School officials outline steps after summer health inspections; pest control and abatement work ongoing

Methuen school and city officials told the School Committee on Aug. 11 that a summer-long health-and-safety task force has begun implementing multiple actions to address pest infestations, building maintenance and exterior vegetation at priority schools.

The task force — which the superintendent said includes principals, custodial staff, the city’s health inspectors, the Department of Public Works and union representatives — held regular meetings this summer and scheduled monthly walkthroughs that will continue through the school year. City personnel and contracted crews have removed trees and trimmed vegetation around Tenney and Timoney to reduce critter access and improve drainage, officials said.

School staff and city inspectors reported completed and ongoing items: asbestos abatement and tile replacement in several Timoney classrooms; replacement of backboards and ceiling work in many rooms (the superintendent said more than 50 classrooms have been completed districtwide and 13 remained at Timoney at the time of the meeting); and stepped-up pest-control work with documentation improvements.

The superintendent and facilities staff described a new reporting process that replaces paper “sighting” books with an online district pest-sighting form that populates a spreadsheet for each building. The form and the spreadsheet are shared with custodians, principals, the district and the city health department so Pest End (the current vendor) receives a printout of known sighting locations when they visit a school. Committee members asked for clearer vendor accountability and for invoices to be corrected where work was not performed. The district said it is seeking additional vendor quotes and the city is evaluating alternative providers.

Other administrative steps described included waiving city permitting fees for school-related projects, coordination with roofing manufacturers to preserve warranties for solar and other rooftop work, and discussions about adding preventative-maintenance funding to the city capital-improvement plan. The mayor said the FY26 CIP includes funding to begin carving out preventive-maintenance resources and funding for fire-alarm replacement at the Marsh and boiler work, and the administration is exploring a multiyear carpet-replacement plan.

Why it matters: These issues — pest control, air quality, abatement and basic maintenance — affect day-one readiness, classroom conditions and parent confidence. Officials said progress has been made but cautioned that some repairs are time-consuming and that DPW capacity is limited.

What’s next: The district and city will continue monthly walkthroughs, pursue additional pest-control quotes, continue abatement and tiling at the Timoney and keep the committee updated. The mayor said DPW cannot assume interior custodial duties but can help with exterior grounds and capital work to free school custodians to focus on indoor cleaning.