VIDEO: Inside Ole Miss Student Union Construction Site

The wait is almost over. The newest portion of the Ole Miss student union is getting close to completion.
“The addition of the union is finished for the most part; it’s just the finishing touches to it,” said Peter Rumbarger, who is the project superintendent.
Those finishing touches include completing the roof, adding in the glass railings inside, finishing up the terrazzo flooring, bricking the remainder of the building, painting sheet rock panels, adding in the ceilings and finishing the electrical work.
Many of the restaurants have begun to come together as some of the coolers they need to store food have already arrived, been assembled and put into place.
Once all the construction is finished, workers will begin putting down grass, planting trees and asphalting the lot, which will include an O.U.T. stop. Rumbarger says that will all happen between now and the start of the fall semester in August.
“It will go from looking like a construction site when students leave to being complete when they come back with grass down and trees up,” said Rumbarger.

Students are ready.
“I’m excited to see it once it opens. It looks better than the one before from the renderings that have been shown” said, student Gerrit Neilson. “The main thing I want to see is how they transform the stone pillars due to how they shaped.” 
For others, it’s all about the eats.
“I’m looking forward to many of the food options we will have come this fall,” said student Jared Cox.
The first floor of the union will feature Qdoba, Chick-fil-A, Which-Wich and Panda Express, and the second floor will be dedicated to McAlister’s Deli.
“It will be nice seeing some newer options around because some things got old. There is not a Which-Wich at all in Oxford but there were already two Subways,” said Cox.
In addition to these food options, the third floor will house a large ballroom for catering and conferences.
Rumbarger says they’re planning for a soft opening of the union addition in early August before school starts again on August 21.
At that point, temporary walls will be in place to separate the new section from the older areas of the union that still need renovation. The entire project should be complete by August 2018.
https://youtu.be/aZKbi-NfFbk
Story produced by Johnny Ison: jdison@go.olemiss.edu.