Bismarck Tribune - Bismarck News - Ideas floated for possible Mandan event center

Ideas floated for possible Mandan event center

Nov 08, 2007 - 04:04:54 CST

By GORDON WEIXEL
Bismarck Tribune

If Mandan is going to get an event center, a lot of questions will have to be answered, and the process to determine the feasibility of such a facility began Tuesday.

Community leaders representing Morton County, the city of Mandan and the Mandan Park District met with JLG Architects representative Dan Miller, who is starting the process of conducting a feasibility study on an event center. Miller was joined by VenuWorks directors Ron and Sharon Cummins, who will be collecting data for the study.

Community representatives were asked what they felt the event center community study, conducted early in the year, meant to them; where a facility should be located; what size should it be; what uses will it have; and how will it be funded.

Park district director Cole Higlin said the most important part of the community survey was seeing the need for a facility in the community. A majority of residents and a much larger majority of businesses favored an event center.

The park district's Community Center is the focal point of many community events. The center has a 14,000-square-foot auditorium capable of handling up to 160 booths for a flea market. But there are a lot of demands for the Community Center, many unrelated to the athletic activities it was built to cater to.

City Commissioner Dan Ulmer envisions a facility that is somewhere between Bismarck's Civic Center and Mandan's Community Center. He said the Mandan High School gym seats about 1,200 while the Bismarck Civic Center can handle 8,000 to 12,000. Ulmer suggested a facility with an auditorium capable of seating 3,000.

"The biggest thing is how will we pay for this. We have to look at funding options that minimize the taxpayer's position," Ulmer said. "The biggest thing I hear from people is that facilities like this never pay for themselves."

JLG's Miller said such facilities are not moneymakers, but rather an investment to bring people into the community.

Bruce Strinden, a member of the Mandan Rodeo Club and Mandan Progress Organization, said that Morton County has more beef cattle than anywhere in North Dakota.

"Cattlemen are hauling their produce to everywhere but here for shows. The Bismarck Civic Center discourages that kind of show. There is also a proliferation of weekend cowboys looking for indoor arenas to do team roping and penning. We don't have a facility to house those kind of events," Strinden said.

Several locations were discussed. A study of the downtown area led to the feasibility study, but downtown has some serious setbacks. There is a block to a block and a half available for a facility, but it's estimated that three to four blocks would be needed for parking. The other opportunity would be to build an adjoining parking ramp to stack vehicles. Purchasing the property will be expensive, Ulmer said.

"We're looking at a million bucks a block just to flatten them," Ulmer said. "And we're seeing growth downtown, and the options are becoming less and less and less. Even if we decided today where to build, it would be still two or three years before work could start."

Other suggestions were Dacotah Centennial Park, expansion of the Community Center and an area north of Interstate 94 and west of Collins Avenue.

Park board member Jason Arenz worried that if a facility were built on the "Strip" or even near the Interstate, people using the facility would be encouraged to go to Bismarck for shopping, dining and hotel rooms. He wants people using the facility to stay in Mandan and spend their money.

"Once people get in their cars and slam the door, distance is irrelevant," Miller said. "You can pretty much get anywhere you want in this area in 10 to 15 minutes."

Ron Cummins said that should the facility be built for livestock and ag-related events, there would be a need to bring in dirt and a place to store dirt that could be a problem in the downtown area.

A facility could be built on one block or up to 20 acres depending on where it was going to be and what it would be used for, Miller stated.

Higlin said that if a feasibility study indicated the need for a facility and it was decided to move ahead, all the participating groups would have to agree upon how it would be managed.

"Everybody has to buy in,"Higlin said. "The management structure will have to be discussed. If there is a deficit in running it, we all have to be willing to absorb it. If there are revenues, we have to decide if it should be used, whether it should be reinvested. Should we outsource the management? I think it should be local. But who would they report to? The city? The park board? It's an important component that all jurisdictions be involved."

