Minnesota Wild want to renovate Xcel Center. Has debate over public funding changed?

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Wild is reportedly seeking funding from the state to help cover the cost of expanding renovation plans for the team’s stadium in downtown St. Paul.

New plans. Old debate.

The debate over spending tax-money on stadiums for professional franchises is nothing new, especially in Minnesota.

One reason St. Paul even has an NHL franchise is because the Minnesota North Stars relocated to Texas after a dispute over public funding for stadium renovations in the early 1990’s.

READ MORE: Minnesota Wild to wear North Stars colors 15 times this season. Will the logo ever return?

 Norm Green, who was credited with saving the North Stars when he initially bought the franchise, wanted help from the City of Bloomington and the state.

 He requested $15 million to renovate the Met Center.

 "In today’s world, that’s a drop in the bucket," said Jack Larson, the former Director of the Met Center.

The Met

Built in 1967, the Met Center was deteriorating and lacked revenue-producing suites.

Bill Lester, the former Executive Director of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Commission, admits $15-million sounds "laughable" now. But at the time,  Lester said it was right to seriously question whether it would have been enough to keep the North Stars in Minnesota long-term.

"There was no ability there to create suites," Lester said.

FOX 9 recently interviewed former team executives and government officials about funding for the Met Center as part of a documentary about the North Stars leaving Minnesota.

"I just don’t think the commission and Norm saw eye to eye," Larson said. 

Lou Nanne, a former North Stars player and executive, still blames the commission for not doing enough to save the North Stars.

 "They know how I feel, I am not going to shy away from it…they did not help us the way they should have or could have," Nanne said. 

Green relocated the franchise to Dallas in 1993. The Met Center was demolished a year later.

Tom Bernhardson, Bloomington’s city manager at the time, has no regrets.

 "Frankly, the best thing that happened to Bloomington was when the stadium left," Bernhardson said 30 years later.

New franchise. New city. New stadium.

Norm Coleman was the mayor of St. Paul when the North Stars left Minnesota.

"I think you had shortsighted civic leaders who didn’t understand the value…of having an NHL team in your community," Coleman said in an interview for the upcoming documentary on the North Stars.

He quickly started angling to bring a franchise to St. Paul and initially pitched the NHL on having a new team play at the old Civic Center downtown.

Gary Bettman, the NHL Commissioner, toured the dated facility the day after the circus left town.

 "The smell of dung hung so heavily in the air that folks could hardly breathe," Coleman recalled. "The commissioner pulled me over and said ‘Mayor, you guys gotta build a new arena."

But Coleman had to overcome a reluctance to invest public money.

"There was huge opposition, huge opposition to any kind of community investment,"Coleman said. "The naysayers were saying it was going to bankrupt the city and it was a terrible investment."

Coleman ultimately pushed through a deal that included a no-interest loan from the state. He dropped the puck on opening night at the XCEL Center in 2000.

 "It’s been 24 years since I dropped that puck," Coleman said, adding that additional investments in the aging stadium can’t be a total give-away.

 "You have to structure it in a way that makes sense to the taxpayers," he said.

Tom Reid, a former North Star player who now owns a popular bar down the street from the XCEL Center, said he believes the team will ultimately get what they want.

"They all have to contribute part of the cost of doing it," Reid said.

Sense of urgency

Kevin Allenspach, who recently wrote a book about the 1991 North Stars team, said the franchise’s relocation is a "cautionary tale" for the state.

"That’s one of the factors that ultimately led to Target Field being built…to U.S. Bank Stadium being built," Allenspach said.

The Wild, Twins and Vikings all play in stadiums built, at least in part, with public money.  

Bonds used to finance Target Field and U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis were paid off early. 

St. Paul paid back more than half the money it borrowed from the state to build the XCEL ENERGY CENTER. The rest, more than $30 million, was forgiven by the state legislature in 2013.

Lester, who was involved in getting funding for those stadiums approved, said there was "definitely more of a sense of urgency" after the North Stars left.

Now a sense of urgency appears to be returning as city and state leaders consider investing more public money in the XCEL Center.

What they want

Craig Leipold, the team’s majority owner, told several media outlets before the season that the plans to renovate the arena will now also include a new hotel downtown. Initial plans announced last year included renovating a parking ramp and the adjacent RiverCenter with a price tag of up to $300-million. 

Leipold did not say how much the new plans would cost. The team intends to contribute a significant amount to the renovation.

 However, the team and the City of St. Paul are also seeking revenue from the state legislature to start the process 

 The City of St. Paul has owned the stadium since it opened in 2000 for the Wild’s inaugural season. In 2019, the team extended its lease for the stadium through 2035.

"NO STARS: When Minnesota Lost Pro Hockey" premiers Nov 14 on FOX 9 and FOX LOCAL.