ST PAUL, Minnesota — There's a push underway for renovations at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Officials are not saying much but that could change with the next legislative session right around the corner.
The 23-year-old arena is not only home to the Minnesota Wild but hosts everything from concerts to state high school tournaments year-round.
"I think that sounds great. I think it's probably overdue," said Ryan Otte, who owns the ROC Home Pros on West 7th Street. Otte also lives downtown and is a Wild season ticket holder.
"Some of the corridors get narrow in certain areas. If they could open that up, that would be helpful to keep people moving. Help people get to their seats faster, of course. Maybe reroute food lines and drink lines so they're not into the corridor areas and definitely expand on the bathrooms because those bathroom lines get to be absolutely ridiculous sometimes," said Otte, while watching the Viking's game at Tom Reid's Hockey City Pub.
Renovations would also include Saint Paul RiverCentre and its parking ramp.
City, state, and Wild officials have met over the matter but it's unclear how much a makeover could cost. The Pioneer Press reported it could cost "hundreds of millions" of dollars. We reached out to St. Paul Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher on Sunday and are waiting to hear back.
Gov. Tim Walz's office said in a statement, "We will use the November forecast to determine the size and scope of this year's infrastructure bill. We will review hundreds of requests in that process – we have not received a proposal or dollar figure to consider for this project but we look forward to reviewing once we do."
Senator Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul and chair of the Capitol Investment Committee, told KARE 11, "I appreciate the vitality that the X has brought to downtown St Paul over the past two decades. I don't know the details of their proposal. However, I've let them know that there is intense competition for state bonding dollars- really a crisis in infrastructure needs from all over the state."
Wild season ticket-holder Rich Barnes said with Minnesota being the state of hockey, it has his support, saying, "We never want to have the Minnesota North Stars situation ever again. Give them what they want."
About a month ago, a survey was sent to fans who have purchased tickets to games and events at Xcel Energy Center including Minnesota Wild season ticket members along with fans who have signed up to receive email notifications from the team and/or Xcel Energy Center.
In a statement, the Minnesota Wild said, "It's been almost 25 years since Xcel Energy Center was built, so we are assessing our facilities and seeking feedback from users to determine what upgrades may be needed in the coming years. From concerts to hockey games, we know that the ways visitors experience our facilities have changed since our arena was built in 2000, and we look forward to hearing from people through the survey."
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