Franklin library committee discusses buying carpet extractor, HVAC fixes and roof repairs

The Franklin Public Library Buildings and Grounds Committee met June 18 and discussed several building maintenance priorities, including purchasing a commercial carpet extractor, repairing HVAC components and addressing roof and window caulking issues. The committee approved minutes from the previous meeting before pausing for a building walk‑through.

"By the second use it would basically pay for itself," said Joe Chidco, city maintenance staff, of a commercial carpet extractor that he and others have researched. Chidco said recent contracted carpet cleaning ran about $4,000 in the library (roughly $1,200 for the Federal Room and hallway and $2,400 for other areas). He said commercial carpet extractors suitable for the building start at about $4,000 and that acquiring one would allow seasonal in‑house cleaning and extend carpet life.

Chidco also outlined storage and safety gains from clearing excess, obsolete chemicals and equipment from the maintenance room. "We opened up a lot of room," he said, adding that predecessors had stored surplus materials that created clutter and potential hazards.

The committee discussed HVAC work identified during the Johnson Controls project. Chidco said technicians found that a fabric shroud around a roughly 6‑foot fan in an air handler had failed or gone missing, which reduces fan pressure and worsens humidity control. "That has failed. We don't know where it went," he said; he said two bids have been requested to address the missing shroud. Committee members confirmed those repair costs would come from the building maintenance budget, not from Johnson Controls, because the problem predated the contractor's scope.

Johnson Controls provided maintenance plan options, Chidco said, describing a basic preventive plan and a more comprehensive "Cadillac" plan. The basic plan would establish a preventive maintenance schedule and offer discounts on repairs; staff said they will evaluate pricing and consider including a maintenance contract in budget planning for fiscal year 2028.

Chidco noted the chiller is a near‑term operational concern because of refrigerant/leak potential, while the boilers have redundancy and have generally performed well. He said recent milder weather had reduced system strain so far.

On roofing, Chidco reported a recent roof leak after heavy rain and that a local roofing firm inspected the library, city hall and police department roofs. The firm recommended targeted repairs—patching the membrane and replacing failing caulking—rather than full roof replacements. Chidco said some membrane patches and perimeter caulking are beginning to fail and that finance and the city will need to clarify which office handles roof capital work versus interior building maintenance.

Committee members agreed Joe and staff should draft a preventive building maintenance schedule and prepare a formal recommendation to the library board (for example, on an equipment purchase such as the extractor). The committee paused the meeting for the planned building walk‑through.

Next steps: staff will assemble the preventive maintenance schedule, obtain bids for the missing air‑handler shroud repair, and prepare a formal recommendation to the library board that may include the carpet extractor purchase and any capital or operating budget requests for repairs.