St. Paul, Wild narrow scope of Xcel Energy Center renovation, drop state funding request to $50M

St. Paul city leaders and the Minnesota Wild are drastically reducing their request for state funding to help cover planned renovations to Xcel Energy Center.

The city and the NHL club initially had grand plans for a $769 million renovation that included the hockey arena and two neighboring event venues, Roy Wilkins Auditorium and the RiverCentre. Now, the priority will be modernizing Xcel Energy Center at a $488 million price tag while putting the other updates on hold.

The revised plan presents a wildly different financial picture.

There was little appetite at the Legislature to kick in the proposed $394.6 million contribution from Minnesota taxpayers, and the trimmed-down renovation will instead ask for $50 million in state funding. City and local partners will come up with $200 million, and the Wild will pay the remaining $238 million and any additional costs.

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St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said updating Xcel Energy Center, which will go by another name once this project is complete, is essential for revitalizing downtown.

“This project will create hundreds of jobs and generate millions in economic growth, while securing this publicly owned tourist destination for decades to come,” Carter said in a statement. “With these goals more urgent than ever, this is exactly the kind of public infrastructure investment our state needs right now.”