Here’s how we’re making way for the Memorial Union renewal project:

• The MU’s east wing is being prepped as the bookstore’s temporary home.
• The post office, which moved out of the east wing in January, is now reopen — finally — in a trailer across the street from the MU.
• Arcade games and pool tables from the MU’s basement are going up for public sale Wednesday (March 4) at Aggie Surplus (formerly the Bargain Barn).

The renovation officially starts Monday, March 23, the first day of spring quarter.

The north courtyard will be closed as the contractor rebuilds and expands the MU’s north side to include an atriumlike space connecting the first and second floors, and removes walls from study and lounge spaces to add to the building’s new openness. Construction crews also will overhaul the bookstore, basement and east wing.

The Coffee House and five second-floor meeting rooms — MU II, Smith, DeCarli, Fielder and Garrison — will remain open. The TechHub and the  tower (third and fourth floors) also will remain open.

Read more about the project. Follow it on Facebook.

Where’s the bookstore?

The east wing will not be renovated immediately. First, the bookstore will use the space as a sales area, for apparel, gifts, trade books and basic school supplies. Textbooks and the bulk of the store’s school supplies are being relocated to The Pavilion (second floor). Both of these locations are set to open March 23.

Winter quarter textbook buybacks will be held in the ARC lobby and the Life Sciences Building lobby, and at all three student housing areas:

• ARC lobby — 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. March 16-21, and March 23
• Segundo Dining Commons, 155 Wall Hall (Tercero) and Emerson Hall (Cuarto) —10 a.m.-3 p.m. March 17-21
• Life Sciences Building lobby — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. March 17-21

Textbook questions can be sent to textbooks@ucdavis.edu.

Post office reopens after delay

The post office reopened last week after Postal Service delays in getting the office’s computers up and running. It’s in a trailer on the east side of Wickson Hall, across the street from Freeborn Hall and the MU.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.

The post office shares its temporary home with Classical Notes/Campus Copies.

Arcade games powering down

Have a favorite MU arcade game? Maybe you can bring it home — because the Games Area is being cleared out.

Matt Fucile, director of building services for Campus Recreation and Unions, said the coin-operated games “are terribly underutilized” — so they are being replaced by console games and a lounge area.

The inventory includes:

• “Ms. Pac-Man” ($750)
• “After Burner Climax Deluxe” ($3,000)
• “Pump It Up Pro” dance machine ($300)
• “Super Shot Deluxe” basketball games (three available for $500 each)
• “Star Wars Trilogy Deluxe” ($500)
• “The Fast and the Furious Super Bikes” (a pair for $3,000)
• "Toy House" with claw to grab stuffed animals ($500, including stuffed animals)
• “Able Sailor” kiddie ride ($200)
• “Pirates of the Caribbean” pinball ($2,000)
• “The Simpsons” pinball ($2,000)
• “Spider-Man” pinball ($2,100)
• Pool tables (10 available for $400 each)

Aggie Surplus has a full listing (with images) here: http://aggiesurplus.ucdavis.edu (search for “arcade,” “pinball” or  “pool”).

The sale will be held at Aggie Surplus on La Rue Road — but the games and pool tables are still at the MU (and must be removed by March 20).

Sale notes: If more than one person is interested in the same item, Aggie Surplus will sell to the highest bidder in a sealed bid process. If you think you might be a bidder, you must be at Aggie Surplus when the doors open at 9. In fact, you are advised to get there before 9. Additional parking is available in Lot 47 across the street for $9.

Questions about the sale? Call Aggie Surplus, (530) 752-2145.

Shop24 out, Amazon counter in

Shop24 will not bring one of its automated convenience stores to campus, after all. The campus had a spot for the giant vending machine on the south side of the Memorial Union, to carry items from the Corral and the old CoHo to Go in the east wing.

The CoHo to Go has already closed, and the Corral closes at the end of winter quarter, clearing the way for the bookstore to use the east wing as a temporary home.

Shop24 would have substituted for CoHo to Go and the Corral during the MU renewal. Now, with no Shop24, the bookstore will squeeze in as much convenience as possible in the east wing

Amazon, which has a partnership with UC Davis Stores and pickup lockers on campus, will install a customer service and order-pickup counter in the MU as part of the renewal project. A similar counter — the first in the country — opened at Purdue University last month.

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