The Bismarck City Commission on Tuesday asked the manager of the Civic Center and the city attorney to explore costs of adding a 20,000-square-foot ballroom to the Civic Center and to list needed cosmetic repairs for the building.

That action echoed recommendations made by the Civic Center Advisory Committee earlier in the day.

Both boards reviewed a draft report from consultant Bill Krueger of Conventions, Sports and Leisure. Krueger had been asked to study impacts of growing the Civic Center another 40,000 square feet. He had surveyed event planners about the Civic Center and what would make them use the facility.

In his two presentations, Krueger urged each of the boards to go with half the considered expansion. A ballroom concept is expected to bring more upscale events to the center. These would be mostly non-local events.

He also urged commissioners to consider a headquarters hotel concept that might link the hotel to the Civic Center or be in close walking range of the structure.

He said while there are hotels within three blocks of the Civic Center, the train tracks and/or extreme weather conditions do not make for ideal walking conditions for spectators.

Krueger said the city had to keep the aging building attractive or it could lose events and its market share of events.

Civic Center Manager Charles Jeske will return next month with an inventory of improvements needed to make the center more attractive to users.

Krueger said dividing the exhibit hall was one possibility for making a ballroom scenario.

City Attorney Charles Whitman was asked to check if a new consultant must be hired in the next steps.

"They feel the Civic Center is a really vital part of the downtown, but an economic part of our community that is very important to keep it up," Bismarck Mayor John Warford told the committee.

"Regarding the ballroom, there are three options that the advisory committee recommended," Warford said. The first would be to divide the exhibit hall space; the second would be to a build a small ballroom."

He said the third would be to meet with Canad Inns, which won the request for proposals for a Civic Center hotel site, and gauge what it thinks of the proposals.

"We want to make sure the Civic Center remains a top-notch entertainment tool for our city," Warford said.

They said a ballroom would not mean all business would be stolen from existing hotels, but could mean additional business for the city.

Warford was asked about the report's projections that the Civic Center could have another $200,000 to $300,000 loss.

"The Civic Center does have a deficit loss the way it is operating," Warford said. "However, if you look at the other side of it, there's the economic impact of the community. There's people coming from all over North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. They are renting hotels, eating in the restaurants, buying gas and going shopping. The economic impact far outweighs the loss. That's how we on the city commission justify the operating deficit," Warford said.

"I'm feeling we better keep our eye on the ball," Warford added. "We have to make sure that if we don't act decisively with the cosmetics or the ballroom concept, we will be falling behind, we will lose business and it will be very expensive for future city commissions to catch up."

He said the cost of construction and cost of financing remain uncertain and that is why it is important to act soon. "The longer you delay, the chancier it seems to be," he said.

Krueger told the commission that to bring in larger events, the Civic Center may have to change its booking policy for non-local events. He said if millions more were invested into the center and the city wants it optimized, these steps are necessary.

"You need to figure out who you are going to be for the product and facility policy," Krueger said.