jmc

Since each non-hexagonal face is a rectangle with base 6 inches and height 3 feet, each face has an area of $6$ inches $\times 3$ feet $=.5$ feet $\times 3$ feet $=1.5$ square feet per face. Since there are 6 faces (6 edges to a hexagon), that makes for a total area of $\boxed{9}$ square feet.