SPRINGFIELD — Department of Facilities Management workers will be replacing the rooftop air conditioner on the Mason Square Library after it was struck by lightning last Friday, but the complete fix won’t occur until next spring.
Meanwhile, facilities staffers made interim repairs to the AC unit, and got it up and running again on Monday, albeit at reduced capacity; the lightning strike took out three of the air conditioner’s four compressors. The city delivered a few fans to the property to assist with keeping the building cool in the meantime.
It’s unclear if the library is still being used as a cooling center for city residents. Helen Caulton-Harris, commissioner of the Health and Human Services Department, could not be reached for comment on the matter.
However, Diane Houle, the library’s manager, said the reduced capacity of the air conditioner has not been a disturbance to any operations taking place at the library.
In her five years there, Houle said the lightning strike wasn’t the first time library’s AC unit has acted up.
A couple weeks ago, it stopped working completely, said Houle, who added that Department of Facilities Management crew members have worked on it on several occasions to keep it running.
“Every once in a while, it (acts funny),” she said.
To ensure the air conditioner doesn’t overwork itself, employees turn the air conditioner off every night, which also conserves energy, Houle noted.
Patrick Sullivan, director of the Department of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management, said the lightning strike shortened the air conditioner’s lifespan.
“If it wasn’t for the lightning strike, we would’ve gotten another three years out of it,” he said.
Sullivan said his department plans to present an estimate of parts — which includes a whole new cooling system for the AC unit — and other services related to the repairs to Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno by next week. The Department of Facilities Management plans on executing full repairs around next spring.
He noted that, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a delay in getting parts from manufacturers.
