Newton Municipal School District food service workers will have a nicer area to prepare students’ meals after the Board of Trustees approved several upgrades to district’s food service facilities.
In a meeting Thursday, the school board accepted a quote from Walker & Walker Painting to give a fresh coat of paint to each of the district’s three kitchen areas.
Superintendent Glenda Nickson said it had been more than 10 years since the kitchen areas were last painted. The district had looked at having the painting done in house, she added, but much of the district’s maintenance staff was still busy painting classrooms in preparation for the fall.
In addition to painting the kitchen areas, food service workers will also have some new equipment with which to prepare meals. Trustees Thursday approved a purchase of new food service equipment from Hotel and Restaurant Supply, which was the lowest of three bids received.
The school board also looked at a request from the food service director to hire Joe’s Termites & Pest Control, LLC for once-a-week deep cleanings of the kitchens and cafeterias during the school year. Nickson said Joe’s, which also bid for the overall district’s cleaning needs, had previously cleaned the Nissan plant in Canton and had a good reputation.
The request was tabled after Board Attorney Brian Mayo suggested getting a second quote as the contract would be over $5,000. For services, he said, it wasn’t strictly necessary, but it would help the board cover its bases should an issue come up.
Ward 1 Trustee Arthur Nelson also asked Nickson to clarify whether the bid from Joe’s Termites & Pest Control included the costs of subcontractors. The bid specified Joe’s would partner with other companies to deep clean and sanitize, and Nelson said he wanted to be sure the district would not be invoice by other companies in the partnership.
In other business, the board of trustees approved the 2020-2021 contract with Brian Mayo to serve as the board attorney. Prior to approving the contract, trustees, Mayo and Nickson went into a short executive session to discuss Mayo’s performance.
The board is scheduled to meet next at 5:30 p.m. Monday, August 10 at the district central office.
