Wrapping Up Building Projects, Parking Lot Improvements to Come Next!

The Library's wrapping up its Tier 1 (immediate needs) Building Evaluation projects! With just a bit of trim painting remaining, we anticipate ending the fiscal year on June 30 with all Tier 1 projects completed. This is just in time to embark on a new project, which I am thankful will be handled primarily by the Village of Plainfield, to expand and improve the parking lots surrounding the Library.

The HVAC roof top unit replacement and new control system was the largest project of Tier 1. The new, energy-efficient roof top units and updated control systems, along with the air balancing throughout the building that was included in the project, are already reducing utility costs. The air quality throughout the Library is improved by using more outside air when temperatures are moderate.

The replacement of the shingled roof has resolved the leak problems experienced in the past year. There was one glitch, where the roof top cupolas required recaulking, but was quickly remedied by the contractor. The new shingles have a lifetime warranty.

The final project of Tier 1 was replacement of the windows in the Bay Window Area on both the upper and lower levels. The original windows had been improperly sealed during installation in 1990/1991, a condition that was not discovered for many years. Once discovered, the seals were redone, but the wood frames had already begun to deteriorate, shortening their useful life. The new vinyl-clad windows are also energy-efficient and slightly tinted to reduce the effect of UV light on books shelved near the windows as well as reducing glare in the adjacent seating areas.

Look for the parking lot improvements to begin later this summer! Funded by the downtown Tax Increment Finance District, this cooperative project with the Village of Plainfield is made possible by an intergovernmental agreement. The project is tentatively scheduled to begin with the expansion and improvement of the two pieces of property on the Route 59 side of the building. The public parking lot there will be reconfigured and expanded to include the vacant lot adjacent to it. Once that portion is complete, two parking lots north of the library (one on each side of the hedge) will be reconfigured and repaved, eventually allowing all of these pieces to connect and become one functional parking lot! We're very excited, particularly about bringing the lots up to current standards for width of spaces and aisles. I realize it will be messy and inconvenient during the construction, but the end result will be well worth it for the Library and the downtown area.

And PS - don't forget to register for Summer Reading!

No fire, no flooding and not hit by lightning...

It surprised me to learn that there were several rumors going around town about the Library and what happened here last weekend! The short version is that replacement of the shingled portion of the roof was completed. While that work was underway, the one of the duct smoke detectors went off, due to debris in the detector head, we later learned. But the work on the roof last week and the one before was for the project awarded in March to replace shingled roof, gutters and downspouts. The last of the gutters and downspouts should be done today.

Throughout the rains at the end of last week, the Library was fine (2 small drips from the incomplete roof project notwithstanding). There was an early closing on Thursday due to the flooding in the area, for the safety of patrons and staff. The recent roof and HVAC replacement projects are two of the three main items identified in the 2012 Building Evaluation as immediate needs to keep the facility operational. The last of those projects, replacement of windows on both levels of the Bay Window Area, was also awarded in March. The windows have arrived and await dry weather in the forecast!

As always, if you want to know what's really going on at the Library - like us on Facebook! We regularly update on the building, programs, projects, events, etc.

Congratulations to the Newly Elected Library Trustees!

Congratulations to newcomers Vicki Knight, Gretchen Fritz and Samantha Hurtado and to incumbent Patricia Miller on their election (and re-election) to the Plainfield Public Library District Board of Trustees.

The new Trustees begin their terms on Monday, May 20, 2013. Due to a quirk of the calendar, their terms begin after the regular May Board meeting, so they will be sworn in at the regular meeting on Wednesday, June 19 at 6:30pm in the Small Meeting Room at the Library.

*Election results are unofficial until the Will County Clerk completes the canvass of election results on April 30, 2013.

Spring Brings More Building Projects

With the HVAC replacement project nearly complete and meteorological spring upon us, it's time for a new round of projects!

I know the HVAC project should have wrapped up a month ago, but a change order extended both the scope and the timeline of the project. Since the allowances in the original Roof Top Unit Replacement contract went unused, the Board of Trustees approved upgrading the controls of the perimeter heat and tying them into the new control system. In the original installation, the controls of the perimeter heating system (supplied by the boiler) were completely separate from the controls of the roof top units. This upgrade will make the entire system more efficient.

