Bids going out for nearly $50M fieldhouse at UW-La Crosse

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A nearly $50 million project to build a new fieldhouse at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is going out to bid soon.

Officials will begin accepting bids next month for a new fieldhouse and soccer center on the campus, according to a bid notice from the state Department of Facilities Development.

The project’s $49 million price tag is a 44% increase from what the building commission had first considered — and then rejected— back in 2015, along with two other university construction projects. The project’s size increased as well in that time, going up by 8.5%, to 140,000 square feet.

Money for the new fieldhouse and soccer facility was finally included in the state’s 2019-2021 capital budget, and the state building commission voted to advance the project in February.

According to the state’s bid notice, mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors can begin submitting bids on June 16, and bids will be opened for general contractors on June 30.

The two-story fieldhouse includes a lower-level running track with an infield and seating for 1,500 spectators. Plans also call for the construction of a second-floor walking track, locker rooms, offices and other support spaces. The plans for the new fieldhouse will require moving on-campus soccer fields and the construction of a soccer support center with a press box, team rooms and a first-aid room.

Construction is expected to start on the project later this year and wrap up in late 2022. Follow @natebeck9