Ramsey County plans to replace Vadnais Sports Center dome

More than a year after the Vadnais Sports Center’s air-supported sports dome collapsed under a foot of April snow, Ramsey County is ready to act on a plan to replace the fallen structure with a sturdier facility.

The county board will consider a $6 million financing plan Tuesday to construct a new 80,000-square-foot turf structure, which will house a full-size soccer field on the Vadnais Sports Center site at 1490 County Road E East in Vadnais Heights.

The new facility will be part of the existing Vadnais Sports Center, which features two hockey rinks, seating for 1,900 fans, concessions and a conference room. The county expects the turf structure to attract more than 100,000 visitors and participants each year to the center.

“The county board decided to build a permanent structure instead of the dome-type structure that collapsed, and that is how this is moving forward and how this will be different,” said Kristi Saksvig, a Ramsey County communications manager.

Also on Tuesday, the county is expected to award a $258,500 contract to M.A. Mortenson Co. for “phase one design-build services” for the turf facility project. The contract includes developing a scope of work and a detailed project budget.

Mortenson was one of four companies that responded to a request for proposals for the first phase of design-build services. The others were Doran Cos., Loeffler Construction Consulting, and Terra Construction.

A truss system or “similar system of structural support” will support the turf facility, according to county documents. The existing sports dome will be demolished, though some of the foundation will be salvaged to minimize costs of building the new foundation, the county said.

In a staff report, county officials said the project includes construction of a 52-space parking lot, connections to the existing sports center, and building systems such as electrical, HVAC, sprinklers and fire alarms.

The county intends to break the work into two phases.

As part of the first phase, the project team will offer “life-cycle” cost estimates for two building envelope designs. The county intends to select the “most cost-effective design,” according to the staff report.

Construction bidding and management will follow in the second phase. Funding sources include naming rights, insurance proceeds and funds from previously approved capital improvement project budgets.

Jim McDonough, a Ramsey County commissioner, said the new facility will be much more stable than the dome and not susceptible to collapse. McDonough added that he’s confident the incoming revenue will cover the operating costs.

“The response we got from the community when we explored potentially not rebuilding … demonstrates the need for a facility like this is great, especially in our part of the county,” McDonough said.

Commissioner Rafael Ortega, who also supports the project, said the county made the decision to rebuild after a process that included community input.

“It has been very successful in terms of the use and the revenue that comes in from it,” Ortega said.

Initially built by the city of Vadnais Heights at a cost of $26 million, the Vadnais Sports Center struggled financially after it opened in 2010. In 2014, Ramsey County purchased the center for $10.55 million.

The Vadnais Sport Center’s sports dome collapsed on April 15, 2018, when a storm buried the Twin Cities with nearly 15 inches of snow. Meteorologists described it as the biggest April snowstorm in Minnesota history.

Last January, after considering options that included repurposing the dome site for parking, the county board agreed to build a new turf facility with a permanent roof structure, according to county documents.

Saksvig said construction will begin after about six months of design work.

“We don’t have the completion date yet,” she added. “When Mortenson is brought on board they will help flesh that out.”