Day in the Life of a Gilman Groundkeeper

In an attempt to shed light on an under-appreciated and unrecognized part of the Gilman community, The News presents a day in the life of a Gilman HVAC Technician.

This is the schedule of Samuel Bonomo, Maintenance staff, HVAC technician (heating and cooling for buildings).

5:30 AM - Wake up and prepare for the day.

6:30 AM - Arrive at Gilman. Make sure all machinery is in check and working in the maintenance and boiler rooms. Check for leaks.

8:30 AM - Go on the computer to see classroom temperatures. Check for irregularities.

10:00 AM - Make tweaks to all air conditioners and boilers or anything that needs it. (Gilman uses many older machines that tend to need daily attention.)

12:00 PM - One-hour lunch break. (He either brings his lunch from home or eats at school.)

1:00 PM - Day slows down slightly. Spend time distributing packages delivered to the maintenance center in the lower lot. 

2:00 PM - Make sure everything is in check, complete routine maintenance.

3:30 PM  - Clock Out

The schedule, however, is not the same every day. Often, Mr. Bonomo has to stay late to deal with irregularities. When asked about any disasters the maintenance team has had to deal with over the years, Mr. Bonomo informed The News that a water coil had burst in recent weeks due to a faulty design. This caused a foot of water to flood the mechanical room around 3:00 pm, leading to a cleanup that lasted until 9:00 pm that evening. 

When asked what he would like the students of Gilman to know about his work, Mr. Bonomo stated, “It’s not just the maintenance team. The teachers and everyone work together behind the scenes to run this operation. Having three schools and a lot of kids leads to a lot of work. It takes a community to do it, and sometimes that work gets overshadowed.”

We hope this article gives you a look into one of the behind-the-scenes operations at Gilman and makes you appreciate a little more all the work that allows us to go to school in such a wonderful place.