St. Paul officials seek more than $400 million in state funds for sports facility upgrades

Mayor Melvin Carter is convinced that a revamp of the Xcel Energy Center is the key to revitalizing downtown St. Paul and the surrounding areas.

And a large ride could provide an addition to the skyline at another edge of downtown.

Testifying before the House Capital Investment Committee Thursday, Carter requested $394.6 million of state bond funds, about half of the total $769 million proposed renovation of the 25-year-old Xcel Energy Center ($569 million), Roy Wilkins Auditorium ($150 million) and St. Paul RiverCentre ($50 million). The auditorium opened in 1932 and was renovated in 1986.

“This vision to reimagine the future of our city and our region is bold, ambitious and necessary,” Carter said. “We’re creating a city anchor where people want to be a hub of energy, business and community that reverberates beyond our borders. A renovated, modernized Xcel Energy Center Arena complex is the catalyst that makes all of this possible.”

The Minnesota Wild would contribute $215.8 million with St. Paul and local partners covering $158.8 million, under the proposal.

Rep. Fue Lee (DFL-Mpls), the committee co-chair, questioned spending nearly $400 million of taxpayer money on the project when there are so many other pressing capital project needs around the state.

“Do we put forth the General Fund dollars to pay for debt service for this one project, or do we look at the entire state of Minnesota and all the great needs that we have. How are we going to go back to our communities and talk about how we were not able to fund some of these critical projects in our community?”

Additionally, the latest state budget forecast projects a nearly $6 billion deficit in the 2028-29 biennium.

Carter recognizes the pricey request, but said the proposed renovation would increase the complex’s economic impact by more than $100 million per year. “That’s critical revenue that would ultimately expand our statewide capacity to meet the types of critical needs that you’re hearing today over the next 30 years.”

Meanwhile in the Lowertown side of the city, representatives of CHS Field and the St. Paul Saints — whose motto is “Fun is Good” — are pushing a $16.4 million project that would add a large Ferris wheel to the stadium facilities near left field and relocate and construct visiting players facilities.

Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega (DFL-St Paul) sponsors HF1361, which would fund the CHS Field project with $8 million in state bonding funds. The city, team and others would pick up the rest of the project cost.

Pérez-Vega justified the bonding ask, saying the St. Paul Saints and CHS Field are important community partners with youth sports in St. Paul.

“They’re continuing to do those efforts with this amazing ballpark that needs improvement to serve with environmental justice and also … to maintain our businesses who are supportive of this in the Lowertown district of 65B,” she said.

The St. Paul Saints became the AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins in 2021 and CHS Field is now required to meet Major League Baseball’s facility standards, which it does not do, according to Executive Vice President Tom Whaley.

“Most of those facility standards deal with players’ health, safety and welfare,” he said. “Our bottom line is our visiting player facilities are deficient. I feel we are making the best of the situation, but long-term, it’s not a sustainable situation.”