Well, we haven't heard anything about the Vikings' stadium battle for a while, which is bad when one considers that there are only about three weeks left in the current legislative session. As we've discussed here, one of the biggest stumbling blocks towards getting a stadium deal accomplished is the lack of a local partner in the bill that has been presented to the legislature.
So, we actually have some good news to present on that front, as Ramsey County officials are making it sound like they're getting closer to a deal that would have the Vikings building their brand new, state of the art stadium on the site of the old Army Ammunition plant in Arden Hills.
Ramsey County commissioners voted earlier this year to negotiate with the NFL team on an agreement to be the team's local partner in a three-way deal with the state. Commissioner Tony Bennett said he thinks the talks have been fruitful.
"We've made a lot of progress. We've talked over a lot of their concerns and our concerns, and we've reached agreement on a lot of those areas," Bennett said.
Bennett then went on to perform a heartfelt rendition of The Shadow of Your Smile before ending the interview. Or not.
I think that those of us that have written stuff on the subject for this site can agree that Ramsey County has been the most serious about getting something together for a Vikings' stadium, and if Zygi Wilf is serious about keeping the Vikings in Minnesota like he said when he bought the team, then everybody needs to stop screwing around and make this marriage happen. The Wilfs want a stadium, the fans of the Minnesota Vikings want a stadium, and there's a location that is, apparently, quite willing to work to make that happen.
Would a stadium on the current Metrodome site potentially be easier, infrastructure-wise? Probably. Would putting a stadium near Target Field be more convenient? Perhaps. But, according to the mayor of Minneapolis, the city is flat broke, and the Farmer's Market idea would entail moving a whole lot of people, which would cost a whole lot of money.
Make this happen, Zygi. It's getting to be time to either defecate or remove yourself from the porcelain waste receptacle.