The Fargodome is seeing some good days.

Bison games continue to pack the Dome to capacity, garnering nearly 19,000 fans six Saturdays per year.

Taylor Swift announced this week her globetrotting “1989” tour will stop at the Dome next fall, two years after her first visit.

The Fargodome itself has a $42 million surplus.

Fargodome general manager Rob Sobolik said the building hosts around 100 events per year, six of which are NDSU games.

Dave Piepkorn, a Fargo City Commissioner and Fargo Dome Authority Finance Committee member, said while the Dome is doing well, “there are lots of potential areas” to enhance the building.

Coming soon

The first change spectators might see at the Fargodome could be additional seating.

“The main reason why we are looking to get more seating is because of Bison football,” Piepkorn, who was a captain of the 1983 Bison championship football team, said.

While many seating expansion ideas are being mulled over, wheelchair-accessible seating might be addressed first.

Piepkorn said plans include a reconfiguration of the wheelchair-accessible seating, found in the corners of the Dome.

Piepkorn said it would be beneficial for all parties.

About 100 additional seats would be added in the present wheelchair-accessible areas, with wheelchair-accessible seating moved forward to an area offering a better view.

The existing wheelchair-accessible areas, Piepkorn said, have general seating in front that can interfere with wheelchair-accessible views.

Piepkorn, who has a son in a wheelchair, said this plan, like all Dome projects, need to be researched and bid on by firms before construction occurs.

However, this particular project may be completed before the next football season.

New high-definition screens will also be installed before next fall, Piepkorn said, including screens in each end zone.

“That is going to be freaking awesome,” Piepkorn said.

Skyboxes, seating and party decks

Though it is early in the planning process, further additions may be constructed in the near future.

On the west side of the Dome, a skybox could be constructed, Piepkorn said.

The skybox would be constructed above the last row of seating, Sobolik said, adding 300 to 500 additional seats to “premiere areas of the building.”

This would be “a major expansion,” Piepkorn said. Above the seats, the skybox would include a restaurant-like area which would look over the arena on one side.

“The other side,” he said, “would look out toward the west and toward campus.”

A skybox could accommodate not only football fans, but also general meetings and corporate conferences, Piepkorn said.

The Dome could add seating above the existing press boxes on the east side as well, Piepkorn said.

He said the north end zone could add seats, too.

“Party decks” may be implemented in the corner areas of the Dome, increasing the building’s capacity.

“The corners right now are not used very much,” Piepkorn said.

Convention center

Yet another separate project has transfixed the Dome.

The Fargodome is waiting for a verdict from the Fargo City Commission regarding possibly constructing a convention center to the building’s south side.

The Fargo Dome Authority voted last spring unanimously to bring the center to north Fargo, public records said.

Other Fargo locations are pushing for the center’s placement.

NDSU alum Doug Burgum, founder and chairman of Kilbourne Group, has vocalized his wish to bring the center downtown. The developer cited rejuvenating development there.

The Forum reported last winter Fargo voters may vote on whether Fargodome money should be used to construct the center.

Proceeding with caution

Although the surplus is expansive and game day revenue has grown by about 25 percent, rash purchases do not happen.

“There’re a lot of unknowns here,” Sobolik said.

The Fargodome has a hefty upkeep cost. The building has about $1 million in yearly maintenance costs.

Any construction needs to be considered thoroughly, Sobolik said.

“Any construction or any projects we do, we need to keep all (other variables) in mind as well,” he said, referring to booked venues and overall costs.

Changes also “need to benefit the Fargodome on non-NDSU days, too,” Sobolik said.

Justin Swanson, director of marketing and promotions, said the university understands the need “to explore different options to continue to provide the best possible experience for as many fans as possible.”

Swanson said NDSU and the Fargodome have “enjoyed a long-standing partnership” and that the two are “excited to work together to continue to provide a terrific game day experience for Bison fans.”