Director of Public Works John Scenna announced the hiring of Christopher Rais as the newest member of the Public Works management team as the facilities superintendent in a press release.
Town Administrator Robert Dolan said he is “thrilled with Rais now joining Director Scenna and Town Engineer John Tomasz as the new core management team that will lead DPW moving forward.”
Rais, a resident of Saugus, was most recently the facilities and purchasing director for the Town of Ipswich and Ipswich school department, according to the release.
In this new role, Rais will serve as the “single point of contact for all school and municipal building maintenance and custodial needs and will oversee transportation maintenance,” the release stated.
“Chris proved to be a very strong candidate out of all interviewed and the selection committee felt he will bring both a hands-on approach to building system maintenance, and a strong management style that should help us gain some efficiencies in building operations, budget, and most importantly, keep our buildings clean and safe,” Scenna said. “With new buildings in construction, energy system-efficiency projects substantially complete and currently being commissioned this summer, and the school expansion wings recently completed, it’s great to have someone of Chris’ caliber joining the department to operate and maintain these items moving forward. The ability to see the new public safety buildings being pieced together should give him a big jump start in the future maintenance needs of those facilities as well. We are very happy to welcome him to Lynnfield.”
In addition to his roles in Ipswich, Rais has worked as the preventive maintenance manager for the City of Somerville and was the chief builder engineer for Hewlett Packard in Andover, the release stated.
Rais was responsible for “the oversight, management, and daily operations of the town and school facilities” during his time in Ipswich from 2019 to present, according to the release.
He managed the day-to-day activities of 20 staff members and facilities including three schools, three public-safety buildings, and several other buildings including Town Hall, Public Library, and school administration office in his roles in Ipswich, the release stated.
Rais is a licensed electrical journeyman, is MCPPO-certified, and has several OSHA and AHERA certificates, according to the release.
