Rooster’s Coffeehouse will be closed from May 23 to Aug. 11 for an extensive $300,000 renovation that will improve both its aesthetic appeal and its accessibility for disabled students, according to Darryl Boyce, Carleton’s vice-president (facilities management and planning).
“It’s a complete renewal,” Boyce said. “It’s going to be a much more effective, modern facility.”
The renovation plans include making the space more barrier-free and accessible for students in wheelchairs, with changes such as lowered countertops, Boyce said. Improving the effectiveness of the service area, redoing the ceilings, the floors, and the furniture are also in the plan.
The upgrades will include replacing the current fireplace with an electric fireplace, which will eliminate outdoor air contamination, according to Boyce.
Carleton’s facilities management and planning department hired the design team to work with the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), which owns and operates Rooster’s, to meet and discuss how to accommodate the needs of the space.
Although originally estimated to be a $200,000 renovation, after discussing the planned renovations with the hired design team, Boyce said the budget had to increase to accommodate CUSA’s plans.
Due to the increased cost of the project realized during the design process, Boyce said the renovation is beginning later than originally expected.
The facility is long overdue for a renovation, CUSA president Folarin Odunayo said.
Odunayo said other CUSA operated businesses such as Haven Books and Oliver’s Pub received renovations in the last few years, while Rooster’s was left untouched.
Although the Carleton Disability Awareness Centre was not directly consulted in the design process, the renovations hope to make the space more in line with Carleton’s accessibility guidelines, according to Zainab Santur, the centre’s programming co-ordinator.
Santur said she hopes the renovations, which have been in the works for over a year, will also make the space easier to navigate for students with vision impairment.
Ron Barrette, the current manager of Rooster’s and a Carleton mathematics and computer science alumni, has worked in the coffee shop for nine years.
He first heard rumours about the renovation circulating in September 2012, and said he was given periodical updates about the closure dates over the last two months.
Because of the summer closure, all items at Rooster’s were 25 per cent off May 23 in order to get rid of as much stock as possible.
There will be eight Roosters employees working during the summer. They include Barrette, an assistant manager, a supervisor, three cooks, and two baristas.
The staff will be given office work to do over the summer, Odunayo said.
According to the Rooster’s collective agreement, employees must work at least two shifts a week up to 20 hours a week.
But Odunayo said “there’s no way to quantify” the amount the labour will cost CUSA over the summer because he’s not certain how many hours the employees will end up working.
Barrette said the office work will vary from employee to employee.
“We’re working on committees over the summer to look at revamping some policies,” he said. “I’m really going to miss it here in the meantime.”
