Apple Valley resident serves on stadium committee
Jerry Norsby was only mildly please with the group's work
Posted: 2/6/04
by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter
Jerry Norsby's appraisal of the recommendations he and the other members of the stadium screening committee forwarded to the governor is spare.
Was Norsby, a retired Ford Motor Company employee from Apple Valley, pleased the committee's product?
"Mildly so,î said Norsby, whose service on the committee ended Jan. 29 with discussions.
Norsby, who never before served on a state committee, was disappointed the stadium committee voted to exclude gaming as a possible revenue source for new stadiums.
"At least let it be an option,î he said, voicing an opinion the 19 other members of the committee did not share.
Norsby was pleased the stadium committee recommended to Gov. Tim Pawlenty that both Twins and Vikings stadiums be addressed during the 2004 legislative session.
It's especially critical the Twins stadium issue is resolved, he said, "or they'll be gone in 2005.î
Though the Vikings' Metrodome lease runs through 2011, Norsby believes the state risks losing the Vikings, too, if the issue of a stadium isn't addressed soon.
The whole process of building stadiums takes years, he noted.
Norsby found the Twins and Vikings officials who appeared before the committee "above boardî and earnest.
When he was first named to the stadium committee in November, friends told him it would be fun.
He said at the time, "No, it will be interesting; it won't be fun.î
His preliminary assessment proved correct.
"It was interesting,î he said.
While Norsby wonders whether anything will come out of the 2004 session on stadiums, he believes it's urgent.
The debate has been going on for seven years, he said.
Make a decision, he urged. If no one cares whether the teams leave, fine.
"Then let them go,î he said.
Only mildly pleased with the results of the stadium committee, Norsby still found his service rewarding.
If asked to serve on another state committee, he said he would.
T.W. Budig is at tim.budig@ecm-inc.com.
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