UNL’s campus was predictably quiet during winter break, but for one notable exception. As soon as students headed home following commencement, a flurry of activity broke out at the Nebraska Union as major first-floor renovations got fully under way.
Faculty and staff returning from break and passing through the union will notice work on the $2.1 million project moving rapidly. Contractors are pushing toward having several portions of the renovation ready for the start of the spring semester, UNL officials said.
Crews also will be working away in several areas when students come back to campus Jan. 13, said Charlie Francis, director of Nebraska Unions.
“We are, of course, doing as much as we can to get as much done as possible by the time students return,” Francis said. “We know this process can be an inconvenience for people and we’re working to minimize that as much as possible.
“When the project is completed it will most certainly be a much better environment for our campus community.”
The project features upgrades to entrances, flooring and furniture; improvements to lounge areas to encourage student collaboration; and the reconfiguration of several first-floor features to better serve the campus, Francis said.
For starters, the union’s sleek new welcome desk and coffee bar is expected to be open for business Jan. 13. The location – often one of the first visitors see after ascending the stairs on the union’s north entrance – will become a one-stop “concierge” for campus visitors and students, Francis said.
Runza, which is also undergoing work to upgrade and renovate its large dining area, is also expected to be open by Jan. 13. Next door to the south, The Crib is being upgraded, including the relocation of the corn-design stained glass window, new flooring and new furnishings. A second entrance between the Crib and Runza is also being added.
Construction in The Crib will continue through the week of Jan. 6 with its completion dependent on the arrival of the new flooring, said Dan Reeg in UNL Facilities Planning and Construction and the project manager for the union renovation.
The arrival of that flooring is likely to be Jan. 14, he said, and installation would begin immediately. New flooring in other areas on the first floor, including corridors and lounge areas, would then follow, he said.
As that flooring is being put in, egress paths will be established by the contractor to allow students, faculty, staff and visitors to navigate around the construction, Reeg said.
When completed, Francis said, the union’s first floor should feel brighter, more open and allow for a more natural flow throughout the building. In addition, the union is getting new Husker-friendly branding, graphics and paint throughout the first floor, he said.
The project – minus all of the new furniture, which is expected to be in place by spring break – should be completed by the end of February, Reeg said.
Meanwhile, work has also begun at the former Sbarro location in the food court to transform the space into a Subway Pizza Express. The restaurant should be open in February, Francis said.
