Associated Students UCLA is steadily moving forward into the new year with its construction projects, though the opening dates of many of the projects have been pushed back to later in the year.
The Cooperage was scheduled to be finished months ago, but it faced construction delays.
And although many aspects of the renovated Cooperage have been completed, some are still underway.
Carl’s Jr. is currently in the demolition phase, and construction is slated to begin soon.
ASUCLA restaurants director Cindy Bolton said she is optimistic that Carl’s Jr. will open at the beginning of spring quarter, though the initial opening date was set for January or February.
Bolton added that construction for Carl’s Jr. is starting later than anticipated because the lease negotiations took additional time.
Employees at the renovated Cooperage will be UCLA students, Bolton said.
But as a third party operator, Carl’s Jr. is not obligated to hire students.
The Game On! portion of the Cooperage, which includes a computer gaming center and video game systems, has not been completed, and ASUCLA sources do not have a timetable available.
Student Union Director Roy Champawat said there is no specific date set because the design and construction for Game On! is complex and time consuming.
The Avenue A corridor in Ackerman Union, on the other hand, is completed for the 2009 year.
The corridor consists of the Bruin Buzz cafe, Coinz arcade, the expanded Taco Bell and a new sandwich concept selling organic and kosher items.
All of the construction projects are paid for by income generated by ASUCLA operations, which is partially funded by student union fees that students pay each year, said Executive Director Bob Williams.
Williams said the fees are part of the SAFE referendum passed in 2005, which added a steadily increasing student union fee to student tuition.
Initially, the fee was $7.50 in 2005 but will cap at $55 in the 2009-2010 year, according to Daily Bruin archives.
It was $31.50 in the 2007-2008 academic year.
Williams said the new projects will continue to support the ASUCLA mission of providing services, programs, products, and facilities for the UCLA community.