The Lakeville Library Board of Trustees on Jan. 13 discussed a slate of building projects — including a roof replacement slated for fiscal 2026, a planned heating‑system replacement in fiscal 2027 and whether to pursue solar panels on the library roof — and asked town facilities staff for cost estimates and timing to include on the capital plan.

The discussion centered on why the projects matter now and the information trustees said they need to include placeholders on the town capital request due Jan. 17. Jennifer Jones, library director, said, “as far as I know, we are on for a roof replacement in FY26, which is desperately needed. We have sprung some more leaks.”

Why it matters: the library building is about 20 years old, trustees said, and multiple systems — heating, controls and the variable‑air‑volume (VAV) boxes that distribute conditioned air — are reaching end of life. Without planning, trustees said, failures lead to emergency repairs and higher, unpredictable costs.

Trustees and staff discussed three near‑term items: the roof, the heating system and the aging HVAC controls and VAV boxes. Jones said the capital plan already lists the heating replacement in FY27 for $100,000. She also reported a controls/automation estimate she had seen previously, listing roughly $32,000 for updating an aging control computer running Windows 7. The board heard that the library has about 21 or 22 VAV boxes; multiple trustees and facilities staff warned replacing all of them would be a major project beyond simple parts replacement.

Paul Nee, facilities manager, and trustees described the recurring pattern: small repairs and parts replacements have fixed immediate problems but the system’s age and earlier installation issues continue to cause failures. Jones said a recent diagnostic visit and repair work required multiple visits and parts; a diagnostic bill “was close to $6,000,” she said. Trustees noted crews have identified a plastic gear that has degraded in multiple units and found a metal replacement as a workaround.

The board also discussed solar. Jones summarized responses she collected from other Massachusetts libraries: some had installed solar on metal standing‑seam roofs to reduce roof penetrations, one used a Green Communities grant and a rental/lease arrangement for panels, and another cautioned that installers unfamiliar with roofing caused problems on an asphalt roof. Trustees identified Middleborough (Middleborough Gas and Electric) and Monroe/Monroe Gas and Electric (utility contacts discussed by trustees) as local resources to consult. One trustee also said federal incentives covering roughly 40% of some projects have supported municipal solar projects in the recent past.

Trustees asked for specific, bid‑level information before finalizing capital requests. Jennifer Jones said a roofing company would inspect the roof the week of the meeting and could provide an estimate; trustees asked staff to submit a placeholder number to meet the Jan. 17 capital request deadline and to refine the estimate as quotes arrive. Jones agreed to work with Paul Nee and with HVAC contractor Frank (Advanced Air) to get quotes for the controls, the two known nonfunctional VAV boxes and any wider system bids if controls incompatibility arises.

The trustees also discussed other facility work that may be capital or maintenance: replacing worn carpeting (board discussion included a roughly $150,000 figure discussed in the meeting as an order‑of‑magnitude for full replacement; trustees said phased carpet squares are one option), pressure washing the exterior ahead of the building’s August anniversary, lighting upgrades toward LEDs, window work and improving attic access for servicing air handlers. Trustees and facilities staff reiterated that the capital plan is flexible and items can be moved earlier if funding becomes available at the town fall meeting or via free cash.

The meeting included procedural motions so the presentation could occur: trustees temporarily changed the order of business to accommodate facilities staff and guests and then returned to the regular order after the discussion. Those motions passed by voice vote.

The board directed staff to gather formal written quotes for (1) a roof replacement, (2) controls modernization, and (3) targeted VAV repairs for the two currently nonoperating units, and to check structural capacity and attic access for any solar installation. Trustees also asked staff to consult the town’s energy audit records and the town’s Green Communities contacts to understand grant eligibility and state acceptance criteria for audits and lighting work.

Trustees said they expect follow‑up estimates and a report to the board before finalizing capital figures for submission to the town finance process.