The Mandan City Commission appointed Mayor Tim Helbling to serve as its elected representative on a reorganized event center committee on Tuesday.

City Administrator Jim Neubauer will be designated as the city staff representative to advise him and the committee on the structure being that is being considered for the future.

The city's action followed a Sept. 11 meeting of the event center committee when it opted to shift its focus to include the private business sector.

The committee had previously been comprised only of two elected officials from the Mandan School Board, the Mandan City Commission, the Mandan Park Board and the Morton County Commission.

It opted to reorganize to include private sector representation after it was deemed most feasible to have that sector partner with the government entities.

The committee's set-up now will allow the government entities to use their staffs' expertise and will bring in representatives from the Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau and the University of Mary as well as four from the community at large.

The aim of the events center is to help consistently draw people to downtown Mandan to create the critical mass needed to attract and sustain retail and restaurant businesses to Mandan.

When the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce conducted a 2007 survey, residents who replied were split on whether the center was needed. It was determined having the private sector help would be the most feasible means of completing a center if it proceeds.

The center could be used to hold events such as motocross, athletic events, stage presentations, conferences and trade shows.

(Reach reporter LeAnn Eckroth at 250-8264 or leann.eckroth@;bismarcktribune.com.)