By ASHLEY A. HIBDON
Summer fun has begun, but not in the BYU Games Center.
The Games Center, on the first floor of the Ernest L. Wilkinson Center, is scheduled to be closed from May 15 through July 15 for renovations.
Fire sprinkler systems and new carpeting will be installed and the front entrance will be redesigned.
“The staff has known about it for about a month, and we’ve posted signs so patrons know about it,” said David Webb, manager of ELWC recreational facilities. “The P.E. bowling classes know about the closing too,” Webb said.
When it re-opens, the Games Center will look different because of the new carpeting and redesigned entrance, but the Games Center itself will not change.
During Spring terms, the Games Center is usually not as busy because fewer students are on campus. However, once EFY and other BYU-sponsored events begin, the Games Center has many more patrons.
“It gets pretty busy in here once EFY starts, because the participants want something to do,” said Cara Hansen, a Games Center employee and a senior from Denver, Colo., majoring in speech pathology. “It’s too bad that it’s closing,” she said.
The temporary closing of the Games Center will affect employees. Student Life is trying to find new jobs for them, but most of the new jobs don’t give Games Center employees many hours.
“It’s hard because the hours available are usually only on Friday and Saturday nights, and I don’t want to only work then,” said Lisa Andersen, a Games Center employee and junior from Mesa, Ariz., majoring in home economics.
“I want to do more than work in the Varsity Theater ticket booth every weekend,” she said.
“I’m upset about it, but I can’t do much,” Hansen said.
