A “topping off” ceremony was held on August 11th at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center to mark the completion of the structural framework for all floors of the 10-story research tower and the 8-story patient care areas in the $323 million facility.
The 615,000 square-foot building is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2017. It is one of the largest projects ever for the state of Nebraska and the largest for the University of Nebraska. It is estimated that the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center will provide 1,200 jobs at the medical center and 4,657 new jobs to the metro area. It will infuse $537 million annually into the economy.
Nine different beams were raised during the ceremony. Over the past six months, the beams traveled more than 2,000 miles around the state with people signing the beams at such events as the Cattlemen’s Ball, the Ambassador of Hope Gala, and the Nebraska Science Festival.
The project is being funded through a combination of public and private funds. The Nebraska Legislature pledged $50 million for the research tower based on the University of Nebraska Foundation raising a similar amount. In addition, the City of Omaha pledged $35 million for the cancer center over five years, and Douglas County pledged $5 million over five years.