The Moorhead Community Center-Library will be completed in Spring 2026. (Rendering/JLG Architects.)

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

An enthusiastic crowd of more than 100 gathered in downtown Moorhead Wednesday to applaud its new beginning – the official start of construction on the city’s new community center and library.
Mayor Shelly Carlson and Moorhead Public Library director Megan Krueger welcomed the crowd of enthusiastic supporters, who watched members of the Moorhead City Council and other project supporters insert ceremonial shovels into the ground where the Center Mall once stood. “I’m excited and happy to see you come out today,” Carlson told them. “So many of you have been so involved in making this vision a reality.”
Moorhead voters overwhelmingly approved the one-half cent sales tax that underwrites the $41.5 million project in November 2022, with 64% of voters casting ballots in favor of the measure. The sales tax was projected to generate about $31.2 million over the next 22 years. The city council approved an additional $7.9 million last December to cover increased costs for the project, largely due to post-COVID inflation. Coupled with a million-dollar grant to fund the entrepreneurship center that’s part of the plan, along with another million in state sales tax exemptions, the total investment comes to $41.5 million.
The 55,000-sq.-ft. facility will include include new quarters for the public library, which now occupies a problem-ridden 1960 structure on First Avenue South. It also encompasses a play area for children, a variety of meeting rooms and a walking track – all features heavily favored by residents who spoke their minds during the development process.
Scott Hilde, project manager for McGough Construction, noted that the project is beginning with underground work, including realignment of utilities and excavation of the lower level. Above-ground construction is expected to begin in late summer or early fall. The center’s completion is expected in Spring 2026, when it will become the first landmark in the redeveloped downtown.
Reflecting on the crowd that witnessed the ground-breaking, the mayor said, “Moorhead shows up – not just when there are problems, but in good times when we can celebrate together. This has been percolating just beneath the surface for several years. Now everyone can see that it’s not just talk. It’s happening!”
She added, “I’m especially proud that both the architect, Rob Remark, and the construction manager, Scott Hilde, are from Moorhead.”
Details about the community center-library’s features and its timeline can be followed online at yes56560.com.