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Ventura signs $330 million stadium bill Posted: Wednesday May 22, 2002 9:02 PM
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota's fight to save the Twins got a big boost Wednesday when Gov. Jesse Ventura approved a financing framework for a $330 million ballpark. It caps a seven-year effort by the Twins to secure help from the state for an open-air, natural-grass stadium. But the plan has only lukewarm support from the Twins. "This bill is a huge, huge step, there's no question," said Jim Pohlad, the eldest son of owner Carl Pohlad, who is trying to sell the team. But with the team's ownership up in the air and citing decisions still unresolved, Jim Pohlad said the family isn't ready to celebrate. Twins officials are unsure they'll be able to find $120 million for a required down payment and get a guarantee from major league baseball that a team will play in Minnesota for at least 30 years. Nonetheless, the team already announced that fans who buy season tickets for the remaining seasons in the Metrodome will get seating priority in the new ballpark. They're also exploring how to add a retractable roof with private money. A new stadium probably would keep owners from eliminating the low-revenue Twins through contraction. It wouldn't be ready until the 2006 season. Attention now shifts to the city level. Local leaders who want the Twins in their city must persuade voters to approve higher food and beverage taxes in a referendum. The Twins will probably seek business community help for their $120 million share. The success of their fund-raising could determine the amount thrown in by Carl Pohlad, a banker who bought the Twins in 1984, or a new owner. No offers for the team have come in since the bill took shape, Jim Pohlad said. Jim Pohlad doesn't expect to wind up as the owner, despite past comments that he would like to run a franchise. "We operate as a family," he said. "It's the family decisions that determine what we do as individuals." Whomever owns the team also would have to pay rent of at least $10 million a year to offset operating and repair costs. Before any bonds are sold, a panel of top state officials would determine whether baseball is making progress toward an economic structure that puts large- and small-market teams on more even footing. The Minnesota Vikings get help too, through a new football account that will open $500,000 for predesign of a stadium the team would share with the University of Minnesota.
But Vikings owner Red McCombs said Monday that he was disappointed he didn't make more progress toward a stadium. He said he would consider selling or moving the team.
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