Concerns that the massive, glassy new Vikings stadium in downtown Minneapolis will kill thousands of birds cruising into its giant windows have found sympathies at City Hall.
The City Council, which engaged in a fractious debate over the stadium's construction in 2012, will consider Friday whether to formally support an effort to have the facility fitted with bird-safe glass. The Washington-based American Bird Conservancy also joined the effort Wednesday, asking for a meeting with the National Football League.
The Vikings have previously rebuffed calls from Audubon Minnesota, a branch of the National Audubon Society, to shell out an extra $1.1 million for the specially glazed glass at the stadium, expected to cost nearly $1 billion altogether.
A resolution drafted by five council members seeks to apply more pressure, noting that migrating birds frequently use the Mississippi River as a navigational aid and make the metro area their stopover point in the spring and fall. The resolution was authored by Council Members Linea Palmisano, Cam Gordon, Alondra Cano, Lisa Bender and Andrew Johnson.
"The city of Minneapolis is contributing approximately $150 million in local sales tax revenue to building the stadium, and the interests of the people of Minneapolis should be honored in the design of the stadium," the resolution says.
Leaders with the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, which is overseeing the stadium's construction, said a year ago that the facility would turn off lights at night once the facility is built to help prevent bird collisions. The council resolution states that the lighting is distinct from the calls for different glass, however.
The city's stadium implementation committee and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have both outlined the need to mitigate bird deaths in the stadium's design.
"Ensuring that the stadium is bird-safe will improve visitor experience and be good for the Vikings and Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority in the long run," the resolution says.
