It appears that the Minnesota Vikings have decided on which construction company will be responsible for building their new home.
According to a report in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction will be getting the deal.
This shouldn't come as a huge surprise. . .not only did the Vikings say that they wanted to keep as many jobs local as possible, but Mortenson has built every major sports venue in Minnesota. They built the Target Center, the XCel Energy Center, Target Field, and TCF Bank Stadium.
Here's a bit more about the deal from the report:
As construction manager, Mortenson will establish the budget for what can be designed and built and draw up a construction timeline and work schedule. It also will provide a guaranteed maximum construction price for the 65,000-seat project.
Mortenson, headquartered in Golden Valley, was one of three bidders with extensive stadium-building experience competing for the work. The contruction firm is expected to be paid 2 to 3 percent of the stadium's $682 million construction cost.
Also bidding were Skanska AB, an international firm based in Sweden that has built several NFL stadiums, including the new home shared by the New York Giants and New York Jets, and Hunt Construction, a Scottsdale, Ariz. company that has built a dozen NFL stadiums, including two with retractable roofs.
The authority and team last week pared the list to Mortenson and Hunt.
Hopefully this means we will be seeing some pictures of the upcoming project here soon. The piece also says that it's looking likely that 2013 will be the final season for the Vikings at the Metrodome, with 2014 and 2015 to be played at TCF Bank Stadium.
There will be a press conference held at 9 AM Minneapolis time to announce the deal formally. It looks like it's just about ready to begin, and you can watch it at the link above.