A seed is planted and things can grow quickly in late spring

Posted 4/11/01

A seed is planted and things can grow quickly in late spring

By T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter

A House committee on Monday (April 9) will hear a proposal to build a 42,000 capacity, $300 million open-air ballpark somewhere in the metro ñ future home of the Minnesota Twins.

The bill, carried in the House by Rep. Harry Mares, R, White Bear Lake ñ a respected lawmaker ñ calls for a $140 million interest free loan.
The Twins and other private interests would chip in $150 million.

Twins President Jerry Bell said the proposal is similar to the plan that built the Minnesota Wildís new stadium in St. Paul but even involves more private investment.

He thinks Minnesotans support the Twins, except on sunny days when seeing a game means sitting inside the sunless Metrodome.

There are too few sunny days in Minnesota for people to willingly do that, said Bell.
Though the stadium proposal has elicited lukewarm support in the Senate, the initiative has a few things going for it.

One is the support of Majority Leader Roger Moe, DFL, Erskine, always a handy thing to have when trying to move things through the Legislature.
Another element of the initiative is its inviting greyness.

The whole package is hedged on Major League Baseball reforming itself and even sets up a panel of Minnesota judges to rule whether this blessed event occurs.

All this seems a little vague, but thatís its beauty. To a tentative lawmaker, it helps make justifying support the ballpark to voters a little easier.

The Twins themselves arenít playing hardball. They seem engaged in a thorough but soft sell.
So the stadium proposal has some momentum. But thereís quite a bit standing in its way.

Gov. Ventura, for one, said stadiums are not on his list of priorities. And House Republican leadership keeps the proposal at armís length, saying thereís more important things to talk about than stadiums.
And that may be an understatement. For the end of this session may be a doozy.

For one thing, Senate DFLers are proposing to spend nearly double what the House Republicans and Ventura are proposing to spend next biennium.
This little matter of the $700 million disagreement will need to be sorted out ñ the process hasnít even moved beyond the courtly stage yet.
Additionally, disagreement also exists on the proposed sales tax rebate.

And the session is entering its home stretch.
Bell admits thereís ìbaggageî leftover from previous stadium pitches, but this more brings to mind a fully load steamer trunk than a satchel.
Thereís still an element of rancor over that whole fiasco ñthe threatened move. And diehard anti-stadium lawmakers like Sen. John Marty, DFL, Roseville, and Rep. Phil Krinkie, R, Shoreview, will always draw a television camera when lambasting stadium deals involving public dollars.
But a seed has been planted. And it could grow.
Things can grow quickly in late spring.