By Chloe Ogier
The Scene staff
Most of the Forest Park cafeteria will be closed next spring for renovation.
Workers will continue to cook in the kitchen, according to college officials. But it’s unclear how food items will be served. Plans are still evolving.
“We will have hot food still,” said President Julie Fickas. “(The menu) may not be quite as expansive as what we’ve had, but the other campuses that have done cafeteria renovations have also done this, and so we are working on a plan for how that will occur at this point in time. We won’t know that plan completely until the construction company has been hired.”
St. Louis Community College cafeterias are operated by a private company that contracts with the college.
STLCC Auxillary Manager Rodney Jones, who oversees the operation, said there will still be plenty of food options for Forest Park students. The kitchen will be walled off from construction.
“As I understand it now, there will be seating and a check-out area in Café East,” Jones said, speaking of a large room off the cafeteria.
Renovation is set to begin in December. It will include new floors, new paint on walls and new lighting.
The cafeteria renovation is part of a larger construction program that will cost $10 million.
“The entire cafeteria, except for behind the counters and back into the kitchen areas, will be done, so everything in front of the counters all the way out to the entrances and to the Student Center will get redone,” Fickas said.
“There’s a triangular piece that kind of juts out into the seating area … That piece is going to be removed, which should make it look more wide open.”
Fickas said she’s happy with how plans are coming together. She likened the “vibe” of the new cafeteria to that of the updated Hospitality Studies building and Student Center welcome desk area.
“The pictures are beautiful,” she said. “The renditions that the architects are putting together look very nice, so I think it’s going to really be very welcoming and updated.”
Fickas said she doesn’t know how much of the area will be blocked off for renovation because that will be up to the construction company. College officials don’t plan to close or move the campus bookstore, which is off the cafeteria.
“We’re going to try to figure out how to keep it open as well,” Fickas said. “We’ll just have to be strategic about how we create the walking pathways.
“It may not be as convenient and easy to get to (the bookstore) throughout the whole process, but we will be trying to find ways to make sure that students have what they need while they’re on campus.”
The college plans to continue contracting with American Dining Creations during the renovation. Fickas said she doesn’t expect the limited food options to pose a problem for students using meal cards obtained through the Student Advocacy and Resource Center.
Campus construction next spring also will include renovations to some lecture halls as part of the $10 million project.
“(Students will) see those being improved,” Fickas said. “If you take a picture of the lecture halls now, and then take a picture sometime at the end of next spring, they’re going look very, very different, and I think they’ll be much more accessible for everyone.”
The majority of construction is expected to be completed by June 30, according to Fickas.