Iowa Town School’s facilities director oversaw hundreds of thousands in renovations

RENOVATIONS

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Duane Van Hemert had a ready reply when requested why he began working in public schools 21 many years back.

“This is what I notify people today: If you won’t be able to do it for the young ones, who can you do it for?” he stated emphatically, sitting at his huge wooden desk. “You will find very little improved than developing lecture rooms for little ones, and carrying out it appropriate, and building sure they have the proper alternatives to get in advance in lifestyle.”

Van Hemert has invested 8 years as the conductor for the Iowa Metropolis faculty district’s “building symphony,” as he phone calls it. That has meant overseeing the variety of function that many might overlook — like ensuring lights in a classroom are eco-friendly or kitchen personnel would not slip though building faculty lunch — but certainly styles students’ instruction.