By CONNER WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
Construction of Western’s bookstore is expected to be finished as of today, March 13. Construction of the door began on Feb. 23.
The old door was a roll-down-style fire door that had many technical issues.
Whenever the electricity to the old unit was shut off, intentionally or not, the door would close suddenly without warning, creating an extremely hazardous condition for anyone nearby.
“This happened multiple times, and each time the manufacturer came out to fix it, it cost the university thousands of dollars,” said Chris Rupp, textbook purchaser for the bookstore.
Rupp also added that instead of spending excess money on numerous attempts to fix the issue with the old door, the new door could have been purchased sooner instead.
According to Patrick Moser, interim director of the Werner University Center, the cost of the new door amounted to about $32,000. Moser also said the frequent need for repair made it cost prohibitive to keep the old door.
“The new door is also more aesthetically pleasing,” Moser said, while additionly offering increased safety and functionality features.
While still remaining fire safe, the new door is transparent, and it opens on frame-mounted hinges like a traditional door.
“It allows students and customers to have the ability to actually see into the store, unlike the previous one,” Moser said.
The new door is expected to last longer and be more cost effective than the old roll-down-style unit.
