By
Daniel Scarpinato
Arizona Summer Wildcat
After several months of delays, outlets begin opening in new east portion of union
Standing in the food court of the new student union, students and employees both seem quite happy with the new facility, which opened July 2.
"It's about time they kicked up the common denominator to more of a casual group setting," said Marcello Royal, an education graduate student, referring to the new restaurants in the union that are now centered around a common eating area. "This is much more fitting."
The new food court and its shiny outdoor eating area - with chrome table and chairs, white walls, high ceilings, large picture windows and clean floors - is already bustling with activity.
Meanwhile, the old union - which was once busy with customers at lunchtime - is now nearly empty, with only a few wanderers near its remaining outlets.
Amalia Garcia, a McDonald's employee, remembers the restaurant's old location all too well.
"I like this location a lot more," she said. "It is cleaner and newer, and I like that there is a larger variety (of restaurants) then before."
The opening of the food court, located in the east portion of the new union, represents a major step in the student union project, Gilbert Davidson, project construction manager, said last month in anticipation of the opening.
The new east portion, which, in addition to the food court, also houses student services such as the All Aboard Meal Plan and CatCard offices, is the second major opening in the new union's history.
Josˇ Medina, an employee of the student union, said the move required a lot of extra work, but the new "cleaner" food court is a major plus.
"There is still a lot of work to be done," he said. "Once it's done, it will be much better (than the old facility)."
So far, most food services from the old union have been relocated. Among those open are McDonald's, Domino's Pizza, On Deck Deli and Java Jive.
Dan Adams, the UA's student union director, said that Panda Express - brand-new to the union - will open once the outlet receives a fire marshal's approval. Cafˇ Sonora, one of the only food services yet to relocate, will move later this month.
Adams also said the Fiddlee Fig, the old union's signature cafeteria, will be replaced by Cactus Grill, a similar venue, in approximately two weeks.
A travel agency is now open, he said, and a new mini market, similar to the old union's U-Mart, will be finished on Monday.
Demolition of the rest of the old facility will begin late this summer when all dining and retail services have been relocated.
"We've had to give and take, and make sure everything passed the inspections," Adams said. "But soon we should be out of the old building completely."
In March, the UofA Bookstore and Associated Students offices moved to their new location on the north side of the facility.
The $60 million project, one of the university's largest and most expensive construction projects ever undertaken, began in fall 1999, but has seen numerous delays over its nearly two year stretch.
