Sometime in the future – decades from now – people will ceremonially reveal the contents of a time capsule that was sealed and placed in Altru Health System’s new hospital in the center of Grand Forks. What’s innovative and amazing now will by then be old and outdated. That this new, state-of-the-art hospital will someday be considered antiquated seems utterly outlandish today.
Yet it will. And, we assume, when that happens, this time capsule will be opened and examined to learn more about 2024’s Grand Forks and its people. So, it’s with much pride that an edition of the Grand Forks Herald – this edition in particular – will be placed within that capsule, helping to portray the city as it is today.
Grand Forks is a vibrant community with an entrepreneurial spirit. UND is a driver of Grand Forks’ economy and a social centerpiece. It employs thousands, provides education to tens of thousands and is an undeniable source of pride to so many more.
ADVERTISEMENT Its impact is far-reaching and life-changing. For example, UND’s Energy & Environmental Research Center last year was selected to spearhead a nearly $1 billion federal clean energy project, called the Heartland Hydrogen Hub. We wonder: How will this project have impacted life by the time the capsule is unsealed? There is business progress, optimism and growth throughout Grand Forks, with examples dotted throughout the community.
Downtown has seen a building renaissance, with a number of new mixed-use buildings contributing to a changing skyline. In March, the Herald reported that five of Grand Forks’ highest buildings have been constructed since 2016; one of them is Altru’s new hospital, which at present is the city’s third-highest building, behind the North Dakota State Mill and the freezer at the Simplot factory. There’s big news in aviation.
New projects at the GrandSky aviation park have made headlines, while new missions at Grand Forks Air Force Base have seemingly provided it with staying power and confidence that didn’t exist two decades ago. Grand Forks International Airport is, hopefully, on the verge of getting another airline, which would allow local travelers to fly directly to Denver. Setting the example of progress is Altru, and this new hospital isn’t the only sign of the company’s recent accomplishments.
Only a few weeks ago, Altru announced it will expand by taking ownership of the hospital in Devils Lake, ensuring that region’s access to strong, hometown health care and adding to an interwoven network of providers at behavioral health care facilities, specialty centers and clinics throughout the region. Altru has been a community leader in other ways, too. It recently committed $10 million – a lot of money in our time – to help pay for a new community sports center that is to be built on what is today the city’s west side, near Interstate 29.
In 2023, Altru paid for half of an $850,000 upgrade to Cushman Field, the local high school football and track facility. The list of Altru’s philanthropic work could go on. Most of us will likely be gone by the time another new hospital is needed, or at least when this time capsule is opened.
But please know, residents of the future (many of whom will be born in the new hospital), that we believe the residents of today look forward to the health care that will be provided by Altru’s beautiful new facility on South Columbia Road. “Time flies over us,” wrote 19th century novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, “but leaves its shadow behind.” In other words, the years will pass, but what we as a people leave as our legacy – what we did, what we built and the good that we achieved – remains.
ADVERTISEMENT Thus in time, this hospital won’t be new anymore, but rather just another building that needs to be updated, renovated or demolished. But at seven stories high and built upon a mountain of optimism and altruistic principles, this hospital will for years cast a shadow – a welcoming and soothing shadow of care, comfort and compassion – over Grand Forks and beyond..
