Base Celebrates Galley Re-opening

Story by PA3 James Judge, D7 Public Affairs

MIAMI - Coast Guard Integrated Support Command Miami celebrated the grand re-opening of the base galley in conjunction with St. Patrick's Day, March 17. The celebration included corned beef and cabbage, steak, shrimp, green beer, a dunk tank and a contest to name the galley.

MIAMI -- A petty officer working at the galley at Intergrated Support Command (ISC) Miami places scoops of cookie dough on a cookie sheet. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by PA3 James Judge.

Attendance for lunch at the galley is usually around 100 people, said Petty Officer 1st Class Cliff Grader. Approximately 200 people came through on the St. Patrick's Day grand re-opening. As for the name competition, Grader thinks it was a good idea.

"I think it gives people an opportunity to be a part of the galley," Grader said. "Instead of just going to the galley, people will now be coming to the Causeway Café," said Grader.

The galley had been closed due to sorely needed renovations. "The cast iron pipes had collapsed, causing sewage backups in the galley, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Paul A. Godfrey, galley supervisor at ISC Miami. "It was definitely not conducive to the work environment here," Godfrey said.

Chief Warrant Officer Jason Kotz, the facilities engineer at ISC Miami explained, "There was a problem with the existing piping. Rust built up from the outside in causing it to clog up over time. With the upgrade, we've installed all new PVC piping."

The renovations that began in August consisted of replacement of the piping and carpet, tile installation and painting.

"We painted the galley and the mess deck. We also had to clean the place after it was done, and it was a lot of cleaning," Godfrey said.

Though it may look complete right now, there is still some work to be done.

"They could only get half of the funding for the galley renovations, said Grader. "At sometime in the future they are going to have to shut down the galley again and work on the front serving line."

The proposed $250,000 project calls for the griddle to be moved, removing the desert bar and installing a desert case on a wall, a new conveyor belt dishwasher for the scullery, removing both serving lines and making one main serving line and relocating the exit.

Until then, the galley is completely operational and is feeding ISC Miami top-notch cuisine once again. To find more information, including the menu for the Causeway Café, logon to CGCentral.

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