Returning University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ at Boulder students will notice that major progress was made over the summer on a 51,000-square-foot addition to the University Memorial Center.
"When students arrive back on campus they will notice that the UMC looks different both inside and out," said Kristi Graham, assistant to the UMC director and a member of the UMC Expansion and Renovation Project Team. "The new wing is completely defined by structural steel and exterior walls and we're just a few months away from opening it."
Students also will notice temporary partitions throughout the existing UMC building as construction is completed on the new wing and renovation of the existing building begins, Graham said. "We've worked to minimize confusion brought on by the interior changes by providing directional signage for UMC departments, services and vendors, all of which will be fully operational during the expansion and renovation."
When the new wing of the UMC is opened, students will have access to a new dining room, new student group offices, a larger bookstore, technologically up-to-date study lounges, new conference space for events, a bigger Credit Union offering more services, a new Environmental Center, a new Dennis Small Cultural Center, a newly renovated fifth-floor lounge and lots of natural light pouring in through a five-story loggia/atrium.
"When the project is completed next year, I think everyone will agree that the inconvenience was well worth it," Graham said.
The $27 million UMC expansion and renovation project began in May 2000 and is scheduled for completion by June 2002. The project is primarily funded by a UCSU-approved $44 per semester student fee that will be assessed beginning this semester.
The second phase of the UMC project will focus on the renovation of the existing 212,000-square-foot facility. Much of the UMC will receive new furnishings, interior finishes and improvements related to safety or compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The renovation of the first floor will include adding a new commuter lounge, a computer lab and additional dining space. Additional food and retail vendors also are planned.
A gala opening for the UMC expansion and renovation is planned for fall 2002, and a "mini-celebration" and tour will mark the completion of the first phase of construction later this fall, Graham said.
Construction photographs and updated information on the UMC expansion and renovation is available at .