Sessions planned to explore Goldsworth Valley dining project

KALAMAZOO—Two public sessions, planned to provide students and members of the campus community the opportunity to be part of the site development process for the new Western Michigan University Valley Dining Center, are set for Tuesday, Feb. 25.

The sessions will focus on building placement for the new 1,000-seat dining center that will provide innovative, state-of-the-art food service options to enhance the Valley Residential Neighborhood. The sessions are planned for 4 and 7 p.m. in 159 Bernhard Center. Parking is available in the parking structure to the east of the Bernhard Center or directly behind the Bernhard Center in lot 48.

The two sessions are the first in a series of such meetings that will take place during different stages of the design process. The Feb. 25 sessions are set for the beginning of the design process. Additional sessions will be scheduled midway through the process, likely in June, and at the end of the process, as the final plans are ready for presentation. Actual construction of the new Valley Dining Center is expected to begin in spring 2015.

The sessions will feature design professionals from SmithGroup JJR, a firm selected early in the process, and will include an overview of the project that will explore project goals, site details, building placement options and logistical needs specific to the facility.

Additional topics to be covered

• Core design elements, focused on the valley area attributes
• Approaches to entry points and flow from parking and pedestrian areas into the building
• Benefits for valley residence hall students

About the Valley Residential Community

The Valley Residential Community at WMU includes six residence halls in three complexes that were completed in 1965 and currently house more than 2,800 students. The valley residence hall complexes primarily house first-year students and are also home to five specialized academic communities and three interest-based communities. Serving the valley halls currently are two full-service dining rooms and one limited service dining room along with MugShots Coffee House.