Address: 1200 S Columbia Rd
Grand Forks, ND 58201

Work: KENPAT provided interior finishes including interior framing, ceilings, drywall, and paint.

GC: PCL/Community Contractors

Architect: EAPC Architects

Vertical: Sports & Entertainment

Dates: June 2019 – January 2025

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Alerus Center

Executive Summary

The Alerus Center, owned and operated by the city of Grand Forks, is a premier indoor arena and convention center.

The arena's major tenant is the University of North Dakota football team. It also hosts many large concerts, sporting events, and trade shows. The convention center section of the facility includes a 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2) ballroom and 12 meeting rooms. The convention center is used for conferences, seminars, banquets, parties, and smaller concerts.

After 23 years in operation, the facility required major updates. The suite level had never been fully renovated, and issues such as roof leaks and outdated finishes threatened the building’s ability to host premier events.

Situation

Renovation work on the conference center, which occupies 160,000 square feet, began in early May, the day after the University of North Dakota’s (UND’s) spring commencement. The plan was to complete the project within 120 days, prior to the fall opening of UND.

This renovation included the gutting of 12 meeting rooms, five ballrooms and the 20,000-square-foot pre-function space. It also included new wallcoverings, flooring, furniture and equipment. The six main-floor restrooms also were completely gutted and renovated.

Action

KENPAT was assigned all the framing, drywall, acoustical ceilings, wallpaper, painting, acoustical wall panels, and general trade items.

KENPAT entered the bidding process with a plan to self-perform all interior finish work under one subcontract, ensuring streamlined coordination and a unified delivery approach. This would allow a smooth process throughout the project and help ensure the work could be completed at the schedule’s rapid pace of 120 days.>/p> Completing this large amount of work in a 90,000 square-foot ballroom in only 120 days was a challenge. To meet that challenge, we worked proactively with the General Contractor and Architect to resolve issues. For example, the dimensions for all the acoustical wall panels were wrong so we came up with a trim detail to fix the issue so there were no delays with the panels, and the installation would look as designed.

In another situation, the HVAC sub-contractor had many linear diffusers to be installed in our acoustical ceilings in the ballroom. Normally, these would be installed first and then the ceilings.

However, because of scheduling conflicts, the diffusers were to be installed after our work was scheduled to be completed. To avoid delays and to ensure a proper appearance, our team figured out a way to leave space to complete their work after our installation. This saved nearly two weeks of potential schedule delays. Such active problem solving allowed both us and other sub-contractors to complete the whole renovation on time.

Result

Through detailed planning and disciplined execution, KENPAT completed the 160,000-square-foot renovation safely, on schedule, and within budget. The $6.4 million project concluded with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house in September 2025.