NEBRASKA CITY (SNR) – Lourdes Central Catholic in Nebraska City celebrated the dedication of its new cafeteria at the main campus Sunday, Oct. 9 and students, teachers and staff had their first lunch in the “LCC café” Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Since 1959, Lourdes students have had to walk across the street to have lunch in the basement of St. Mary Church. Now the students have a safer and more convenient space to come together.
The new facility will also help the “Lunch Bunch” staff who prepare the students' meals. In a post on their Facebook page, they said, “Learning is tough work—and kids need fuel if they're going to learn! That's why a healthy midday meal is crucial to the growing children who go to school.”
In the following days they showcased new amenities like a “tilt skillet” in which they prepared large portions of ground beef for chili, and a proof box for an accompanying treat—cinnamon rolls.
Over of the past few years, school administration and leadership teams worked to develop a multi-year building plan that provides for the needs of the school and its future growth. The cafeteria project is the first phase in this multi-year plan.
The $1.9 million construction project included transforming the stage in the current practice gym to a kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances, creating storage for the new cafeteria tables and all the necessary electrical, plumbing and safety updates needed in the practice gym to convert the area into a multi-use space.
Construction on the cafeteria began last April and took approximately six months to complete.
“We look forward to the many benefits a new on-site cafeteria will bring our school and the community,” said Father Jonathan Haschke, chief administrative officer.
