Councilors Want to Reform Joint Facilities Committee, Address Leaking School Roofs

Due to an increasing number of leaking roofs in Haverhill schools like Consentino Middle School, Councilors Timothy J. Jordan and Colin F. LePage suggested reanalyzing the city’s maintenance plan for the schools. (Courtesy photograph.)

The Haverhill City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to send a letter to Mayor James J. Fiorentini, asking him to revive the city’s Joint Facilities Committee in response to the amount of damage befalling Haverhill Public Schools.

The request came from Councilors Timothy J. Jordan and Colin F. LePage. Jordan said a meeting of the committee has not been held since May and the city’s maintenance plan for the schools is in need of rethinking due to recent incidents, including leaking roofs at Consentino Middle School and Haverhill High School.

“It just seems to me that based on the number of leaking roofs that we have [and] based on the number of boilers that need to be replaced, as identified by Superintendent Marotta, it’s a good time to acknowledge either the plan’s not being followed or the plan is lacking,” Jordan said.

Having already spoken with Fiorentini about the matter, the mayor suggested the committee should meet sometime in January to discuss the maintenance plan. Councilor William J. Macek commended Jordan and LePage for the idea, saying repairs should occur as quickly as possible to avoid mold and wood rot.

Jordan also said he has spoken with Superintendent Margaret Marotta about the repairs to the roofs and she has hired a project manager to implement temporary repairs to get the schools through the winter before replacing the roofs in the spring.