The Nebraska City Board of Education has been urged to decide right away whether to pursue the option of locating the high school cafeteria and serving area on the west side of the building.

The decision is one of several the board is currently faced with in relationship to $23.89 million in school building projects including a new Northside Elementary and additions and renovations at Hayward and the high school.

At a recent study session, Merle Rambo with Facilities Cost Management Group said the board needs to decide which option or options to pursue in order to proceed with the bidding process. He said locating the serving area on the east side is ideal for overall building circulation and would be more cost effective. Board members have said the west option allows for greater convenience for food service staff and easier supervision of students.

“There’s virtually no common ground between those solutions,” Rambo said of the east vs. west options.

In either case, the kitchen currently located on the west side will be expanded.

Rambo said the west option would require building on additional square footage and would add a minimum of around $300,000 to the current project budget at the high school. “That’s a tiny part of the whole project,” he said.

Board members expressed concern over the potential increased cost, and said they were most concerned with the west option’s cost in relationship to the total $23.89 million rather than to the cost of the high school alone.

Should the board decide on the west option, plans at the other buildings could be affected in order to stay within the total budget. Decisions potentially affected include whether to install geothermal heating and cooling or a standard system at the new Northside Elementary. A groundbreaking ceremony at Northside is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 14.

The board will discuss a plan of action for bidding the high school serving area at their next regular meeting on Monday, May 12.