“Our mission is to maintain and improve all schools and properties in a manner that supports academic success, comfort to the users and community pride in appearance. We believe in continuous improvement using the best talents in the department and community.”

Our Department consists of 16 Full Time Custodians, 3 Full Time Maintenance Technicians and 4 Groundskeepers. We are charged with the daily cleaning and maintenance of 259,935 sq. ft. of Educational and Administrative Space. We are also responsible for the care of approximately 63 acres of athletic turf and play area, including the preparation for all Athletic Events. Special Events. During the course of an average year, our Maintenance Technicians answer approximately 1000 Service Requests from Administration and Staff.

As a service group, we are constantly reevaluating what we do, how we do it, and then looking for more efficient ways of doing what we do best.

The Somerton School District conducted a tree planting project that involved the submission of a grant through APS Community Tree Program, which was awarded a $5,200 grant. The project was implemented at five school sites, namely SMS, DSS, TDS, OGS, and ELC, and was tied to this year's Earth Day observance to provide educational value to the students and community. The district's grounds crew was recognized for their hard work, effort, and dedication in making the project a success. Martin Velasco expressed gratitude for the support and contribution towards the project's accomplishment.

The APS Community Tree Program will work to ensure people and neighborhoods in need across Arizona receive the many benefits trees provide. The program will reduce heat island effect by expanding the tree canopy cover in vulnerable communities within the APS service territory and support the APS Clean Energy Commitment. 

Trees and vegetation can create cooler spaces by providing shade and through a process called evapotranspiration (water lost through plant transpiration and soil and plant evaporation). These cooler spaces have the potential to limit overall heat gain and help lower overall temperatures. Shaded surfaces, for example, may be 20–45 degrees cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded materials. Evapotranspiration, alone or in combination with shading, can help reduce peak summer temperatures by 2–9 degrees.

APS will offer grant funding to qualified organizations for community-based tree planting projects in high need areas within the APS service territory. Through an open and competitive cycle, APS will accept only one proposal from a qualified organization per year. Proposals may be submitted for a minimum of $1,000 and a maximum of $10,000, and APS funding may only be used to purchase trees, tree stakes and ties. Funding priority will be given to projects in vulnerable communities that have low tree equity and high tree prioritization map scores. For questions, contact CorporateGiving@aps.com.

The 2023 Grant Application is now open.