Although plans to close Pentagon Dining Hall have been postponed, plans to close Highland Dining Hall in January 2008 are on the agenda. Originally scheduled to close after finals, Pentagon will remain open until May 2008, at which time Highland will reopen. But this does not mean students living near East Campus will not have access to a nearby dining facility for the spring semester. Despite the Highland closure, the newly remodeled Laville Food Emporium with the 459 Commons program is still scheduled to open Jan. 8 for spring orientation. Located between the East and West Lavilles, the new emporium will include a dining hall, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Mark Kraner, director of Contracted Auxiliary Services, said the plans are part of LSU Dining’s Master Plan, and Highland will act as a “swing” location until 459 Commons and Pentagon renovations are complete. He said construction for 459 Commons is in the final stages and will be completed by the spring semester. When Highland closes at the end of the semester, the staff will move to 459 Commons. “The University will always have at least two dining halls available to students,” Kraner said. “This spring semester, 459 Commons and Pentagon Dining are the two dining options for meal plan holders. Having Pentagon stay open will provide service a little closer for the residents on the west side.” Kraner said the decision to close Highland instead of Pentagon came after a recent review of infrastructure plans. Architects discovered that many of the existing conditions require more in-depth engineering solutions. Kraner said because these solutions will take a few months to work out, the University decided to maintain Pentagon to complete as much construction as possible. Construction plans before the hall is closed to students in May 2008 include installation of a new roof. “We expect it to be open through the spring term and then close for renovation,” he said. Kraner said when Pentagon closes, the staff will relocate to Highland. But he said Highland will then reopen temporarily until January 2009 when the Pentagon renovations are completed. “Highland will then be torn down beginning January 2009,” he said. “At that time, Highland Dining will be razed and construction on the parking garage can begin.” Kraner said it is necessary for the University to close Pentagon for asbestos abatement and renovation. “The length of time it will be closed is yet undetermined,” he said. “We are back working with the architect to determine that schedule.” While this is good news for students living near west campus in the spring semester, incoming students for the fall 2008 semester living on that side of campus will not have access to a nearby dining facility. But Kraner said development plans to alleviate this problem are already in progress. Kraner said the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation has preliminary plans for an inner-campus bus route system. He said the system will provide added services to get students to the east side where Highland and 459 Commons are located. Tramel Smith, political science freshman, said he was “heartbroken” when he previously read Pentagon could close in 2008. “I’m excited it’s not closing,” Smith said. “And I’m glad I don’t have to get on a bus now to go eat. By the fall of 2008, hopefully I’ll be staying off campus and it won’t be affecting me.” Victoria Schmidt, mass communication freshman, said she is glad the cafeteria staff will not lose their jobs because of the construction plans. “I like the staff ladies,” she said. Schmidt said she eats at Pentagon every day and plans to eat there next semester. “But I would be upset if I was a freshman in the 2008 fall and I had to get on a bus to go eat,” she said. Kraner said to improve the services on the west side, there will need to be some inconvenience. “But we will work to minimize that for our customers,” he said. “Our goal is to bring back a better Pentagon to serve students for many years.”
—-Contact Natalie Messina at [email protected]