New cafeteria expected to open in late April
Gilroy – The offices and restrooms are all finished. There’s a food court area with pizza, taco, pasta and salad counters and a big serving area.
And once the big slab of glass for the front of the cabin-esque Gilroy High School student center arrives in February and the building is sheltered from the elements, workers will begin installing the kitchen equipment, wood doors and other hardware.
GHS Principal Jim Maxwell said they expect the new center, which has been under construction for a year, to open in late April but Ron Choate isn’t making any promises.
“We’re gonna get it done as soon as we can,” said Choate, project foreman for Dilbeck & Sons, the Salinas-based company building GHS’ new student center.
Choate said there were some snags because of last year’s rainy season and the glass was set to arrive earlier but was delayed because of Hurricane Katrina.
“The rain last year hit us real hard,” he said.
Maxwell said he would love to see the cafeteria up and running this year, especially once the hot season hits Gilroy, but he’s not sure that will happen.
If there are no glitches with the delivery of the glass on Feb. 15, the workers will complete the interior the third week of February. The 40,000-square-foot building, which the district estimates will cost $10.7 million, will serve mainly as the school cafeteria and will house the counseling department and student government.
Student services are currently housed in portables. The food court and serving area is backed up by big kitchen with a walk-in freezer and food storage areas.
Also, the building will have the capacity to seat 800, making it the largest sit-down facility in Gilroy and will be available to rent for events, Maxwell said.
In addition to the offices and restrooms there is also a faculty area and “a lot of inside and outside seating,” Choate said.
“It’s gonna be quite a (big) deal for the students and the community,” he said.
