Proposals expected on ballpark for Twins

The Minnesota Twins' ballpark pursuit enters a critical political phase this week that could provide long-term stability for the franchise that baseball once tried to eliminate.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's specially appointed Stadium Screening Committee is expected to deliver him today two proposals for the construction and financing of a new ballpark, along with recommendations on how best to approach getting the state Legislature to pass a bill this spring.

This submission, while by no means cause for celebration at a time of minimal public support for new sports facilities, nonetheless brings the Twins further along than ever before in a mostly futile seven-year effort.

"In the past, things have always been geared at whether or not we need new facilities," said Twins President Dave St. Peter. "Now, the mission for this group is not if, but how. We're very encouraged by that."

Indeed, Pawlenty single-handedly closed the gap between "if" and "how" with the formation of the screening committee. But any pouring of concrete will necessitate some level of support from outside the team and the governor's hand-picked panel by a community that is decidedly hesitant to devote resources to its teams.

In a recent poll conducted by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, 52 percent of respondents said they saw no need for a new Twins ballpark, compared with 42 percent who want one. Only 36 percent of respondents supported spending taxes on a new stadium, and 75 percent of those people said they would put up no more than $125 million in public funds for a $500 million stadium.

Such a stance could hinder a process that will consider two proposals that rely heavily on tax revenue.

A joint effort between Minneapolis and Hennepin County calls for $308 million from the county, raised though a 0.1 percent general sales, lodging, bar and restaurant tax, to go toward a $535 million, retractable-roof stadium near the Target Center. St. Paul's proposal, meanwhile, calls for $214 million from a 3 percent citywide food and beverage tax and a ballpark-event parking surcharge, all being applied toward a $518 million project across from Xcel Energy Center.

Whether the public or elected officials make the final call on how to pay for a stadium is to be determined, as well. The screening committee, which is also processing proposals for a new Vikings stadium, was expected last Thursday to vote on points related to the efforts of the Twins and the Vikings. Among the questions is whether to recommend to the governor a public referendum, which Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commissioner Roy Terwilliger said divides the 20-person committee.

Either way, the decision-makers will have to answer to residents of a region not far from a Milwaukee community that views its new ballpark as marking the start of worse, not better, times.

"It doesn't seem to me that what happened [in Milwaukee] provides any great incentive for people to get into it," said Minneapolis Councilman Paul Zerby.

St. Peter and several members of the committee cited the Twins' financial commitment (the team has pledged $120 million toward a new ballpark) and the club's commitment to winning (the Twins have won the A.L. Central the last two years) as proof the public is not being asked to subsidize a losing operation.

"I don't believe this is analogous to Milwaukee," Terwilliger said, "other than the fact that both teams are in the Midwest and both start with an 'M.'"

The legislative session begins today, and with the session adjourning in May, the team could inch closer to long-term stability shortly after the 2004 season opens.

"There's a critical mass of support," said William Lester, executive director of the MSFC. "It might not be the overwhelming majority yet, but there's a group that sees [a new stadium] as integral to keeping the team. [But] we're still in the third inning of a game that'll go at least nine, if not extra innings."