Students at Munsey Park Elementary School and Manhasset Secondary School will have renovated cafeterias when they return next week.
Manhasset Deputy Superintendent Rosemary Johnson said during a Board of Education meeting Aug. 24 that as of this summer, all the district’s cafeterias are air-conditioned.
The cafeteria at Munsey Park, Johnson said, was gutted this summer. A separate cold lunch line was added to speed students through faster and give them more time to eat and allow children to line up inside the cafeteria.
“The Munsey Park cafeteria was never made to handle the volume of students that pass through the cafeteria,” Johnson said. “In addition, the students had to queue up for the serving line in the hallway and therefore be quiet and observe all the rules of the hallway when lunchtime is a time for relaxation and socialization. What we have been able to achieve is now the students will be able to line up in the cafeteria and have all the benefits of lining up in the cafeteria waiting for their food.”
All of the kitchen equipment has been replaced through the district’s cafeteria fund, and Johnson said the tile work should be finished soon.
Later this school year, Johnson said, the sound panels will be replaced in the cafeteria as well.
The secondary school cafeteria is a two-stage project to ultimately bump out an exterior wall and provide more seating in the cafeteria.
Johnson said the first phase of the project was replacing underground oil tanks before the foundation is poured and the wall is moved in phase two.
“When you go into the cafeteria, you will see a wall has been put up so that there will be a complete separation of the cafeteria from the area of construction,” Johnson said.
While the secondary school cafeteria will be ready for students next week, more projects are planned for the space throughout the semester.
The grab-and-go section, which offers ready-made salads, sandwiches and snacks, will be expanded, and the made-to-order sandwich station will now offer two lines for the most popular item: paninis.
Johnson also said the cafeteria floor will be replaced over Christmas break.
“What I envision, is by the time January comes, we’ll have a grand opening of the secondary school food complex,” Johnson said.
Though trustees expressed concern during a July board meeting about construction being completed and cleaned up before classes resume Sept. 5, Superintendent Vincent Butera assured them last week that the project is on track for completion.
“I’m happy to say we are on track and will be ready to open,” Butera said. “They are working every possible minute to make sure the work is done to the quality we expect and done on time.”
The projects are part of the $22.6 million capital plan approved in 2014 with a corresponding $19.96 million bond. Projects were decided by the district’s long-range planning committee – composed of residents and assisted by district administrators and architects – after touring the three school buildings.
