The Taylor Library in East Derry will be more comfortable for both winter and summer users after a bid is awarded and work begins to replace its aging furnace and air conditioning.
Michael Fowler, Derry Director of Public Works, said this week that the sealed bid process is open for the units. Bids are due in the Public Works office by Aug. 27 at 4 p.m.
Fowler said Taylor Director Linda Merrill contacted him in the late fall of 2013, after a building inspector reported that the boiler was “under stress.”
“They were able to get through this past winter, but they put replacing the heating system in their capital line for FY 15,” Fowler said.
This spring, in a preliminary review for the heating system, it was discovered that the air conditioning was also aging, Fowler said. “I looked at the condenser and it said it was built in 1988,” he said.
The furnace in the basement is 27 years old, Fowler said.
Fowler and Ron Robinson, superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, looked at the units and developed the criteria for a bid.
The ballpark estimate is $12,000 to $14,000 for both units, with the furnace estimated at $7,500 and the air conditioning taking up the rest.
The funds will come from Taylor’s Building and Capital Reserve account and the bid will be administered by Public Works, Fowler said. While the furnace money made it into the FY 15 budget, the trustees will have to appropriate the funds for the air conditioning, he said.
Fowler said he wanted the work done by Oct. 15, noting, “I don’t want to be in the position where a contractor starts work and then we have a 30-degree night.”
Those wanting further information may contact Fowler or Robinson at 432-6144. The bid specs are available on the town Web site, www.derry-nh.org.