Miller explained that plans are to have the feasibility study completed by the end of January. Sharon Cummins said the next step has VenuWorks meeting with various community and user groups to collect information.

It was noted that the final product will include a design concept that will allow people to visualize what the facility might look like.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com.)

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Comments

Gimme outta here wrote on Nov 20, 2007 2:27 PM:

" Beam me up scotty "

Not This wrote on Nov 9, 2007 7:27 AM:

" As much efforts being consumed both financially and in human capacity, why build something that won't really create many jobs? The resources used so far in regards to the events center are wasted. Mandan needs a plan. A well thought through plan that has the citizens involved in the creation and ownership of it. Where is the actual plan for revitalizing Mandan? And don't say it is through the opening of a Dollar Store! Yes, that store is a part, but where is the plan? All these studies, are they married together to create a plan? There is a huge gap in the area of strategic thinking and planning on behalf of Mandan's elected officials. They are doing the best that they can, but more citizens need to get involved and take ownership. The largest concern in Mandan's leadership is the egos of LaMont and Ulmer. Granted they have been elected, but more and more they are operating on their own ideas and agendas. It is time to step back, review the successes, gather the citizen input, truly design a plan for revitalization and strategically move forward. An events center is a great idea, though it would not and should not be the first step in the process. Get the vacant stores filled, get the open spaces under building permits, design a large strip mall north of Mandan, contract BP to buy the naming rights to the events center, contract Cloverdale to buy the naming rights to the events center, Create a community that attracts entrepenuers, celebrate the rich history, embrace the youth, All of this are suggestions that need a plan, a well thought through, citizen involved plan with zero egos and personnel agendas. "

home owner wrote on Nov 9, 2007 3:20 AM:

" Do not raise my property taxes again. I cannot take it anymore. The city commission is going to run my family and many more out of this town if they continue to fleece the people of Mandan with unjust taxes. By the time I have my home paid off I will still have a $600 to $800 payment and that will be my tax bill per month, it's already over $350 a month right now. Find another way to pay for your endevors and dreams, Lamont and Ulmer, because the people of Mandan are tired of it! "

Scott wrote on Nov 8, 2007 7:57 PM:

" To the residents of Mandan: Wake Up! You might as well hand over the little you have remaining from your pay checks to the Democrats that run the city. All they care about is how much more tax money they can get from you. Obviously the complaining about high property taxes doesn't matter. VOTE THEM OUT!!!! "

mandan wrote on Nov 8, 2007 7:10 PM:

" to the great ape they do the "studies" so they don't actually have to do the work of checking these things themselves and since they are spending taxpayers money they don't think just spend. Obviously these places do not make money so we as taxpayers would end up supporting it through our taxes which are already too high and not managed very well. I don't believe that we should put in an events center and to the person that said build it then we can add hotels and eating places. That doesn't work because unfortunately our city commission has not been able to bring in these things so far but they are going up like crazy in Bismarck but not Mandan. Try to convince a large corporation to build here now, it isn't going to happen because they all look at why the new businesses went to Bismarck to begin with and not Mandan. "

The Great Ape wrote on Nov 8, 2007 4:31 PM:

" The architect firm rep states: "such facilities are not moneymakers, but an investment to bring people into the community." The civic center makes no money. They promote/sponsor very few events. Ulmer states that MHS holds 1,200 people and the civic center 8 to 12,000 and he suggests a 3,000 facility. Why not just use some common sense and look around the state and see what others have and how it worked or did not work for them. Why always spend spend and spend for studies. To gain top status on the totem pole, I assume you start at the bottom and work your way up. Mandan does not have the basics, you know like others have stated the restaurants and lodging. So you want to spend millions to get your gym back and have no place to go after your work out. Cart before the horse? Go with Strinden thoughts, put up an indoor arena for an outdoor activity. "Hay" a few grills, knives and pup tents could go a long way! "

