District 88 facilities and grounds change with the seasons

The changing of the seasons from summer to fall/winter means quite a few changes for the Buildings and Grounds crews at District 88.

From putting the fields “to bed” for the season, to air quality in the buildings, to stepping up our daily sanitizing of areas and surfaces, the Buildings and Grounds staff is busy preparing for the cold months ahead.

District 88 is comprised of two campuses that total about 150 acres (Addison Trail with 65 acres, and Willowbrook with 85 acres). With that amount of space comes maintaining multiple types of fields. Baseball and softball fields are reworked, and materials are added to help with reopening them in the spring. What that means is by doing this fall work, we are able to “dry out” the field conditions quicker in the spring, so games can be played during a time when wet conditions are the norm.

Along with putting the fields to bed, equipment is changed over from summer cutter decks to snow-removing equipment, and many machines are used for both jobs. As the grounds crews are working outside, inside the buildings, the maintenance staff is working to change all air filters (more than 400 in each building, changed four times annually). Along with that, the systems are changed over from summer chillers (800 tons of cooling in each building) to heating boilers (3-to 5-million-BTU boilers in each building), which are inspected and certified by local and state fire marshals every three years. Also with those inspections, each boiler is opened up on its fireside and its waterside, tubes are cleaned and the “bellies” are washed in an effort to maintain the highest efficiency during heating season.

On our roofs, a total of 27 package rooftop units are carefully examined as well. Just like your furnace at home, these units have a similar burner compartment that needs to be monitored, taken apart and cleaned. Much of this work begins during the summer months and continues into the fall.

A top priority at District 88 is the sanitization and cleanliness of the facilities. In all of the restrooms, we have changed from liquid soap to a “green” foaming hand soap that does not need water to rinse. All classrooms have hand sanitizer dispensers that are checked regularly. Door handles, as well as locker handles, are sprayed with disinfectant on a regular basis, along with the daily cleaning of the buildings.

As you can see, the fall months bring some changes to the facilities at District 88. Our focus has been and will continue to be maintaining the well-being of the students, staff, families and visitors of District 88.