MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Monday night, the Manchester Board of School Committee (BOSC) acted on a proposal regarding a new commissary kitchen for Manchester’s public elementary schools.
Currently, a commissary kitchen exists at Beech Street Elementary School that serves 10 of the 12 public elementary schools in the city. Until recently, the plan was to recreate that kitchen in the new Beech Street Elementary School planned for construction across the street.
However, following evaluation by district leadership and its consultants on the district’s ongoing facilities planning efforts, SMMA and Leftfield, it was determined that space in the new Beech Street Elementary School would be better served for educational rather than food preparation purposes.
Analysis by the consultants indicated that the best path forward would be to place the commissary in another part of the school district, with costs for that proposal coming in at $2,750,000 versus $2,950,000 for a commissary at the New Beech Street School and $3.7 million for a commissary outside of district property. However, the analysis did also indicate that the proposal would cost more in the long term, as the cost for additional staff needed would bring the figure for moving the commissary elsewhere in the district would add an additional $286,597 for the salaries of new employees. Even more money would be needed if the district pursued an out-of-district location.
Manchester School District Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Chmiel noted that moving the commissary could also provide career and technical education (CTE) opportunities for district students.
While there was concern that this request should be reviewed by the BOSC’s Finance and Facilities Committee, BOSC Vice Chair Jim O’Connell said that the decision on Monday was primarily about the space at the new school used for the commissary would be instead used for other purposes or a reduced school footprint.
Ward 5 BOSC Member Jason Bonilla moved approval of removing the commissary from the new school’s plans and place it somewhere else in the district within the next three years before the new school is expected to be completed. His motion also forwarded the information to the Joint School Building Committee for informational purposes.
The proposed school’s size may become an issue as the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen delayed a decision providing land for the new school in exchange for transforming land occupied by the old school as new park land to replace the old park land that would be taken up at the new school across the street.