TCF Stadium embraces entire state
By Rae KrugerMARSHALL - Lyon County will be part of the new TCF University of Minnesota football stadium, an alumni official said Tuesday.
"The names of all 87 counties will be carved in Minnesota stone and those will line the stadium," said Mary Kay Delvo, an advocacy and public policy director for the U of M alumni association. Delvo and Jim Resch, a national board representative for the alumni association, spoke at Tuesday's Rotary meeting. Delvo will be in Slayton today and in Worthington on Thursday.
Much of the stonework comes from Minnesota and the stones with county names come from New Ulm, Delvo said.
The county stone feature is one that makes the new stadium a Minnesota stadium for all, Delvo said.
Football will be the main event at the stadium and all the season tickets are sold, but the public will get a chance to use the stadium in other ways, Delvo said. The new stadium will be located across from Williams arena and be symbolic center of the campus.
"The stadium will be used 365 days a year," Delvo said of the roughly $86 million project.
Concerts, graduations and other events will be held in the stadium, she said.
"Initially, they will allow concerts for up to 15,000 people," Delvo said.
Officials will check noise levels and other features and, if appropriate, the audience size can be increased, Delvo said.
The stadium will also have several public areas which will be open throughout the year.
The stadium will have an area in tribute to Minnesota's Veterans of War.
The veterans' tribute will be at the main entrance, Delvo said.
A second hospitality area will honor American Indians in Minnesota, Delvo said.
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community donated $10 million to the stadium and another $2.5 million to academic scholarships, Delvo said.
Delvo said the U of M expects both areas to be visited year round.
Delvo said the general contractor for the project is a Minnesota contractor, Mortenson construction, and the majority of subcontractors are from Minnesota.
Mortenson was involved in the Regional Event Center at Southwest Minnesota State University.
Daktronics of Brookings, S.D., will supply the scoreboard, the second largest in college football, Delvo said.
"It's four times larger than the scoreboard at the Metrodome," Delvo said.
Delvo asked the audience to picture their child running across the scoreboard screen in a high school football game.
The stadium will have twice as many women's restrooms as men's, Delvo said, and will have 10 elevators.
And, "there's not a bad seat in the house," Delvo said.
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EdmundFitzgerald
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03-04-09 1:36 PM
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“The new stadium will be located…” The stadium is already located and mostly built. Nice job with your facts, Independent.
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TommyA
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03-04-09 9:56 AM
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TCF.....I don't think they should be in a place of sponsoring stadiums. First weren't they bailed out years ago from the S&L crisis and now aren't they receiving any funds from the current crisis? 365 days a year, sounds like rationalization - what a joke!
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EdmundFitzgerald
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03-04-09 12:37 AM
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"The stadium will be used 365 days a year" – Dang, a person could almost be fooled into believing this place has a roof and central air! There certainly weren’t any existing facilities in the Twin Cities for “concerts, graduations and other events” until this stadium came along. No basketball or hockey arenas, for example. Yes, citizen taxpayer, Pork Barrel Stadium means so much to you fine people out here in southwest MN!
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EdmundFitzgerald
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03-04-09 12:24 AM
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From the TCF Bank Stadium web site: “The total cost is $288.5 million”.
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