Officials have not yet said how much the upgrades to Xcel Energy Center will costgetty images
The city of St. Paul and the Wild plan to "put the finishing touches" on a request for help from the state of Minnesota to modernize the Xcel Energy Center and "meet the demands of a new generation of fans," according to front-page piece by James Walsh of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Officials are "not yet ready to say how much the project would cost." In the 23 years since Xcel Energy Center opened in downtown St. Paul, it has "pumped hundreds of millions each year into Minnesota’s economy while making the capital city a regional hockey, concert and convention hub." Xcel Energy Center and the rest of the city's RiverCentre complex generate $493M in "total economic impact -- such as spending at bars and restaurants and on lodging." St. Paul Financial Services Dir John McCarthy said, “When Xcel is really busy, we have really strong months in sales tax collections.” Walsh noted the arena has been "well-maintained and remains an attractive concert venue." However, city and Wild officials said that it is "time to look at upgrades" (
Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/10).
