The Wild are now "only a couple of months away" from moving in to Tria Rink, meaning the team will "finally have a permanent practice rink, no longer forced to find alternatives when there is a conflict at Xcel Energy Center," according to Dane Mizutani of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. Wild Exec VP/Business Development Jamie Spencer said the team is "looking at a December timeframe" for moving in. Mizutani noted the Wild initially were "expected to make the move sometime in November." But Spencer confirmed that the project is "about a month or so behind schedule because of unforeseen delays with construction." Mizutani noted aside from the Tria Rink on the roof, the Wild will "also occupy the entire basement level" of the Treasure Island Center in downtown St. Paul. That space, which is about 50,000 square feet, will "feature a private parking lot, offices for head coach Bruce Boudreau and his staff, a new locker room, a players lounge, state-of-the-art weight room and a handful of other amenities, including a high-speed freight elevator that will take players from the basement to the roof" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 9/4).
CHOOSING SIDES: Former interim St. Louis City Counselor Michael Garvin said that City Hall is "standing by a deal with the Blues to renovate Scottrade Center as the pact faces a legal challenge." He said a lawsuit against the public financing agreement "has no merit." In St. Louis, Mike Faulk reported Friday was the "first time the city weighed in on the merits of the case." Plaintiffs' attorneys said that the $64M deal "relies in part on funding from a Community Improvement District they claim violates the Missouri Constitution." They added that the terms of bonds to finance the project are "also unconstitutional." Faulk noted the CID would "include only Scottrade Center." But because the city owns Scottrade Center, the deal's opponents "say the city is in effect imposing a sales tax without voter approval." The Blues argue in court filings that there is "no uncertainty about the city's standing as owner of Scottrade Center, and opponents appear now to be using those words against them in the amended petition" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/2).
