Committee recommends replacement of GHS and KMS grease traps; asks for PVC and stainless bids

The Germantown School District Buildings and Grounds Committee voted April 14 to forward a positive recommendation to the finance committee to replace two deteriorating grease traps — one in the Germantown High School kitchen and one in the Kennedy Middle School dish room — and instructed staff to obtain pricing for both PVC and stainless‑steel options.

A Food Nutrition Department representative told the committee the existing metal grease traps have started to rust and, in some cases, develop holes; the department pumps traps annually and had seen evidence of failing seals and sewer odors. The representative said Wisconsin code requires commercial food‑service operations to maintain a grease interceptor that prevents grease from entering the city sewer.

"Wisconsin code requirement mandates that all commercial food service operations have a grease interceptor, which blocks the grease and prevents it from entering into the city sewer," the Food Nutrition Department representative said.

Staff described the work as a substantial summer project: contractors will need to tear up flooring, remove the existing trap, assess soil for grease contamination and, if necessary, excavate as deep as 1 to 15 feet before backfilling and installing a new trap with a removable lid for annual pumping.

Committee members expressed concern about replacing underground components with plastic. One member said PVC longevity estimates ("10 to 50 years," as presented) were optimistic for a heavy‑use school kitchen and asked staff to solicit stainless‑steel pricing as a comparison. Staff agreed to include stainless options in the solicitation.

The committee first voted to amend the motion to explicitly require consideration of PVC and stainless‑steel options; that amendment carried by voice vote. The amended main motion to forward a positive recommendation to finance then carried by voice vote.