Maine Perspective Front Page
Start of Union Expansion, Renovation Drawing Near
Preparations have begun for the $10.2 million Memorial Union expansion and renovation project, the largest capital improvement initiative ever at the University of Maine.
Considered a "fast-track" project because of the need for and importance of the student-centered facility on campus, the expanded and renovated Union is projected to be substantially completed by spring 2000, according to Anita Wihry, executive director of institutional and facilities planning.
In the past three weeks, work began to redirect underground utilities on the south side of the Union where the 40,000-square-foot, two-story addition will be constructed. Bids will be accepted in November for a general contractor, who could be named by the start of next semester. According to Wihry, it will be the contractor's decision what part of the project begins first - renovation of the existing building or construction of the new facility.
The two architectural firms chosen last December for the project are Orcutt Associates of Yarmouth and Harriman Associates, the Auburn firm that undertook the extensive renovations of Dunn and Corbett Halls.
While official groundbreaking for the improved Union is still some time off, the preparation work is "an exciting step forward" on a project that has been more than a decade in the making.
"Once we have a contractor and know how the work to be done will be scheduled, we'll look at shifting people and services with a focus on minimizing disruption," says Wihry. "The next two semesters will be most disruptive as the Union project gets under way and moves toward completion. My expectation is that it will not be fun to be in the Union in the coming year, but we'll try to minimize the pain."
According to Ron Reisinger, director of the Memorial Union and Bookstore Services, the hope is that some of the programming that normally takes place in the Union will continue through the construction process. Offices in the Union may have to be temporarily relocated within the facility or elsewhere on campus. It is expected that the Bookstore will be able to remain open through much of the project.
"We will need to remain flexible during the construction process," says Reisinger. "What people will have to keep in mind is what this will be when it's completed - a showpiece on campus."
Depending on when renovations and new construction begin, Union-based campus restaurants, which serve an average of 5,000 customers daily during the academic year, will temporarily relocate. According to Dan Sturrup, area dining service manager, the hope is that another campus location can be found to provide basic take-out food, including a salad bar. It is expected that large-capacity sit-down daily dining on campus will be confined to the commons; members of the University community will be encouraged to consider the dining commons as alternative eating locations.
M.C. Fernald's was renovated last year in the expectation that it will help accommodate campus customers during Union construction. Fernald's, which now serves an average of 350 people daily, Monday-Friday, will be open seven days a week when Union restaurants close.
"We will need the support of the whole campus community, not only when it comes time to relocate to different sites but in dealing with not having restaurants in the Union for months," says Sturrup. "We all will be inconvenienced but we'll all be very excited when the Union reopens. Seating for dining will more than double what it is now. All menu items will be under one location. It will be designed in a marketplace concept, not a mall-style food court. It should a more efficient operation for customers."
Dining on what will be the Union's main concourse will incorporate the Damn Yankee. On the ground floor, the Bear's Den will be transformed into a coffee house-style pub, complete with a small stage. Throughout the new Union, more space will be provided for student organizations and student-run operations like Maine Campus and WMEB. It will include a cinema/performance area, a computer store, an attractive atrium, and more than 20 meeting rooms, lounges and study facilities.
Funding for the project will come from a student fee ($3.50 per credit hour beginning in spring 2000), contributions from the Bookstore and Dining Services, and outside fund raising. Last spring, an alumnus donated $250,000 to create a Center for Student Leadership in the Union.