Convention Center Committee Meeting - August 29, 2025
Present: Katlyn Balstad, Charley Johnson, Mallari Ackerman, Clare Hughes, Joe Raso, Kent Kolstad, Emma McIntyre, Taylor Snelling, Denise Kolpack, Tim Mahoney (via conference call), Dave Piepkorn, Shannon Full (via conference call), Michelle Turnberg.
Absent: John Strand.
Others Present: Jim Gilmour, Assistant City Attorney Erik Johnson, Michael Redlinger, Susan Thompson.
Garfield Public Private Proposal
Ray Garfield presented a proposal for a new Convention Center on a site at the southwest quadrant of I-29 and I-94.
• Team: The team includes Garfield Public Private LLC (developers), McShane Development (local partner), DLR Group (architects) and Ryan Companies (construction).
• Site Proposal: The proposed site is described as the "gateway to Fargo" and North Dakota, with the highest visibility in the state, seeing 44 million cars per year. The site is currently undeveloped, so there is no need for demolition.
• Key Points:
o The team has over 30 years of experience developing Convention Centers, with 20+ hotels and over 6,000 keys.
o They propose a full-service, headquarters hotel with 150-200 keys attached to the Convention Center to ensure financial success and a better attendee experience.
o A connected hotel eliminates the need for duplicate facilities such as banquet kitchens and loading docks, saving millions of dollars.
o They recommend a not-for-profit structure for the project to leverage taxes and financing for both facilities, which they believe is superior to a privately-owned hotel. They also have experience raising funds through grants and naming rights.
EAPC Architects Engineers/Kilbourne Group Proposal
Mike Allmendinger presented a proposal for a new Convention Center located in Downtown Fargo at the Civic Center quad.
• Team: The team includes the Kilbourne Group, McGough Construction, EAPC Architects Engineers, the Radisson Blu Ownership and the Folkways team for placemaking. They have also invited national firms Gensler (architecture) and ASM Global (operations and sales).
• Site Proposal: The project is located at the Civic Center quad, meaning no land acquisition or fundraising is needed. The Downtown location is already home to hundreds of businesses and complements the existing Broadway Square.
• Key Points:
o The project will help sustain the vibrancy of Downtown, which has grown in value from $200 million to over $1 billion in the last 25 years.
o The City would own the Convention Center and ASM would operate it, with a strong relationship with the adjacent Radisson Blu hotel.
o They are not proposing a new full-service hotel. Instead, the owner of the Radisson would build a Marriott Moxy with 75 additional rooms on the upper floors of the existing hotel. This benefits all Fargo hotels by not adding new competition.
o Parking would be managed through wayfinding and technology, with thousands of spaces available in nearby garages.
FARGODOME Convention Center Proposal
The Fargo Dome Authority presented a proposal to expand the FARGODOME to include a Convention Center.
• Team: The Fargo Dome Authority is an entity of the City of Fargo and the Convention Center would be managed by the existing staff of the FARGODOME.
• Site Proposal: The project would be an expansion on the existing FARGODOME land, which is on a 100-year land lease from NDSU.
• Key Points:
o A new Convention Center would be managed by the FARGODOME’s existing 26 full-time and 500+ part-time employees.
o The project is planned in phases, with the Convention Center being phase one and a hotel being phase two.
o The catering would be handled in-house by the FARGODOME’s food and beverage team, with the flexibility to work with outside caterers for specialized needs.
o The team believes the buildings could be occupied at the same time, even during a Bison football game and they would manage the demand for parking.
Questions & Answers
• Expansion: The Garfield Group was asked about their plan for expansion since their proposed building is on the east side of the site. They responded that they would have an expansion plan for both the meeting space and hotel tower if selected.
• The Kilbourne Group also noted their proposal allows for expansion, with the ability to connect to City Hall and the Main Library.
• Collaboration with the City: The Garfield Group was asked about working collaboratively with locals. They stated they would spend time in the market, conduct research and work with local partners to create a design that reflects the City's history and character.
• Financing and Land Cost: Questions arose about financing and land cost. The Kilbourne Group stated they are not requesting TIF funds and are assuming the City will donate the land since the Convention Center will be City-owned.
• The Garfield Group is in a partnership with Scheels on the land and will work with the City to determine the right capital structure.
• Hotel Connection: A question was asked to the Kilbourne Group about the importance of a connected hotel, a point previously raised by the Garfield Group. The Kilbourne Group responded that the hotel does not need to be attached as long as it is within easy walking distance. They noted that many of the venues ASM manages are not directly connected.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:59 p.m.