Members of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority on Friday said that the new Vikings stadium "won’t get the special fritted glass sought by bird advocates because delaying the project would cost too much," according to Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The MSFA is instead "working with 3M on a product to apply to the glass that it says will steer birds away." MSFA Chair Michele Kelm-Helgen said that a delay would "push back the opening into the 2017 NFL season, which could cost a season’s worth of Vikings’ rent and lost income from other events." Kelm-Helgen also said that "unpredictable legal liability from contractors would be expensive." She added that in total, the delay would cost $25M "on the lower end" and up to $60M "on the higher end." Olson noted the first pane of "controversial glass will be hung in March, with the structure becoming fully enclosed by November." Meanwhile, the board "approved more than $900,000 in additional funding from the Vikings for some design changes, including installing polymer partitions in the restrooms rather than painted wood." The board also formally increased from $3M to $10M the amount contracted food vendor Aramark will "put into the facility" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/18). In St. Paul, Doug Belden noted as has been true in other recent authority meetings, the public comment period Friday was "dominated by people urging the five-member body to find some way to deter birds from crashing into the new facility" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 1/18).
FREE PARKING: In Minneapolis, Eric Roper reported newly released e-mails and other information are "casting some doubt on the financial performance of two parking ramps crucial" to a $62M publicly financed development near the stadium. The documents reveal that city parking officials "felt first-year profit projections for the ramps were overly optimistic." They also show the Vikings are "entitled to free usage of 1,400 spaces on game days, for any future professional soccer games and up to 10 other events." Kelm-Helgen said that the ramps are "included in the Vikings’ annual rent payments" of about $10M (STARTRIBUNE.com, 1/18).
