Renovation, addition funded in part by record-breaking alumni gift
Menomonie, Wis. – A $31.7 million renovation of University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Recreation Complex will transform the facility and provide more than 39,000 square feet of new and remodeled space for student health, fitness and wellbeing.
Campus leaders, alumni, legislators and students were among those who took part in the official groundbreaking for the project at the campus Sports & Fitness Center on Thursday, April 30.
Chancellor Katherine Frank said the project came about because of a combination of student initiative and donor generosity. Students voted to support this project in 2019 and again in 2022 through student fees, and Dallas and Edye Pankowski donated $5 million to support the project.
“We often talk about UW-Stout’s Polytechnic Mission – and at the heart of that mission is student success,” Frank said. “This renovation will support student success by prioritizing student health and wellness through modern, accessible recreation and athletic spaces.”
The transformative project, which is already underway and is expected to be completed by early 2028, will add nearly 12,000 square feet of recreation space and renovate an additional 28,000 square feet at the facility, which was built in 1963. The renovation includes turning a decommissioned pool into a multipurpose gym, relocating the athletic weight room to the current fitness center and then converting the previous weight room into multi-use studios, expanding and upgrading locker rooms, creating a second-floor addition with multi-use courts, and creating a new entrance and atrium to attract and welcome visitors.
The latter space will be named in honor of the Pankowskis: Dallas, an alum, and Edye, a Menomonie native he met when she worked at UW-Stout. Their $5 million gift, the largest in the university’s history, will help students and other community members develop and maintain active lives. The couple said their own dedication to physical activity has allowed them to pursue rigorous adventures around the world, from the glaciers of Greenland to the base camp of Mount Everest.
“We know that Stout has world-class laboratories to complement their ‘learn by doing’ philosophy,” Dallas Pankowski said. “This updated remodeling and addition to the gym facility will take a just adequate building and make it an outstanding facility. Stout is a school committed to progress.”
UW-Stout Senior Facilities Officer Justin Utpadel said he is among the numerous UW-Stout alumni who benefited from using the Sports and Fitness Center for fitness, recreation, stress relief and to form connections with other students. However, over the years, it became clear that the building needed significant upgrades.
“Over time, the building’s infrastructure, layout, and capacity have struggled to keep pace with student demand, modern standards, and evolving expectations for recreation and wellness,” Utpadel said. “This renovation directly addresses those challenges.”
State Rep. Clint Moses, a UW-Stout psychology alum who now represents the Menomonie area in the state Legislature, said the remodeled facility will enhance UW-Stout’s reputation for the next generation of Blue Devils. “This is going to be state-of-the-art and on par with – if not better than – the other institutions in our UW system,” Moses said. “We need to attract these students here to create the jobs and fill the jobs Wisconsin needs.”
The project will benefit not only the thousands of community members who come through the facility’s doors annually for sporting events and youth programs but also UW-Stout student athletes.
“From an athletics perspective, this project is incredibly exciting,” said junior Maraya Wiltrout, a member of both the Stout Student Association and the women’s basketball team. “Our athletic facilities play a huge role in how we train, prepare, and come together as teams – and what we’re breaking ground on today is a major step forward for UW-Stout Athletics.”
Fellow UW-Stout junior Ian Bryant, who works as an orientation and first-year specialist as well as a campus tour guide, said the renovated facility will benefit all students’ physical and mental wellbeing.
“I often tell prospective students and their families that one of the best things you can see on a campus tour is construction – and luckily we have a lot of it,” Bryant said. “It shows that this institution is growing, it is visible proof that we are investing back into our students, and it means those students will soon have brand-new, state-of-the-art spaces to call their own. What we are seeing here at UW-Stout is exactly that kind of investment.”
Director of Athletics and Recreation Erin Sullivan credit student leaders, the campus planning team and retired Director of Athletics and Recreation Duey Naatz with creating the momentum that allowed the project to reach this point.
“This project has involved a long journey, and it is incredibly rewarding to finally gather here for the official groundbreaking,” she said. “This renovation will transform this space into something truly special for our campus community.”
Wisconsin-based Miron Construction will serve as the project’s general contractor. Andrew Daniels, senior vice president of the company’s Eau Claire office, said the project is part of a long, meaningful partnership with UW-Stout: Miron is also general contractor for the ongoing renovation of Heritage Hall, which began last fall, and served the same role for the 2016 renovation of Harvey Hall. Such projects create applied learning opportunities for UW-Stout students who intern with Miron Construction.
“With our teams on campus every day supporting the Heritage Hall and Recreation Complex projects, we are proud to partner with UW-Stout to provide authentic, real-world experiences for students in construction management and safety and risk control,” Daniels said. “These active jobsites offer students firsthand exposure to jobsite conditions, safety coordination and the practical realities of project delivery.”
Just before 20 campus and community representatives donned hard hats and ceremonially turned over shovelfuls of soil, Chancellor Frank offered thanks for the collective effort that is bringing the project from drawing board to reality.
“The end result will be a renovated building that reflects a commitment to health and wellbeing in support of our campus and broader community,” she said.
UW-Stout, a member of the Universities of Wisconsin, is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes. Learn more via the FOCUS2030 strategic plan.
