The school year might be winding down for the kids at Boothbay Region elementary and high schools, but for the maintenance staff, the work is just beginning.

The summer months are the best time for major products to be done around the school, as the buildings are mostly empty, according to Maintenance Supervisor Dave Benner. At the most recent meeting of the CSD Trustees, he presented the current plan for summer work.

At the elementary school, projects include: replacing part of the heat-resistant rear door of a boiler; replacing the steel door in the shop that leads outside; replacing the backflow in the kitchen; completing the door alarms on classroom exit doors; replacing the shingled roof above the stairwell that has been leaking quite a bit (a 30 by 25-foot area); investigating the leaky area above rooms 232 and 237; replacing the speed drives in the boiler room with variable speed drives; complete the sanding and repainting on the rooftop air conditioners; cleaning the boiler; and getting the fuel tank inspected.

At the high school, projects include: repainting and resealing the brick wall in the main entry; replacing the 3rd floor carpet; cleaning the electrical breaker panels in the kitchen; complete sanding and repainting the roof air conditioners; cleaning the boilers; and getting the fuel tanks inspected.

Projects may also include the replacement of the bleachers in the gym, as the trustees have been discussing the possibility for a while.

These projects are all in addition to the regular cleaning schedule the maintenance staff will be following, which include cleaning every square inch of both schools, including stripping and re-waxing floors, cleaning carpets, and refinishing the floor of both gyms.

The last day of school is June 17, and the first day of next school year is Sept. 1, which gives the maintenance crew only a little over two months to get everything accomplished.

“I have a great crew, we'll get everything done,” Benner said after the meeting. “We don't take summers off.”