Several major stakeholders looked at the goal of finishing The Union renovations by August 2007 Monday, but the schedule for the renovations will be tentative until probably next week, Colvard Union director Eddie Keith said.
“Although the official start date is still planned for April 1, the primary goal continues to be completion by August 2007, while minimizing disruption to student services,” he said.
Construction projects on the Mississippi Gulf Coast have made completing the deal more challenging, Keith said. Contractors are busy rebuilding what Hurricane Katrina destroyed, driving up building costs, so The Union renovation bid may be too high for the $15 million budget for the project.
“What we want to do is make sure we get the most bang for the buck,” Keith said.
The interested parties in The Union renovation are looking for options to ensure the project will keep the majority of its original ideas. At the same time, they want to make sure the project is completed by the beginning of the academic year in 2007, Keith said.
“We have done everything we can,” he said. “The students deserve something nice.”
The first floor of The Union will be commercial. In addition to five restaurant chains (up from the current four chains), the floor should include a full-service bank, a stop-and-go convenience store, a cyber caf? attached to the Dawg House, a copy center and a hair salon, Keith said.
“The new food court on the first floor makes more sense,” Student Association director of student activities Megan Fly said. “It will be more accessible.”
“My biggest attachment to The Union is the convenience to eat fast food,” sophomore computer engineering major Jonathan Chapman said.
Second floor renovations include offices for the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, an expanded ballroom area, a formal lounge with MSU memorabilia and new meeting rooms. The third floor will gain space for student organization meeting rooms and administrative offices and a smaller but more refined auditorium.
Students have been so focused on the visible construction on campus that they may not realize The Union renovations are about to happen, Fly said.
The $15 million project will be paid for with state funds.
Most students believe the renovation is necessary, but some feel that the bookstore’s new location will be inconvenient.
“I’m disappointed they’re moving the bookstore on the other side of campus,” undeclared sophomore Thompson Waters said. “I like the centralized location.”
“I think the renovations are a good idea, but it should have been sooner,” Dorothea Mack, a graduate student in student affairs, said.