PANAMA CITY — Stainless steel industrial kitchen appliances dully reflected off each other in the college’s old unused professional kitchen Monday morning.
“We will either sell it by auction or we’ll donate it to other educational institutions, which is usually what we do,” said John Mercer, Gulf Coast State College vice president of administration and finance.
Older technologies are constantly being rotated out at the college. In fact, the college has disposed of $300,000 to $400,000 worth of technology since July last year. Computers, printers, keyboards and cameras comprised the bulk of disposed items.
“At one time people at the school system or charter schools or some of those folks needed them because they didn’t have sufficient funding to buy new stuff,” Mercer said. “But they’ve come a long way with their funding as well and they don’t need a lot of our hand-me-downs anymore.”
On good days, it’s easy to get rid of outdated equipment. Other days, the college goes as far as posting items on Craigslist and Amazon to see if anyone could make any use of them.
And with some items being purchased as far back as in 1991, no one anywhere can use them because they contain hazardous waste. The college pays for them to be properly disposed.
After 15 years of thriving and training, the campus’ French-style restaurant La Friandise is now storage for old stuff, labeled with names of organizations that have made claims to it.
Blue “Bay District Schools” labels stuck to brand name ovens, ice chests and refrigerators — all of which seemed to remain in the exact place they were installed possibly a decade ago.
Once a humble-sized dining room and kitchen used to train students with skills in restaurant management and culinary arts, La Friandise appears to be abandoned in the Rosenwald Building.
It has been completely replaced by a newer, cutting-edge kitchen built inside of the Advanced Technology Center building.
Monday, as Mercer toured the restaurant’s kitchen, touching walls and peering at the ceilings.
He recalled what the building had been when he was a student at the college. At one point, the campus’ radio station was located upstairs and downstairs had been an office, he said.
“Before we dispose of anything … we make sure nobody else on campus can use it,” he said.