PORTLAND — The city’s health inspector is expected to begin a biennial review of the school department’s central kitchen today.

The review comes after Jim Morse, the school superintendent, said there are health and safety problems at the central kitchen, which is located at the former Reed School on Homestead Avenue.

Morse made the comment in supporting documents for this week’s School Board meeting. Morse didn’t specify the health and safety issues, although Ron Adams, the district’s food service director, said the last inspection turned up only a few problems.

They included improperly labeled sinks, he said. The problem has since been addressed to make sure workers use the correct sinks for rinsing fruits and vegetables, he said, and other sinks for hand-washing.

The other issues, Adams said, related to a lack of equipment, or outdated equipment. The lack of equipment, he said, could lead to staff injuries, such as repetitive stress injuries.

A call to D. Michele Sturgeon, Portland’s health inspector, was not returned Wednesday. Morse did not return calls Wednesday.

The School Board is expected to decide within a few months whether to renovate the Reed School building, construct a new central kitchen at property the district may buy on Riverside Street or build a new kitchen at the Portland Arts and Technology High School.

The PATHS option is the most expensive, at an estimated $4 million. Buying an existing building on Riverside Street and constructing a kitchen there would cost about $3.9 million and renovating Reed School would cost about $3.4 million.


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