The renovation of Colvard Union will begin next year.
The renovations, which will take 18 to 20 months to complete and cost about $15 million, will increase the Union’s size by 15,000 square feet, director of student life and Colvard Union Eddie Keith said.
“The Union is currently 96,000 square feet and will be 111,000 square feet when renovated,” he said.
The project, which will be funded by the state, will probably begin in June 2006, he said.
However, the minutes of the executive council meeting said construction should begin in March.
Students will still be able to eat at the food court during the project. “Other than the food court, the Union will be offline during the project,” Keith said.
The new food court will open in the space currently occupied by the bookstore. Once the new food court opens, the old will be shut down and transformed into meeting rooms and other areas.
Dining Services will decide which restaurants will be in the new food court. The only restaurant currently in the food court that is owned by MSU is Chik-Fil-A.
Previous plans projected the Union to increase in size to 160,000 square feet or more at a cost of $28 million, with million coming from the state and the rest from private donations.
One reason for the reduction in the proposed size is the bookstore moving from The Union to Wade Depot, which is under construction. The new bookstore will be run by Barnes and Nobles. Since the bookstore is moving out, other groups will have more space.
“Having been a student here many years ago, I for one am excited that there will be a renewed Union,” executive director of facilities Jim Jones said. “The one you use is pretty much the same one I had when I was a student in ’77 to ’81.”
According to the schematics, other plans for the new space include a full-service bank and convenience store located on the first floor. The ballroom will expand and have movable walls so it can be used for up to four separate meeting spaces. A small art gallery will be added to the second floor.
The Old Main Lobby on the second floor will be converted to an Old Main Lounge, with a quieter, more personal atmosphere. The new building will also have the ability to have separate floors open at separate times.
The change may allow the first floor to remain open 24 hours a day, whereas other floors might operate only during the day to increase security and functionality.
The third floor will include more meeting rooms with updated functionality and increased space to allow student organizations to operate these rooms on a timesharing basis.
The building’s exterior will be updated to look like the other modern buildings on campus. The additional space will come from extensions on the Lee Boulevard and Perry Cafeteria sides.
This research and planning started in 1996 when the project changed from a beautification project to a complete overhauling of The Union. Advisors and MSU staff have visited the unions of 25 to 30 other universities to get ideas for design and functionality.
The school has also done two student interest surveys to make sure that this project will fulfill their needs. It is now on the third revision of the project.
The Colvard Union renovation project will not be the only construction going on at this time. “Although the Lee Hall Auditorium Project should be finished when the Colvard Union renovation begins, or very soon thereafter, the Union Project and the McCool Renovation will be going on at about the same time. The center of campus will be a big construction zone until the projects are completed,” said Keith.