On Tuesday, Feb. 16, the cafeteria at Pascack Valley High School reopened nine months after a kitchen fire resulted in an emergency closure. Still, PV administration is unsure of the exact cause of the fire.
The extended closure of the cafeteria was due to faulty contractors hired by the board of education. According to PV Principal John Puccio, the contractors had previously failed to show up to the job and took longer than expected to ensure that the kitchen was ready for its inspections.
“With the last couple of inspections, we had to work on the ventilation system,” Puccio said. “There was a lapse working with construction companies — sometimes, [the construction process] doesn’t always work out the way you want it to on a certain timeline. It was a little out of our hands.”
This month, the school completed both the fire and health inspections, both of which were required for the kitchen’s reopening. Due to a buildup of ash from the fire, most of the appliances required replacement, which were recently installed.
“The biggest change is all of the new equipment,” Puccio said. “Plus, now we’ll be back to having food items with some nice, consistent variety.”
Response within the PVHS community is overwhelmingly positive, with students noting the increase in availability and choices as a big improvement.
“I like that there are more options for lunch now,” PV Junior Justin Morgan said.
Previously, when the kitchen was closed, students had three or four meal options with no other food being sold outside of lunch. Now, the cafeteria serves breakfast, full lunches, and snacks throughout the day.
The cafeteria is open in the morning from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and again from lunch until 1:00 p.m.
“I’m so glad they finally decided to open the caf after a year,” PV Junior Jayden Musial said. “I wish the lines were shorter though.”
Now that a couple of days have passed since the cafeteria reopened, Puccio says operations are running smoothly.
“For [staff members], it’s like riding a bike,” Puccio said. “Some of them hadn’t put things into the computer in nine months, so that was an adjustment.”
Puccio said the process was very difficult for the entire school — staff, students, and administration — and he’s glad to be able to focus on other projects, like the renovated auditorium, which is set to open in time for the spring musical.
“I’m sure students are relieved that the cafe is finally open, and now we’re working on the auditorium,” Puccio said. “Hopefully, we hit our timelines and have it ready for the spring.”
