Metrodome Roof Collapse a frigid boost to the economy

[Renew Deal]

<snip>
The Vikings have agreed to pick up all preliminary expenses, including plowing, as well as all expenses involved in holding the game, said Scott Ellison, the university's assistant athletic director for facilities. He didn't know how much it would cost to remove the snow, but he said he thought it would be considerable. The normal game-day budget at the stadium is $250,000, he said.

The snow-removal plan is to have groups of 100 workers, working four-hour shifts, for 16 hours a day. Right now, most of those workers are coming from temp agencies.

Officials also have to get the building ready, including concessions, which are designed to withstand mid-November temperatures. Ellison said officials would have to put Plexiglass covers over concession stands to trap heat inside.
<snip>

In the Metrodome on Tuesday, work crews laid sheets of plywood on the field to keep it dry and used several hydraulic lifts as they began tearing down pieces of the tattered roof.

Inspectors from Birdair Inc., the Amherst, N.Y.-based contractor that built the roof, found that the snow and ice in roof panels that didn't collapse was so deep, it posed a safety hazard to workers -- and would have to be dealt with in a slow and painstaking manner.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81ce9c6d/article/metrodome-wont-be-ready-vikesbears-to-be-played-at-tcf

The loss of some will be the gain of others...

[MineralMan]

1. It's going to be very hard work for those folks. The big problem

is the seating area in the stadium. It got about 18" of snow, and that's packed on and between every seat in the stadium. All of that has to be removed by hand. The task boggles my mind, really. I just finished the last of the cleanup work on my driveway and sidewalks, and it was very difficult, even on smooth, flat surfaces. I can't imagine trying to clear stadium seats. Not a job for old men like me, I can guarantee.

I hope they're paying these workers well, but I doubt it.

[petronius]

14. What do they do in un-covered stadiums in snowy areas?

Cover the seats before storms or something? Different seat designs that don't trap as much snow? :shrug:

[MineralMan]

15. Frankly, I don't know. I do know that the fans in Green Bay clear

the snow from the seating area as volunteers. Most teams in snowy winter areas seem to have covered stadiums, I think.

For less than 10 games a season. Uff da! I don't want to pay for that, please.

[virgogal]

2. Makes me cold just thinking about it ! eom

[ceile]

3. Incredible n/t

[Missy Vixen]

4. ESPN is reporting this morning

the workers involved are not being paid. They are "fans" and "volunteers".

I thought my head was going to pop off. HOW much are the Vikings worth, and they refuse to pay people working sixteen-hour shifts in single-digit windchill?

:mad:

[Ezlivin]

5. I think they get all the free Sno Cones they want

N/T

[Missy Vixen]

7. Plus, the syrup's fattening. They don't need it, do they?

Other teams offered their domes for the Vikings' remaining games. It's unfortunate the Vikings FO doesn't want to take them up on it. Then again, they'd have to refund ticket holders' money, wouldn't they?

:eyes:

[SoCalDem]

9. Don't eat the yellow ones.. That's probably NOT pineapple

:(

[AngryAmish]

6. This is called the broken windows fallacy

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_broken_window>

Don't expect much insight from journalists, especially sports journalists.

You see most of this money is coming from an insurance policy...paid by the people of Minnesota...who will have the premium go up...and less money for other services...

[naaman fletcher]

8. yup..

by this logic we could fix the economy by having the air force bomb cities.

[Tesha]

12. We could probably hire M&M Enterprises to bomb the cities for us! (NT)

[strawberryfield]

11. My green house got damaged by a storm once

It took me almost an entire week to fix it. I didn't feel any richer when I was done. I just felt angry that I had lost all that time that could have been used to do something else.

[walldude]

10. While it's nice to see some temporary jobs...

why is it we can get this kind of thing going to rescue a football stadium, but can't fix up schools and veterans hospitals?

[KamaAina]

13. Some people were asking that in New Orleans

the Superdome got fixed a hell of a lot faster than the rest of the city did.