Vikings: We’ll pay for a third of roofless stadium

The lead Minnesota Vikings official pushing for a new, publicly financed stadium says the team will pay about a third of what it would cost to build a stadium without a roof — even if state lawmakers opt for a more expensive covered facility.

Lester Bagley told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the Vikings don’t need a roof, but understand an outdoor stadium might not get legislative approval when lawmakers take up the debate again in February. Bagley says the Vikings see it as a precedent that the Minnesota Twins paid about one-third of the cost of outdoor Target Field.

An outdoor stadium has been estimated to cost at least $700 million, with a permanent or retractable roof likely to add another few hundred million to the total cost.

State Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont and the likely stadium bill sponsor, says most lawmakers want a facility like the Metrodome that can host not just NFL football but dozens of other high school and college sports and other public events.