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Buildings and grounds department looks to future

In the Marshalltown Community School District, we have nearly 1 million square feet of buildings that we maintain. The current buildings and grounds staff of 52 includes custodians, maintenance and grounds employees.

We have two full-time grounds employees who mow, fertilize, trim trees and do snow removal during the winter months. While they stay busy outside, maintaining our facilities is a year round task as well for those who work on and in our buildings.

The buildings crew includes custodial staff and maintenance employees. The custodial staff works the closest with our students, teachers, principals and other staff. Most have permanent assignments in a specific building. They go to great lengths to personalize their work and take their responsibility very seriously and it shows in the level of cleanliness in our buildings.

Maintenance employees are responsible for all corrective and preventive maintenance in the schools.  During the winter months they are also responsible for snow removal and salting and sanding of all district parking lots and sidewalks. We also have a very dedicated warehouse and receiving staff member who handles district mail and all district shipping and receiving to and from the warehouse.

Amid all the work that gets done on a daily basis, we are looking to the future of our district infrastructure by engaging a local firm, TSP Architects, to identify and prioritize needs relevant to our learning environments. This is an endeavor that will establish our long-range facilities goals.

Overall, our district facilities are in sound condition but refurbishment and upgrades remain a constant presence as they would in any district.

One of these future endeavors is the current work being done at the Marshalltown High School Roundhouse as part of the Phase II project. This will add 35,000 square feet of athletic facility to our existing high school and will be utilized by all students. This building is projected to be completed in late 2018.

We will continue to plan to adjust our facilities to the ever-changing needs in educational delivery methods to continue to create 21st century learning environments for our Bobcats.

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Chuck Springer is director of buildings and grounds with the Marshalltown Community School District.

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