U.S. Bank Stadium

[nickmgray]

What's up with the permanent black fence along the perimeter of the stadium along 5th street and 11th Ave? Looks like the stadium will the area around the stadium will be under lock and key, not allowing people to get close to the building. That's one of the things I actually likes about the Metrodome.

[grant1simons2]

That's supposed to be parking for owners, staff, coaches, etc.

[HuskyGrad]

On interior view 4 you can see the installation of lighting has also begun.

http://www.vikings.com/stadium/new-stadium/webcam.html

[mattaudio]

Speaking of the HERC/NRG discussion in the North Loop thread.... Does anyone know what's happening with the old Metrodome/HCMC steam/chiller plant at 6th St/10th Ave across from the stadium?

I used to walk 6th St from the "$1.50 Lot" at 13th Ave to the east side of the CBD back in the day. It was a desolate walk...
On the north side of 6th, you have the 511 Building and parking ramp/lot, the curve for 6th St with the freeway-style jersey barrier (and the Dome behind it) for three blocks, the Henn Co ME, and the juvenile detention facility.
On the south side of 6th, you have the aforementioned parking, the Baldwin/Douglas industrial block, the backside of the Strutwear/1010 Metrodome building (which needs to lose the 1990s teal on the aluminum windows, thankyouverymuch) and parking ramp, HCMC/Dome energy facility, HCMC loading dock, First Covenant Church parking lot, Huberts, HCMC and ramp, and Thrivent lots.
...it's a desolate walk. For the most part, it's soulless concrete bunkers on both sides for blocks.

If there's any side of the new stadium that has the most potential to change a neighborhood, it's this slice of Elliot Park.
The west side is getting the Commons, which is great, but it would likely see a resurgence anyways. The north and northeast sides are hemmed in by the Blue Line and the 3rd/4th mini freeway trench, though Washington Ave will do just fine. The east side has a big Xcel substation and the 511 building across 11th, and the 35W trench behind that, so not much will change.
But the south side has an in-tact grid, with five square blocks between HCMC and 35W. I'm hopeful the stadium can be used to soften this opposite side, and that we can see these blocks blossom.

[seanrichardryan]

I always figured it was part of NRG, but upon research, it's not. Tear it down and connect HCMC to district energy.

(And I just painted my windows 1989 teal. Don't judge, sometimes it works.)

[MNdible]

Pretty sure the chiller plant will stay, performing exactly the same function it does today. I feel like I read somewhere that they were maybe going to spend a few bucks prettying it up, but I could be misremembering.

[Didier]

A fellow named Don Muret, who writes about facilities for SportsBusiness Journal, is apparently in town. He toured U.S. Bank Stadium yesterday and is apparently in other parts of Minneapolis today. There are some new/interesting pictures throughout his timeline for anyone interested.

https://twitter.com/breakground

[seanrichardryan]

Worker killed:

http://www.startribune.com/1-trapped-re ... 322946061/

[nfschauer]

Yeah, that's really sad. And they were so far along with very few injuries....All workers went home I heard.

[David Greene]

Sounds like the roofing contractor has a history of OSHA violations concerning safety harnesses and fall barriers.

Really sad.

But don't let anyone tell you it's a tragedy. A tragedy is something unexpected and unpreventable. This fatality was neither.

[LakeCharles]

Sounds like the roofing contractor has a history of OSHA violations concerning safety harnesses and fall barriers.

When you said that I knew it was going to be Berwald. I checked and indeed it is. I used to be a roofer for them, and let's just say many of the things I did and saw OSHA would not approve of.

[MNdible]

But don't let anyone tell you it's a tragedy. A tragedy is something unexpected and unpreventable. This fatality was neither.

I think you're confusing "tragedy" with "accident". You may not have received the memo, but we're supposed to be calling them "crashes" now.

[Nathan]

But don't let anyone tell you it's a tragedy. A tragedy is something unexpected and unpreventable. This fatality was neither.

you seriously going to say this isn't tragic for the family and friends of this person? Outside of your political mind sphere, this is and will be a tragedy for a lot of people. Whether it was a stadium or any other building... a car accident, or a shooting, or whatever it's pretty brash to say it's not a tragedy to make some political point.

[LakeCharles]

I don't know that I agree with him necessarily, but what he's saying isn't all that crazy. A tragedy was historically defined as a drama in which a central character meets with disaster either through some personal fault or through unavoidable circumstances. In this case it was not a personal fault or unavoidable circumstances. It was someone else's fault. That doesn't mean it's not sad, just acknowledging that we shouldn't let off the hook those whose negligence led to a death.

[Nathan]

I don't know that I agree with him necessarily, but what he's saying isn't all that crazy. A tragedy was historically defined as a drama in which a central character meets with disaster either through some personal fault or through unavoidable circumstances. In this case it was not a personal fault or unavoidable circumstances. It was someone else's fault. That doesn't mean it's not sad, just acknowledging that we shouldn't let off the hook those whose negligence led to a death.

and the classical theatrical definition of comedy is the only way to describe something comedic?

[David Greene]

I don't know that I agree with him necessarily, but what he's saying isn't all that crazy. A tragedy was historically defined as a drama in which a central character meets with disaster either through some personal fault or through unavoidable circumstances. In this case it was not a personal fault or unavoidable circumstances. It was someone else's fault. That doesn't mean it's not sad, just acknowledging that we shouldn't let off the hook those whose negligence led to a death.

Right. I was using "tragedy" in this sense. When the media talks about "tragedy" it's usually framed this way. Unavoidable bad happenings, a twist of cruel fate.

OF COURSE this is incredibly sad and absolutely devastating for the family. I'm just pointing out that this was entirely preventable and the contractor has been cited for issues like this before. Not only was this avoidable, it was almost certain to happen at some point given the track record. Yet it's likely there will be few repercussions.

Sheesh.

[MNdible]

We have no idea what happened. Assigning blame at this point seems really premature.

It's entirely possible that this really was an accident, or that an error of judgement was exercised by the workers outside of the control of management.

When the media talks about "tragedy" it's usually framed this way.

Really? I think you're overthinking this.

[moda253]

Sometimes when you stick your foot in your mouth it's best to just leave it there so that nobody has to hear the rest of what you have to say.

[kirby96]

I don't know that I agree with him necessarily, but what he's saying isn't all that crazy. A tragedy was historically defined as a drama in which a central character meets with disaster either through some personal fault or through unavoidable circumstances. In this case it was not a personal fault or unavoidable circumstances. It was someone else's fault. That doesn't mean it's not sad, just acknowledging that we shouldn't let off the hook those whose negligence led to a death.

Right. I was using "tragedy" in this sense. When the media talks about "tragedy" it's usually framed this way. Unavoidable bad happenings, a twist of cruel fate.

OF COURSE this is incredibly sad and absolutely devastating for the family. I'm just pointing out that this was entirely preventable and the contractor has been cited for issues like this before. Not only was this avoidable, it was almost certain to happen at some point given the track record. Yet it's likely there will be few repercussions.

Sheesh.

Have you heard some things we haven't read about in the media accounts?

EDIT: So I looked it up, and your contention about the meaning of the word tragedy simply isn't correct. There's nothing in either the Merriam-Webster or dictionary.com definitions to suggest it's usage should apply only to accidental or unavoidable events. In fact Merriam-Webster uses a shooting crime in one of their example sentences. Are you really being serious when you so strongly suggest 'tragedy' is an inappropriate description of what happened here?

[MN Fats]

Why am I not surprised this discussion has so quickly devolved into an argument about the dictionary definition of a word?