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Friday, February 13, 1987 / University Daily Kansan
Completion of union set for 1989
By KIERSTL MOEN
Staff writer
Patrons of the Kansas Union who walk into the third floor dining area now face an empty space with only hammering, drilling and dust on the menu.
What they see are the first signs of a renovation project that started Feb. 4 after two and a half years of planning.
Jim Long, director of the Kansas and Burge unions, said this week that the Kansas Union needed renovation. Its mechanical systems of air conditioning, heating and lighting have not improved since the 1920s, he said.
The Union's food services, which have not changed since the 1950s, also will be fully renovated.
"We wanted to install a state-of the-art food service operation," Long said.
The Union administration also wanted to expand the service and efficiency of the bookstore and provide a new area for the office of student organizations and activities, he said.
The B.A. Green Construction Company Inc. of Lawrence began construction on level three on Feb. 4. Green received a $5.4 million contract for the job, which is scheduled for completion in early 1989.
The renovation will cost a total of $6.5 million. Student union fees, which students pay as part of their tuition, provided $3 million. The remaining $3.5 million was raised
through the sale of revenue bonds.
The renovation budget will pay for the removal of asbestos from the building. A Lawrence company has started to remove asbestos from the utility services on the lower levels of the Union. Long said.
Asbestos is a fibrous mineral commonly used in insulation materials for public buildings. After long use, tiny asbestos fibers begin to separate from the insulation textiles and circulate in the air. Those fibers may cause lung cancer and other health hazards.
Removal of asbestos will continue as the construction work proceeds, Long said. The kitchens and food service areas will be cleared of asbestos before they are fully renovated, he said.
During the renovation, the food services from level three have moved to smaller areas on level five. Because of the change, the cafeterias have lost about 200 seats and are making less money. But increased sales in the Burge Union and Wescoe Hall cafeteries compensate for some of that loss, Long said.
By the end of 1887, the food services should be back in renovated areas on level three with modern interior and kitchen equipment.
Then it's the bookstore's turn.
The bookstore accounts for the bulk of the union's income, said Warner Ferguson, assistant director of the Kansas and Burge unions. Therefore, the store probably will not close during the renovation, which is
scheduled to start between the fall '87 and spring '88 semesters.
The Union considers it important to inform patrons about its services during the renovation. Gene Wee, program adviser for Student Union Activities, said the Union administration had allocated about $10,000 to promote the renovation.
That comprises newspaper advertisements, news releases, posters, fliers and the Union Cable Newsletter, a three-color information sheet printed on heavy stationery.
"We try to keep people aware that we're open and trying to take care of campus needs." Wee said.
Long said, "We've had full cooperation from everyone who has been involved in this project. Especially from the patrons. And we're very pleased with that."
The Union's patrons will witness construction in the building for years to come. The current project, represents the first phase in a larger effort to improve the Kansas Union, the oldest college union of the Big Eight schools, Long said. The main part of the building opened in 1927.
The next phase will improve the SUA office, the business office, the banking services and the information and candy counter. Long said.
So for now, the Union's patrons and employees will have to bear hammering, drilling and dust and have their meals in temporary facilities until everything is back to normal, or better, some time in 1989.
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