For release: May 17, 2014
Contact:
Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin
County Commissioner: 612-348-7884
Carolyn Marinan, Public
Affairs: 612-348-5969
Kayla Bromelkamp, Public
Affairs: 612-348-8536
News release
Minneapolis, MN -- Today Hennepin County, its many
partners, and the community celebrated the grand opening of Target Field
Station. Connecting people and places, the new multi-modal transportation hub offers
public green spaces, connections to the Metro Blue and Green lines and to Northstar
Commuter Rail, and access to the North Loop community.
“Target Field Station is the first major component
of the 2025 regional plan to be built,” said Hennepin County Commissioner Peter
McLaughlin. “It provides a critical connection for our regional transportation
system.”
This new public space will connect 500 trains
daily from the Metro Blue LRT (Hiawatha), Metro Green Line LRT (Central
Corridor), Northstar Commuter Rail, the future Metro Green Line LRT extension
(Southwest) and the proposed Metro Blue Line extension (Bottineau).
“This
space is truly transforming,” said Hennepin County Board Chair Mike Opat.
“Target Field Station was a visionary project intended to connect multiple
regions while giving essential improvements to transit riders.”
Target Field Station’s more than 104,000 square feet of
space include a public plaza for year-round special events and activities,
green space, a 1,000-seat amphitheater, office space, retail shops and a
286-car underground parking garage. The Minnesota Twins, Target and Hennepin
County will offer programming and special events in the public space.
Thanks to additional investments by the Minnesota Ballpark
Authority, the Minnesota Twins, United Properties and Target, the space
includes a large granite mural on the wall of the amphitheater, a sculpture at
the driveway entrance, a Daktronics video board, nine LED light “totems” and
iconic Target Field Station signage.
Environmental features
Hennepin County is seeking certification from both the
State of Minnesota’s B3 Guidelines and the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED®
Rating System for Target Field Station’s innovative design that reduces
environmental impact.
The public plaza surfaces will remain clear in winter
thanks to more than 23 miles of radiant heat tubing that will melt snow using
excess heat generated by the neighboring Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC).
Storm water will be collected in underground
storage systems capable of holding 40,000 gallons for reuse at the HERC. The
storm water project was supported by the Mississippi Watershed Management
Organization.
About Target Field Station
Target Field Station is a project of Hennepin County, the Hennepin
County Regional Railroad Authority and the Hennepin County Housing and
Redevelopment Authority. A mix of federal, state and local sources funded the
$79.3 million project. More than half of the project is funded by local
government.
The station was built by Knutson Construction and designed by Peter
Cavaluzzi, FAIA of EE&K a Perkins Eastman company.
Maintenance
of the station will be handled by Metro Transit,the Minnesota Twins and United
Properties.
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Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.
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