FARGO (KFGO) – The Fargo City Commission will soon find out if a future downtown Performing Arts Center could be supported by private donors if the project gets the go ahead.
The project would be dependent on cost-sharing from the city. A company was hired by the city in 2020 to do a fundraising feasibility study. The report will be presented at the next city commission meeting.
Commissioner Dave Piepkorn, co-chair of the task force working on the proposal says for the past year, despite the pandemic, the Benefactor Group has been meeting with those who may be possible financial donors.
A study, updated last year from a 2015 report, indicated the cost of a Performing Arts Center had increased from $53-million to as much as $68-million and that the price tag could increase if the project is delayed longer. It would be built on the site of the Fargo Civic Center, which would be demolished.
The report to be presented next month would not include a funding campaign. Piepkorn is optimistic but he says many decisions would have to be made if it’s determined the project goes ahead.