The Board of Trustees approved contracts fro the next two projects, both weather dependent for completion. The windows in the Bay Window Areas on both levels will be replaced and the shingled portion of the roof will be replaced. During the window project, the Bay Window Area seating will be unavailable for about one week. Of course, I can't say which week yet. Once the windows have been delivered to the contractor, I will be able to give an approximate date for the installation. As for the shingled portion of the roof, keep an eye out for closed walkways around the Library as the weather improves. The contractor will be working while the Library is open, one side of the building at a time. Again, I can't give a start or end date yet. Aren't weather-dependent projects fun?

The first sign of spring at the Library is building repairs!

2013 Off to a Good Start!

I am pleased to say that 2013 is off to a good start. So good that I've been too busy to remember to post all of the things I should have! I will start with a recap of the first 6 weeks of the year and all that has occurred here at the library:

• January 2 - Simultaneous filing lottery for ballot placement in the April election. Vicki Knight will appear first on the ballot. Mina Green will appear second.
• January 3 - Objections filed against three Petitions of Candidacy filed for Library Trustee. Peter Hurtado objects to petitions for David Schmidt, Alice Adeszko and Lauren Ledvina.
•  January 7-11 - Library closed to the public while HVAC rooftop units are replaced. During the closing, staff training is done at the Naperville 95th Street Library. Also, light bulbs are replaced throughout the Library.
• January 13 - Winter Reading Program registration begins. 320 people register for Winter Reading on the first day of the program.
• January 15 - Objections are upheld. Three candidates are off the April 2013 ballot for Library Trustee. Six candidates remain on the ballot: Vicki Knight, Mina Green, Patricia Miller, Carl F. Gilmore, Gretchen Fritz and Samantha Hurtado.
• January 15 - Library Foundation Board moves forward on accepting credit card payments through their web site
• January 23 - Information due for the Spring 2013 newsletter. Amazing how early things must be planned in advance in order to get this newsletter out on time.
• January 28 - Marketing Committee meets to review the new Library Marketing Plan.
• January 30 - Finance Committee meets for the Board's mid-year review of the Working Budget.
• February 1 - Pinnacle Library Cooperative Governing Board begins interviewing candidates for our first employee, a System Administrator.
• February 4 - Winter Reading Program registration tops 1,000!
• February 5 - Library administrators meet with their health insurance broker to discuss renewal of the current plan and the implications of the upcoming changes to healthcare coverage nationwide.
• February 6 - Pinnacle Library Cooperative Governing Board finishes the first round of interviews for System Administrator.
• February 12 - Library Foundation Board holds its annual meeting and hires firm to update its web site and integrate payments gateway for direct donations.
• February 13 - Air balancing of updated HVAC system begins.

And that's just the interesting bits in a brief synopsis! Welcome to 2013, where things move pretty fast!

Two Candidates File on the Filing Period First Day

With four 4-year term Library Trustee positions available in the April 9, 2013 election, the first two candidates have filed their petitions to run. Incumbent Mina Green and newcomer Vicki Knight filed simultaneously at the opening of business today, the first day of the filing period for the April 9, 2013 election.

The order of candidates on the ballot is determined by the order in which candidates file their petitions. All candidates at the doors when the Library opens for business on the first day of the filing period are considered to file simultaneously. A lottery must be held to determine the order in which the candidates will appear on the ballot. The lottery, which is open to the public, will be held on Wednesday, January 2 at 9am in the Library's Business Office.

Seven potential candidates pulled petitions to run for the four Library Trustee positions, but there is no guarantee all seven will file to run. In the 2009 election, more than a dozen potential candidates picked up petitions, but only three filed to run.

Candidates for Library Trustee must file their petitions at the Library's Business Office from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, through Wednesday, December 26. With a similar rule for last position on the ballot, there may be an additional simultaneous filing lottery necessary for those who are present to file at 5pm on December 26.

HVAC Control System Issues Persist

In the ongoing struggle to keep the failing HVAC system at the Library functioning, the latest problem with the controls is making it uncomfortably warm. The control system, which has never quite worked properly in switching back and forth from heating to cooling, has failed to keep up with the recent change in the weather. Once again, the service contractor is on site, working to remedy the problem.

Please be patient as we approach the January HVAC Replacement Project, when the failing systems are replaced. You never can tell if it's going to be too hot or too cold in the Library, so continue to dress in layers as we work to address the aging building's issues.