Wawasee Moves Ahead on New High School Kitchen, Cafeteria
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jordan Fouts-
They also learned that energy-saving investments have paid off better than expected, and that enrollment is down this year by 50 students.
Members approved a plan to replace the 43-year-old, 923-square-foot kitchen and renovate the cafeteria after seeing designs for the new facilities and hearing details on project financing. They also voted on a preliminary bond resolution and a hearing for additional appropriations.
The new facilities will be roomier and thus safer for workers bustling through with trays of food and dishes, board members noted, and said having five lunch lines will allow students to move through faster. The kitchen also will have space for the culinary arts class started last year.
Bob Cockburn, corporation data technician, remarked that the improvements will be worth it just to give students more time to eat. He said he often sees them rush to finish eating before their lunch period ends, “and that’s not healthy for anybody ... My kids went here, and it was the same way back then.”
The cafeteria represents $750,000 of the total cost, to be covered by money left over from other building improvements in recent months. Renovating and equipping the kitchen will cost another $1.5 million, to be paid with bond money.
Repaying the bond on a 20-year plan could annually cost taxpayers an extra $0.0135 per $100 of assessed property value, according to Jim Elizondo with City Securities Corp. In other words, he said, an extra 37 cents per month for someone with a house with a market valued of $100,000.
Board member Mary Lou Dixon questioned the raise in taxes, saying that many Syracuse residents have more expensive homes, while Wawasee Director of Finance Jim Evans noted that labor, financing and equipment will probably never be lower in price than they are now.
The project also includes updating wireless infrastructure and backup generators in school buildings. Work on the kitchen and cafeteria is expected to begin by Christmas and be finished by next summer.
The board also heard from representatives of Performances Services Inc., which is involved in a 10-year project to make school buildings more efficient and reduce energy costs. The corporation invested in new heaters, boilers, roofing and insulation for some schools, as well as encouraging staff to develop habits like turning lights off when they leave a room.
The investments have so far netted a $292,000 savings in energy costs between March 2010 and August 2011 – higher than the $181,000 originally projected. Wawasee cut enough energy usage to run 400 cars or 177 homes for a year, the board heard.
Gains were made at each building in the district, but the most significant savings were at the high school, where energy use was cut by 34 percent and which the corporation paid $152,000 less to power in that time.
Schools Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington also noted Tuesday that enrollment is down by 50 students overall, though 46 students transferred to Wawasee from outside the district. He said student numbers at the elementary and middle schools have remained stable while the high school saw the biggest drop.
He attributed some of the loss to younger parents of students moving out of the district to live with their own parents, but said they might return when the economy improves.[[In-content Ad]]
They also learned that energy-saving investments have paid off better than expected, and that enrollment is down this year by 50 students.
Members approved a plan to replace the 43-year-old, 923-square-foot kitchen and renovate the cafeteria after seeing designs for the new facilities and hearing details on project financing. They also voted on a preliminary bond resolution and a hearing for additional appropriations.
The new facilities will be roomier and thus safer for workers bustling through with trays of food and dishes, board members noted, and said having five lunch lines will allow students to move through faster. The kitchen also will have space for the culinary arts class started last year.
Bob Cockburn, corporation data technician, remarked that the improvements will be worth it just to give students more time to eat. He said he often sees them rush to finish eating before their lunch period ends, “and that’s not healthy for anybody ... My kids went here, and it was the same way back then.”
The cafeteria represents $750,000 of the total cost, to be covered by money left over from other building improvements in recent months. Renovating and equipping the kitchen will cost another $1.5 million, to be paid with bond money.
Repaying the bond on a 20-year plan could annually cost taxpayers an extra $0.0135 per $100 of assessed property value, according to Jim Elizondo with City Securities Corp. In other words, he said, an extra 37 cents per month for someone with a house with a market valued of $100,000.
Board member Mary Lou Dixon questioned the raise in taxes, saying that many Syracuse residents have more expensive homes, while Wawasee Director of Finance Jim Evans noted that labor, financing and equipment will probably never be lower in price than they are now.
The project also includes updating wireless infrastructure and backup generators in school buildings. Work on the kitchen and cafeteria is expected to begin by Christmas and be finished by next summer.
The board also heard from representatives of Performances Services Inc., which is involved in a 10-year project to make school buildings more efficient and reduce energy costs. The corporation invested in new heaters, boilers, roofing and insulation for some schools, as well as encouraging staff to develop habits like turning lights off when they leave a room.
The investments have so far netted a $292,000 savings in energy costs between March 2010 and August 2011 – higher than the $181,000 originally projected. Wawasee cut enough energy usage to run 400 cars or 177 homes for a year, the board heard.
Gains were made at each building in the district, but the most significant savings were at the high school, where energy use was cut by 34 percent and which the corporation paid $152,000 less to power in that time.
Schools Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington also noted Tuesday that enrollment is down by 50 students overall, though 46 students transferred to Wawasee from outside the district. He said student numbers at the elementary and middle schools have remained stable while the high school saw the biggest drop.
He attributed some of the loss to younger parents of students moving out of the district to live with their own parents, but said they might return when the economy improves.[[In-content Ad]]
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