(last updated 10/20/08)
Welcome to the official site for information about the Fall 2008 Breezeway renovation. We have divided this page into two sections, a general overview of the project, and an FAQ.
We will do our best to keep this page updated, however frequently with any project there are changes that have to be made and occasionally this page will be inaccurate.
Part 1 - Overview
Like any renovation project, plans are subject to change. Frequently unexpected issues come up that increase costs, or make some planned improvements impractical. Please remember that everything in this overview here might change. We will do our best to keep this page up-to-date with the latest as the construction continues, but we cannot promise everything you see here will actually make it through the entire process.
One of the main goals of the project is to increase the amount of dining space. By the end of the construction, the new Breezeway dining room will triple in size.
This new dining room area will feature an all new heating and air conditioning system. Of course, while the Breezeway is open, we cannot expect the air conditioning will be able to maintain a chilly 70 degrees the entire time. Due to the amount of heat produced by the grills and fryers, and the amount of air that gets sucked out through the ventilation system, a system that powerful is not environmentally feasible. However, the new air conditioning will be powerful enough to keep the Breezeway comfortable even with all of the cooking equipment on.
This new dining room will cover the entire section of the Guffin patio shown here, continuing all the way to the bike racks. |
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July 17, 2008 |
In addition, the new dining room will extend 12 feet past the existing patio into the area shown here.
This project will also involve some substantial repair work to red tile area of the patio with the bike racks (not pictured).
The exterior of the extension will match the existing Guffin exterior, except the new section will have larger windows so customers can enjoy the beautiful view of Guffin Hill and the soccer field. |
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July 17, 2008 |
August 18, 2008 |
Some of the walls will be broken down to integrate the two areas of the dining room. Both of the windows here will be knocked out, and the radiators will be removed to make two entrances to the new dining room. We do not know yet if the Eagle will survive.
These walkways will not have doors; they will be free flowing walkways, open 24-7. |
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July 17, 2008 |
August 18, 2008 |
Another walkway will be made by knocking down most of the wall pictured here. There will be a 3' section of wall remaining, and a new door near the existing red door will be installed.
The main entrance to the Breezeway will be this new opening once this project is complete, and the register will be moved accordingly. |
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July 17, 2008 |
August 18, 2008 |
| During the semester, the only entrance or exit to the Breezeway will be through these French doors. However, one of the last steps of the construction project will be to seal these doors. Then we will be able to move the cash register and open up the serving area a little more. |
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August 18, 2008 |
A significant section of the expanded dining room will hopefully have a more relaxing seating style than the existing dining room, with couches, coffee tables, etc. The rest of the dining room will have seating more like the current tables & chairs in the Jammin Java. Hopefully at some point in the future we will be able to replace all of the tables & chairs in the existing dining room to match the tables & chairs in the new section.
The color scheme and decorations for the Breezeway dining room are still undecided, and we hope to have some renderings made available soon.
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Things that might be happening...
There are also a few items that we are hoping to squeeze into our budget. We cannot guarantee any of these will happen, but if everything goes well.
- 2 New 42" Flat Panel LCD TV's - Part of the expansion project includes putting in the electrical system and coaxial jacks needed to install 2 televisions in the expanded dining room area so that at some date in the future, we could install the new televisions. Hopefully, there will be enough money leftover to add these new televisions soon.
- New 60" Flat Panel LCD TV - This is a lower priority, but we would like to replace the existing 52" TV in the Breezeway with a larger, wall mounted television with a wider viewing angle.
- Adding HD to the existing TV - Even if we cannot replace the existing TV, we are trying to work out a way to get HD channels on the existing 52" TV (which is HD-ready).
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Part 2 - FAQs
Here are some of the questions we have been asked about the Breezeway renovation project. If you do not see your question answered here, please do not hesitate to e-mail us.
1 - When will it start? How long will it take?
Construction began in mid-August and will continue through the semester. If all goes well, the construction should be done by the second week of November.
*Update: As of 10/20, due to some unforeseen difficulties in the construction, the project is running about two weeks behind. This puts the finish date into the first week of December. Because that is so close to the end of construction, there is a possibility of putting off the final parts of the constructions (knocking down walls, sealing off doors) until the end of finals week, when the Breezeway would be closed anyway. We will update this as the construction continues. No one at Eastern or dining services is happy about the delay, but we would rather take the time to do it right than rush things and get inferior results.
2 - Will Guffin Hall, the parking lot, or the Breezeway need to close during the construction?
No, Guffin Hall and the parking lot should be open as normal during the semester. The Breezeway will be open as normal during the semester, but there is a chance that the Breezeway might have to close for a couple of days while some sections of the wall are knocked down. We are trying to get that phase of the construction done during the summer while the Breezeway is closed anyway.* If the Breezeway does need to close during the semester, it will be for as short a time as possible, and it will hopefully line up with normal closings (Fall Free Days, Thanksgiving, etc).
*Update: As of 8/23, the construction crew has gotten most of the hard part of the knockouts done and erected temporary walls. This means the Breezeway should be open through the semester with no long periods of closing. At some point those temporary walls will have to be knocked down, but hopefully that can be done quickly with minimal (if any) impact on service.
3 - How will the construction affect residents of Guffin Hall?
The back patio entrances to Guffin Hall (both the one near the Breezeway, and the one near the bike racks) will be closed during most of the construction, but the Kea Hall entrance and the front entrances to Guffin Hall will be unaffected. There will be some noise due to the construction, but that should not start until 9:00 am on weekdays. But once the construction is done, the residents of Guffin will have a new larger, more comfortable, air conditioned, lounge area to enjoy.
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