Due to budgeting and other delays, the new official opening day for Peet’s Coffee will be August 1, 2019. Peet’s Coffee was originally expected to open shop on the main floor of the Hekman Library on that date. However, the project began to move along much faster than first estimated. Because of this, Calvin decided to push forward Peet’s opening to April 2019. They were hoping construction could begin after the first semester exams were finished. Unfortunately, unexpected issues started to arise, pushing construction back to the original timeline.

David Malone, dean of college and seminary library at Calvin, stated, “My understanding is that the projected costs were exceeding the budget.”

John Witte, dean of students and project manager, listed many varying reasons for the delays. These include: getting design input from Peet’s, unanticipated HVAC (heating and ventilation) issues, applying for health department licenses and building permits, while ensuring that the plans stay within the budget.

As with most construction projects, issues are bound to pop up, adding time to the project. All of these moving parts have different time requirements, so Calvin decided to hold off on construction until everything was cemented in place.

While there was some disappointment at first, Witte says that, “It became clear that we should take a deep breath, ensure accuracy of all the plans, and be a bit more realistic. All our partners in this project have been fantastic. By delaying and remaining flexible, we’ve been able to deal with the unexpected hiccups in good ways.”

While Peet’s Coffee won’t open until the fall, the Fish House will be staying open for the remainder of the school year to meet the coffee needs of the campus.