April 14, 2011
Renovations at Hawthorn Market and Cafe planned for summer
by Anne Krapfl
ISU Dining's 10-year-old Hawthorn Market and Cafe will close next month for most of the summer. Renovations will reconfigure the food service area and create a secured hallway in the Frederiksen Court Community Center that gives students 24-hour access to the lounge/study area.
The market and cafe will close following commencement on May 7 and reopen by mid-August.
The estimated $650,000 construction project is scheduled to be awarded to a contractor next week. ISU Dining also will replace some of the food preparation equipment as part of this project. ISU Dining operating funds will pay for both components of the renovation.
"It was important to the students that they have 24/7 access to the lounge," said ISU Dining director Nancy Levandowski. "We knew when we started discussing this renovation that we needed to make that a priority."
In addition to round-the-clock access to the community center lounge, the renovation will rearrange the food preparation and serving island, with the aim of making it easier and quicker for customers to navigate. These changes include:
- Adding (and moving to the west side) kiosks where customers place their orders for prepared foods.
- Adding a one-time-through buffet on the south side of the food preparation area.
Temporary offices for staff
Frederiksen Court residence staff will continue working out of the community center through summer move-in. They'll relocate to building 42, located immediately southeast of the community center, from approximately May 16 to mid-July. Staff phone numbers will remain the same in their temporary location. Student check-ins, check-outs and general resident assistance will be handled through this location.
Other services in the community center -- fitness center, cash machine, public computers and printers, meeting spaces -- will be unavailable during the renovation.
