After spending countless afternoons standing in the rain, snow and freezing cold due to a construction project setting off the fire alarm, the women of Woodworth Complex are looking forward to the opening of the dining location in the Fall.
The campus police as well as the local firefighters had their work cut out for them, having a fire drill at Woodworth Complex several times a week and several times a day on certain occasions, junior Kesley Hoover, Brady Hall resident assistant, said.
"Luckily I haven't been here for a lot of the fire drills; I've always been in class," Courtney Oakley, freshman second-floor Brady Hall resident, said. "It has gotten kind of annoying but it is understandable."
Campus dining for students altered this year as "the best place to eat on campus" was closed for renovation. The women living in Woodworth were at a disadvantage because instead of wearing slippers to run downstairs to get something to eat, they had to bundle up and layer clothing to make their way through the winter weather to get to another dining location, Oakley said.
"It'll be nice not having to walk through the rain or snow to get food next year," she said. Oakley plans to live in Woodworth again as a sophomore, she said.
Hoover said she is looking forward to the dining hall that will feature seven menus, as well as a Wood Stone pizza oven. Hoover, the other RAs and the directors learned about the renovations at a meeting held to discuss the construction, she said. The Wood Stone oven, which will be located in the Della Casa, will cook pizzas more quickly and give the pizzas an overall better taste, she said.
The renovation also includes a deli, a convenience store, a salad bar, a grab-n-go line and Woody's Grill, Hoover said.
Jon Lewis, director of campus dining services, said the construction has been running on schedule and the contractors are making progress toward their July 1 deadline.
"The plans we have had for the dining services are all working out really well," Lewis said. "The colors that have been selected as well as the table and chairs look really great."
The dining location is planned to hold comfortable seating for 500 students, featuring smaller tables for a more personal meal, he said.
The updated look of the dining hall will really help it to stand out from all of the other locations on campus, adding a more vibrant feeling compared with a few of the other locations, Lewis said.
As with most renovations, the Woodworth dining hall has faced some setbacks. For example, it wasn't until demolition that the construction crew realized the hoods, which provide ventilation for the ovens, also needed replaced, Lewis said.
"We are however making good decisions and are right on target in terms of the time line," he said.
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