School custodian to retire after 14 years

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield High School graduate Sal Festa, Class of 1980, will be retiring at the end of this month, after 14 years as a Bloomfield School District employee. Festa, 59, worked as a custodian for the district — for two years at the high school, 10 years at Oakview Elementary School and, finally, two years at the middle school.

Born in Newark, Festa moved to Bloomfield when he was 10 and grew up on Ampere Parkway, attending Carteret and South Junior High. He was a fair right-hander on the Bengals baseball team under coach Joe Konn.
“I was a sophomore and was brought up to pitch varsity,” he said in a recent interview at the middle school. “So I pitched three years. My best year was when I was a sophomore. I was 7-1 and had two two-hitters. The teams were good and won some district championships.”

Festa said Konn was tough, knew his baseball and you had to show him you could play.
“Today, the kids have to play,” he said. “Whether you’re good or not, you’re going to play at least one inning in the field and one at-bat. Back when I was younger, winning was everything. Today, they teach the kids winning is not everything.
“I can see both sides,” he continued. “Maybe because of the way I was raised, if the kid is not good enough to be a starter, I don’t feel you should have to put him in. Now, everyone gets a participation trophy.”

Baseball was important to Festa, and the people he cites as influences liked the sport, too. His father always had time to take him out to practice, he said. Another influence was Joe Cucuzza, the manager of a Crecco Athletic Club team on which he played. The Crecco club is named for John Crecco, a former Bloomfield councilman and mayor.

After high school, Festa went to work for PSE&G as a meter reader and outside collector; he would go to homes, collect overdue payments or shut off the gas and electricity. He retired after 20 years and froze his pension.

“They wanted to buy me out,” he said, “but I said no. When I turn 60 this month, I’ll be receiving that pension.”
He and his wife, Pamela, met as PSE&G co-workers. They later opened Bagel Express, a breakfast and lunch restaurant in Woodbridge, partnering with his wife’s best friend. While his wife continued to work for PSE&G, Festa worked at the restaurant.

“It’s a tough business, because it’s food,” he said. “And if people like the food, you have to be there all the time to make it the way they like it. It’s a rewarding business and we did very well.”
But Pamela was stricken with cancer, and Festa left the business to care for her. She died about a year later. A friend, Jerry Parisi, who was the district custodial manager, offered him a job.
“That’s how I got here,” Festa said.

He and his wife had one child, a son, John, who is 26.
Festa is retiring less than two weeks after his 60th birthday on Tuesday, Jan. 18.
“If you have 25 years of service in the district, you can retire at 55,” he said. “If you don’t, you have to wait until you’re 60. I always told myself I wouldn’t work a day longer than I had to.”

Festa moved to Little Fall two years ago. Next year, he hopes to resettle in Florida.
“My son is fine with it,” he said. “It made my decision a whole lot easier. He’s on his own.”

Festa is looking around the Tampa area for a home and is looking forward to playing as much golf as possible.
“I like golf,” he said. “You’re playing against yourself, and you don’t let the game beat you. I’m too competitive.”

As a custodian in primary, middle and secondary schools, Festa said he got to know the students at Oakview best.
“The kids are younger and look up to you,” he said. “They talk a lot more, and you get to know them. But middle school is a tough age. The kids are trying to figure out who they are.”

The last part of this month should be busy for Festa. In addition to Festa’s birthday and retirement, the BHS Class of 1980 is having a reunion at Obal’s Inn in Bloomfield on Saturday, Jan. 22, to celebrate 60th birthdays.
“It should be fun,” Festa said.