Thread: Vikings Stadium Delayed

Originally Posted by NodakPaul

I don't think anyone said that.

Actually several people on here were saying that as I was trying to tell then that getting the state involved was a bad idea as it drives up the cost and allows the government to dictate many of the specs that get incorporated into the stadium. Some that most have no idea about that add significant costs to the facility.

There was a financing plan in place, it just didn't work out as they were hoping.

That was no plan. It was a short sighted, ill conceived agreement that obviously didn't have the revenue sources to guarantee it would have the funds available to pay the debt obligation. Secondly it sounds like the ball has either been dropped by whoever was responsible for getting the projected number of machines in place or the demand for them is much lower than projected. IMHO before they signed the bill they should have had commitment for the number of machines needed and they should have had them ready to order and implement.

I hear what you are saying though. The plan wasn't a very good one from the beginning, and the stadium was pushed through regardless of the feasibility of the plan. I have a feeling that this wasn't entirely unexpected, and stadium backers who preferred other financing plans - for instance Racino - supported the bill with this in mind. Politics at its best/worst.

It is playing out like I thought it would personally. I remember when MPLS hijacked it at the end and the Mayor said in a interview that they would be digging last year already that I knew he didn't have a clue and that they were lying to make the dome site look more appealing.

The process sucked from the beginning because the team spent all it's resources selling the shiny new stadium with rendering that will more than likely bear little resemblance to what we will actually get and nearly none on a structure to finance it. IMHO they should have first sat down with corporate leaders and got a commitment for how many of these luxury suites were guaranteed to sell and for what price, then do the PSL sale and know how many of those would sell and for what price, then go to the state for the balance and put together a realistic financing plan.

One thing should be clear - if the state is struggling to hold up its end of the agreement, then they can't be beating the drums for little things like an extra 20 feet for a college baseball field...

That was ridiculous to even have in there to begin with. If the state needed to replicate the dome they should have just let AH have the stadium and kept the dome for those things.

Originally Posted by marshallvike

Do not fret NP. There will be plenty of other delays in the building of this stadium. It seems whenever the government is involved in a building project, It runs behind schedule right up until close to the deadline. At that point, all the trades are working mega overtime, escalating the buildings cost significantly, to make said deadline. There will also be other f-ups along the way to help drive up the costs. In the end, it will get done. It will just cost much more than earlier estimates, and a lot of guys will make some good money for a couple of years.

LOL, well true...

Honestly, I have no expectation that a construction project of this size will be completed on time or on budget. in fact, I would rather spend an extra year at TCF and open the stadium in 2017 than rush it and have problems opening...

Originally Posted by NodakPaul

OK, the title of the thread is pretty misleading...

The stadium wasn't delayed - the decision on which construction manager to use was delayed. There is a pretty big difference there.

Not at all.

Any delays prior to the build pushes the start of build date back & also the completion date. They are already talking about having to play 2 years at TCF Bank stadium already instead of 1 & they are first choosing a builder?

Originally Posted by singersp

Not at all.

Any delays prior to the build pushes the start of build date back & also the completion date. They are already talking about having to play 2 years at TCF Bank stadium already instead of 1 & they are first choosing a builder?

But the very specifically said in the articles you posted that the completion date has NOT been pushed back.

So NO, the Vikings Stadium has NOT been delayed. The choice of a construction manager has.

Originally Posted by NodakPaul

But the very specifically said in the articles you posted that the completion date has NOT been pushed back.

So NO, the Vikings Stadium has NOT been delayed. The choice of a construction manager has.

Of course they'll say the completion date hasn't changed, but the proof will be in the pudding.

I guess all talks of having to play at TCF Bank 2 years instead of 1 is all BS & a big waste of time by all parties involved.

Originally Posted by singersp

Of course they'll say the completion date hasn't changed, but the proof will be in the pudding.

I guess all talks of having to play at TCF Bank 2 years instead of 1 is all BS & a big waste of time by all parties involved.

No, if you read the article you posted, the original plan was to play at MoA 2 yeas and TCF 1. Now it is looking like playing at MoA 1 year and TCF 2. It still puts the construction timeline at 3 years. So, as of right now, the stadium has NOT been delayed.

Now to be completely fair, it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't open on time, but as of today everything is still pointing to it opening as expected. I have had the opportunity to be witness to some large scale construction projects (schools, not stadiums), and even though they were pretty small in compassion, I have an appreciation for how everything needs to work together and on time in order to meet deadlines. I am hoping that enough wiggle room was built into the timeline to allow for delays such as this. Playing in TCF for 2 years instead of 1 is just one of many things that they can do to try and make the expected opening date.

Actually if you look back at the articles where Mpls hijacked the stadium, they were telling us that construction would already begin last year.

Vikings stadium site work could begin this year | Finance & Commerce

Of course that was just lip service he needed to use to hijack the stadium but even the plans of only using TCF 1 year was stupid. Anyone with half a brain looking at what needed to be done and how the footprints overlapped could plainly see you couldn't do the construction they were presenting and still use the dome.

It would be much better to just move out of the dome and let the contractors raze the dome and build from there rather than have them try to work around the team and the events.

Originally Posted by purple floyd

it would be much better to just move out of the dome and let the contractors raze the dome and build from there rather than have them try to work around the team and the events.

qft

Will it be Mortenson Construction or Hunt Construction? Vikings stadium authority set to announce lead contractor - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Looks like we will find out today.

Mortenson wins it....

Mortenson Construction wins Vikings stadium contract, beating out Hunt Construction, Kraus-Anderson Construction - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Mortenson Construction has been selected as the construction manager for the new Minnesota Vikings stadium.

Golden Valley-based Mortenson is the Twin Cities' largest contractor and has built all of the top local sports facilities, including Target Field, TCF Bank Stadium, Xcel Energy Center and Target Center. It also has worked closely with the Vikings on preliminary planning for the stadium.

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