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August 24, 2011 - VenuWorks Requests Termination of Alerus Center Management Contract

VenuWorks Requests Termination of Alerus Center Management Contract

 

For Immediate Release:                                                               August 24, 2011

Contact:  Tammy Koolbeck                                                          319-929-5755

 

VenuWorks President Steve Peters submitted a letter to the Grand Forks Events Center Commission today requesting that the City allow the Ames, IA management company to terminate its management responsibilities for the Alerus Center effective December 31.  The contract between the City and Grand Forks allows for either party to end the agreement with a minimum of 90 days written notice. The Commission, which oversees the Alerus Center, accepted the termination request.

 

In his comments to the Commission, Peters noted that his company has been involved with the Alerus Center going back to February of 1997, when the company, known then as Compass Facility Management, came onto the project as a design consultant.  VenuWorks was later awarded the management contract as a result of a competitive bid process, and has had three successive contract renewals since. "It has been a privilege for us to work for the City of Grand Forks for nearly fifteen years," said Peters. "However, we believe that a new governance and management structure may be required to meet the challenges facing the Alerus Center today."  Peters went on to say that by stepping down, VenuWorks would "give everyone involved the opportunity to think beyond the organizational structures that have existed since before the Alerus Center opened."

 

Both VenuWorks and the Commission pledged to make the next four months a period of seamless transition, with no interruptions to services or events. Peters said that his company would assist in the transfer of current Alerus Center staff to a new organizational structure that may not include VenuWorks. "Please be assured VenuWorks will continue to work with the Commission, and support the incumbent VenuWorks staff through the remainder of the year," Peters told the Commission.

Even as he announced the termination, Peters left open the idea that VenuWorks would be willing to accept a lesser role in the operation of the Alerus Center, should the Commission decide that VenuWorks would be the most expedient source of services.  "We are open to any and all ideas regarding how we might continue to participate in a new operational arrangement," said Peters.