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Final Four will cost U.S. Bank Stadium more than the Super Bowl
By Rob Olson, FOX 9
Video Posted Jan 18 2019 06:21PM CST
Updated Jan 18 2019 06:24PM CST
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Final Four is coming to town and the price tag on making U.S. Bank Stadium ready for all the action is adding up.
"We have a total of 460,000 square feet of glass that we're looking to cover in the darkening solution," said James Farstad, the executive director of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Association.
To even land the Final Four meant covering all the glass on the ends of the stadium to meet the consistent lighting requirements of the NCAA.
The MSFA voted to tackle acoustics while they're at it, too.
"We think this is a tremendous opportunity to take advantage of this installation and add the acoustical material," Farstad said.
The board approved another $186,000 to add additional acoustic layers to the end wall curtains.
"This is an investment that was originally made, the bid was put in when I was not present," said MSFA Chair Michael Vekich of the price tag that exceeds that of the Super Bowl.
The difference with the NCAA coming to town is they reimburse for far less than the NFL. Of course, the fan events announced a few days ago are also cheaper at just $10 for the convention center expo. Watching practices and pregame concerts are free.
A big part of the cost at the stadium is an all-new seating system to surround the court, centered in the field.
Work is really ramping up now, centering in on fine details, of which there are many.
"Because we have so much build that has to happen inside the facility from hanging the scoreboard, to ancillary sound system, to IT setup, to the seat build, which is the largest seat build the NCAA has ever done," said U.S. Bank Stadium General Manager Patrick Talty.
NWS confirms EF0 tornado touched down near Belle Plaine Monday night
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down near Belle Plaine, Minn. Monday night.
According to the NWS-Twin Cities, a damage survey team confirmed an EF0 tornado 3.5 miles southeast of Belle Plaine just after 7 p.m. Monday.
The tornado brought winds of 80 miles per hour and spanned 100 yards at its widest.
A stalled thunderstorm dropped almost 2 inches of rain in one hour on the Twin Cities Tuesday, causing a Flash Flood Warning for the area.
Parts of eastern Hennepin County and western Ramsey County were placed under the flash flood warning until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The warning included the cities of Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Falcon Heights and St. Paul.
Father, son dead in apparent murder-suicide in Rochester, Minn.
Police in Rochester, Minnesota are investigating an apparent murder-suicide after an 18-year-old man allegedly shot his father and then turned the gun on himself Monday.
Rochester Police Department spokesperson Lt. Mike Sadauskis said officers were called to a house on the 1500 block of 8th Avenue Northwest shortly before 4 p.m. When they arrived, they found a woman performing CPR on her 18-year-old son, who was suffering from a gunshot wound.
Officers attempted life-saving measures, but the man died at the scene.
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