Students had to go leaps and bounds to fulfill their Galley or pita pizza cravings Monday, as all but two KU entrances are blocked off for renovations.

The central mall construction began Feb. 27 and will last until August. The first stages of this construction began over the summer with the demolition of the Mechanical Engineering Building.

The plans are to create an amphitheatre across the field from KU where the Mechanical Engineering Building formerly was located, a better outdoor dining area just east of KU with more seating, tables and hard surface ground which will benefit organizations using tables for fundraising or publicity. There is also a plan to plant over 100 trees and construct a fountain near the new dining area, according to the Facilities Management Web site.

From Marycrest there will be an overlook for students to view either what is going on at the amphitheatre below or to look at what activity is happening on the mall. The amphitheatre will have seated walls as well, similar to those of Baujan Field, for seating.

Although construction may cause immediate inconveniences, Facilities Management hopes students, alumni, faculty and staff will see continuous benefits from this area well into UD's future.

"This is something we've been trying to do for several years," said Beth Keyes, Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management. "It's important for events, visitors and students to continue to increase areas for outside use."

When KU Field's tennis courts were removed seven years ago, the asphault sidewalks and green fields that current students have seen throughout their time at UD were only temporary fixes. They had been discussing these renovations since the tennis court removals.

In just a few months, after the class of 2010 graduates, the beginnings of what will be a new central mall will be visible. Keyes projects the area in front of KU by the swing will look better by the time students head home for summer break, and they plan to open that section up after graduation. After that, renovations will begin in front of Marycrest.