By Peter Fiorilla & Mylin Batipps
News Editor & News Assistant
Due to mechanical issues recently discovered on the scene of T-Dubs during construction, the opening of the Towers-based dining facility has been delayed until further notice.
Although workers had hoped the renovation would be complete by the start of the academic year ahead of schedule workers ran afoul of technical problems that added to the cost for repairs and time needed for construction.
“(The repairs) included broken mechanical systems and plumbing and electric lines cast into the concrete floor of T-Dubs that had to be removed because they were failing or because they were in the way of the renovations,” said Dave Muha, vice president for communications, marketing and brand management at the College.
According to Muha, the issues that were found served as a detriment to not only the dining facility, but also the entire Travers and Wolfe buildings.
Repairing and removing the problems was necessary not only for the sake of T-Dubs dining, but in order for freshmen to move into a safe environment.
“Preparing the building without electricity or water is virtually impossible,” Muha said. “Thankfully, with the guidance of residential education, facilities was able to get it done in the nick of time and the buildings were ready for move-in last week.”
The unveiling of the new dining facility would have been months ahead of schedule, had it happened early this fall. According to Muha, the College and Sodexo originally planned to have the renovations completed by the turn of the year.
“I just want to be clear that while we would have liked to have had it ready sooner, the plan was to have this work completed by January,” he said. “Its closing for the fall was not entirely unexpected,”
Tackling the issues first that were found was also necessary in order for workers to even begin constructing a new and more efficient dining environment for students, according to Muha and assistant vice president for Student Affairs Sean Stallings.
“T-Dubs is receiving a complete makeover of its servery and back house operations,” Stallings said. “The idea is that new program will offer an expanded menu while retaining many of the T-Dubs favorites. Additionally, the new design will improve the traffic flow, food presentation, cooking equipment, and grab-and-go selections.”
As T-Dubs is not yet available, students will be able to dine late at the Lions Den in the Brower Student Center. On weekdays, the Lions Den will be open from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., and on the weekends from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Stallings added that while he and faculty would like to have T-Dubs ready for students as soon as possible, Campus Planning and Construction will be working on all the nooks and crannies to ensure that no more problems arise.
“Our partners in Campus Planning and Construction are working diligently with the hired contractor to complete the project as soon as possible but we know we are at least two months behind schedule,” Stallings said. “Though we are prepared to open as soon as the facility is ready, we are also prepared to adapt and ensure that our students continue to enjoy the conveniences our dining program is designed to offer. We intend to keep the campus community updated on the progress of the project accordingly.”
