Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
February 09, 2007
Trouble in Twinville

Nick and Nick point out this article, which makes it seem like the Twins new home is far from a done deal.

Despite the seeming congeniality of the hearing, there are several sticky issues in play. The landowners and Hennepin County are far apart on the actual value of the 8.8 acres of land, and there's no reason to believe the dispute will be resolved soon. County tax records from 2006 assess the two parcels at a combined $9.8 million, a number that has fluctuated over the last five years. The county has a cap on how much it can actually spend on land acquisition, and right now is reportedly willing to spend $13.35 million for the site--a number that the owners believe is low.

Early on, Judge Aldrich wondered how the two sides had arrived at the impasse. "Oh dear," he remarked at one point. "Am I to understand that none of the parties agreed to the price before getting legislative approval [for a ballpark on the site]? There was no price required?" The attorneys all confirmed that the judge was correct.


Posted by David Pinto at 09:00 PM | Stadiums | TrackBack (0)
Comments

I can't stand it! How can the taxpayers put up with this bull? Every study shows that pro-sports has no impact on the local economy, worse it shows that it costs taxpayers more to have public owned facilities. I don't begrudge the open market or capitalism but this is just the opposite. Taxpayers are funding millionairs who work for billionaires. I'm going to be sick. What a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Posted by: Snuffy at February 9, 2007 09:24 PM

I apologize. I should have mentioned... this is one of the very best BB sites on the Web.

Posted by: Snuffy at February 9, 2007 09:26 PM

As a fan who's enjoyed the dogs at Wrigley and the airy, open concourse at Kaufmann, I must admit that it's dismal to sit in the Metrodome and watch the Twins play. My summer treks to see my Twins start out fun, but my spirits begin to sag the closer I get to the dome.

Having said that however, I have to agree with Snuffy all the way. Taxpayers are the ones who get soaked with these deals especially if they are fans. The Twins, once a truly affordable treat are sliding into the expensive zone, particularly since they adopted the "premium" games concept. Sorry guys... there's NOTHING premium in the Metrodome. I can't imagine what the costs will be when the taxpayer-supported stadium that's going to go up in the warehouse district. Perhaps even a Twins-Royals showdown will have to be designated a "premium" game just to cover the costs.

Posted by: Mark Spangler at February 13, 2007 01:07 AM
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