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Show Renovation continued from front and Brixeii and Christopher Architects. "The programming team met regularh with members of the Student Jnion Executive Steering Con mittee, building staff, students, and other university stakeholders," the report says. The programming team studied eight other union buildings nationally. This helped the team plan ways in which the economic potential of the Union Building could be utilized. By creating a building that will be the central hub of student activities, the project hopes to tap into this underused resource. The report indicates that space will be significantly increased for The Signpost, KWCR Radio and the computer lab. The lab will lose its current classroom setup and become more of an information commons structure. The report also suggests initiating extended hours for more convenient student access to information. A new Student Success Center is assigned to 3,170 square feet. The center is intended to give students the help they need to be successful. It will aim especially at helping first-year students. The project will enter into the design phase sometime in midMay. The design phase includes the schematic design and design development, and then construction documents will be drawn. The design phase will be headed by an architecture team that will be selected through a bid process. "It's actually being advertised right now/' Harris said. "On April 14 there is a mandatory site visit for all architects who are interested in designing the project... [then] we will actually have an interview process with those who are- interested in applying for the project." Students, faculty and staff will also participate in the design process. A committee will be formed of two students along with other faculty and staff. The design phase committee will be significantly smaller than that formed for the programming phase, "With the programming phase we had about 22 members; with the design phase we'll have about six or seven," Bailey said. The two student positions on the committee are open. An application process will begin shortly to choose the students. The committee's decisions will have a significant impact considering the amount of money being spent on the project. The programming report estimates that the project will cost $l9,997,684,withabout$14milUon in construction costs, $1.8 million in furnishings and equipment, , $1.46 in design costs, $500,000 in moving and occupancy, $280,000 in information and technology, and the rest for contingencies in the project plans. The project will initially be paid for with a state bond. However, this bond must be repaid and that money will come out of students' pockets for the next 20 years. The report suggests that once construction begins, the project be carried out in four phases: •Phase one, June through August 2006, will be primarily the first and second levels of the Page 3 The Signpost Monday, April 4, 2005 continued from front "To close it without hearing the suggestions of common people like me seemed silly." The campus responded to the e-mail, and the suggestions came rolling in. "Not one of those people had said anything until they responded to the e-mail," Jensen said. "How can die Skyroom improve if they don't hear these tilings?" With the help of the suggestions from the campus community, a plan was made to change the Skyroom menu. "Representatives from the university and myself have spent countless hours brainstorming ways to keep the Skyroom open and give the customers what they want," DiGiacomo said. "This was done because faculty, staff and students have adamantly expressed the desire to keep it open." The new menu includes three new options beginning today. The first option is a $4.95 unlimited soup and salad bar. "Customers wanted a lower price point and a lighter meal option; this satisfies both," DiGiacomo said. "Our salad bar will almost double in size with more items to accommodate this option." The second option is a $5.95 You can leave a message for reporter market carvery sandwich, which Cory Duclos by calling 626-7655. also includes unlimited soup west side of the building. •Phase two, September 2006 through August 2007, will focus primarily on a new atrium link and the entire east wing of the building. •Phase three, September 2007 to February 2008, will finish the second level of the west side. •Phase four, March 2008 through June 2008, will finalize the work on the third level of the west side. Throughout the phases, work will be completed to reroof the building, re-image the exterior, replace windows, and renovate the Wildcat Theater. The phasing was developed to allow continued function of building occupants throughout the demolition and construction process. It will minimize the amount of personnel moves throughout the project and maintain a consist flow of traffic on campus. Students interested in applying for a position on the design committee should watch for campus announcements or get more information at the WSU Student Association offices. A full copy of the programming team's report can be found at weber.edu/fm. and salad bar. " We will have a caning station each day: the customer can come up to the chef and he will freshly carve a nice piece of tender meat (turkey, roast beef, chicken breast, ham, etc.) and place it on a warm, homemade roll made by our bakers," DiGiacomo said. "We will have an upscale condiment area with flavored mayo, mustards and spread thai you can put on your sandwich." The third option is a $6.95 pasta station, which also includes unlimited soup and salad bar. "This option gives them a more upscale meal option like shrimp and scallops scampi over linguine, for those folks who are bringing special guests to the Skyroom," DiGiacomo said. "This entree will be made to order in front of the customer by our chef." DiGiacomo said he has made the decision to forgo a subsidy of the Skyroom to emphasize the commitment Chartwells has to the University. Chartwells is in its third year of a five-year contract it signed with the university. After the five years are complete, it has another five-year, mutually renewable contract. But the Skyroom will only be in existence as it is on the fourth floor until the Shepherd Union Building is renovated. "In the renovation plans, the fourth floor is no longer for food space." said Bill Fruth, director of the Shepherd Union Building. Fruth said there are many challenges of having food service on the fourth floor. In the new building, all the food services will be consolidated onto the main level. "The more consolidated, the more effecient," Fruth said. But there is still hope for a space similiar to the Skyroom dining. "Faculty Senate put forth a resolution saying it would like to see something like the Skyroom," Fruth said. The renovation is expected to begin in Mayof2006andwillbe finished within two years. But until then, the Skyroom will remain open. "I've tried to make the Skyroom experience a much more pleasant one," DiGiacomo said. "I've hired a pianist to play during lunch, as well as a new service staff to show my commitment to a totally new Skyroom experience." You can reach reporter Heather Hunt-Wood by calling 626-7655. |