Newfield’s Yaple to retire at end of school year

After almost 10 years as the facilities and security manager for Newfield Central School District, Steve Yaple will step down at the end of this school year. Looking back, he’s proud of some major accomplishments on his watch but also has a few regrets about things left undone.

When Yaple took charge of the buildings and grounds department in 2013, he already had one goal in mind.

“I wanted to make sure the outside appearance of the school was more presentable because that is the public’s first impression,” Yaple said. “I think we’ve done a lot toward that goal, but there is still more to be done.”

One of the first things Yaple tackled was the removal of diseased and dying trees.

“I hate cutting down trees, but at the same time, I wanted to make the school look good and protect the ones that were healthy,” Yaple said. “We got rid of some of the white pines in front of the high school that were dying. We got rid of the cedars in front of the elementary building that were turning brown and blocking the beautiful architectural work.”

While some of the trees were removed primarily for aesthetic reasons, others were doing damage to the structures.

“Several of the trees around the elementary school should never have been planted that close to the building,” Yaple said. “They were damaging the foundations, disrupting the infrastructure underground, threatening the roof. We got rid of those.”

Moving indoors, Yaple was aware of some needed improvements due to his ongoing involvement with the school’s theater department.

“There were a few capital projects that I really pushed to get done,” Yaple said. “I felt it important that the auditorium be renovated. There were water leaks, and the stage floor was rotting out in several places.”

He also knew that the lighting and sound equipment in the auditorium was old and outdated, in part because he’d been instrumental in obtaining most of it as donations from Ithaca College and Cornell University back in 2005.

“Part of the theater upgrade involved new equipment,” he said. “The sound and light equipment from 2005 had exceeded its life expectancy. Some of it didn’t even work any more, although we kept it going as long as we could. We now have all LED lighting, which was one of my must-haves. It’s much more efficient. Our systems are absolutely amazing compared with what other high schools have.”

Yaple is quick to point out that he wouldn’t have been able to complete any of his goals without the administration’s support. Frequently consulted on capital project issues, Yaple was able to influence the decision to completely replace the district’s aging HVAC system, a decision that proved to be timely in ways that no one had anticipated.

“The timing was perfect,” Yaple recalled. “We got the air handling units put back together just before COVID shut everything down. Come September, we were able to open back up because we knew our systems could handle it. We are able to turn over the air quality in the rooms, I want to say five to six times per hour, which we couldn’t do before. The filtering system was also way better than what we had.”

Yaple feels good about his impact in those areas and the fact that the elementary school now has air conditioning, which he says makes it a better learning environment for the kids. Still, there are a few things he wishes he was able to complete.

“One of the things that I knew going in was that we’d always had water problems behind the high school,” he said. “I regret not pushing that issue more during the renovation projects.”

Although the drainage issue was discussed during construction meetings and addressed to some extent with swales around the athletic fields, Yaple said it still hasn’t reached the point where the district is redirecting the water effectively.

“We’ve had a few of those ‘hundred-year storms’ since I’ve been here,” Yaple said. “When that happens, we still have water knocking on the back door of the auditorium and the gym. [Superintendent] Eric [Hartz] and I have spoken many times with the architects and engineers about doing a water control study. It’s got to be a focus rather than an afterthought in the next building project.”

Making sure that happens will be the job of Will Ellers, longtime maintenance worker with the district and Yaple’s successor as head of the building and grounds department.

“Will and I have been doing a lot of training over the last few months,” Yaple said. “He’s going to do a great job. He has the right mindset to do what is best for the school, the community and for himself. I want him to be as successful as I was.”

Asked about the timing of his departure, Yaple said that there had been a lot of changes over the past few years. He’d been feeling a lot of pressure to do more because of the pandemic with fewer staff and less resources.

“I understand the need for fiscal restraint, but I lost a lot of positions,” Yaple said. “Cleaners are also one of the lowest-paid employees in the district, even though they are doing things that other employees don’t want to do. It makes it hard to find and retain staff.”

Overall, Yaple feels good about his time at the district and his decision to retire now. He’s looking forward to spending time with children and grandchildren, traveling with his wife, Shelley, and getting to some of his own home projects that have been put off for years.

“I definitely feel like I’m going out on a high point,” Steve said. “I’m proud of our school. Other schools are envious of the facilities we have.”

Steve cited recent highlights, things like the New York state championship boys’ basketball team, the National Association of Music Merchants school music awards, the Newfield students who were state-level winners in the Skills USA competition and the theater and musical performances put on each year.

Newfield is Steve’s alma mater and his home. He’ll continue to care about the school and community after his retirement, if in a different way.

“I am concerned about the future of the district,” Steve said. “There is more talk now of merging, and we are on the state’s list of schools in fiscal distress. If we want to keep our community center, the schools, we’ve got to get involved.”

Steve said he was disappointed in the community for the poor turnout at the budget defeat on May 17 and the lack of attendance at public information sessions held prior to the vote.

“[Hartz] held two or three public meetings, and the turnout was terrible,” Steve said. “At one of them, no one showed up at all. I don’t care how you vote, but at least attend, show up, make a difference. I was here all day and forgot to vote. But I made sure to come back before 9 p.m. because it is that important.”

Community members will get a second chance to get informed and cast their vote on the following dates:
– June 2: Board of Education meeting — Weaver Conference Room at 6:30 p.m.
– June 8: Budget hearing — Newfield High School library from 6 to 7 p.m.
– June 21: Budget vote — Newfield Elementary School gym from noon to 9 p.m.

Newfield Notes appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.