Grand Forks' Alerus Center reported Wednesday that it was behind its budget by $71,900 at the end of the first half of this year.
Wendy Nimens, the business manager, said the center didn't get a midsized concert it had planned to get.
The center lost $60,300 when it had planned to earn $11,500 by the end of June. Still, this is better than during the same time frame last year, when it lost $112,600. The center ended 2007 in the black, though, and Alerus Center staff plan to do the same this year.
Despite the losses, the center had more business this year than last, at least in the attendance count. As of the end of June, it had 131,023 visitors compared to 118,274 in 2007. Attendance has been falling for some time and this increase could be a sign of recovery.
