Gov. Arne Carlson has said he will call a special legislative session in September for a vote on the sports facilities. The task force meets at 9 a.m. in Room 123 of the Capitol. Headrick has been trying to push legislators to consider a new dual-purpose stadium since December. But late last month, Carlson said he wanted lawmakers to consider the possibility of a new dual-purpose stadium. Part of the Twins' complaint about the Metrodome has been that the stadium was designed for football, and has far fewer quality infield seats than most ballparks.
Fans sitting down the foul lines have to turn their heads to face home plate.
The proposed dual-purpose stadium, designed by the HOK architectural firm of Kansas City, addresses that problem through seat sections that move in and out, and also revolve, creating baseball and football configurations for the stadium. In the current nationwide construction boom in pro sports stadiums that began with the opening of the Baltimore Orioles' Camden Yards ballpark in 1992, several other cities have examined, and rejected, proposals for combination football-baseball stadiums. A football-baseball combination is still being studied in Philadelphia.