Minneapolis and St. Paul have been blessed with the ability to host world class activities such as the Super Bowl, MLB All-Star games, Final Fours for both the men and the women, MLS All-Star games, Big Ten championships and more. Those amazing events happened because of a series of innovative, highly controversial agreements that built the necessary facilities that attracted those events.
With those agreements, amazing facility such as US Bank Stadium, Target Field, Target Center and Xcel Energy Center along with several other projects sprung up and attracted millions of visitors who ate, drank and lodged in our downtowns and surrounding areas’ establishments, while producing great benefits for our sports corporations, hospitality and event businesses and the profile of the region. These successful ventures produced great revenue. We were provided an amazing opportunity to pay the public debt off of US Bank Stadium years ahead of schedule. As this has been a boon for some in the region, the public benefit has been limited. Please remember these facilities are publicly financed and owned, leased by our sports corporation entities.
Therefore, this next request shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone and should provide a boost to the arm for all families and children in Minneapolis. If Minnesota and Minneapolis clear the state and city debt, the city should keep the fund that created those stadiums and build local, first-rate fields, courts, pools, stages and programs for our youth.
If we can spend billions to build those world class facilities, we can definitely build facilities in our neighborhoods with a fraction of those funds and yield greater communal impact.
Susan Du’s Feb. 18 article reporting the troubles with existing fields and calls by parents for Title IX investigation in Minneapolis highlights the desperate state of our community infrastructure. One that hinders the development of an adequate program and quality experience for our young people and community members.
It’s not about building fields, courts, pools or stages of dreams. It’s about providing the necessary support through better facilities and programs for those dreams and aspirations to be nourished.
Our inaction is causing Minneapolis to lose thousands of families and kids at an alarming rate to charter, private, suburban schools and communities, as they do not believe their dreams can be achieved in their neighborhoods.
Proof? The percentage of families living in Minneapolis has declined 25% in the past 35 years. Likewise, the number of students in Minneapolis Public Schools has dropped 32% over the past 20 years. As a result, less than half of school-age children in Minneapolis attend Minneapolis public schools. Half.
This commitment to facilities and amenities would also drive a major economic stimulus in every neighborhood in the city. The direct economic impact would be felt by local businesses, workers and residents as new facilities and activities are built in our backyards by our neighbors.
Call your legislator and ask for them to clear the state’s and city’s stadium debt and let’s build our fields, courts, pools, and stages of dreams for kids and families.
Brett Buckner, Mike Tate and Pat Smith are residents of Minneapolis working on youth programming.
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