Greenwood School Gets a Paint Job - And Other School Improvements Made This Summer

Just because it's summer doesn’t mean the town's schools have been completely shut down. The Wakefield Public Schools custodial staff has been working for the last several months on various projects that range from large to small to get the schools ready for the upcoming school year.

“It’s been a pretty good summer so far,” said Peter Evangelista, director of custodial services for the school district. “We’re actually in pretty good shape now, all things considered. It was a shortened summer with all of the snow days.”

One large summer undertaking was to paint several classrooms at the Greenwood School.

“It came out really nicely,” Evangelista said.  “We did ceilings, walls, trim -- all of that.”  

At the high school, the custodial staff has been replacing and repairing light fixtures, which should make them more energy efficient and save the school district money. Additionally, the custodial staff has worked to address some of the heating issues experience at the high school, replacing components on the gas boilers installed in 1972.

“They should be done with that by the end of September,” Evangelista said. “They should have it tested and ready for the time the heat comes on.”

The full list of completed summer work includes roof work at the high school, cleaning kitchen grease traps at multiple locations, and refinishing gymnasium floors, among other items.

“There’s a lot on the list that got done,” Evangelista said. “I don’t want to say we got it all done, because we didn’t.”

However, a lot of additional cleaning will be accomplished in the upcoming weeks because custodians can’t take vacations during the last two weeks of summer, according to their contracts.

Several school committee members said they were appreciative for the work conducted by Evangelista and his staff over the summer.

“Because of your work, we’re seeing the benefits now," School Committee Member Anthony Guardia said. "We’re lucky to have you.”

Superintendent Joan Landers also thanked Evangelista for his availability and cooperation throughout the summer.

“I also want to thank you for meeting with me throughout the summer and putting up with my many questions,” Landers said, adding that she’d also like to thank who helped with a lot of the school projects.