Columbus Community Hospital (CCH) has embarked on construction of a new, multimillion dollar fieldhouse. The ambitious project will bring fitness, wellness, rehab, and childcare services together in a single facility. CCH is undertaking the initiative, after building a wellness center in 2015, in response to a community health assessment showing rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and health disease in the region.
CCH paused the project in 2020, as the hospital focused its resources on caring for patients with COVID-19. By the time CCH resumed work on the fieldhouse in early 2021, costs had soared over 30%—an increase of $13 million.
That was when hospital administration learned about the Shovel-Ready Capital Recovery and Investment Act Program overseen by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED). Chad Van Cleave, Vice President of Finance at Columbus Community Hospital said his team worked quickly to prepare an application, submitting it in July 2021.
“The DED website included a detailed checklist, sample application and step-by-step instructions for completing and submitting our application,” Van Cleave recalled. “DED also provided a dedicated consultant, Thomas Saltzman, who could assist and answer our questions.” Van Cleave praised Saltzman as a “tremendous resource” who was able to help the hospital team through the application process.
“We submitted our application and all supporting documents through AmpliFund, the grant management software used by DED,” Van Cleave stated. He recalled that DED worked through the first half of 2022 to develop step-by-step instructions and also held several remote training sessions to assist with additional documentation collection, for things like a projected budget, the number of jobs expected to be created and an estimation of possible cost increases.
“At that point, we had no idea if we would be selected or how much funding we would receive,” Van Cleave stated.
Approval came on June 17th of last year in an official DED email that confirmed the successful grant application and awarded the organization $12,664,600 to match funds supplied by the hospital. Van Cleave was at a College World Series game in Omaha when he received news of the award. “I left early that Friday afternoon . . . and didn’t check my emails until Sunday afternoon,” he remembered. “I read the email at least three to four times before realizing the significant amount DED had awarded to our project. The approval from DED . . . was the saving grace we needed to ensure we could construct our project as originally planned.”
July 2022 marked the finalization of the grant agreement, and CCH received the first half of the funding in November 2022. The project remains on schedule and is anticipated to be completed in January 2024 when the second half of DED funding arrives.
The facility’s overall size and scope would have been reduced and specific athletic programs would have been eliminated without the Shovel-Ready project award. “The funds allowed us to keep quality finishes in the project and focus on the original vision for our community,” Van Cleave said. “The shovel-ready funds have significantly impacted our project and will continue to impact our community for generations to come.”
“Columbus Community Hospital has boldly pursued its vision to build a multipurpose fieldhouse to promote physical fitness,” said DED Interim Director Joe Fox. “DED’s shovel-ready grant has helped construction move forward. When completed, the fieldhouse will give Columbus residents year-round access to premium athletic facilities. It’s going to be a major recruiting advantage for local employers as they tout the many benefits of working and living in Columbus.”
The $56 million, 260,000-square-foot facility will include a full indoor soccer field, batting cages, mini putting greens, tennis courts, pickleball courts, basketball courts and volleyball courts. The plans for the fieldhouse also include racquetball; a cycle studio; a jump zone; golf and baseball simulators; and spaces for personalized fitness, circuit training and cardio.
In addition to telling DED about the number of full-time jobs the project will create, Van Cleave said they also emphasized the impact the wellness center will have on the ability of employers to attract employees to Columbus and retain them. That, he suggested, may be its biggest economic impact.
“Columbus continues to be a major hub for manufacturing and agribusinesses in Nebraska,” Van Cleave pointed out. “With more than 2,000 open positions in our community, many large employers will benefit from our project.”
Van Cleave thanked the community and local employers for providing significant financial support. He also credited the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and State Senator Mike Moser for their important roles in assisting the hospital through the process.
There are hopes for the wellness center and fieldhouse to expand its impact beyond Platte County. Van Cleave said the current fieldhouse director hopes to use the facility as a site for local, regional, and national sports competitions. That includes soccer, basketball, and wrestling tournaments.
He pointed out that this is the first time Columbus will have an indoor space to try new ideas and think “outside the box.” Plans call for integrating traditional community events with new activities such as spike ball, ultimate indoor frisbee, and more. “Youth sports are a $19 billion industry,” Van Cleave observed. “We are excited to tap into the financial benefits a sports facility like this can bring to our community.”
Nebraska’s Shovel-Ready Capital Recovery and Investment Act Program was funded—in large part—through the federal American Rescue Plan Act, which authorized funding to support the long-term growth of communities following the pandemic.
