Could Ford plant closing in Twin Cities strike Olympic gold for Minnesota?
If Ford decides to broom the company's Highland Park complex in 2008 as rumored, the Twin Cities want to
be ready. Instead of Blue Ovals, local officials are thinking Olympic rings.
The truck plant is being floated as being one of the potential locations that might help entice Minnesotans make a bid for the 2016 or 2020 Olympics. The factory was part of a list pitched to city officials at the St. Paul City Hall.
Despite the earlier bid date being about a decade away, the amount of preparation and wooing needed to court the attentions of the International Olympic Committee is substantial, so the much of the groundwork would need to be laid over the next couple of months.
[Source: City Hall Scoop]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Eric 1:30PM (5/01/2006)
Too bad all I've heard it is condo development. A huge check from developers to Ford and sustained real estate taxes from owners to the local/state govt is more likely than an Olympic stadium bid in my opinion.
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Scott 1:51PM (5/01/2006)
As someone who grew up in the area before moving to LA (as nice as MN is, I needed a break from winter, if only for a short while) I'd love to see the area submit a successful Olympic bid. However with the politicians unable to come to any resolution on the pro sports teams for what is coming up on two decades, in terms of infrastructure and how much they really want to keep them, I can't see anyone having the balls to lead a serious push for a bid. Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the surrounding area would be a great place for either the summer or winter games however.
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Joe 2:41PM (5/01/2006)
where would they ski? I mean hockey and everything else would be great... But here's another angle, Frigid cold and no world-recognized mountains...
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Robert 5:07PM (5/01/2006)
"Where would they ski?" It would be a bid for the Summer Games. No Parkas required.
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Ed Kohler 4:42PM (5/08/2006)
The Twin Cities took part of the bidding process that led to Atlanta getting the 1996 games. I've heard there are some concerns about the environmental state of the area considering that Ford probably dumped oil, car batteries, paint, etc. on the property over the past 70 or so years.
It's a beautiful area of town, and certainly worth a ton of money considering how close it is to downtown Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the MSP airport.
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