The St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that Ramsey County officials have declared that they are "very, very close" to reaching a deal with the Minnesota Vikings to build their new stadium at the site of the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant in Arden Hills.
"We are very, very close to coming to a full proposal with the Vikings," said Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega, one of two commissioners who has been in talks with the team for months. "We have a few i's to dot and t's to cross. The big nut to crack, so to speak, is the transportation issue." When Ortega mentions the "transportation issue," they're referring to interchanges, intersections, and roads around the site of the old ammunition plant at Interstate 35W and U.S. 10. When this process originally got underway, Ramsey County was considered a bit of a long shot to get the stadium at their site. Now, with Mike Opat having pulled Hennepin County's support for the Farmer's Market location and the folks that want something done on the site of the Metrodome not having anything remotely resembling a financing proposal together, the old Army Ammunition Plant site now has to be considered the favorite. With the current session of the legislature set to adjourn on May 23, the sooner the Vikings can get something completed with Ramsey County, the better their odds of getting this stadium bill pushed through the legislature during this session.