Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Child Nutrition Warehouse topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances $4.68 million child nutrition warehouse plan to design phase
Summary
The committee recommended a notice to proceed for design of a child nutrition warehouse and an initial budget of $4,683,226, to be funded with $962,899 from the child nutrition fund and $3,675,327 from the building fund; staff said failing coolers and constrained warehouse space drove the project.
The Buildings, Food Service and Transportation committee on April 21 recommended issuing a notice to proceed to Orchestrate LLC to prepare plans and specifications for a child nutrition warehouse and establish a project budget of $4,683,226. The committee also authorized advertising for bids and delegated signature authority to the board president or superintendent.
The project scope presented by a district representative calls for renovating an existing 3,000-square-foot adjacent building and adding roughly 18,000 square feet for dry-goods storage, coolers and freezers, plus improved processing, office and restroom space and asphalt driveways to reduce dust. The district identified failing coolers and limited storage capacity where the child nutrition program currently shares space with maintenance.
"The existing coolers have reached their lifetime expectancy, the ceiling and floor panels are warping, and condensation problems are creating an unsafe environment," the presenter said, explaining the need for a separate, properly insulated warehouse.
Budget details provided to the committee show $962,899 to come from the child nutrition fund and $3,675,327 from the building fund. Board members asked about driveway resurfacing (estimated at about $174,000) and freezer/equipment costs (a quote of roughly $890,000 was discussed). The presenter said the child nutrition supervisor had received notice of federal grant funding for the freezer equipment and that purchases over $5,000 must be approved by the Louisiana Department of Education Division of Nutrition Assistance.
Board members cautioned about tight district finances but many said safety and food storage reliability made the project a priority. The motion to move the item was made and seconded; no objections were recorded at committee. The recommendation will go to the full board for final action.
The committee also discussed phasing, comparables from other parishes and the possibility of scaling the addition during the design phase. The district said final square-footage and equipment details will be determined during design and that an updated, itemized cost estimate will be provided during that process.
