Cummings Elementary School is underway on a $1 million upgrade of its kitchen to serve students faster and produce less waste.
The funding, which comes from the non profit Federal School Nutrition Fund, a fund specifically for food service needs, is a part of efforts by the Salem-Keizer School District to update the school kitchen spaces to bring all kitchens up to a standard level so as to better serve nutritional options to students.
According to Cummings Elementary principal Andrew Kronser, these renovations will provide the kitchen staff with better and more modern equipment allowing service to be done faster with less waste.
“This remodel will also allow for the use of reusable trays and move away from paper products because we currently don’t have a dishwasher,” Kronser said.
The renovations will focus on updating the school’s kitchen space adding a triple compartment sink per a Marion County Health Department inspection, new service lines, a roll-up door for security, new dishwasher and hood vents for ventilation.
The renovations will also add an employee bathroom, add a food preparation area, replace the ovens, add a walk-in cooler as well as replace the current double-door freezer.
The needed improvements started in early June and will be finished, ideally, by late August in order to prepare for the 280-330 students that utilize the food service daily, according to school officials.
Cummings’ facility did not meet the county environmental health requirements due to its lack of a kitchen sink. The current renovations will bring the kitchen in compliance with county standards as well as the standard set in other Salem-Keizer Public Schools, according to school officials.
Kronser noted that while no further renovations will occur at Cummings, McNary High School has similar cafeteria renovation plans.
Contact Quinn Stoddard
[email protected] or 503-390-1051
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