debt.”

Kenney and Twins officials emphasized the roughly $25 million the Twins pay annually to operate the ballpark and the $89 million in upgrades to the facility since it opened in 2010 with 73% coming from the team.

The 0.15% sales tax, which equates to about 3 cents on a $20 purchase, raises about $54 million a year to pay for the $355 million Hennepin County borrowed to build Target Field. The tax will blink off later this year when the Target Field debt is paid, unless the Legislature votes to allow it to continue.

Hennepin County wants to keep the tax in place and use $40 million a year from the proceeds to subsidize the county’s two safety-net hospitals, HCMC and North Memorial in Robbinsdale. The ballpark would receive $10 million annually for future enhancements with the remainder continuing to go toward extended library hours and grants for youth activities.

In St. Paul, the proposed renovations would encompass the interconnected Xcel arena, St. Paul RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium, said Emily Buss, communications director for Mayor Melvin Carter. A Wild spokesperson said the team did not have additional comments.

Team owner Craig Leipold previously said he wants to add a 650-room convention hotel, suggesting the Wild could contribute up to $250 million in financing with assistance from the state. In an email, Buss said while additional or expanded projects could be discussed in the future, the city’s foremost priority is the arena renovation.

“Looking ahead, we all share the belief that this is more than just a reinvestment into the most prolific economic driver in St. Paul,” Buss wrote. “This is an opportunity to reimagine our downtown into an even more dynamic entertainment district and strengthen our position as a top destination for visitors, businesses, residents and new ventures.”

Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, represents downtown and is the chair of the Capital Investment Committee that oversees borrowing with the bonding bill. Pappas said the Wild had yet to lay out their plans.

“I’ve told them that I understand the importance of the whole complex, the arena, the convention center, Roy Wilkins [auditorium],” she said. “I’m happy to help them, I just can’t help them in the bonding bill. ... We don’t have any cash, either.”

Pappas said she encouraged them to figure out another funding source. “I suggested off the top of my head a surcharge on tickets,” Pappas said.

Sen. Karin Housley, R-Stillwater, expressed similar concerns for the GOP. “We support our sports teams and the events and economy they bring to our state, but we’re facing a deficit and many other requests from state-owned properties,” she said. “We will have to prioritize traditional general obligation bonds on those needs first.”

Both she and Pappas talked about the need to focus on billions in deferred maintenance on roads, bridges and water treatment.

At Target Center, the Timberwolves and the Lynx are day-to-day as they wait to hear whether longtime owner Glen Taylor will keep the team or has sold it to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. Taylor also owns the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Two issues at Target Center hinder revenue and make the fan experience less than ideal. The building has among the lowest number of premium seats in the league. Also, Target Center was the last NBA facility to be designed with more seats in the upper bowl than the lower bowl. The concourses are narrow with no communal spaces and limited visual connection to the court.

Target Center is the second-oldest venue in the NBA, behind New York’s Madison Square Garden. In 2017, the Timberwolves and Minneapolis completed a $140 million renovation that included enhanced premium spaces.

Given the city’s ownership of the building, the teams can be expected to seek help from Minneapolis for their eventual efforts. Team officials declined to comment for this report.

Sarah McLellan of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.