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Politics and Government News
Peter Cox
Updated:

Wild, St. Paul scale back request for public money toward entertainment complex rehab

A rendering of planned updates for a hockey arena
A rendering of plans for updates to the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. The city and the Minnesota Wild are requesting $395 million in state funding to help with the arena updates, and updates to the RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium, all of which they say will add economic vitality to the downtown.
City of St. Paul

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A plan to revitalize the Xcel Energy Center complex in downtown St. Paul is being slimmed down in hopes of gaining traction at the Legislature.

The narrowed request outlined Thursday would prioritize the hockey arena upgrades but put off renovations to adjacent convention and entertainment space.

Earlier this year, the city of St. Paul and the Minnesota Wild came to state leaders with an ambitious plan to update the 25-year-old hockey arena, as well as the RiverCenter and Roy Wilkins Auditorium. They said the entire complex is showing its age.

The initial plan sought state dollars toward half of the cost of a $770 million project. But legislators balked at the price tag and the timing, given budget constraints.

Now the city and team have scaled down the proposal to focus on renovating just the hockey arena. They’re now hoping the state would be willing to put up $50 million for the project.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said the proposal is still important to address deficiencies in the complex, and keep downtown vibrant.

“This project will create hundreds of jobs and generate millions in economic growth, while securing this publicly owned tourist destination for decades to come,” Carter said in a written statement. “With these goals more urgent than ever, this is exactly the kind of public infrastructure investment our state needs right now.”

The plan would improve entrance areas, open up corridors and increase accessibility in the building. Under the new plan, in addition to the state money, the city and local partners would kick in $200 million while the Wild’s owners would pay the rest, and cover any cost overruns.

A key legislator involved in bills for public construction projects said even though the new request is "a more realistic proposal given our budget situation," the timing is still poor.

"I wish they had come in in January with this proposal," said Senate Capital Investment Committee Chair Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul. "But now we're three weeks till the end of session, less than that, and so that's kind of the problem."

Pappas said she's not completely closing to door.

"You never say never around here, but I just don't see how it's realistically possible. We have so many major bills that we have to pass yet in conference committee and then final bills," she said.

Wild owner Craig Leipold said in a statement that the Xcel Energy Center is an economic hub. It drew one million visitors for various events in the first few months of this year, the city and team said in a joint statement.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to build on this success,” Leipold said. “St. Paul is uniquely positioned to become a gleaming example nationwide of forward-thinking revitalization. The Wild is committed to our home in the capital of the state of hockey, and we’re proud to invest in the future of St. Paul.”

Leipold was at the Capitol on Thursday but declined to comment as he made his way into meetings with lawmakers.