Adams Free Library Exploring Funding Sources for New Boiler
ADAMS, Mass. — Adams will soon have to find a funding source to replace the boiler in the Adams Free Library, according to Library Director Holli Jayko.
"Lead time on a new boiler, if we order it today, is 20 to 24 weeks," Jayko said before the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee at Thursday's town budget workshop. "And that's just to get the boiler to us. So we're already looking into September, possibly October, if we order it. We are looking at alternative sources of funding to get the boiler."
Town Administrator Jay Green said the town plans to use either state aid or ARPA funds to pay for the process of getting a new boiler installed, which he said should take about 18 months.
"We've determined that the most expedient way in order to get that boiler in place for the heating season is to just replace what is there," he said. "And it's not the ultimate solution that we would like. I particularly wanted to convert to gas; I wanted to put in split units that would air condition the building as well and eliminate the window units. But we just don't have time to do it."
Town Accountant Crystal Wojcik said insurance did not cover the boiler because it was not a mechanical failure but rather because of its age.
"It's a structural failure," Town Administrator Jay Green said of the old boiler, noting it is unlikely it will fire up again. "It's not the burner. It's the boiler jackets themselves; they're are cracked. They are leaking steam, so it's not efficient."
Building Commissioner Gerald Garner spoke about the need for remediation in several town buildings at the previous town budget meeting on April 14.
In other business, the boards reviewed the budget for the Council on Aging. COA Director Sarah Fontaine said things are going well as the council preps for its move to the former Memorial School Building, which she expects in late summer or early fall.
"For this fiscal year, to date, we've already serviced 971 seniors in the Northern Berkshire area. Mainly from the towns of Adams, Cheshire, Savoy and North Adams," she said.
Fontaine said the Memorial Building should allow the COA to expand its programming. Fontaine provided an update on the ongoing work in the building at the council's meeting this month.
The council, according to Fontaine, had 67 volunteers in various events and programs as of March. COA member Bruce Shepley said volunteers make it possible for the organization to function and succeed.
"We're an advisory board, not a governing board. But the Council on Aging is heavily dependent on volunteering and have a huge cadre of volunteers that fulfill many many many roles with it ... Were you dependent on running these programs on paid individuals, either number one, you wouldn't be able to offer them, or you'd have an outrageous budget," Shepley said.
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