There’s good news for regular diners at V.I. school cafeterias: about $200,000 in federal stimulus funds have been put toward revamping public and private school kitchens in both districts.
The $200,000, provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was split equally between the two districts, with the funds going toward equipment at some of the bigger kitchens, including those at Charlotte Amalie High School and Lockhart and E. Benjamin Oliver elementary schools on St. Thomas.
Gov. John deJongh Jr. was on hand Tuesday to see how those federal dollars have been put to work at Lockhart, which serves as a satellite kitchen for other schools on the island, cooking the food and then distributing it to other cafeterias.
With the funds, the government was able to purchase six large pieces of equipment, including a $23,000 tipping skillet and $17,000 double convection oven for Lockhart Elementary.
The school is also working on a hot water project that should be finished before Carnival, according to District Deputy Schools Superintendent Joseph Sibilly Sr., who conducted a Lockhart tour Tuesday.
Another round of funding is coming down for more school kitchen improvements, this time from the Public Finance Authority, he added.
Renovations have already begun — and are substantially completed — at Ulla F. Muller Elementary and Addelita Cancryn Junior High School; next on the list is Julius Sprauve School on St. John, along with Joseph Gomez Elementary on St. Thomas, Sibilly said.
DeJongh got a firsthand look at Lockhart’s new equipment Tuesday as he toured the school with Sibilly and Education’s acting School Lunch Director Esther Lynch-Isaak.
"We’re looking at the infrastructure of our schools, particularly in regards to how it affects our children," deJongh said later. "Improving the facilities at our schools is something we know we need to address, and we’re trying to make that happen across the board."
The governor added revamping the schools’ recreational facilities, such as basketball courts, are also on the priority list as the government continues to make use of its federal economic stimulus funds.
