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When students came back from semester break, they were once told they would be walking into a completed Memorial Union. As construction continues on the expansion and renovation project, wires dangling from the ceiling and tarps and plywood have turned the building into a maze.
University of Maine students are caught in a waiting game and there is no guarantee when the buzzer will sound. If the project had gone as originally planned, the Union would have been completed in May 2000.
According to administrators directly involved in the project, the project was first put out to bid in December 1998. The bids came in more than $1.5 million over budget. As a result, certain concepts had to be scratched and areas redesigned.
In November 1999, the project was put out to bid once again, with the completion date slated for mid-August 2001. Food services and other promised venues were slated to be open for the current spring 2001 semester. But they are not.
According to Jon Lewis, executive director of Student Auxiliary Services, “It is certain that students graduating in May will not see a fully completed Union.”
Completion of the $12.5 million project is slated for the middle of the fall 2001 semester.
The delays can be attributed to two major factors.
“A shortage of sub-contractors caused a delay in the general contractor’s [D.L. Poulin] schedule and we lost some time when we considered changing to a food court design,” Lewis said.
The floor plans from 1999 depict the food service operation as a marketplace dining facility. Six months into the project the plans were changed to resemble a food court like that in a mall or airport. The food court would have put the project over budget, so administrators reverted to the original marketplace concept.
The market will be comprised of various food venues. There will be a bakery featuring Pillsbury products and Starbucks coffee. The grill area’s menu will serve breakfast as well as grilled chicken, burgers, fresh fish, grilled sandwiches and french fries.
The university signed a contract with Jump Asian Express Cuisine and according to Lewis, will honor their contract with the chain.
The deli will have the same style sandwiches found at M.C. Fernald as well as pizza and pasta. A counter is also set aside for traditional home cooked foods such as turkey, meatloaf and baked potatoes. Taco Bell, Campbell’s Classics soups and a salad bar round out the rest of the marketplace.
Parallel to the marketplace will be a 550-seat dining room. Blueprints indicate a small bar will be on the south end of the dining room and adjacent to it, there will be lighting and sound equipment for performances.
The former Damn Yankee will be filled with a mixture of overstuffed chairs and tables. According to Lewis, there will also be a late-night sweet shop parlor in the area where Taco Bell used to be.
The former Bear’s Den is still scheduled to house student organizations including The Maine Campus and WMEB.
“We will be working closely with the contractor in an attempt to have the student offices ready for the fall 2001 semester,” Lewis said. “We will notify everyone well in advance of the moving dates.”
According to Lewis, not all of the student offices have been assigned. Any recognized student organization needing office space should notify Joe Mollo, director of Campus Activities and Events.
D.L. Poulin is scheduled to complete the dining area portion of the Union in mid-March. But don’t get in line for food quite yet.
“As soon as the contractor is finished with the space, kitchen equipment will be installed and Dining Services will prepare the area for operation,” Lewis said.
The process will potentially take an additional four weeks to complete.
“Delays are always possible and occur frequently in construction,” Lewis said. “Our primary concern is for the quality of the project we receive from the contractor.”
The future of two existing eateries on campus will be determined once the Union facilities are open. M.C. Fernald will reduce its operation hours back to Monday-Friday during lunch hours. If it can financially survive competing with the Union, it will remain open. The same goes for the Oakes Room in Fogler Library.
“We will be sensitive to the university’s needs but they need to be financially viable operations,” Lewis said.
A forum has been scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8 at 3:30 p.m. in the Bangor Lounge of the Union. A panel of administrators having direct responsibility for specific areas of the project will be available to answer questions.
