County Approves $1.13M For Roof Repairs, Upgrades At Tuscaloosa Public Library

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa County Commission on Wednesday approved its share of funding to go toward a new roof and other improvements for the Tuscaloosa Public Library's main branch.

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A first reading of the measure was held two weeks ago, which followed the City of Tuscaloosa and the City of Northport approving their shares of the project's costs earlier in the week. The funding will come from the county's General Fund reserve funds.

As Patch previously reported, the total project is expected to cost $2.7 million, with the county set to vote on its $1.13 million portion Wednesday. The Northport City Council has committed $378,000, while the Tuscaloosa City Council approved $1.18 million earlier this month.

Ellis Architects estimates the roof replacement will cost $900,000, while a conversion of interior lighting to LED lightning will come in around $500,000.

Executive Director Jennifer Pearson said on Wednesday that 12 different leaks have been identified in the aging roof — a problem exacerbated by a recent deep freeze in December. She also said during Wednesday's meeting that the HVAC at the Main Branch had just gone out.

Additionally, once the improvements are made, the new LED lighting is estimated to result in reduced energy consumption ranging from from 30% to 40%. This will ultimately translate into much lower utility bills, she said.

Upgrading the existing rooftop mechanical system, such as the library's HVAC, is expected to cost approximately $1 million, with $300,000 budgeted as a contingency to cover any overages.

The library previously attempted to repair certain aspects of its HVAC in the early 2000s, but the parts ended up being too expensive and not readily available. The recommendation by Smith, Stegall and Associates calls for eliminating the central system and replacing it with smaller conventional systems.

Indeed, some aspects of the library's HVAC are as old as the Main Branch itself, which is approaching 50 years old.

Now that the funding has been secured, the plan is to receive bids for the project in July, with the majority of work possibly being done in October.

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