A Barely Bismarckian Plan

City officials’ plans for a civic center revamp in Bismarck, N.D., have been scaled back once again after voters rejected a $90 million expansion measure in November.

Some events are apparently outgrowing the 10,000-capacity Bismarck Civic Center Arena  and officials sought the expansion to help keep conventions from abandoning the city.

“The needs of the Civic Center did not go away,” Mayor John Warford told the Bismarck Tribune. “Our responsibility as a city commission is to tend to and take care of that building. … We need to run it as a business.”

Moving forward, the new version of the plan would see $25 million in improvements that would reportedly double the size of the venue’s exhibit hall to 97,000 square feet.

Commissioners may approve the renovation without a city vote as long as existing hospitality taxes are used for the project, the Tribune noted. Voters rejected the previous plan that would have increased hospitality taxes.
If the revamp moves forward, construction could be completed by next year, the paper said.