PAXTON — The middle of winter is not a good time to have a heating system that needs to be replaced.
But the Richards Memorial Library found itself in just that situation when its boiler failed recently and, to add to the problems, a pinhole leak was found in the oil tank.
The last couple of weeks have been somewhat frantic, with the library staff working on alternate means of getting people books and services even as the library was closed and temperatures in the building were dropping.
Emergency responses from town departments helped, and the library, which announced its unexpected closure the week of Dec. 20, was able to reopen for regular hours by Dec. 28, although the lower level was slated to be closed while the library worked on replacement of the oil tank.
Going through an emergency procurement procedure, Town Administrator Heather Munroe said, the town was able to streamline the timeline to get bids.
J. MacDonald Oil stepped up with a bid of $46,900 that included removal and disposal of the failed boiler and oil tank.
But the initial plan — to replace the pre-1960 389,000 BTU boiler with a more energy efficient 350,000 BTU unit — ran into complications With a 25-week lead time needed for the new boiler, the plans changed to installing two 170,000 BTU boilers, according to Munroe. She said there was a benefit to the new plan, as the two boilers were energy effi cient and the second one comes on if the first one needs help.
She said the town would monitor the boilers’ oil use to see if it saves money and how much.
But first they needed to get the boiler installed, something that needed to be done in days instead of the weeks the normal municipal spending process would require.
As of Dec. 29, the library was going through the oil tank work, requiring closure of the lower level.
But with temperatures during the process remaining above freezing, reportedly around 48 degrees, the pipes did not freeze, a problem with which Munroe said several area libraries had issues.
Although the work required using financial resources, the replacements may not be a town cost directly.
“We used a whole slew of available library funds, including gift funds,” avoiding using town reserves, Munroe said.
And Library Director Pam Chenevert said the result was an upgraded heating system.
“The $46,900 will be covered by state aid, interest from the Richards Memorial Library Trust Fund and the AT&T Lucent trust fund,” Chenevert said. “No taxpayer dollars will be used.”
Chenevert said she would “like to especially thank Town Administrator Heather Munroe for steering the library through the process. We would also like to thank Fire Chief Mike Pingitore and the Paxton Fire Department, the Library Board of Trustees, and the entire library staff.
“We would also like to thank our patrons and the supportive Paxton community.”
For those wanting to contribute, Chenevert said, “Donations may be made to the Richards Memorial Library or the Friends of the Richards Memorial Library.”
