Installation of the track surface began July 10 inside the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse on the Northwest campus. The facility is scheduled to open this fall. (Photos by Carly Hostetter/Northwest Missouri State University)

July 25, 2018

Northwest requests cooperation as Hughes Fieldhouse nears completion

A Bearcat paw is displayed on the south side of the Hughes Fieldhouse, where construction is entering its final stages.

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For photos of the construction of the Hughes Fieldhouse, click here.

To learn more about the Hughes Fieldhouse project, click here.

As construction on the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse nears completion on the Northwest Missouri State University campus and excitement for its opening grows, the University is requesting the cooperation of community members in honoring its construction boundaries.

Allen Mays, Northwest’s assistant vice president for capital programs and facility services, said the project has reached a critical point in the construction phase with several contractors on-site and working to complete the project. In coming weeks, workers will remove fencing and begin restoring the landscape surrounding the facility. For the security of the facility and safety of our community, it is important that individuals not enter the premises during this stage.

Concrete and asphalt work is taking place outside the building while wall and floor finish materials are being applied inside. Damage to any of the surfaces requires the contractor to remove and replace these materials, causing potential delays.

A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Hughes Fieldhouse is planned for 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12. As part of the University’s Homecoming weekend activities, an open house also is planned for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, that will include tours of the facility, inflatables, music and opportunities for children to interact with Bearcat student-athletes. The events are free and open to the public.  

The 137,250 square-foot, $20 million Hughes Fieldhouse is designed to serve a multitude of social, recreational and economic needs for the University and region. It represents the single largest public-private partnership in Northwest’s 113‐year history and one of the largest such projects in the region ever.

Donors who have committed $13.5 million to the project through donations and pledges secured by the Northwest Foundation. Leading support for the project is provided by the Founding 50 – a group of donors contributing $50,000 or more to the project – with the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Family Foundation, the Mel and Valorie Booth Family, the city of Maryville and Nodaway Valley Bank working as “team captains” of the group. The University and students also are contributing to the project, while hundreds of alumni and friends have made gifts of all sizes.

Additionally, Maryville voters approved a transient guest tax to support the operation of the facility. A tourism committee formed by the city is charged with developing ways to use revenues from the tax and maximize the Hughes Fieldhouse for community events such as trade shows, conferences, school functions and recreational activities.

The facility is expected to enhance student engagement at Northwest and create more opportunities for intramurals and recreation on campus as well as large University events such as commencement ceremonies, concerts or Career Day. Student organizations and performance groups, such as the Bearcat Marching Band, will use the facility for activities during inclement weather. Bearcat athletics teams are expected to benefit from the facility’s indoor flooring system, 90-yard practice turf and 300-meter indoor competition track.