MN Governor Tours DECC Arena Construction (Return to all news)

A tour of the nearly completed Duluth Entertain-ment Convention Center arena expansion Monday brought Gov. Tim Pawlenty together for a walk-through of the facility with his political rivals.

The Republican governor and possible presidential contender acknowledged years of delay on the project due to bonding-bill sparring with DFL legislators, but said the final outcome was worth it.

“That’s the nature of the democratic process, and you look at the result. It’s well worth the effort,” he told the News Tribune on the tour. “It [the new arena] has a magnetizing effect to draw people here for events — tourists of all kinds — not just for hockey. And that helps the economy. And the economy needs all the help it can get right now.”

Dan Russell, the DECC’s executive director, led the hard-hat wearing group that included Duluth Mayor Don Ness, Chamber of Commerce President David Ross and other dignitaries, his verbal commentary filling in gaps where walls and floors were yet to be completed.

As earthmovers removed a dirt base at the floor of the arena to prepare for laying concrete, Russell described the finishing touches on what will be state-of-the-art luxury suites, concession booths and team locker rooms and training areas.

“We don’t want it to be so good that you beat the Gophers,” Pawlenty said of future hockey matches between the University of Minnesota Duluth and the Twin Cities campus.

Russell picked up that spirit of rivalry, inviting Ness and Pawlenty on the ice at its projected opening at the end of this year, leading the governor to respond: “We’ll have a shooting contest for [local government aid].”

In the walk-through, both Pawlenty and local DFL leaders said the expansion would be an economic boon for Duluth, which now has to turn away conventions and events that are too large for its current facilities.