Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Buildings director details custodial staffing and deferred maintenance; public commenter lists large HVAC estimates
Summary
Director David Reyes told trustees about reduced custodial and grounds staffing and a largely unfunded capital plan; a public commenter supplied itemized HVAC and ventilation cost estimates across district buildings during public expression.
David Reyes, director of buildings and grounds, told the School City of Hammond board on Oct. 1 that custodial staffing has been reduced and daily work has been reprioritized to essential tasks such as emptying trash, mopping and disinfecting restrooms and classrooms.
Reyes said the district’s staffing model now assigns about three custodians per elementary school, four per middle school and eight per high school, with five float custodians used for absences. He said the grounds department has six staff and that deferred maintenance identified in a 2023 Schmidt Architects facility study remains largely unfunded. “We have to operate more on a demand basis,” Reyes said, describing a program that must respond to urgent repairs rather than follow a systematic replacement plan.
Trustee Blake King asked for a before-and-after staffing breakdown and raised concerns about tree maintenance; Reyes cited ash trees and said the grounds foreman is working with the National Forestry Department on recommendations.
During third-period public expression, Mary Catherine Kaminski (introduced by the board’s public-expression list) read itemized HVAC and ventilation cost estimates for multiple campus buildings, including figures such as $3,090,000 for Lafayette ventilation and millions in combined heating/air-conditioning costs across schools. The board paused the comment for time but did not take immediate action on the listed requests.
Reyes said the district is developing building-level cleaning plans in collaboration with head custodians and administrators, and noted Indiana code requirements that operations expenditures over $10,000 be included in the capital projects plan. He also said the district has used outside grants to purchase buses in some recent years and that a formal bus replacement plan exists but is not funded in the advertised budget.
Trustees requested the detailed breakdown of custodial staffing before and after cuts and asked administration to investigate specific site safety questions raised by members of the public.
