Letter to notify NDHSAA that Jamestown is willing to upgrade Civic Center

Mar. 21—JAMESTOWN — The Jamestown Civic Center director will draft a letter to the North Dakota High School Activities Association to make the organization aware that the city of Jamestown is willing to make or consider upgrades to the facility.

Pam Fosse told the Jamestown Civic Center and Promotion Committee that the hope is for Jamestown to potentially host the North Dakota Division B Girls Basketball State Tournament. The Jamestown Civic Center recently hosted the Division B Girls Basketball State Tournament.

No action was taken by the Civic Center and Promotion Committee. Councilman Dan Buchanan was not present at the combined committee meetings on Tuesday.

Fosse said the North Dakota High School Activity Association's site selection committee will meet April 8-9 and recommend a 2026 tournament site for the Division B Girls Basketball State Tournament.

"I would like the city of Jamestown and Civic Center to commit to providing the basketball tournament with the highest qualities of amenities and equipment to potentially secure the Jamestown Civic Center as a permanent host city for the state tournament," she said.

She said the commitment will increase the Civic Center's appeal, resulting in the ability to attract and retain new events. She said new dollars would be infused into the local economy and could reduce the tax appropriation required to balance the facility's annual operating budget.

Fosse said about 4,700 people attended the Division B Girls Basketball State Tournament championship game on March 2. The Jamestown Civic Center has a capacity of about 5,000.

"The day of the championship game, I was already hearing rumblings that Jamestown could possibly become the permanent host site of the tournament," she said.

She said the Jamestown Civic Center brought in $52,000 from concessions alone during the three-day event.

Fosse said a survey was given to all participating coaches. She said most of the feedback was positive.

She said all coaches suggested making improvements to the sound system was mentioned by every coach. She said she scheduled an assessment of the 1976 sound system.

Fosse also mentioned other improvements with an estimated cost. They include replacing bleachers on the east side for about $83,000, installing lockers on the south side for under $15,000, better seating for student-athletes, purchasing a basketball floor transition mat, installing hand-railing extensions up to the upper level of the Civic Center, replacing score tables and upgrading lobby window tinting.

Fosse did not give a cost estimate for the seating for student-athletes, basketball floor transition mat, hand-railing extensions, score tables or window tinting.

"Many of these needed improvements may not be seen or appreciated by the public, and other items would drastically impact the marketability of the Civic Center and the continued growth of Jamestown as a tournament host site city," Fosse said.

The Jamestown Finance and Legal Committee unanimously recommended approval to increase the number of steps in the city's pay classification from 16 to 18.

Each step is a 2.5% increase. A step increase is considered for approval yearly by the City Council, said Jay Sveum, deputy auditor/human resource officer for the city.

He said it will cost about $6,300 to increase the number of steps.

Many times, employees who are promoted are closing in on the end of their pay steps in their salary range, Sveum said.

"They are taking on more responsibilities and they may be in that position for only a matter of two, three, four years and at their end of the pay scale," he said. "I would hate to lose people, especially qualified people, because we are at the end of the pay scale."

He said the city has three employees who are at the end of their steps. He also said there is only one employee who will be coming to step 16 if the Jamestown City Council approves the step increases this year.

"I'm not looking at extreme expenditure but I'm also looking at ways to keep experienced people," Sveum said.

He said the employees would have more steps and benefit more at retirement.

Councilman David Schloegel said the increase in steps is a good idea and keeping current employees is important. He said the step increase could also be a good recruitment tool.

In other business, the Finance and Legal Committee:

* unanimously recommended approval to reclassify the position of water plant operator 1 from a pay range of 23 with a salary range of $3,592 to $5,161 per month to a pay range of 29 with a salary range of $3,797 to $5,457 per month.

* unanimously approved the job description for a community service officer position at a pay range of 23 with a salary range of $3,592 to $5,161 per month. Scott Edinger, chief of police, said the job description is an expansion of the animal warden's duties and retitling that position. He said some of the community service officer's time can be focused on parking and junk enforcement and other tasks that don't require a licensed law enforcement officer to do.

In other business, the Civic Center and Promotion Committee unanimously recommended approval to direct the city attorney to draft an agreement to transfer ownership of a railroad caboose located at Frontier Village from the city to JK Ventures.

Jack and Kari Bowman, owners of Jamestown Campground, are interested in moving the entire exhibit, including the caboose and wheels, the track and rock base, the platform and the two railroad crossing signs to their campground. The Bowmans are looking at putting the display in a prominent location in the campground that would be visible from Interstate 94.

The Bowmans plan to make the caboose into an overnight sleeping accommodation but they would restore it as much as possible.

Jamestown Campground is located 1 mile west of Jamestown Regional Medical Center just off I-94.

The caboose at Frontier Village was originally owned by New Haven Railroad and purchased by the Midland Continental Railroad.

The caboose has been closed to visitors for at least four years. Frontier Village has a Northern Pacific Railroad caboose for exhibit near the depot.

The Midland Continental Railroad caboose was set for demolition, but the Civic Center Promotion Committee decided later to publicize the caboose for an entity or individual to remove it from Frontier Village and relocate it somewhere within the area previously served by Midland.