The University of Minnesota Duluth has postponed construction on a $70 million housing and dining project by a year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Duluth News Tribune reports that construction had been set to begin this spring, but has been put off because of "the uncertainty in the construction job market, supply chains, and costs," the university says.
The project had been scheduled for completion in summer 2021. That timeline will be pushed back by one year.
The 10-story residence hall will be the tallest building on the Duluth campus and provide housing for 350 students. The new dining facility will help support those additional students living on campus as well as ease the burden on the school's existing dining hall, which is at capacity
“We need more seats," says Betsy Helgesen, the university's director of dining services. "We need more retail. We need to offer students services that they want and need and we tried to be thoughtful and intentional with our decision to provide a variety of choices with the stations and even more choices at the stations.”
The project is funded by revenues generated by the university's housing services and is not publicly funded.
The housing complex will be built on the northwestern edge of campus. The residence hall will adjoin the existing Griggs Hall and will feature traditional single and double rooms.
The new dining facility will be built next to the existing dining hall, connected \ by an external hallway.
