The Cooperage as UCLA students know it today may not be so
familiar next year, as plans to remodel the facility are now well
underway, according to reports from the Associated Students UCLA
board of directors.
The board met Friday for its monthly meeting to discuss finances
and developments within the association.
In a series of changes, the Cooperage will be redesigned to
provide new dining options, facilities and a new layout. The
remodel has been in the works for several months now.
In addition to a Jamba Juice lounge and a Healthy Foods bar, the
new Cooperage will provide several new and old food options,
including the Great American Roadside Grill, Taco Bell and a
sandwich eatery.
The new Cooperage will also have a larger eating area with pool
tables and computer gaming.
The added entertainment will “help make the Cooperage the
place to hang out on campus for food, social activities, networking
and recreation,” said Bob Williams, executive director of
ASUCLA.
The design team on campus in charge of developing plans for the
new Cooperage met with the Food Services Committee this month in
order to receive input and discuss the expansion.
At the moment, the food consultant is developing the food
service designs.
Jamba Juice sent the construction plans to the health inspector
and Department of State Architects for approval in the past several
weeks.
ASUCLA is currently working with the campus real estate to
finalize the plans, Williams said.
Though he said the exact schedule for a project of this size is
hard to determine, Williams predicted the Jamba Juice and Healthy
Foods bar will be completed by the start of the summer and hopes
the Cooperage renovations will begin this summer.
Board members also discussed the ASUCLA budget, which showed
positive sales for the end of fall quarter in keeping with a
positive financial trend for ASUCLA so far in the school year.
December produced $628,000 more than planned. BearWear sales
alone exceeded its expected plan by $166,000.
“December was a good month,” Williams said.
Though Williams foresees a decrease in BearWear sales during
winter quarter because many students may have already purchased
BearWear apparel, he said future promotions and a solid financial
situation may balance out the reduced sales.
Rich Delia, chief financial officer of ASUCLA, said the
association’s budget would be “better than
planned” by the end of the year.
But ASUCLA Student Media is currently facing a budget deficit
that has grown increasingly worse since the last academic year.
Graduate representative Natalie Nguyen, head of the ASUCLA Finance
Committee, expressed concern over the current fiscal health of the
Communications Board.
The Finance Committee met with the Communications Board on Jan.
20, where board members discussed financial trends with Arvli Ward,
director of Student Media.