Lee Morrison said he was struck by how much Bismarck has grown since he visited here some years ago, but also by how much the city has retained its small-town feeling.

The Morrisons, Lee and his wife, Melody, arrived in Bismarck recently from Minnesota to begin service as corps administrators for the Salvation Army.

The Morrisons, originally from Alpena, Mich., attended the Salvation Army College for Officers in Chicago and were commissioned (ordained) as Salvation Army officers in 1974. They served as officers in several appointments in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, responsible for religious activities, day care centers, emergency lodging, drop-in community center, thrift stores, transitional housing and other programs and services provided by the Salvation Army, said Michael Bommarito, operations and development director for the Salvation Army of Bismarck-Mandan.

The couple took a leave of absence in 1997, and are now in the process of returning as officers in the Salvation Army and receiving the rank of major as they begin their service in Bismarck.

The Salvation Army's headquarters at 601 S. Washington St. is in the midst of an expansion project. When complete, the addition will house the corps' social services offices, now in separate quarters, as well as an enlarged food pantry, a garage for the Salvation Army's emergency canteen, meeting rooms and Sunday School classrooms, Lee Morrison said.

The project is tentatively scheduled to be completed by May, Melody Morrison said.

A gift of nearly $1 million from the late Milton Nies, local businessman and philanthropist, funded construction and operating costs for the 6,500-square-foot expansion.