page_title: Mike Opat
section_title: Minnesota Twins ballpark
hierarchical_section_title: Mike Opat / Minnesota Twins ballpark
caption_attribution_description: English: Target Field, where the Minnesota Twins will be playing in 2010, under construction. Taken from the Target Center skyway.
context_page_description: Michael Joseph Opat is an American politician from the U.S. state of Minnesota. He serves on the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, the governing body for the largest county in Minnesota, with more than 1.25 million residents and an annual budget of $2.4 billion. Opat represents District 1, an area that includes more than 170,000 residents and encompasses six suburban cities: Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, New Hope, Osseo, and Robbinsdale. In his time on the County Board, Opat has led, among other initiatives, policy and governance changes at Hennepin County Medical Center, numerous advancements in public infrastructure including the revitalization of the Humboldt Greenway, reconstruction of Highway 100 in the northern suburbs, construction of the new Brookdale library, the construction of Target Field and expansion of the Twin Cities area transit network, including the planned Bottineau Light Rail line along County Road 81 through the northern part of the county.
context_section_description: In 2006, Commissioner Opat led the effort with the Minnesota Twins to finance and build the new outdoor ballpark in downtown Minneapolis. This was despite the fact that "Public opinion polls have shown that a majority of Minnesotans don't favor public financing for stadiums."  It was scheduled to open in April 2010.
caption: Target Field construction in March 2009.
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