Over the last few months, Clayco Construction crews have made progress on the renovation of the Busch Student Center (BSC). Lee Hahnel, Saint Louis University’s project manager, said the last design piece has been completed in the old structure and crews are now working on “finish construction,” which covers painting, ceilings and carpeting.

The new structure, a multipurpose room dubbed “the ballroom,” which lies north of the old building is being completed with glass and walls and will be in its final stages in the next couple weeks, Hahnel said.

Over Easter break, crews also began stripping the sidewalks surrounding the BSC of the last of SLU’s asphalt pavement. New sidewalks made of exposed concrete will now wind past the BSC and nearby Ritter Hall and Koenig Plaza.

Hahnel said that overall the project has stayed within the bounds of its budget as well as its schedule. There have been minor aspects which went over budget and others that cost less than planned, but, he said, “That’s just part of the nature of construction. In the end it has to balance out, and so far it’s balanced out well.”

Clayco is still set to finish its portion of the job by the end of July, but since crews began finishing their work on the third floor and have worked their way down, Hahnel said that organizations may be able to begin moving into their new offices by the middle of the month. He said student groups on the second floor will be moving in closer to the end of July, but no definite dates have been set yet.

Plans to dedicate the new center have not been finalized, but most likely University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., will hold a ceremony after the building has been in use for a few months.

Tricia Fechter, Student Government Association chief of staff, has organized a tour of the new facility for seniors who will not have a chance to use it as students. The tour will be part of Senior Week.

“As students and faculty and staff have been going through, they seem really excited,” Hahnel said. “It’s everything it was expected to be.”

In addition to housing student offices, the new BSC will host the new bookstore, dining facilities and a state-of-the-art multipurpose room that can be partitioned into three independent banquet rooms. The southwest entrance of the BSC will have a circle drive with a tower above it and the northeast entrance will be adorned with a fountain fanned by steps, similar to the layout of the Clock Tower in the middle of campus.

Hahnel said the project has been a unique experience for those organizing the renovation, as they have worked closely to incorporate student opinions.

“Usually we build offices for staff or classrooms for teachers,” Hahnel said. “This is a really great opportunity to interact with students.”