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The Buildings and Grounds Department is located at the C. J. Hooker Middle School in Goshen. For more information, please contact Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds James Riley at 615-6770 or email jriley@gcsny.org. 

Keeping costs low

A cost-saving boiler at the middle school.

The Buildings and Grounds Department handles most of its business in-house, versus outsourcing and paying for services. In inclement weather, department employees  shovel, plow, sand, and salt walkways, roofs, and sidewalks. They also maintain and repair district vehicles such as trucks, plows, and mowers.

Heating system

The district's heating system - composed of 12 boilers - is also cleaned and repaired by school personnel in order to keep costs down. The boilers switch from natural gas to oil with the flick of a switch. If the cost of one resource goes up, the district can utilize the other.

Most of the district's heating is managed on computer software. Trained employees can locate any heating problems in the schools, and the district doesn't have to hire an outside company to manage the software.

Renting versus buying

The department also tightens spending by renting major equipment, such as bulldozers. Instead of paying an enormous amount for equipment that isn't regularly used, it is rented when needed. Employees are trained to operate the equipment as well.

Other duties

Besides maintaining the district's 88 acres of athletic fields and custom-building bookcases and workspaces for classrooms, Buildings and Grounds staff are also responsible for keeping Goshen Central Schools spick and span. In fact, the district's budget towards vandalism, such as graffiti and trash, is only $2,500.