St. Paul mayor, MN Wild seek $2 million for planning, pre-design of Xcel Center renovation

Frederick Melo, Pioneer Press
Updated ·5 min read

With the goal of renovating the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul for sporting events, concerts and more, the St. Paul mayor’s office will seek $2 million from state coffers this year toward planning and pre-design.

It’s a small portion of what could easily be a more than $300 million project.

“It’s a massive project,” said St. Paul Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher. “We want to do it right. And we feel like we need to be really clear about the planning and design piece, so we can answer all of the questions behind the strategy and the full ask in the next Legislative session.”

Officials had hoped to have a checklist in hand by now for lawmakers at the start of the legislative session with exactly what improvements they had in mind, from revamped loading docks to better lounge seating.

“We need more time,” Tincher explained, “to figure out the specificities behind what will those amenities be, what will the renovations cost, and the timeline for construction and all of the pieces that are going to impact that.”

Not part of the governor’s bonding proposal

The state bonding and infrastructure package would be a logical place to look for funds, though competition for that money is likely to be fierce this year. Gov. Tim Walz last week unveiled a $982 million state infrastructure package that did not include any funding for Xcel Center renovations, with the governor saying at the time that he had not received a formal funding request.

The governor’s latest infrastructure proposal is relatively trim, at least compared to the $2.6 billion package approved at the end of the last legislative session.

Going into the 2024 session, state lawmakers have already received about $7.2 billion in capital investment requests.

“We’ll talk to the state delegation about what they think is the best path through the Legislature,” said Tincher, noting that among St. Paul’s elected officials, “we haven’t encountered anyone who doesn’t understand and appreciate the vital role that the arena complex plays for the vitality of our downtown and our city.”

St. Paul City Council President Mitra Jalali said she supported a “comprehensive” approach toward improving the “X,” which is a public facility.

“I am supportive of this approach which will allow us to take this issue up thoughtfully with our delegation and all relevant stakeholders,” said Jalali, in a written statement. “This is a city-owned statewide asset and we should design an investment strategy that is comprehensive and forward-thinking. My hope is these funds will allow us to begin that work.”

Bridge, ramp, Roy Wilkins improvements

Officials in St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s office and the offices of Visit St. Paul and the Minnesota Wild — which manages the Xcel Center — are still getting their arms around exactly what Xcel Center renovations would entail and how to time them so professional hockey, high school tournaments, concerts and conventions unfold with minimal interruption.

Among the questions: To what degree would a renovation of the “X” include the adjoining Roy Wilkins Auditorium, the home of the Minnesota Roller Derby, the Minnesota State High School League girls gymnastics meets, state cheerleading competitions, the Saintly City Cat Club Annual Championship Cat Show and other exhibits, competitions and fairs?

Meanwhile, the aging RiverCentre parking ramp across the street also could use some tender loving care, if not a rebuild. The city has repeatedly asked the Legislature to support at least half the cost of replacing the 1,600-stall parking ramp, which serves the Xcel Energy Center and RiverCentre convention halls.

Then there’s the bridge. The city secured $25 million in state funding last year to replace the Kellogg Boulevard bridge over Third Street, which leads toward the city’s East Side, but a bridge replacement raises key questions over how to pace the project alongside renovations to the parking ramp and Xcel Center.

“The parking ramp is a critical component to the success of all of the operations at the arena, as is the bridge,” said Tincher on Sunday. “Phasing the work around the bridge is going to be important to do that in conjunction with the phases of the arena renovation. There’s just a lot of complicated dynamics. We want to make sure we’re doing our due diligence.”

Public funding to build or upgrade stadiums for privately-owned sports teams is always divisive, though city officials have sought to emphasize the importance of the Xcel Center to the city and state economy, as well as its many other public and private uses beyond professional hockey.

In Wisconsin, state lawmakers in November approved a more than $500 million package to renovate American Family Field, the home of the Milwaukee Brewers, that includes upwards of $400 million from the state and $135 million from the city and Milwaukee County. The team is expected to put in another $100 million for the stadium, which opened in 2001.

The Xcel Center opened in 2000, and together with the adjoining RiverCentre convention hall hosts events 130 nights per year. New at the X this year, a Minnesota team skates in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. The World Junior Hockey Championships are scheduled to land in St. Paul and Minneapolis from Dec. 26, 2025 to Jan. 5, 2026.

“We will have to phase around that, as well,” said Tincher, of the World Junior Hockey contest, though needing more time to work through a renovation timeline would have happened anyway, she said. “It didn’t trigger the timing for us.”

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