Located in the heart of eastern Nebraska, with the community members’ health and wellness at top of mind, the Columbus Fieldhouse within the Columbus YMCA will provide the public with fitness, wellness, and rehabilitation services.
At an impressive 270,000 square feet, quadrupling the size of the entire facility, the expansion includes the state’s largest indoor FIFA-regulation size soccer field, which includes over 101,500 square feet of synthetic turf. The ultramodern facility also includes a quarter-mile cantilevered running track; basketball, volleyball, tennis, pickleball, and racquetball courts; pitching and batting cages; golf, batting, and multi-sport simulators; a sports enhancement and athletic training suite; a physical therapy suite; and numerous community amenity spaces. Children can also enjoy their time at the new 8,000-square-foot indoor trampoline park, nine-hole mini-golf course, or youth activity center.
Every community member can find an activity to experience at the newly expanded Columbus Wellness Center.
“I have been building healthcare construction projects for 41 years of my career, and this is the very best project I have ever worked on,” said Mike Hansen, President and CEO of Columbus Community Hospital.
With the residents of Columbus and surrounding areas at the forefront, JE Dunn committed to a vision of “built for the community, by the community.” “Not only did we want to build a facility that the community would love, but we also wanted to build a facility they could take pride in,” said Joe Jelden, Senior Project Manager at JE Dunn. Throughout the 21-month schedule, the project achieved over 50% participation of the overall revenue from local trade partners, suppliers, and vendors — regenerating over $25 million back into the community.
JE Dunn’s overall effort during preconstruction led to positive impacts. Not only did the team deliver preconstruction success and stay ahead of long procurement deliverables, but real-time documentation relating to the market impacts, before and following the COVID-19 pandemic, led to the project’s award of $12.6 million through a grant funded by Nebraska’s Shovel-Ready Capital Recovery and Investment Act.
“Being born and raised in Columbus, this project brings great pride to me and my family. I grew up, went to school, played sports, and have worked professionally with the people very close to this project, including multiple board members, members of the foundation, trade partners, and the Mayor, Jim Bulkley. Most of my family still reside in Columbus, including my father, two brothers, sister, and their families,” said Doug Duren, Vice President/Senior Client Solutions Director, JE Dunn.
Officially opened to the public on Jan. 22, 2024, the Columbus Fieldhouse is bringing health and wellness to the community, and the JE Dunn team could not be more proud to have been a part of a remarkable project that will serve the community and the entire state of Nebraska for decades to come.