Capital Projects

Salesianum School Dining Center (Dedicated May 16, 2008)
In April of 2007, Salesianum School celebrated 50 years at 1801 North Broom Street, and outside of individual cosmetic improvements (tile floor, lighting, ceiling tiles), the school’s dining area had remained virtually unchanged. The world is a different place since our building was new, and so are many factors associated with serving our students. Utilized by 100 percent of the school community, the dining area was the highest priority in terms of aesthetic, systematic, and functional renovation. Thus, to better meet the needs of our students and faculty, the dining area underwent extensive renovation work beginning in the summer of 2007.

Food Service Model
The model for serving lunches has changed. When our cafeteria was built, most students and staff brought their lunches. Today, more than 70 percent of the student population utilizes the school’s debit card lunch system to purchase freshly cooked pizza, chicken nuggets or Caesar salad. The new design enables the purchase of food via a “food court” serving model, as opposed to the “assembly line” serving model. This change greatly expedites the serving process, allowing more time for camaraderie and fellowship. Our goal: cut student waiting time in half, and we’re happy to report that the new model has done just that. What use to take a student 15 minutes to get his lunch, now takes roughly 7 minutes.

Faculty Dining
Originally designed to accommodate 15 lay teachers, the Salesianum faculty dining area was ill-equipped to handle the current lay faculty population. An upgrade to the current space, as well as the creation of an auxiliary faculty dining area, now provides our faculty a welcoming environment in order to relax and enjoy a healthy meal in one another’s company.

Food Variety
Parents demand variety for their children. Moreover, many parents desire healthier food choices, thus an array of versatile kitchen equipment was procured to accommodate this request. Salesianum invested over $600,000 in state of the art kitchen equipment to create a healthier and more versatile menu for our school community. Students and faculty can now chose from two hot menu items per day, as well as freshly made sandwiches, salads, and of course some of the hallmark goodies (chicken fingers, fries, pizza, etc).

Internal Improvements
Overall, renovations to our dining area offered an updated and more aesthetically pleasing environment representative of the Salesianum tradition. In addition, the procurement of new kitchen equipment and a new HVAC system provided a healthier environment for our students in their growth as Salesian gentleman.

Complete List of Dining Center Renovations included:

• Refurbishing existing dining area
• Update heating, venting and air conditioning systems
• Replace and install new kitchen equipment
• Create distinct serving areas (Food Café)
• Redesign student seating to accommodate 350 per lunch
• Upgrade faculty dining area & create additional dining space
• Relocate dining area storage
• Relocate dining area office space
• Provide a central location for vending

For more information on Salesianum’s Dining Center Renovation project, or future projects on the horizon at Salesianum School, please contact Rev. James E. Dalton, OSFS in the Office of the President, (302) 655-1072 or jdalton@salesianum.org.