The Sunol Glen School community recently commemorated the renovation of its cafeteria building earlier this month, which was funded by Measure J, the $10.9 million general obligation bond that local voters approved in 2022.
Dubbed “Hoxie Hall”, after longtime director of maintenance and operations for the district Lowell Hoxie, the new cafeteria was upgraded with new roofing, ceiling tiles, floor and lunch tables, among other improvements.
Other major upgrades include making the bathroom and doors more accessible, adding new cabinets for the staff room located inside the building and reconfiguring the kitchen with a new kitchen hood and other upgrades so that it meets building code requirements.
“Renovating Hoxie Hall was essential to preserving the heart of our campus while bringing it up to today’s standards,” Shay Galletti, superintendent and principal of Sunol Glen School, told the Pleasanton Weekly. “The upgrades, from a new roof and modernized kitchen to ADA-accessible restrooms and entrances, ensure that this space continues to serve our students, staff, and community safely and inclusively for decades to come.”
Back in 2022, the Weekly went on a tour of the school ahead of the November 2022 Measure J vote where former Sunol Glen Unified School District Board of Trustees president Mike Picard pointed out all of the deteriorating infrastructure at the school, including the cafeteria.
Prior to the current renovations, Picard said the cafeteria didn’t have any up-to-code air vents or fire extinguishing system for the oven areas in the kitchen, meaning they couldn’t really cook food in there.
But after voters approved the school bond, the district went straight to work on designing the renovations to the cafeteria and multipurpose room, which comprises a student lunch and common area, as well as the adjacent staff room.
After years of design work, construction began right after school got out last June and the project is now the first one completed under the Measure J bond project list. According to Galletti, the project came in under budget at $1,008,796.
Galletti said the school has already been using the newly renovated cafeteria space since the beginning of September, but on Oct. 15 the school wanted to actually celebrate the completion of the project with the greater community with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The ceremony doubled as a commemoration of Hoxie after he officially retired last month after 20 years of serving the school.
“Lowell Hoxie embodied the heart of Sunol Glen,” Galletti said in an Oct. 13 press release. “His dedication to education, mentorship, and civic engagement continues to inspire generations. This building stands as a living tribute to his incredible impact.”
The ribbon-cutting event featured remarks from Sunol district officials, students and Hoxie’s family before the school unveiled a commemorative artwork that was created by Sonya Paz, a local artist whose aim with the mural — which is located inside the cafeteria — was to capture the spirit of Hoxie’s legacy.
“Creating this piece was an honor,” Paz said. “It celebrates the legacy of a man whose passion for education truly shaped this community.”
