Topping Off Ceremony Marks the Completion of Nebraska Cancer Center

OMAHA, Neb. — The Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha had a “topping off” ceremony on August 13. The ceremony marks the completion of the framework for the 10-story research tower and an 8-story patient care facility.

Over the past 6 months, nine beams have travelled throughout the state for people to sign. The beams made stops at the Cattlemen’s Ball, the Ambassador of Hope Gala and the Nebraska Science festival. The beams were raised at the ceremony as donors, Nebraska legislators, state and city officials and University of Nebraska Medical employees looked on.

In a statement, University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. said, “This is a great moment for our campus, the state of Nebraska and the city of Omaha. We appreciate the tremendous support of the citizens of Nebraska for this incredible project.”

The Cancer Center was funded through both private and public funds, including $50 million from Nebraska Legislature and an additional $50 million from the University of Nebraska Foundation. The city of Omaha will contribute $35 million over the course of 5 years and Douglas County will give $5 million in support over the next 5 years.

The 615,000-square-foot facility is set for completion in the spring of 2017. The Cancer Center, which is a $323 million project is one of the largest projects in the state of Nebraska and is the largest for the University of Nebraska. Once the facility is complete within the next couple of years, the hospital will provide 1,200 jobs at the medical center, 4,657 new jobs in the metro area, and will put $537 million annually into the Nebraska economy.

Professional services, including architecture, engineering, programming, concept development, graphic design and health care consulting is being provided by Omaha-based HDR. The construction manager and general contractor on the project is Kiewit, also based in Omaha.