Beef settled over grilled food sales

Middletown hires mobile vendors for h.s. football games

BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer

BY DAN NEWMAN
Staff Writer

Following a month of back-and-forth discussions between all parties involved, a resolution, albeit a temporary one, has been reached concerning the concession stand sales at Middletown’s two high schools.

Late last month, all four of the stands (two at each high school) were forbidden to sell prepared foods because they did not have proper drainage systems in place. Over the last few weeks, only prepackaged items could be sold.

After both schools complained that they have seen their profits plummet at home football games, the Board of Education has approved the use of two trucks, one from each school, from an independent contractor, that will sell prepared foods on-site. Both trucks were at Middletown High School South last weekend for their home game on Friday and at North for a home game the next night, which had to be moved due to unplayable field conditions.

Superintendent of Schools David L. Witmer said that it was tough to gauge just how much of an impact the food trucks had due to the inclement weather.

“The trucks will be back again for this weekend and for the foreseeable future as well,” Witmer said. “I don’t think that there will be enough time for things to get up to code this year, but hopefully next year none of this will be a problem.”

According to Township Health Officer Stephen McKee, School District Business Administrator Bill Doering advised the Middletown South Touchdown Club to have an inspection of their concession stand conducted because, McKee said, they were grilling food without a proper permit.

“If they were grilling, then they did not have an exhaust-suppression hood, and there were open flames next to wood walls,” McKee explained. “There were also unfinished wood surfaces and holes open to the exterior of the building. Of the four stands we checked out, the two at South were the roughest because they were made out of wood; so, there tended to be more problems over there than at North.”

A few days later, McKee said the band from North, which also operates a stand during home football games, wanted an inspection done. Problems were uncovered there as well, and the operation was found to be in violation for some of the same items that South was.

“The drainage at all four stands was in violation, and there was no hookup for a sanitary sewer or a septic tank,” McKee said. “Each of the stands were also disposing of their wastewater into the ground, which is illegal.”

While some want to look for a quick solution and get the stands to be fully self-sufficient as soon as possible, therefore getting rid of the food trucks and maximizing their profits, McKee said it’s an impossibility for this year, with just a few home games left for each school.

“I’d say at this point, it really is up to the Board of Education to get things going concerning this problem, but it’s not like it can be done right away,” McKee said. “Taking care of a septic tank and a sewer system will not be cheap at all. I doubt the board will just be able to snap their fingers and get it done.”

Conversely, James Cody, High School South Touchdown Club vice president, feels that the matter can be resolved quickly and efficiently, and most of all, at little cost.

“I checked into maybe getting temporary holding tanks for each of the stands,” Cody said. “I also spoke with the Middletown Township Sewerage Authority, and they said that it sounded feasible.”

McKee said that any type of mobile units that are brought in, even on a temporary basis, must be licensed with his office and inspected as well.

“Anything that is brought in also must be thoroughly cleaned and washed,” McKee said.

Concerning the issue of hot dogs and any other grilled items on the menu, Cody said that, even though it’s good that the board has approved the usage of the food trucks, both schools are facing a heavy financial loss the rest of the season.

Previously, North Booster Club President Leonard Inzerillo stated that lost profits may result in his organization not being able to hand out as much scholarship money to students as he would like. The Touchdown Club relies on its concession stand to fund things such an end-of-the-year banquet and to help purchase equipment for the athletic department.

Friday’s game, which pits South against Wall Township, has been hyped as one of the biggest games in the state this season and is expected to draw a record crowd. The annual Thanksgiving Day game against North is expected to draw a huge crowd as well.

“We have been losing money all season long because of these problems,” Cody said. “And now it also costs money to bring in the food trucks and we will only see about 30 cents on every hot dog that is sold. Plus, the food truck will also take away from the business that both of the stands would normally get.”

McKee also said that without Doering notifying the Touchdown Club that they should get an inspection, his office would not have known about the improprieties that were occurring.

“This was going on behind our backs the whole time. We had no idea,” McKee said. “The Touchdown Club said that they wanted to do the right thing by getting the inspection done, but it ended up that none of the stands were doing the right thing at all.”