GRAND FORKS (AP) - The new head of the city-owned events center here says he believes the Alerus Center can draw concertgoers from bigger cities to the north and south.

Officials at the center and at VenuWorks, the firm contracted by the city to run the Alerus, have long believed that Grand Forks is too small a market for concert promoters and is too close to much bigger markets in Fargo and Winnipeg.

New Executive Director Steve Hyman says the Alerus is bigger than Winnipeg's MTS Centre and is comparable to the Fargodome. He also notes that the Alerus has an attached hotel, a water park, a bar and two restaurants.

VenuWorks hired Hyman for the Alerus job earlier this month from a group of 30 candidates. He managed buildings in Illinois earlier. Hyman is to begin his new duties Feb. 18. He will replace Charlie Jeske, who resigned last year and recently became manager of the Bismarck Civic Center.

Hyman said that over the years he found that people were willing to drive from as far away as Milwaukee, 3½ hours away, for a good concert.