Union Community School District Bond Referendum: Why is moving the kitchen and food storage area to a commons area needed?

Cara Glenn.
Relocating the kitchen and food storage to a commons area provides ground-level access, improving efficiency for students, staff, and deliveries.
Currently, all inventory and food must be transported from the basement to the ground floor via elevator. This requires staff to move through multiple hallways near classrooms, which interrupts daily operations. Dry storage is located at the opposite end of the building from the loading area, further complicating transport to the elementary school.
The basement location of the kitchen, cafeteria, walk-in freezer, and storage limits space for growth and makes repairs and upgrades more difficult. The existing bakery area is outdated and no longer functional. For example, on a typical day, staff must load the elevator multiple times with food warmers for the elementary school, then travel to the opposite end of the building to retrieve bulk items, before transporting them back across the building for delivery.
Safety for Children
Housing students in one space with limited, hard to navigate exits creates a bottleneck in emergencies and slows evacuation. Relocating the kitchen and commons provides additional exits and improves traffic flow.
Liability & Insurance
Daily transport of food and equipment up and down stairs increases liability exposure. Insurance carriers evaluate building flow and hazard prevention, and the current design presents risks both for staff safety and for food service operations.
Staff Safety & Efficiency
Staff currently carry boxes, ingredients, and waste up and down stairs. This creates consistent risk for falls, strains, and accidents. A ground-level kitchen eliminates these steps, consolidates operations, and improves efficiency.
Long-Term Practicality
The current location is not sustainable for long-term use. Relocation to the commons simplifies daily operations, reduces hazards, and provides a facility design that aligns with safe, efficient service to students.
By moving the kitchen and storage to the ground level, the district addresses accessibility, efficiency, safety, liability, and long-term functionality in one solution.
Cara Glenn is Union Community School District’s Food Services Director and a resident of Dysart.