Physical Plant repairs city school

Since many University buildings are not utilized during vacations, Physical Plant workers take their trade elsewhere over the summer -- volunteering at West Philadelphia's Sulzberger Middle School. Louis Visco, Physical Plant director of maintenance and utilities, organized the "Operation Fresh Start" effort through his office, recruiting volunteers from the department and later using his contacts at the University to procure discarded furniture for local schools. After renovating several West Philadelphia houses through the "Christmas in April" project, which is organized by Wharton graduate students, Visco realized he could mobilize Physical Plant workers to improve the condition of local schools. Over the summer, Visco notified Sulzberger Principal Brenda Artwell of his intentions and visited the school with several volunteers to assess what kind of maintenance work the building needed. With a list of possible repairs in hand, Visco asked Artwell and the school's staff members to prioritize the work. But before Fresh Start volunteers could set foot in the Sulzberger School, Visco had to prevent the project from creating a labor dispute. According to Albert Dorsey, the school district's administrator of facility services, the city cannot invite members of an outside contractor's union to do work that falls within the scope of the school district's union. With Dorsey's help, Visco convinced Anthony Ottobre, president of the union which represents the district's maintenance workers, to permit Physical Plant workers to volunteer at the Sulzberger School. Dorsey's office also provided volunteers with tools, paint and graffiti removal materials. On July 22, Physical Plant volunteers prepared the school for Operation Fresh Start by pulling down old ceiling tiles and scraping paint off the walls of classrooms slated for later work, Artwell said. During the weekend of August 5 and 6, more than 75 Physical Plant employees and their families kicked off Operation Fresh Start at Sulzberger. In the course of the two-day period, volunteers replaced ceiling tiles, painted the walls and fixed broken light fixtures in seven classrooms on the third floor. The volunteers also made repairs to the faculty lounge and built a vanity in the school's first-floor women's bathroom in accordance with the teachers' requests, Artwell said. "It really lended itself to a good beginning of the school year," Artwell said. "People have been taking better care of the school." Operation Fresh Start was far from over, however. "What I found is that some of the schools didn't have enough furniture to get started in September," Visco said. So Visco brought up the subject to Provost Stanley Chodorow's classroom renovation committee, of which he is a member. He said the University was throwing out furniture as part of its renovations of Bennett Hall, the Moore Building and Stiteler Hall. With the University's support, he now transplants discarded desks, tables and chairs to West Philadelphia schools that do not have enough supplies for their students. This year's project is the beginning of a five-year plan to renovate the five area schools connected to the University through service and service-learning programs, Visco said. Ira Harkavy, director of the Center for Community Partnerships, said the program was the product of a "superb" collaboration between the Physical Plant, the school district and the union.