John Mulligan, the Division’s Fire Safety Specialist, conducts on-site technical inspections of school facilities and fire safety systems. Throughout the school year, he is responsible for inspecting fire alarm systems, fire fighting equipment and building structures for potential fire hazards. He investigates fire-stricken facilities to determine the cause and origin of the fire. Additionally, John…
When asbestos repair work forced the temporary shutdown of Building 21, the Maintenance team was called into action to prepare a suitable swing space for some 400 students and staff at Strawberry Mansion High School. Over the span of two days in early March, two contract service vendors and 40 tradespeople spent 543 hours preparing…
The P.M. Crew assists with various tasks in all school district facilities. They respond to calls at all times of the day or night, on weekdays, weekends, and holidays, for issues that may affect the opening of schools and offices. The P.M. Crew, along with the warehouse team, supported Saul’s Agricultural program by moving equipment/flowers,…
Unfortunately, on March 8th, a bullet from a shooting in the neighborhood pierced the main office window at Heston Elementary School. Facility Area Manager Ed Davis responded along with Maintenance Glaziers John Petrucci and Foreman Chris Bartella to assess the situation and repair the window. In a separate incident, on March 14th, bullets from gunshots…
Last Thursday, seven people were injured in a shooting near James G. Blaine Elementary School. District staff members were informed of the incident in the middle of the monthly Board of Education meeting. While the news of more senseless violence was hard to face, two members of the Operations Emergency Response Team led by one…
The Offices of Facilities and Maintenance, in collaboration with the Office of Capital Programs and Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry (TUKSOD), created a fully functional dental clinic at William D. Kelley with four rooms and a sterilization room. This new program differs from the current contracted dental programs offered at most of the schools…
On November 30, 2022, the Council of the City of Philadelphia honored Jose Novoa for his unwavering commitment to public education, decades of support for the children and families of our city, and forty years of service with the School District of Philadelphia. The Council thanked Jose for his loyal and dedicated service to quality…
The Facilities team supported the first full school year of returning to in-person learning. Beginning with their preparation during the summer of 2021, the team overcame the many challenges and provided an environment that allowed our students to return to their schools. Facilities worked through many difficulties this school year including: storms, frigid temperatures, snow…
The Facilities PM crew is headed by Facilities Area Manager Derek Parker, including Ricky Davis, Dave McCall, Chris Sisto, Rick Mays, Ed Evans, and Joe Keepsey. The crew maintains all of the District’s vacant buildings and lots, ensuring that the grounds are maintained, graffiti is removed, the buildings are secured, and any hazards are attended…
This summer Facilities team will prepare roughly 9,500 classrooms and more than 3,100 spaces for the 2022-23 school year. In addition, they will service roughly 14,000 air purifiers before the return of students in the fall. In many buildings, this work will need to be accomplished in a very short period of time due to…