Due to a fire in late March, the TCU Bookstore renovation is now starting from the ground up, said the vice chancellor for finance and administration.Vice Chancellor Brian Gutierrez said original renovation to add on to the bookstore was altered when the early morning fire, sparked by a cutting torch, burned the building’s infrastructure.

A building committee composed of students, faculty and staff is planning to meet soon to decide the direction of the reconstruction, which will tentatively be finished by fall 2007, Gutierrez said.

“The committee will help bring ideas of all interested parties to the forefront,” he said.

Gutierrez said the committee already has some core ideas of what it wants for the new store, such as a possible outdoor wireless cafe and expanded space for retail and books, but most ideas for renovation are still up in the air.

Gutierrez added that the new building will stay within the traditional architectural lines of the university.

Adam Goodlett, a freshman premajor, said he looks forward to enjoying the new bookstore, but sympathizes with the seniors this year who will not get to see it finished.

Gutierrez said he hopes construction will begin this fall, once the committee develops a plan.

The original renovation plans for the bookstore were supposed to take three months, but bookstore employees and its customers now have to adjust to a more permanent setup in a temporary building, said Llisa Lewis, the general manager of the bookstore.

The temporary bookstore is currently set up in 11 trailers that are joined to form one large building. Five additional trailers have been added in the past two weeks to make room for textbooks, doubling the size of the temporary bookstore, Lewis said.

“We do not intend to miss a beat just because we are in smaller quarters,” Lewis said.

Efforts such as increasing the number of staff members and of cash registers in the store, urging students to buy their books before school started, and providing additional parking and a shuttle to and from the bookstore have all been made to ensure business runs smoothly in the temporary building, Lewis said.

Bookstore employee Elena Delgado, 23, said the setup has not affected business and that most students seem pleasantly surprised at the spaciousness of the temporary building.

Erin Berkey, a senior accounting major, said the new arrangement is manageable, but that it can be difficult to find where merchandise is located.

Both Lewis and Gutierrez say the wait will be worth it.

“The end result will be bigger and better,” Gutierrez said. “We look forward to developing a store that meets the needs of the students, parents and alumni.”

Lewis added that she appreciates the students, faculty and staff who are working hard to make the best of the temporary bookstore.

During the rush for books, additional parking for the bookstore will be set up in the commuter, faculty and staff lot at the corner of Berry and McCart. A shuttle will run from the lot every 15 minutes to and from the bookstore through Thursday, Lewis said.