Farewell to the Boilers and the “Zamboni”

DAYTON - John Hutch- ens knows exactly how many passes it takes to clean the floor of the multipurpose room at Dayton Elemen- tary School. "Thirty-three times," he said, waving his finger up and down the floor while pushing the Speed Scrub 2001 (a.k.a "Zamboni") past a crouched photographer.

It wasn't between peri- ods at a hockey game, but a small crowd gathered any- way to watch, shortly after a lunch period last week, as Hutchens completed the task for one of the last times. He retired Friday.

Hutchens, whose offi- cial title was "maintenance supervisor", has been a custodian at the school for about 20 years, and has been supervisor since 2000. His custodial staff - Jim Gal- laher, Johnny Joe Smith and Joe Simmons - have been with him that entire time.

"I've had a darned good crew," Hutchens said. "I've been very fortunate. I think we all work very well to- gether."

Except for Simmons, Hutchens and his crew are all Dayton natives and Day- ton High School graduates.

Hutchens, a member of DHS class of 1966, attended community college in Ya- kima for two years after graduation. He then served in the Air Force from 1968 to 1972, working as a flight mechanic in California and Michigan. He is a member of Dayton's American Le- gion Post #42.

After leaving the Air Force, Hutchens returned to Dayton to work on his family's farm in the Johnson Hollow area. He quit farm- ing when his father retired in 1990.

Hutchens is also retiring this year after 39 years as a volunteer firefighter for Columbia County Fire District 3.

Hutchens says he has enjoyed the variety of his job, which ranges from maintenance and painting to cleaning up various mess- es made by students (and adults). During an interview in the custodial room, a very respectful third-grader reported to him that someone had spilled sunflower seeds in the bathroom. He told him he'd get to it shortly.

"Sometimes we spend almost all day on calls like that," Hutchens said after the student left, "and some days we don't get any."

Hutchens said that the 2006/2007 school year stands out as the worst he's experienced in his job. "We lost both boilers in a six week period," he said.

He described the Dayton schools' heating sys- tem, which circulates steam through both the elementary and high schools. Two boil- ers in the elementary school basement are fired with heat- ing oil.

" On December 20 I walked into the boiler room and saw water on the floor, and I knew what happened," Hutchens said. A section had cracked in the number two boiler. "I thought, well at least we have the other boiler to keep us going. Luckily it wasn't a real cold winter."

A new part was ordered, but it would be several weeks before delivery.

Then, in early February, the scenario repeated itself, with a section cracking in the number one boiler. Hutchens described how a large portable propane-fired boiler was parked next to the elementary building. It ran for nearly a month.

"We taped off the area and put up some temporary fencing," he said. Hutchens said he got a lot of complaints about chilly classrooms, but he wouldn't let teachers bring in portable electric heaters for fear of blowing circuit breakers. "It was a nightmare," he said. "But we got through it."

Hutchens' wife, Lynn has worked in the Dayton schools for 31 years. She is currently high school secretary. Hutchens says she plans to retire in two years.

In April, the Dayton School Board hired another DHS graduate, John Delp, to take over as maintenance supervisor. Delp worked as a maintenance technician at Seneca foods for 20 years, leaving in 2006. He has been a private contractor in Dayton for seven years. He has spent the past month shadowing Hutchens.

On June 5, a retirement celebration will be held in the multipurpose room for Hutchens and three other longtime school employees, Elementary Principal Katie Leid, Elementary secretary Dallas Dickinson and first grade teacher Julie How- ard. When the party is over, Hutchens will get to sit back and watch Delp "Zamboni" the floor.