Thread: New Stadium Sooner than we thought?

http://www.startribune.com/stories/510/5348392.html

Theres an image on the actual site. Click to enlarge.

Vikings bidders scouting land in Blaine
Jay Weiner, Star Tribune
April 15, 2005 VIKE0415


A key partner of Vikings bidder Reggie Fowler told a group of state and Anoka County officials Thursday morning that he has studied the plan for a $645 million domed stadium in Blaine and is making plans to move the project forward.

Zygmunt Wilf, a New Jersey-based land developer who is working with Fowler to buy the Vikings, made a 90-minute presentation to, among others, Anoka County Board Chair Margaret Langfeld and Rep. Connie Bernardy (DFL-Fridley). Wilf told the officials that he and his developer partners, David Mandelbaum and Alan Landis, were investigating purchasing some of the land on which the proposed Vikings stadium would sit, at 109th Av. NE, just west of Interstate Hwy. 35 in Blaine.

"He obviously was very well prepared," said Langfeld. "He knows this property very well."
anoka county's stadium
Proposed stadium site

Asked if she believed Wilf and his partners would buy the land even before a Vikings sale was approved by the NFL, she said, "That might be."

Wilf did not comment after the meeting. Fowler, who wants to be the general partner and owner of the Vikings did not attend the meeting. He was represented by his lawyer Kevin Warren and adviser John Mistler.

Warren said, "We're just here on a fact-finding mission. ... We're just here to listen. ... We're confident the [Vikings sale] deal will close on time. We feel very confident everything will proceed forward as planned."

But NFL officials said last week the Fowler bid for the Vikings had been stalled because he had not delivered documentation showing he had his financing in order.

Wilf, Warren, Mistler and others had plans to visit the Capitol later today to meet with state officials.


I dont like how this one looks. I think if we want to be a dominant team, we should play outdoors. If we're transforming the team to be a more physical, defensive, pound the ball up the middle type team, we should go back outside. Like the good old days.

Or atleast have a retractable roof. I dont want another dome, I don't know about you guys but I think if we go out doors. We win. If we get used to playing out there, instead of being little pussies playing in a dome we'll be feared and rip teams apart. After what we did in Lambeau last year, I am convinced we shouldnt be in a dome.

That sucks, I thought the proposal was for a retractable roof stadium. I am so sick of being the laughing stock of the NFL when it comes to stadiums, and another closed roof stadium will add no excitment for winter games.
With an open stadium, Green Bay and Chicago would no longer have the advantage in freezing conditions. In addition, teams like Tampa would have a hell of a time coming to play in Minnesota. Real football is played in the elements.

Fowler is just posturing...how is he going to buy the land if he doesn't have enough money to buy the team?

$645 million! Wow! I think we could build a new stdium with that much dough! Hey, at least they are exploring the option unlike the others in the past.

Fowler isn't going to buy schit.

His partners are the real money and he is just there to be a figure head.

Well...posturing or not, the Star Tribune article stated that they knew the land very well, which eludes that Fowler's group must be doing their homework. Further, the photos indicate that they didn't just come up with the concept overnight. Personally, I don't give a damn if Fowler is "just a figure head," as long as he is willing to bring a new stadium to Minnesota.

Developing a $645 million stadium = Minnesota Vikings not becoming LA Vikings.

Keep it dome, isn't it cold there in Minny?

If the stadium had a retractable roof, would they actually open the thing in December?

I would love retractable, but if I had to pick between open and dome, I would go open. I want to bring some teams into our own frozen tundra and show them how its done old school Vikes style! Snow games are the best!

"DaunteHOF" wrote:

Keep it dome, isn't it cold there in Minny?

Its football not soccer.