St. Paul stadium and Xcel complex requests draw questions on costs, standards and financing

Representatives and city and team officials on March 20 presented two related capital requests for St. Paul sports venues, prompting committee questions about financing, future standards and community benefits.

CHS Field: Representative Carlos Perez Vega asked the committee to consider House File 13 61, an $8,000,000 bonding request for CHS Field in St. Paul’s Lowertown. Tom Whaley, executive vice president of the St. Paul Saints, said requirements that accompanied the Saints’ affiliation with Major League Baseball in 2021 left visiting‑team facilities “deficient” and outlined upgrades such as visitor locker rooms, a training room and a larger commissary. “Our visiting player facilities are deficient,” Whaley said. He added the Saints have invested roughly $4,000,000 of private funds to date and sought public investment to meet current standards.

Xcel Energy Center complex: Mayor Melvin Carter and Craig Leopold (owner of the Minnesota Wild) presented a proposal to renovate the Xcel Energy Center, the St. Paul RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium. The mayor described the complex as a regional economic engine that draws millions of visitors annually and asked legislators to consider an appropriation bond package to modernize the 25‑year‑old arena and adjacent facilities. Leopold said similar investments nationwide have transformed downtowns and that the Wild’s ownership has invested in the venue for 25 years.

Committee members pressed for detail on financing. Andrew Lee of House Fiscal Staff explained the difference between general‑obligation bonds and appropriation bonds and said appropriation bonds do not carry the state’s full faith and credit and can have different debt‑service implications. Representative Sam Lee noted that an appropriation bond package of $394,000,000 — the figure discussed in testimony — would require additional cash above the base; Lee said staff estimates that would be “$30.32000000 above the base,” a budgetary consideration members said must be resolved before moving forward.

Several members and witnesses framed the improvements as investments in downtown vitality and community programming. Josie Skugman, a high‑school hockey player, said the Xcel Energy Center puts Minnesota girls’ hockey “on the biggest stage” and urged lawmakers to preserve the venue for future generations. Bea Kyle of the Saint Paul Area Chamber and Tom Bigelich of the Minnesota State Building Trades Council supported the proposal as an economic development driver and said the construction would use union labor and a project labor agreement.

Concerns raised included how any state share of debt service would be paid, whether Major League Baseball or team owners would share future costs if standards change again, and the potential effect on local property taxes and downtown recovery. Witnesses said the teams and operators have had preliminary conversations with the city about cost sharing but no final commitments were presented to the committee.

The hearing was informational; no committee action or votes were taken.