Hollister School District maintenance crews recently fabricated and installed stair railings at Rancho San Justo Middle School in an effort to enhance safety.
District staff members made the improvements in an outdoor area where there is a large section of stairs at the Hollister site. Facilities Department maintenance personnel Martin Villanueva and Eliceo Rios fabricated the railings by welding them together in their shop and installed the railings at Rancho in the section of staircases near the school’s special education classrooms.
Crews installed four new railings spanning from the top to the bottom of the staircases, said Aaron Buzzetta, director of facilities for the district.
Buzzetta credited Villanueva and Rios for not only doing a great job, but also helping to save the district some money by doing the work in-house. He said a goal of the Facilities Department is always to save money when possible, and he was glad the district had a “unique opportunity” to make and install these railings.
“They take a lot of pride in their work and their effort,” Buzzetta said.
The staircase is an often-visited area of campus, so the railings will get plenty of use. Those railings are about eight feet apart spanning across the large section of stairs. They were strategically placed so they are accessible but not too close together as well, Buzzetta said.
He said it’s one example of the district’s emphasis on safety at all facilities.
“If we see something that’s maybe concerning that could be addressed, we do our best to get on it right away,” Buzzetta said. “We have the help of a really good team here at the district.”
