Officials break ground on La Crosse Center renovation

With a mound of dirt brought into the North Hall of the La Crosse Center, officials celebrated the official groundbreaking of the $42 million renovation project.

“I know some of you may have doubted that we would get here today, but we are here,” Brent Smith, chair of the La Crosse Center Board, said.

Smith said this was a journey that started in 2013. After many years of planning and revisiting the drawing board, the project is set to be completed by November 2021.

Plans include a 12,000 square-foot ballroom, 7,000 square-foot atrium, seven new meeting rooms, a rebuilt North Hall, a rooftop terrace, and solar panels on the arena roof.

“That is really going to make us unique with other convention centers across the state,” Smith said.

The renovated center is expected to increase the economic impact by $6 million each year.

“This project is so vital to our area because our county is ninth in tourism out of 72 counties,” Rep. Jill Billings (D-La Crosse) said. “We are happy with that, but we want to be even better, and we want to be more competitive with those across the river in Minnesota.”

Kraus Anderson Construction said 80 percent of the contracts for the project have been awarded locally and at peak times, they imagine 200 people will be working on the site.