After three months of renovations, Phase II of the LSU Student Union is still on track with the original time schedule, which means students may have access to some parts by the end of the semester.Shirley Plakidas, LSU Student Union director, said the Phase II renovations are proceeding much more smoothly than Phase I, which ran into several road blocks and pushed the project’s completion several months past the projected completion date. The first part of Phase II — which includes meeting rooms, office spaces and the west-side, second-floor lounge — should be complete by the end of the semester, she said. But the second part — renovating the Tiger Lair food court and Magnolia Room — will begin in early December as workers wrap up part one of Phase II.”The worst disruption will be demolishing the Tiger Lair food court,” Plakidas said. “Luckily, it will be at a time when students are gone for winter break.”Plakidas said the building’s west side will be blocked for the start of the spring semester if the project stays according to plan, eliminating the Tiger Lair food court as a dining option.The food court and Magnolia Room are set to open at the beginning of the fall 2010 semester, she said.Plakidas said she estimates the Union will lose $20,000 to $30,000 during the spring semester because of the closures, though Union officials planned for the revenue loss in their pre-construction budget.”I don’t think we’ll lose as much as when the food court was renovated in ’97,” she said. “Now we have McDonald’s, which has a larger menu, and Einstein Bagels.”David Heidke, LSU Dining and Concessions director, said Dining Services is working with the Union staff to set up a temporary food service. They are still determining the location, he said. The temporary service will consist of “grab-and-go” items, like pizza and sandwiches, though they have not finalized plans, he said.Heidke said the loss of sales in the food court will decrease revenue by about $1 million.”We’ve already worked it into our long-term plan,” he said. “It’s just a budget adjustment for us.”Union officials plan to landscape the Memorial Oak Grove after the Union renovations are complete, Plakidas said. She said the grove has become a prominent part of the Union, since the new Live Oak Lounge looks out onto the oak trees.Plakidas said the oak grove is fenced for safety reasons because of the lack of lighting, but she said she hopes to have lights installed and the area open by the end of this semester.”It’s such a great place to sit and study,” she said. “It’s very popular. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when the landscaping is complete.”Plakidas said certain areas of the Union do not meet current building codes. These call for renovations such as installing sprinklers and modern air ducts and removing asbestos.”Luckily, asbestos has already been abated in a few areas renovated in previous years, such as the old barber shop,” she said. “It’s been fairly easy to deal with. It never takes more than a couple of days to abate.”
The renovations have not affected the Union’s services or daily operations despite increased noise and other construction-related challenges, Plakidas said. She said she expected meeting room usage to decrease, but meeting room booking has remained steady.”It’s been our commitment since the beginning to keep all of our services running until we absolutely have to close them,” she said.—-Contact Steven Powell at [email protected]