On May 9th at 4 p.m. the Board of Education will hold a Special Action Meeting. Find materials here here.
The School District established a Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) maintenance program three years ago with support from the William Penn Foundation. Through this program, there are 38 stormwater mitigation sites being maintained on District properties. These systems include rain gardens, green roofs, cisterns, and porous pavements. The School District recognizes the footprint our buildings, lots…
The A-Team Supervisor was introduced in our last article, and this new organization style is already paying dividends. The A-Team has one point of contact; John is able to organize and schedule each member of the team and efficiently report their progress out to others from a centralized hub. The A-Team is working in our…
We are working with the City of Philadelphia on a $95,000 grant to purchase hydration stations for our schools. This equates to approximately 80 new hydration stations. We will install the hydration stations in schools that are in need based on a variety of factors to include, The City of Philadelphia published blood lead levels,…
Donesafe, our new database program, is in the development stage. We have been uploading our various google sheets, flushing out each module with real-world applications, and performing site visits to gain an understanding of how each module is interconnected to other departments. We are anticipating an internal test phase to begin next month. We are…
The Environmental Advisory Council’s (EAC) inaugural meeting was held on January 26, 2021. Information about that meeting can be found here. Discussion topics included: the purpose of the EAC, how each committee member was selected, an overview of the Environmental Department, roles and responsibilities, and future reporting of projects and activities of OEMS. In an attempt…
In an effort for OEMS to be more proactive, OEMS has invested in people as well as processes. New key positions were added to the team. Kevin M. (top middle) was hired as the Environmental Response Manager, Gaeton T. (front row) serves as the Environmental Compliance Manager, and John M. (top left) was promoted to…
While all District schools remained closed as part of the response efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19, OEMS was able to remove asbestos containing materials (ACM) that were found in District schools. OEMS completed asbestos abatement, remediation or repair projects at 183 schools. More than 229,000 square feet (five acres) and 77,000 linear feet…
In November 2020, the University of Pennsylvania committed to donate $100 million, over ten years, to the School District of Philadelphia. These amounts will be used to support the District’s efforts to address environmental conditions including asbestos and lead, in our public school buildings. The impact of this funding will supplement the ongoing efforts of…
Stephen was promoted to the Director of Environmental Management & Services (OEMS) in 2020, and in this position, oversees the environmental regulatory compliance services for all departments of the School District. The Environmental team conducts environmental site assessments, designs and monitors environmental abatement and remediation projects, manages the District’s AHERA (the US Environmental Protection…