Schools

He helps keep our schools in tip-top shape

For 14 years, maintenance director Ken Hill has made sure students are comfortable and safe. He keeps busy and he likes it that way.

By PAULETTE LASH RITCHIE, Times Correspondent
Published September 13, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - A flow chart in Ken Hill's office breaks down the enormous job of maintaining the Hernando County School District facilities into what appear to be manageable pieces.

Hill, 52, is the director of maintenance for the district. He's really, really busy.

He is assisted by supervisors Stan Prewitt and Grover Ellis, who oversee 54 workers; Sean Arnold, who supervises about 220 custodians; and warehouse/property manager Jeanne Leftwich, who oversees a staff of 12.

Hill sees to it that students are comfortable and safe and don't have to give a thought to air-conditioning, plumbing, grass height, fire alarms or fire ants.

Air conditioning is now completely computerized. There is a computer at the maintenance building on Mobley Road in Brooksville that monitors the temperature in every room on every campus.

At any time, Hill can ask heating, ventilation and air-conditioning crew chief Al Mackey for the exact temperature in, say, a seventh-grade classroom at Parrott Middle School.

If a teacher calls with a temperature problem, Mackey can assess the situation within minutes. Room temperatures and humidity levels are regulated for energy efficiency.

"Our electric bill's cheaper than it was 10 years ago at Parrott Middle School," Mackey said.

Countywide several energy conservation measures have been implemented in the 14 years Hill has been maintenance director. Offices and classrooms have occupancy sensors so that lights will automatically turn off when there has been no detectable motion for five minutes.

The air-conditioning systems have been upgraded with energy-saving equipment. Lighting has been upgraded for energy efficiency and there are water-saving flush valves on toilets. Buildings are topped with white membrane, solar reflective roofing to lower power consumption.

The maintenance department tries to respond quickly to any problem that might crop up. "Our response time for everything is ... " Hill said, snapping his fingers.

One interesting time-saving gadget is a camera on a snake-like device that can be used to locate clogs, such as roots or even tennis balls, in sewer lines. Sewer backups are something the maintenance department wants to clear quickly.

Besides upgrades, maintenance is also environmentally responsible about recycling. Schools do their own aluminum can recycling, but maintenance recycles cardboard, paper and steel, in particular the cans from food service.

There is a book of schedules at maintenance headquarters, tracking upkeep. Lawn mowing is done every week. Plumbing and the irrigation systems are checked twice a year. Air-conditioning filters, fire alarms and mulched paths are checked regularly. "Every day we're someplace," Hill said.

Gymnasium floors are sealed and striped every summer. Tracks are upgraded every four to five years. "So they're ready for the kiddies," Hill said.

Cindy Gandy runs the district's paint crew. She "does an excellent job. She's been in charge of the crew for two years," Hill said. During the summer when most of the extensive painting is done, extra painters are called in. "We hire 13 people to paint in the summer," Hill said. The part-time painters are usually school employees on vacation for the summer, often from transportation or food service.

The district has in-house experts in many departments.

There are electricians; carpenters, whose projects might include building cabinets, decks, furniture and ramps); mechanics, who repair the district's vehicles (not counting buses; there are mechanics in transportation for those); and a mechanic, who repairs smaller engines, such as those in mowers or air compressors.

Capital outlay is all the smaller projects that vary from school to school. Principals make requests for their schools that could include new windows, stage curtains, marker boards or parking lot sealing. One school recently acquired a new chiller. These types of things need School Board approval and then are divided among Prewitt, Ellis and Hill.

Hill said the School Board and superintendent of schools Wayne Alexander have been behind maintenance's improvement efforts. "Their support has been tremendous," he said.

[Last modified September 12, 2007, 20:20:47]