Choice Health & Fitness Center

Grand Forks, N.D.
Construction Cost: $23.4 million
Area / Square Feet: 160,000
Occupancy Date: September 2012

choice Health & Fitness Center is a first-of-its-kind facility in Grand Forks, integrating fitness, medical and behavioral health, nutrition, arts, recreation and research while allowing all residents an opportunity to participate.

The center’s design creates a strong visual anchor for the neighborhood while honoring Grand Forks’ history through such architectural forms as pitched roofs; simple slopes; a combination of masonry, metal panels and glass on the exterior; and the use of earthy colors and warm tones on the interior.

The facility was paid for entirely through fundraising, donations and partnerships, which created a unique challenge that permeated every aspect of the project. All donors and partners became stakeholders in its successful outcome.

The Grand Forks Park District and the Altru Family YMCA developed a membership-sharing concept, while Altru Health System (a longtime partner of the park district) organized and implemented a robust plan to provide on-site medical care that includes physical therapy, nutrition and dietitian services, sports medicine, genetic prevention services and aesthetic services.

USDA-ARS Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center is one of six federally operated nutrition centers in the United States. The center houses its satellite laboratory, where the organization conducts obesity-related research.