Posted on 07/25/2015 1:31:29 PM PDT by TurboZamboni
Some controversy is swirling around the new Vikings Stadium, as some are saying the project could be millions of dollars over budget. One member of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority is speaking out on the issue and facing opposition from other members. Duane Benson has served as the MSFA treasurer since the group's inception back in 2012, however, he is preparing to leave the group in light of recent turmoil and says the $1.1 billion project's finances are anything but in order at the moment.
As the groundbreaking project continues to break the bank, Benson says there is a problem--perhaps a $30-$50 million problem.
"If you ask is there a crisis, is there a problem? Yes."
Benson says the U.S. Bank Stadium is quickly going over its budget in change orders. "The wiggle room is almost nil," he says.
Fellow board members are disputing that, including Executive Director, Ted Mondale, telling the Star Tribune extra costs don't amount to more than $29 million--the amount in the construction contingency fund. However that is a number Benson believes is growing.
(Excerpt) Read more at kttc.com ...
I may have found the problem. Politically-connected people can't actually manage anything.
One of the stadium council leaders is Ted Mondale, who is where he is today because fate chose Walter Mondale to be his daddy.
The other is Michelle Kelm-Helgen, who is one of the stable of Mark Dayton confidants who has jumped from job to job with Dayton since he was elected.
The most criticism regarding this matter has come from Duane Benson, a Stadium Authority board member who has blasted the process, blasted the leadership of Monday and Kelm-Helgen, and will soon step down from the Stadium Authority.
So who is Duane Benson?
He graduated with Honors from Hamline University.
He played pro football for 11 seasons.
He served in the Minnesota Senate for 14 years.
He was the executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership for 9 years.
He is a small business owner, operating a cattle ranch outside of Lanesboro.
He has served on numerous corporate and non-profit boards.
If you were on a jury, who would be the most credible witness? Duane Benson, Ted Mondale, or Michelle Kelm-Helgen?Duane Benson says the operation is screwed up, the finances are in the soup, and there is a lack of leadership. The other two say that isn’t the case.
Around here, it's theater of the absurd. Cleveland Browns stadium was publically financed. So when the owner of the team wanted a more humongous scoreboard, $5 million dollars of public money was used! Yup, people who can't afford to go to games see their tax money being spent on a fancy scoreboard rather than going to cities and towns that need it. And then there's cigarette taxes that go to build stadiums where people can't smoke.
Grrr......
>>Politically-connected people can’t actually manage anything.
Yeah funny how that seems to work.
http://www.google.com/search?q=denver+mayor+bestman+indicted
I guess in the case of “US Bank Stadium” we don’t have to wonder who’s financing the construction.
Maybe there should be a requirement for disclosure of the financial entities involved in EVERY public infrastructure project....
A $1.1 billion project coming in $50 million over really isn’t that big a deal. That’s pretty much rounding error.
There’s one big reason why they can’t: cities and counties and states are willing to to build the stadiums for the team. One of the first rules of business is never spend money you don’t have to.
If Cleveland refuses, the football team could always move to a brand new stadium in let’s say Oklahoma City.
So why not a public corporation to build them? Perhaps because the teams know there will be less accountability to a government than there would be to the private sector?
Great plan. Except for us taxpayers whose towns and cities aren't getting enough of that tax money to fund local services.
Because cities and counties and state are willing to. A team would either have to be a part of the public corporation or at the very least pay them reasonable rent. Neither of which happens when it’s a government building. It’s just good business.
OMG change the name OMG change the name OMG
I agree that it’s good business for the team. But it’s horribly unfair to taxpayers many of whom can’t even afford to go to the games. Around here the argument that “the whole county benefits from the money the team brings in” is laughable.
Nobody wants to be the city council that “lost the team”, so they bend over backwards to keep the team. And make bad stupid deals. Could be worse you could be Glendale AZ, they mortgaged their future to build the NFL and NHL stadiums. And the NHL team is so broke all the time they’ve had to go completely rent free (otherwise the building will just sit empty). And both the Super Bowls played in the NFL stadium were publicized as being in PHOENIX, which is also where the teams and most of the press stayed, but Glendale was on the hook for the additional police protection.
When it comes to stadium deals government officials always forget that once you’ve established yourself as a whore all that’s left is negotiating over price. And everybody looooves cheap whores.
modern journalism
fails the 5 Ws and an H
Who did that?
What happened?
Where did it take place?
When did it take place?
Why did that happen?
Some authors add a sixth question, “how”, to the list, though “how” can also be covered by “what”, “when”, or “where”:[3]
How did it happen?
Except it’s the taxpayers who keep voting these guys in. And in Cleveland’s case voting them out when they committed the grand crime of “losing the team”.
Yep and St. Louis Rand's stadium was built in 1095 and it is already obsolete so the owner is threatening to move the team to L.A.
They will discredit him completely with this:
Ted: "He is a racist."
Michelle: "He is a homophobe."
And that will be that. It's how it always works.
That’s what gets me. The ancients could build structures that are standing today, but for some odd reason stadiums and arenas need to be rebuilt every 10 years.
What if every city refused the owners’ blackmail attempts?
Just look at the cost of the new supersized water and sewer mains, paid for by the taxpayers.
Well over 1000 restroom fixtures... and they all have to flush at once.
A new 18” - 24” water main going back to the source...$$$
And so much more!!
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