District Developments
News to Know related to D75 & D120
Ben Lynch, HVAC Technician
How long have you worked in shared services?
I have been in shared services for four years as of October 12th.
Could you give us a brief history about your career in HVAC?
My history in HVAC goes back to 1993. I have 32 years experience in all aspects of the HVAC trade - from commercial, industrial, residential (as a service technician), and as an HVAC engineer at Oak Park River Forest High School before I started here. I also ran my own HVAC company for 15 years from 2000-2015.
How do you handle emergency breakdowns during the school day? What's it like managing HVAC crises while classes are in session?
Handling breakdowns and managing crises while classes are in session is always a struggle with being a one shift (6:00am to 2:30pm) maintenance department. Working in classrooms during the school day is tough due to space needs and the amount of noise made on repairs. Safety is first and foremost - especially with small children who are very curious. Quite often if it’s a repair needed in a classroom and its minor problem, I will handle that while school is in session. Any repairs I cannot do safely or quietly will mean I will alter my morning start time from 4:30am to 5:00am to make sure the task is complete and the room is ready for the school day. Repairs that are required outside of a classroom are not an issue (i.e. boiler rooms and on rooftops).
What’s something you’d like teachers and staff to know about HVAC in our buildings?
Some things I would like teachers and staff to know are:
1- It is always a bad decision to just turn the power off to the HVAC unit in their classrooms. Once they are turned off, there are two negative consequences. The first issue is it puts the building automation into alarm and is no longer able to receive or send out information, which means we will continue to get alarms until the power is restored. Secondly, once turned off, the classroom has no way of getting fresh outside air into the room to displace the carbon dioxide that builds up through teachers and students breathing.
2- Is it is always a bad idea to open the windows in the winter months. Too often those windows get forgotten about and left open through a weekend. If there is a sink or bathroom in their classroom, an open window can cause those pipes to freeze which amounts to hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars to repair because an open window was forgotten about.
What's the most rewarding aspect of ensuring students and staff have comfortable, healthy learning environments?
The most rewarding aspect for me is knowing that I am here to handle breakdowns with instant response time. Contracting the work outside the school can have a week (and sometimes multiple weeks) wait time leaving students and staff in an uncomfortable classroom. Having been an HVAC contractor, a big reward for me is knowing how much money I save the districts by keeping an experienced technician in house.
Exciting news! Our marketplace has expanded with more colleagues who want to share their talents! Please check out our updated Site to see the cool things they're doing.
You'll notice there are D75 and D120 versions available – don't worry, the content is identical! We've simply set up domain-specific access to ensure your personal business information stays secure and isn't visible to anyone outside our districts.
**If you'd like to add your small business to this site, fill out the Shop Super Local form.
Last month we asked what your favorite fall drink was. It was a hard decision because we have a tie between two beloved drinks:
Pumpkin Spice Latte and Hot Chocolate! Let this be a sign to go enjoy your favorite drink today. ☕☕
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
If you live in Lake County and have a child from the ages of 0-5 years old, you can register them for free monthly books from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Go to lcroefoundation.org and click on "Dolly's Imagination Library Local Partner" to apply.
Answer:
Morton, IL. Morton claims the title of "Pumpkin Capital of the World" because 90% of the world's canned pumpkin is canned there at Libby's Canning Factory.
