MPR's William Wilcoxen reports that even as state lawmakers debate whether to help finance a ballpark, potential host cities have been jockeying for position. St. Paul city officials said the city has three downtown sites that could become the next home to the Minnesota Twins. Business and labor leaders joined Mayor Randy Kelly at City Hall to describe the sites.
Kelly says St. Paul is gaining momentum in an effort to become the host city for a new ballpark, but Minneapolis leaders say they're not willing to concede the fight.
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WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Minneapolis earmarked a potential ballpark site early in the long running debate over whether and how to build a new home for Minnesota's big League baseball team. The readiness of Minneapolis city-owned land between a downtown parking ramp and an interstate highway has been one of the arguments for building a stadium in the state's most populous city.
Now, Saint Paul hopes to turn the site question to its advantage. Jon Labosky, president of a business group called the Capital City Partnership says flexibility works to Saint Paul's advantage.
JOB LABOSKY: In Saint Paul, we are blessed with multiple sites and multiple opportunities, and all of them offer unique riverfront settings.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Labosky joined Saint Paul Mayor Randy Kelly in describing three potential ballpark sites. One is adjacent to the Xcel Energy Center, where the Minnesota Wild hockey team plays. Another is currently the site of a production plant where the Gillette Corporation makes shampoo and other toiletries. The third is on vacant land on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, directly across the river from [? Downtown. ?]
Each of those sites is at least partially owned by private parties. Saint Paul would need to buy out those parties and possibly help relocate them to make way for a ballpark, but Kelly estimates any of the sites could be ready within a year. He says a chamber of commerce poll showing public support for a Saint Paul ballpark and the city council's endorsement of the stadium idea are part of a momentum that's building.
RANDY KELLY: The support of the labor community is vital. We have it. To the support of the business community is critical. We have that. The support of the leadership of the hospitality industry is absolutely paramount. We have that.
So, my friends, we have the political support and the will. We have a local financing plan. We have legislation before the House that with modifications we think can be quickly put to use to finalize a deal with a team.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Labosky says the decision to offer three sites rather than one is deliberate. Why don't we just select a site?
JOB LABOSKY: Well, because we feel that would be presumptuous because we do have options. And we would like to work out the final site selection in concert with the public-private partnership with the owners of the team as well as the city.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: But Minneapolis mayor RT Rybak says none of Saint Paul's prospective sites is as ready as Minneapolis location.
R.T. RYBAK: We picked a site two years ago. We have the infrastructure in place. That infrastructure would cost the citizens of this state many millions of dollars. $20, $30, $40 million more in Saint Paul. Now, people want to pay that, that's fine. But considering what needs that this community is facing, I think we shouldn't be looking at an inner city competition. We should really be looking at how we can do this in a responsible way that saves the Twins.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: As the site competition heats up, other voices hope to cool the inter-city sweepstakes. [? Dan ?] [? McGrath ?] of the Citizens Group Progressive Minnesota says the Twin Cities attempts to outsell each other as baseball hosts fuel a misguided race to assist the Twins billionaire owner, Carl Pohlad.
[? DAN MCGRATH: ?] It really has started a race for the bottom. And right now Randy Kelly, Mayor Kelly in Saint Paul has set the bar very high for what he expects citizens to pay for a new ballpark.
WILLIAM WILCOXEN: Pohlad has long said the Twins cannot be profitable in today's high payroll major leagues while playing in the Metrodome. He and Major League Baseball executives have discussed a plan under which other owners would buy out Pohlad after the upcoming baseball season and disband the Twins. I'm William Wilcoxen, Minnesota Public Radio.