The Vikings and Minnesota-based manufacturing company 3M are working on an effort "to save migratory birds from fatally colliding with 200,000 square feet of glass" on the team's new stadium, according to Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Vikings Exec VP/Public Affairs & Stadium Development Lester Bagley yesterday said that 3M has a "potentially bird-saving film that could be used on the glass." Bagley: "It's a test, and we'll see what the test shows down the road." The Audubon Society and "other bird lovers have been upset over the decision by the Vikings and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority to use clear glass" on the stadium. Bird advocates say the "proximity to the critical Mississippi River migratory corridor will cause birds to get confused and collide with the glass, potentially killing thousands." But the MSFA and the Vikings "declined to install safer fritted glass on the facility," balking at the estimated $1.1M cost of the bird-safe glass. They said that the plain glass was "already on order and set for delivery." Team and MSFA officials have repeatedly said that with its "dotted texture and appearance, fritted glass would obscure precious sunlight." In contrast, the 3M film is "invisible to the naked eye" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/11). In St. Paul, Doug Belden notes the MSFA has rejected proposals to install fritted glass "because the glass would mar the transparent look it wants for the new facility." State Sen. Scott Dibble said that if additional bird safety measures "aren't forthcoming, he plans in the next legislative session to push to require the stadium authority to implement them" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 12/11).
YOU CAN BANK ON IT: In Minneapolis, Sid Hartman writes it would be "a big surprise if U.S. Bank isn't awarded the naming rights to the new Vikings stadium." U.S. Bancorp Chair & CEO Richard Davis has been "close to the Vikings ownership and played a big part in raising the money from the local business community to land" the '18 Super Bowl. It is believed that the contract for the naming rights is "in the hands of attorneys for both sides and that an announcement will be made in the near future" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/11).
