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Lakeville trustees discuss boilers, HVAC controls, roof replacement and solar potential; costs for projects flagged for FY26 capital planning
Summary
Trustees were briefed on multiple facilities needs — VAV box repairs, a possible boiler replacement (estimated $115,000–$125,000), a controls upgrade (~$32,000 quote), and roof replacement with consideration of solar — and directed staff to coordinate capital planning and vendor meetings.
Trustees at the Lakeville Library's Dec. 18 meeting reviewed multiple building and grounds items that library staff say will require capital planning and further cost estimates.
Director Danica Jones reported that Advance Air completed maintenance and replaced a brittle plastic actuator part with a metal component in at least two variable-air-volume (VAV) boxes; staff said similar wear may affect other units. Jones told trustees there are "over 20 VAV boxes" in the building and that the replacement part costs about $100 each plus roughly two hours of labor, based on the contractor's comments.
Facilities consultant Paul (name given in packet/email exchanges) and Supreme Energy provided preliminary boiler-replacement estimates to the library. Jones said replacing the existing boiler system with two smaller, high-efficiency boilers was being considered and that an oil-based replacement was estimated at about $125,000 while a propane option was estimated at about $115,000. Jones said the project is anticipated for fiscal year 2026 and would be submitted to the town's capital committee as a capital request.
Jones also told trustees the building's controls system needs attention: a quoted figure of about $32,000 was mentioned for replacing the central control "guts," though it was not clear whether that estimate included new thermostats. Trustees noted that the Johnson Controls staff member who had worked on the building recently retired, and they agreed the library should consult with the town's energy or "green" committee (a local group that advises on energy-saving measures) and possibly the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to gather peer experience before moving forward.
Trustees discussed roof replacement timing and the advisability of considering solar installation as part of any roof project to avoid retrofitting later. Jones said the library has large, mostly unobstructed roof areas suitable for solar panels and recommended studying solar options alongside a roof proposal to avoid duplicative future costs.
Additional concerns raised included fall-protection and safety features around skylights and flat-roof areas; trustees noted that modern roof work can require permanent fall-protection measures that add to project cost. The board asked staff to invite Paul and Andrew (facilities) to a future meeting to present capital-project proposals and to coordinate with town facilities management on bid procedures and fall-protection requirements.
No capital expenditures were approved at the meeting; trustees directed staff to collect quotes, consult the town's capital committee and relevant energy experts, and return with proposals for January or February meetings so projects can be scheduled into FY26 planning.
