Starting next semester, students will see changes to the Student Union after living through renovations to the second and third floors. Shirley Plakidas, Student Union director, said the first part of Phase II — the second floor west lobby, meeting rooms and administrative offices —  is nearing completion, while the second part of Phase II — the Tiger Lair food court — is set to begin at the end of the semester. Plakidas said the Cotillion Ballroom is scheduled for completion in January. Contractors are redoing the ceiling and adding sprinklers, new air vents, duct work and light fixtures, Plakidas said. The next task is to work on the wall paneling system by replacing some panels with aggregate or painted walls, she said. The final job before reopening will be to finish the oak floor, which has water damage in several places, and repair the source of the water, she said. “After we improve the lighting, refinish the floors and clean the drapes, the room will have a new, improved look,” she said. Plakidas said the administrative offices on the third floor are scheduled to be finished by January and should be occupied no later than February, depending on furniture arrival. After the Union staff moves out of their temporary offices — located on the forth floor of the completed wing of the Union — the space will be available for student organizations to rent. “There will be an application process for organizations, though the only cost will be the deposit,” she said. “They will be available on either a semester or yearly basis.” Most of the third floor meeting rooms — the Ouachita, Orleans and Catahoula rooms — are completed and available for use, Plakidas said. The Louisiana room is still under construction, but it will be ready soon, she said. Plakidas said the second floor west front lobby should be completed by January. She said the lobby will be used for temporary food service after completion while the Tiger Lair food court is renovated. “After that side is completed, the construction wall will move to the east side, and renovations for the Tiger Lair will begin,” she said. “Though it will be completed, it won’t look like a lounge until Summer 2010, when we move the temporary food service out and the furniture in.” David Heidke, LSU Dining and Concessions director, said though Dining Services and Union officials are still working on logistics, the temporary food service will include Papa John’s Pizza, sandwiches, drink coolers and other grab-and-go items. He said the tables and chairs currently in front of the Tiger Lair will be moved to the west side lobby for the temporary food service. Plans for the renovated food court include a Quiznos instead of Blimpie Subs and a Panda Express, and the other food options will remain the same, Heidke said. However, Dining Services is discussing including a Mexican food line in place of the pasta line, he said. “Student feedback from the Mexican line has been good,” he said. “But no final decisions have been made.”Plakidas said the new food court will feature stand alone counters and registers for each dining option. The stand alone counter concept will help traffic flow and allow Dining Services to close certain counters during slow periods to save money, she said. Plakidas said the Union Art Gallery — which closed Oct. 25 — is undergoing ceiling work and mechanical touch-ups, as part of the required building code updates.  During renovations, the Union Art Gallery is housed in the LSU School of Art Foster Hall Art Gallery. Despite the move, the docket features a full schedule of exhibits. Judi Stahl, Union Art Gallery director, said the gallery didn’t have any problems with the transition but is seeing fewer visitors. “We didn’t anticipate the same volume of visitors, but we’re doing our best to make people aware of the new location,” she said. The LSU School of Art is dealing with budget cuts and is unable to run the Foster Hall Gallery, Stahl said. The Union Art Gallery agreed to finance the school’s required student exhibits in exchange for using the space for the Union Gallery exhibits the rest of the time, she said. “The Foster Hall Gallery is a beautiful gallery,” she said. “I hope more visitors will come to the gallery and see this beautiful area.” Plakidas said the Union Theater is scheduled for occupancy in May, which allows events to resume, though it won’t be completed for a few more months. “The theater is coming along,” she said. “You can start to get a feel for what it’s going to look like.”
 
 
 
– – – -Contact Steven Powell at [email protected]