Gumby wrote on Nov 8, 2007 4:16 PM:

" To River Rat: If you think that tickets cost a lot to go to the Civic Center's events, then wait until you see what they will cost at this place! The ones who set the prices are not the Civic Center people; prices are set by the people who bring in the shows and events-the promoters. Renting a brand new facility for an event will be expensive, and those promoters will need to figure the added costs in when setting their prices. Why was the survey only sent ot some of Mandan's citizens? If we are all going to foot the bill for this center, then why not put it up to a vote? The answer is because the Commissioners are afraid that it will be voted DOWN, and by a large margin. Why not ask Burlington Northern to kick in the money for the building since it is their fault that Mandan's downtown is in such dire straits right now. Oh that's right, our commissioners took a settlement that was too small. Why doesn't someone call national attention to the diesel fuel spill and make the spotlight so bright that BNSF will decide to do what is right and help to bring Mnadan's economy back? I think a lot more of Mandan's taxpayers would look more favorably at this venture if they knew that they weren't going to get stuck paying through the nose for it. We cannot afford to raise taxes any more. The taxes on my home (valued at $139K) are more than my brother pays for his $295K hous in Denver. And what happens if the center is built and sits empty? We taxpayers will be stuck paying the upkeep on it too. The Civic Center does not receive any taxpayer money to exist,a nd that is what a Mandan Center would need to be able to prove it could accomplish before we Mandanites support it. "

DP wrote on Nov 8, 2007 4:06 PM:

" I agree with 2cents,Tospend the extra money to move out a area downtown, would not be right I would like to see it to the east of the race track, but ! "

River Rat wrote on Nov 8, 2007 12:54 PM:

" I think if any city can do this, Mandan can. I like that the costs for using the "COMMUNITY" center are reasonable and affordable for most people. It is tough to pay $30 a ticket for an entire family to attend an event at the Civic Center. I hope they can do this and rely a great deal on "user pay" by keep the costs affordable for a family event for a family of four. "

Susan Beehler wrote on Nov 8, 2007 12:51 PM:

" There are lots of questions and concerns about building an event center. I attended the meeting yesterday and it was taped the meeting will be available for viewing on www.freetv.org and on community access channel 12. I am not sure when it will be on the TV schedule as the meeting notice was very short; one or two days. If this is truly to be for our community, than our community needs to be included in the discussion, public forums and input should be gathered. The survey did not show the residents supported this it showed only the businesses turning the survey in supported it. Some businesses and residents did not even recieve the opportunity to fill out the survey. I am happy to see Venue take on the feasibility part of this possible project and welcome them to Mandan. I hope a thorough representation of information is gathered from the residents and not just government, the governing boards and administrators. So far their has been very little input from the residents or users of such a facility. The biggest question is the cost and how much will the taxpayer have to cough up. If this is a community center include the community. "

I'M FOR IT wrote on Nov 8, 2007 12:44 PM:

" Great Idea! Once you have an Event Center then you will get the hotel and places to eat. You won't get that until you have an Event Center! I know there is alot to work out, but WE NEED THIS! However, I think it will take alot of education before we can make it happen. "

another resident wrote on Nov 8, 2007 11:41 AM:

" I'm all for expanding opportunities in Mandan but this needs to be run like any other business, you need to be able to support yourself. As a taxpayer I don't want to have to subsidize this venture. You know if it goes through and really takes off we won't see a share of the profits, only the expenses. If the study says it can support itself, build it and make sure to entice the complimenting businesses to build near it (which rules out downtown). "

can-am funhouse wrote on Nov 8, 2007 11:34 AM:

" I agree that this is a viable idea. This would hopefully be the genesis of growth. If events are booked than it would be feasible to build a hotel or two in that area. With events and hotels restaurants would be next... It doesn't all happen at once, but I think this is a step in the right direction. "

optimistic wrote on Nov 8, 2007 10:42 AM:

