Saint Vincent College will take comment on dining hall expansion
Saint Vincent College officials on Thursday will discuss the planned development of a Student Life and Hospitality Hub, including the dining hall where the Pittsburgh Steelers eat during training camp on the Unity campus.
The meeting, which will include a public comment period, begins at 9 a.m. in Room 2B, on the upper floor of the Fred M. Rogers Center.
Construction is expected to begin in January.
The first phase of the project is estimated to cost $12.8 million. It consists of building a new hospitality center plus renovating and expanding the college’s community center dining hall and kitchen.
“We are undertaking this project for our students and campus community,” said Jim Berger, a Saint Vincent spokesman. “It should also benefit the tremendous amount of visitors we get each year.”
He cited a recent study estimating about 294,000 people annually visit the Benedictine-founded college of liberal arts and sciences.
Saint Vincent’s dining facilities serve Steelers players, coaches and staff for several weeks each summer during their annual training camp. Preparations for camp, which has been a tradition since 1966, include ordering thousands of pounds of meat and vegetables to satisfy the team’s nutritional needs.
New construction for the hospitality project will take place to the rear of the dining hall, extending behind Prep/Placid Hall and alongside Anselm Hall.
The project will benefit from a $3 million state grant awarded in August through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. Unity Township supervisors last week agreed to channel the funding to the college in a pass-through arrangement.
The hospitality hub project is among several initiatives the college is pursuing as part of a $110 million “Forward, Always Forward” fundraising campaign. The campaign also is helping to support expansion of the college’s Dale P. Latimer Library.
The library project, which is nearing completion, will add four new classrooms, a computer lab, a video production suite, a writing and tutoring center and a social space with a barista cafe.
Those who plan to attend Thursday’s meeting are asked to make reservations by contacting Christine Bierbower at chris.bierbower@email.stvincent.edu or 724-805-2223.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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