Sioux Center, Iowa — Dordt University students may have a brand new place to eat on campus in the not too distant future.
Dordt officials tell us a new dining hall is being planned. Howard Wilson is Dordt’s Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer. He tells us what’s in the works.
Wilson says currently recitals are held in Dordt’s BJ Haan Auditorium. But he says for the smaller events, it’s not really a very good fit.
He tells us that they would like some of the funding for the facility to come through the USDA. But he emphasizes that they’re applying for a loan, not a grant.
According to Wilson, USDA loans have helped to build the last five hospitals in northwest Iowa and have helped with a variety of other purposes. He says the facility will be an asset not only to Dordt, but others as well.
The dining hall part of the project will be quite a bit larger than the current dining facility.
Construction on the $25 million project is expected to start in 2021, and they hope it will be open in the fall of 2022. The loan would help them with about 80 percent of that total, says Wilson, with the rest coming through Dordt’s supporters.
The facility is planned to connect BJ Haan Auditorium and the Campus Center in an arc shape. It has not yet been decided what to do with the old dining hall at this time, says Wilson.
Photo caption: Artist concept drawing
