Hot Dish Politics: Not sure whether new stadium will have retractable roof

As the Legislature prepared to pass a plan for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium, the team said it was unsure whether it would have a retractable roof

By mikekaszuba

May 10, 2012 at 2:00PM

The new agreement for a Minnesota Vikings stadium gives the team the option of having a retractable roof.

So will they have one?

"It's going to be difficult with a $975 million budget" for the stadium, Vikings spokesman Lester Bagley said early Thursday after a House-Senate agreement on the project was released. "It's still an option, an opportunity.

"That's to be determined," he added.

Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, the chief House stadium author, said the Vikings might push for a retractable roof because the team was also given exclusive rights for five years to obtain a professional soccer team franchise. The team would play in the new stadium.

"To have a soccer team, they'd like to open [the stadium] up," said Lanning.


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