In the public eye: Bill Hansen makes a strong impact as RSU 14 Facilities Director

Bill Hansen has served as the RSU 14 Director of Facilities
since 2009 and his duties include oversight for all of the
district's school buildings, athletic fields and school grounds.
COURTESY PHOTO

Editor’s note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Andrew Wing

When it comes to the RSU 14 school district, there are certainly a lot of facilities in the district between both the Raymond schools and the Windham schools. From the buildings to the athletic facilities to the grounds, being a facilities director for RSU 14 is no walk in the park, and for the past 13 years Bill Hansen has risen to the occasion and got the job done time and time again. His years of service to the public cannot be underestimated.

Hansen is clearly no stranger to our communities of Windham and Raymond as he has been working for RSU 14 for over the past decade as director of facilities, but he has been in Maine all his life.

“My roots are solidly in Maine,” said Hansen. “My family currently lives in Cumberland about a mile from the house I grew up in. I am the third generation to attend the University of Maine at Orono where I majored in Mechanical Engineering and also received a certificate in Pulp and Paper Management.”

After being impacted by a downsizing at his previous job, Hansen was not out of work for long before he saw a great opportunity present itself and that great opportunity was at RSU 14.

“In March of 2009, I was impacted by a downsizing at Sappi Fine Paper and I started working for a Facilities Management company as Facilities Director at a manufacturing plant in Auburn,” said Hansen. “However, a very good friend of mine told me about this opportunity, and as good fortune would have it, I was hired and started working for RSU 14 in July 2009. I could not have found a better opportunity.” 

Hansen’s job of being a facilities director is a tough one as there are a numerous number of tasks he must complete on a daily basis, and he detailed a little bit about what those tasks are for RSU 14.

“The Facilities Department’s main duty is to maintain and care for all of the buildings and grounds for RSU 14,” said Hansen. “This includes all of the athletic facilities, cleaning the schools each day, completing minor and major repairs, preventative maintenance of all of our equipment and planning for future needs. The bottom line is for the department to have the buildings and grounds clean, safe and ready to support the great work that is done each day by the educational staff.”

And with all of those tasks that Hansen has to do every day, there must be one part of his job that is the most challenging, and when asked, he did not hesitate to answer.

“This is an easy one, summer,” said Hansen. “I know that most people look forward to summer, however it is the hardest time of the year for our department with the exception of a major winter snowstorm. In addition to the other work, the summer school vacation is the time we have to complete all of the major projects and upgrades while the students and staff are out of the buildings.”

Somehow though, Hansen and his department always manage to get it done. And despite the challenges that come with working in the summertime, there is a lot that Hansen loves about his job, and when asked the best part of it, Hansen highlighted three things, starting with the support staff.

“The support staff in the department are amazing,” said Hansen. “They care for approximately 900,000 square feet of building each day and always manage to have RSU 14 facilities ready for the teaching staff and students.”

The second thing Bill brought up was the leadership group for RSU 14.

“I am grateful for the leadership team and district office staff we have,” said Hansen. “We work very well together, and this has been so helpful through the challenges of the last few years.”

Lastly, Hansen touched on the third thing that makes doing his job worthwhile, and that was the educational staff.

“It is really rewarding to support the amazing work the Educational and Special Education staff does every day,” said Hansen. “Seeing this dedication and care given to the students by this group is remarkable.”

Hansen is also very fortunate to have a family that thinks very highly of his work.

“My family is very supportive,” said Hansen. “This job can sometimes require long hours and unexpected challenges, but they know that it is a passion of mine.” <