Heuvelton to prepare policy for food service

HEUVELTON — The Board of Education has created a committee to develop a food service policy for fundraising events, leaving the ability of some teams to run concession stands in doubt.

The board made the decision Wednesday after the Heuvelton Central School District's food service manager, Steve Adams, said it would prevent future problems. The move was prompted after Mr. Adams learned that an anonymous caller had informed the state Department of Health about a problem, apparently caused by a volunteer, at a fundraising event at the school.

"I think this can be an easy fix. I am not trying to say that we can't have fundraisers," he said. "I just want to make sure if something happens, we are doing what needs to be done on our end."

Mr. Adams said the policy would require a cold storage container for food that has not yet been cooked and a hand-washing station and also would ensure that everyone serving food is wearing gloves and a hairnet.

Volunteer elementary softball coach Charles McCormick asked whether his team would be able to operate a concession stand in the future. He said sales from the concessions fund the majority of the tournament season.

"This is our big fundraiser," he said. "We don't do bottle drives or car washes because we don't want to take away from others who raise money that way. This is our only real money maker. It's what keeps us operating."

School board President Dr. John P. Zeh said that while he understood the concerns raised by Mr. McCormick, the board would have to err on the side of caution.

"It's our responsibility to protect the taxpayers from liability if something happens," he said. "I understand and agree that this is too bad. It should not have transpired. I know this is done by volunteers. We want our school open to the public. We want it to be available for use, but we also have to make sure we do things right."

The board set up a committee that will meet before the board's July meeting. The committee is comprised of coaches, board members, administrators, custodial staff and Mr. Adams.

School board member Thomas A. Nichols said he would like to see Mr. McCormick's concerns addressed.

The policy "should be simple, workable and practical," he said. "We don't want to push any groups out."

The Department of Health will be asked to review the district's policy.