Reservations for the Arredondo Room in the Reitz Union will be postponed, and the entire fourth floor will be closed this summer as remodeling plans are finalized.
The Arredondo Room is a dining room that serves buffet-style meals on the fourth floor of the Reitz Union. Mike Mironack, director of operations at the Reitz Union, said construction would most likely last into the fall. He said the estimated cost would be between $500,000 and $700,000, which would come from Gator Dining Services and the Business Services Division.
Mironack said a meeting would be held later this month to review the plans, and construction is expected to start this summer.
One of the changes to the room would be moving the door, which now faces east, to face north to allow students to walk off the elevators and turn into the dining room. This change would bring the wall down that divides the Micanopy Room from the Arredondo Room, combining the two into one 3,000-square-foot dining room, he said.
Mironack said the room, which currently seats about 90 people, would seat about 120 people after the renovations. The plans would also include changes to the decor to brighten up the room and eliminate the dark ceiling, he said.
Since it's an old building, the room has never been remodeled. Mironack said much of the cost would include bringing the room up to current construction codes, such as replacing the air conditioning.
"We want it to be a more popular dining location," he said.
