Timberwolves Looking to Give Arena a Face-Lift

The L-Wolves want a prettier-looking gym (which is the fourth oldest among NBA arenas), but they and the city of Minnesota will need to convince the public to open up the coffers first. The Star Tribune reports: “Mayor R.T. Rybak, Wolves owner Glen Taylor and other city and business leaders plan a news conference Tuesday afternoon to tout what they are calling a ‘sensible, sustainable Minnesota solution’ for renovating the Target Center. ‘If we could have our wish list, we do what a lot of other communities have done, and that would be have a new facility,’ Taylor said. ‘But I served in the Legislature. I know the difficulties that the government is facing, so we have never asked for a new facility. What we want is to bring this up to date for our fans … We want our fans to have the same experience that they would have at Target Field, the Xcel Center or the new football field at the University of Minnesota [TCF Bank Stadium].’ A $1 billion bonding plan announced by Gov. Mark Dayton Monday includes $8 million to match city money Rybak said will be used for basic upkeep at Target Center. The city already has $50 million in tax increment financing funds over the next 10 years aimed at keeping the facility functional. ‘Now we have to come up with a public-private venture to bring it up to another level,’ Rybak said. He declined to discuss the details or total cost of the project Monday but said, ‘The point is to upgrade it before it becomes obsolete.'”