" I believe an events center in Mandan is a great idea. We currently have a community center that rarely gets used for its original intent...a place for recreation. The community center gym is booked every weekend for gun shows, craft shows and a variety of other venues. It would be great to have the gym back for use by the community...for open gym, volleyball, basketball or wrestling tournaments. An events center could compliment both the community center and the civic center in Bismarck. I hope that our city commission has the foresight to allow innovation in the growth in our city. If they already have a predisposed/ unworkable plan for the future of Mandan, nothing positive will get done. We have a great community with great people....let's work together to make it even better! "

mikesouth wrote on Nov 8, 2007 10:26 AM:

" Congratulations and encouragement to all those who are looking ahead to the future of Mandan and Morton County. The entire area of Mandan-Bismarck-Lincoln and surrounding developements will benefit by an events center in Mandan. Possibly a strong fund-raising campaign would help raise a significant portion of the needed funds. "

Get real wrote on Nov 8, 2007 10:14 AM:

" Good idea but BEWARE! Before a events center should concidered where will the people stay and eat attending these events. All events centers need supporting lodging and eating establishments nearby. Mandan does not offer the lodging and eating facilities for what this center would require. Locating an events center in downtown Mandan is the worst area in Mandan - why do they want to cram someing in where there is no possiblity for growth. Once the center is built where would the attenties park - what about growth for the center? Lodging and eating nearby - it won't happen downtown either. The location needs to be considered very carefully so it has room for future growth. "

2Cents wrote on Nov 8, 2007 9:16 AM:

" Let me start with this comment: “Park board member Jason Arenz worried that if a facility were built on the "Strip" or even near the Interstate, people using the facility would be encouraged to go to Bismarck for shopping, dining and hotel rooms. He wants people using the facility to stay in Mandan and spend their money.” Okay, with that being said…lets ponder the following: 1)People that come to an “event” like to stay in a nice hotel, close to the facility if possible: We have 1 nice hotel in this town and the 7 Seas can’t accommodate everyone. 2)Folks like to have a nice sit down meal and maybe a beer with their steak after a day of showing or roping: The Prime Steer can’t do it all!! We have no Applebee’s, no Ground Round, no Red Lobster… 3)Spend a million to build a million (or less): To consider spending a million dollars to flatten some of the downtown buildings is absolutely insane. We have space on the strip, we have the space up north…this shouldn’t even be a consideration. Mandan has no additional accommodations to support this Events Center. I would bet that the many number of citizens that voted to have the center were just excited to have something new in this town but didn’t think of the whole picture. People would be forced to stay in Bismarck because of our lack of hotels. It’s a trickle down from there…they head back to their hotel in Bis, grab a bite to eat at the Ground Round, head to Kirkwood for some shopping and stop at Starbucks on the way out. Sorry to say but I think it’s a no go. If you think this could work and benefit our community, I am so interested to hear your comment! "

mandan wrote on Nov 8, 2007 8:53 AM:

" Col Higlin is incorrect about there being a majority that want this facility. the survey was ONLY if there was no cost to the taxpayers was there any small majority that would agree but if they wanted taxpayers money it was not wanted. There really is no need for this unless or untill they can bring in more businesses that would support an events center so people would stay in mandan to eat before or after an event or stay here. waste of taxpayers money to even do the study. "

BB wrote on Nov 8, 2007 8:14 AM:

" please enough already !!!!! "

Resident wrote on Nov 8, 2007 8:05 AM:

" I sure don't want to pay any more taxes, for an event center, that will only be used on weekends, if that and then when you want to rent it for an event you won't be able to afford it, hey Mandan, let's build some more parking lots on main, that will lower our tax dollars. I just wish the commissioners would wake up give us a tax break, if you build this event center, were is all the funding coming from, bring something ALL Mandan residents could use, and this doesn't mean another parking lot, or bank. Bring in some known resteraunts, that Bismarck residents will come to Mandan to eat! "

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