Though considerable progress has been made in the Student Union construction, officials still don’t expect the project to be fully completed until March 2011.The original March 2010 construction deadline has been delayed multiple times.Because of previous delays caused by undocumented items, like pipes not included in the original blueprints of the Union, the completion of Phase I was consistently pushed back with several change orders — any additions or deletions to the contract between the state and the contractor. All orders first have to be approved by the state.”Large change orders go before the Joint Legislative Budget Committee,” said Union Director Shirley Plakidas. “They are the group that responds to any budget changes.”With several parts of the Union under construction simultaneously, including the theatre, the southeast addition and new eateries, the projected time of the overal project has been extended. However, certain phases of the construction will be completed before the entire project is finished.”The entire project is 60 percent complete,” Plakidas said.Phase I of the Union construction — the southeast addition — is expected to be open and complete by June, Plakidas said.The southeast addition includes the Student Government Senate chambers, the Live Oak Lounge and the third and fourth floor meeting areas for student organizations.The Live Oak Lounge, which will contain Einstein Bros. Bagels and McDonald’s, was delayed because of the necessity to have three exits out of the area, said Ken Bueche, Union associate director. Work is still underway to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act before the exits will be complete.Because the Live Oak Lounge will be for students, an on-going contest is underway to name the space. Once complete, the area will become the late-night zone through deciding which hours and nights students are there the most. The McDonald’s will stay open later to accommodate students, and vending machines will be placed in the area.With Phase I nearing completion, construction of Phase II — the food court — is expected to begin in December.”Once the construction of the food court begins, they will have seven months to complete the new food court,” Plakidas said.To close down the Tiger Lair and Magnolia room, alternative food options must first be available.  ”We really want to have the new food online, before the other goes offline,” Bueche said.In addition to Einstein Bros. Bagels and McDonald’s, a temporary food service line will be housed in the old post office area, Plakidas said.Though not a part of Phase I, the LSU Theatre’s construction is still underway. One of the main reasons for its reconstruction was the acoustics. “The acoustics is not the same as volume,” Plakidas said. “If the acoustics are bad, a louder volume makes it worse.”With the new system, everyone in the audience will be able to hear what’s being performed. Because of the necessity of a quality acoustics system, a new change order was submitted.”With the acoustic package, speakers will be placed in the ceiling throughout the theatre,” Plakidas said. The acoustic system is expected to cost between $500,000 and $1 million.Though the construction has been delayed, it won’t cost students more money. The Union construction fee gradually increased each semester from $60 initially, which was supported by students, to $89, which will be implemented in fall 2009. The $89 increase was not approved by students. The increase was stemmed from Hurricane Katrina and was phased into student fees.The $89 fee is fixed, meaning the price will not change but will continue to appear on students’ fee bills until the construction is complete.”Bonds are used to pay for the construction and as long as it takes to pay them off, a fee will continue to appear on students fee bills,” Plakidas said. “That could be 25 years.”—-Contact Alice Womble at [email protected]