After many years of wrangling, on Sunday, May 21, the Minnesota state legislature approved a deal that provides public funding for construction of a baseball stadium in downtown Minneapolis. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, this ends “the longest stadium battle in the nation.” The new open-air stadium will seat 42,000 people and open in 2010.

I’ve followed this issue with some interest over the years, particularly when the Twins seemed to be in danger of moving or being eliminated by Major League Baseball. I reluctantly support the current deal because I believe the Twins may not have remained in Minnesota without a new stadium. My reluctance comes from the knowledge that many wealthy individuals - Twins owner Carl Pohlad and the Twins players - will benefit financially from a project that is financed with taxpayer dollars. I would much rather see the money for the stadium come from those folks than from the general public of Hennepin County. At least the Hennepin County sales tax supporting the stadium is small; it’s 0.15 percent.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 22nd, 2006 at 1:08 pm and is filed under Minnesota, Sports.