Manteca Unified is proceeding with a $15 million remodel of 58,000 square-foot building the district acquired in the Manteca Industrial Park to house Nutrition Education warehouses, offices, and a kitchen.

The board approved the project awarded to CT Brayton & Sons of Escalon during Thursday’s meeting.

The $15 million price tag includes $1.6 million in equipment with the most biggest expenditure being new refrigeration storage.

The district previously paid $6.4 million to buy the building at 550 Carnegie Street that most recently housed Ecologic, a firm that produced environmentally friendly beverage containers.

Once costs associated with design drawings and such are factored in, the district will end up spending $23.6 million.

The money to fund the project is coming from a dedicated capital improvement fund and not the general fund that covers day-to-day school operations or school bond funds

The new central warehouse that would also encompass offices will address five major concerns.

*The district lacked adequate warehouse space for nutritional services and is paying $500,000 annually to rent space.

*What warehousing they do have at the district office site was in need of repairs with expensive refrigeration storage essentially be operational only because of the proverbial “baling wire” effort.

*The needed new space pegged at 19,000 square feet would cost $14 million to build assuming land wasn’t needed.

*The district, now at 25,823 students, is project to grow by 4,000 students by 2030 underscoring the need for more space to accommodate serving more students. By buying the former home to Ecologic, the district has a space three times of what they currently need.

*It will free much needed warehouse space at the district complex as well as make more office space available.

The project  will allow the district to house all of the Nutritional Education Services in one location.

It also will have elements such as a test/training kitchen as well as existing office space that is being remodeled.

Down the road, there is room for an additional central kitchen.

The district is currently moving forward with two new elementary schools south of the 120 Bypass and one in Lathrop.

Typically, a central kitchen can handle four to six schools.

Each high school has a central kitchen as do two elementary school sites.

The test kitchen/training kitchen could possibly be used one day to program career technical education programs such as the culinary arts to help educate high school students.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com