By
Daniel Scarpinato
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Part of phase 1 officially completed, construction continues
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies took place yesterday outside the new UofA Bookstore and Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, despite delays in construction on the new student union.
Gilbert Davidson, project manager of the student union construction project, led the ceremony.
"Today, the university is able to showcase just the beginning of the largest student union in the United States," he said.
When completed, the new union will be approximately 400,000 square-feet, the largest union complex without an attached hotel, Davidson said.
UA President Peter Likins credited Davidson with not giving up on what he called a new "living space" for students.
Davidson explained that students who live on campus in residence halls don't have the option of buying food there, whereas the new union offers retails stores, union functions, food service, student government, computer labs and advising - and a place to rest, hang out or conduct meetings - all in one area.
As a UA alumnus and former student-body president when Likins was hired as UA president in 1997, Davidson said he knows what students want.
"Davidson would not let go of the students' need for this facility," Likins said.
The Integrated Learning Center and Memorial Student Union projects were both considered important, but many financial hurdles stood in the way of making them realities, Likins said.
Likins called Jim Livengood, UA athletic director, a "hero" and told the crowd of about 100 people that Livengood deserves attention for his contributions to the development of the student union.
When the project was in its beginning stages, Livengood volunteered to re-direct $1.5 million from athletics back to the university in order to fund the new union, which will cost roughly $59 million.
Davidson said the union will be paid for by a number of different sources, including revenues from the bookstore and union, funds from athletics and redirected tuition dollars, as well as $10 million from the university's gift campaign.
Ben Graff, ASUA president, also spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Graff became involved in ASUA his freshman year under the direction of then student-body president Davidson.
"The first thing he did was hand me a folder and said, 'Go survey students and find out if they want a new student union,'" Graff told the crowd. "Since then, students have been involved in every part of this project, from choosing the builder to looking at carpet samples."
Davidson said that although the union and bookstore have been able to remain open and operating throughout the entire project, there have been many delays in reaching the final completion point.
Offices and student programs which were located in the southern portion of the union moved out during Spring Break with the expectation that the new offices would be complete. Student programs, however, were delayed two days while construction crews corrected installation problems on the fourth floor, Davidson said.
Construction on the eastern portion of the facility, which will house student-union food services, continues. The latest projection for the food servies to open is mid-June, he added.
Asbestos is still being removed from vacant portions of the old building, and Davidson said once the dining services - such as the Fiddlee Fig and Cafe Sonora - move from the existing building, demolition will begin on the old facility.
"We are a little behind schedule," he said. "But we are trying our best to make up time by doing as much we can to the existing building."
ONLINE LINK
See how the new union will be funded and find more information at
http://uaconstruction.opi.arizona.edu/sunion1.html
