LSU fanatics who are crazy for purple and gold apparel will now have a new place to go wild by the end of the semester, despite Hurricane Gustav’s best attempts to halt production.  Though it was originally planned to be completed by the beginning of this football season, the new Tiger Gift Center is now projected to be finished by Dec. 1. The gift center will be located between Mike VI’s cage and the PMAC.Senior Associate Athletic Director Eddie Nunez said despite Hurricane Gustav, no damages were suffered, and the project is running right on track. Before renovations began in 2004 on the west upper deck of Tiger Stadium, Tiger fans had the west side gift center for their game day purchases. However, construction brought inconveniences because the gift center was blocked off from public access. “We needed a place to reopen,” said Mark Ewing, senior associate athletic director. “After much consideration, we finally decided to build next to the tiger cage.”Ewing said the Athletic Department, which is funding the construction project, was already looking to expand. LSU lags behind other Southeastern Conference schools, such as the University of Florida, that already have a large, centralized gift center. The new facility, which began construction in early May, will cost nearly $2 million and encompass 5,000 square feet. The new Tiger Gift Center will be more than seven times the size of the old store.The size increase will allow for an expanded selection of merchandise, including apparel for sports other than football, baseball and basketball, like volleyball and gymnastics. The new location will also have an ATM.  ”It will be much more professional,” Ewing said. “We will have more space, which gives us the opportunity to try more things out.”Though the Athletic Department does not currently have a marketing plan in place, Ewing said the department will put together a plan once it draws closer to opening date. Ewing said Mike VI’s cage is one of the most visited sites in Baton Rouge. He said people coming to see the cage will easily attract business to the Gift Center. “When people go to a museum, they always buy souvenirs when they leave,” Ewing said. ”Now, when people come to see the tiger cage or come to a game, they have a place to buy their gear.”Though the Athletic Department has high hopes for the amount of revenue this new store will draw, Nunez said it is hard to guess the exact amount.”We’ve never had a store this size,” Nunez said. “It’s hard to speculate. We hope to bring in more revenue on game days than before.”Nunez said the infrastructure is in place, and the walls are not far behind.”We are moving forward,” Nunez said. “D’Honore [Construction Inc.] is doing a phenomenal job and is keeping the project running smoothly. We are extremely excited about the way things are going and are looking forward to the Dec. 1 completion date.”- – – – Contact Steven Powell at [email protected]