MSFA Head Grateful For Stadium Lawsuit Dismissal

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Michele Kelm-Helgen is breathing a sigh of relief.

As the chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), she responded Tuesday to the news that the Minnesota Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit that had been holding up the sale on bonds for the stadium.

Former mayoral candidate Doug Mann, his wife and another person objected to the use of local sales tax revenue to build the stadium without a citywide vote.

"I am very thankful that they dealt with this lawsuit so expeditiously," Kelm-Helgen said during a conference call with reporters.

This should clear the way for funding and stadium construction to continue on to meet the 2016 deadline.

"Currently, there are no lawsuits filed in the stadium project," Kelm-Helgen said.

Kelm-Helgen added that the MSFA is working to postpone the closing date of the Ryan Companies Downtown East project.

"I think it's pretty clear that we won't have the bond money by Thursday," she said.