Published: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

Construction on an expansion to the Hixson Union Building’s dining area could begin as early as this summer, said Brian Benzel, vice president for finance and administration.

The current dining hall seats about 350. The new expansion will add about 8,000 square feet, the equivalent of 170 new seats, or roughly 50 percent more available seating.

“The overall budget for the project will be about $5 million,” Benzel said.

The HUB was last remodeled in 1997 when there was a total of 2,043 students, according to the 2005-2010 strategic plan. There are 2,674 students this year, according to the Fall 2008 Tenth Day enrollment report.

Sophomore Tobin Eyestone said the dining area needs to be expanded.

“During peak lunch hours there’s hardly any place to sit, especially if you’re with a group of friends,” Eyestone said.
The expansion will be constructed on the north side of the HUB, extending out from the existing dining area toward Arend Hall.

The expansion will consist of two levels, a ground level and a mezzanine above it, with lots of windows providing natural light.

Steve Thompson, director of capital projects, said the new area will have a different feel to it than the current dining area.

“It won’t just be a big open eating area like the current dining hall,” he said.

The expansion will consist of several themed eating spaces, such as Italian and Mexican food areas, Thompson said.

Although there won’t be any food preparation facilities in the expanded area, the decor and atmosphere will make the new area a unique place to eat.

The current eating and kitchen areas will not be affected by the expansion, Thompson said, adding that students will be able to continue eating in the dining hall while construction is underway.

Sophomore Ryan Gerhard said although the dining hall could use an addition, he is concerned about the financial implications.

“Any improvement they make is cool, as long as it doesn’t cost me any more money,” he said.

The funding for the expansion is coming from the same bond issue that will be used to finance the East Residence Hall and science center projects.

The current economic situation could potentially force a postponement of the construction, Benzel said.

“It depends on when our bonds can get sold,” he said. “The market isn’t affecting us at this point because we’re not ready to sell the bonds yet.”

Benzel said he wants to wait until the market situation improves before selling bonds.

He said he hopes the expansion will be completed by fall 2010.