U.S. Bank will use the curtains for concerts, conferences and other events in the futureGETTY IMAGES
The estimated cost for "window treatments to black out U.S. Bank Stadium" for the '19 NCAA Final Four is $5.2M, according to a front-page piece by Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority "authorized spending" $4.6M, with the "potential of another $600,000, for what they call the 'darkening solution.'" Arizona-based signage company bluemedia will "cover the plastic roof," and contractor Chicago Flyhouse will cover the "glass windows and doors." U.S. Bank Stadium has "nearly a half-million square feet of windows and roofing that must be covered to block the natural light." The bluemedia design team will have to "insert the curtains below the roof but above the sprinkler system, a space as narrow as 3.5 inches at some points." MSFA Chair Michael Vekich and Chief Technology Advisor James Farstad "justified the cost by saying the curtains are a long-term asset that will help attract future events." Vekich and Farstad said that the curtains "will be needed for some religious conferences as well as concerts." The cost of the curtains "will come from the stadium's capital reserve account, funded by the state and the Vikings." The MSFA BOD also "adopted the budget for the upcoming year," and the curtains "received unanimous approval from the board members present." The NCAA "requires the blackout conditions so lighting in Final Four venues is consistent for all games and shootarounds" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/29).
