Director of Operations Board Report

April 2, 2025

Good Evening,

Facilities:

Having completed a full year here in March with the District, I can now say that we (I) have a better understanding of our schools and the systems in place. This was a learning curve for all of us. We will implement some training over the summer months leading into the fall that will help our maintenance team understand some of the HVAC systems and heating systems that we have in place at the schools. This will help us to trouble shoot and repair some of systems and avoid costly vendor repairs.

Our team is settling in and are learning our schools and their systems. We have started to implement a plan on continuing to improve grounds, facilities and overall appearance or our schools. We have started to lay out summer projects for the schools. Some of these are larger projects will take some time, but with the experience that our new team brings will allow for us to do the work saving on the labor costs of a contractor. Some of the projects that we are preparing for are: Solon Cafeteria table install, Solon Window Replacement (Kindergarten), Solon Door Replacement (Playground area), Garret Overhang Beam Replacement, etc. Some of these projects are structural concerns needing to be addressed to reduce furthered damage to the facility.

Along with the daily grind in maintenance we are trying to address our storage needs and the need to organize to better optimize our time spent when taking care of our schools. Unfortunately, when taking over, our Maintenance Shed was probably the worst location among all the schools for organization. The team has been spending some time to go through our storage and shed to organize and itemize parts and supplies to reduce the unnecessary expenses of buying things because we could not locate them.

Lastly some of the recent focus has been in the schools on mechanical rooms and storage areas. Many state regulations require mechanical rooms are free and clear of debris. This includes minimum clearances from all electrical panels and boiler units. Many if not all did not meet those regulations. The new team has spent some time cleaning and bringing items that were stored in those areas back to the Maintenance Shed to organize.

Transportation:

The new bridge construction on the Anson/Madison bridge has forced us to change routes and move bus stops for some students in Anson. This will also affect Van Drivers and their routing for out of district placements.

Currently we have Bus 18 out of commission due to air bag failure and suspension failure. During the inspection the gas tank showed a crack in the seam and is also being replaced during this time. Bus 12 is still down as it needs a new turbo installed. Bus 15 is still being reviewed for a Compressor issue.

There are many positives in transportation however, our fleet has been passing inspections during their first trip for their state inspections. This is due to the increased visibility and extensive review of buses when they are being seen in the garage. We had seen a decrease in larger repairs due to the increased inspections. Our Mechanics are doing a great job in keeping this aging fleet on the roads.     

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Christopher Roux

Director of Operations