It’s been quite a busy summer for our Maintenance and Operations teams at 91ÇÑ×Ó Public Schools. While students, teachers and staff were away this summer, crews were busy doing renovations and repairs on school campuses and building facilities across the district.
“We cover everything from the grounds aspect, like landscaping, all the way to infrastructure,” said Albert Dutchover, director of Maintenance and Operations.
Dutchover has worked with GPS for more than two decades and been in his current position for the last five years. He says his crews are busy year round, but their assignments vary depending on the season. During the school year, crews are focused on preventative maintenance, emergency repairs and some renovations.
“We handle plumbing back-ups or A/C units that are down, but we also handle special projects like painting and welding,” he said.
The number of projects greatly increases during the summer. Dutchover’s teams were involved with multiple restroom renovations at elementary schools, cabinetry and furniture installation, the building of secured entryways, a roofing project, classroom expansions, some exterior painting, new carpet installation as well as improvements to athletic grounds and courts.
“The department and our employees out there do a good job of keeping focused on completing tasks and making sure we maintain codes and standards,” Dutchover said.
Maintenance and Operations employees are experts in their field. They have skills and certifications in trades like plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. They are also responsible for inspecting school playgrounds and doing environmental testing on campuses to check air quality and infrastructure performance.
“Those are things that we take seriously as we come across them. The ultimate goal is to create a safe and healthy learning environment for everybody,” he said.