Pictured above is a rendering of the new HVAC system location, featuring a sound-attenuating fence and plantings.

November Update:

Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Library’s HVAC system, fingers crossed, will be at the point of substantial completion in just a couple of weeks. Welding, electrical, and pressuring testing are scheduled to be completed this week, and we hope to start the system up before the Thanksgiving Holiday. Thank you to our community, staff, the Village and our contractors for their patience and care during this construction project. 

September 2025 Update

The new unit arrived early in the morning on Monday, August 25th and was placed by crane on the cement pad on the Union Street side of the building. Thank you to Sag Harbor Village for allowing us to use Union and part of Main Street for about an hour to complete this necessary step. Thank you to our neighbors and early morning commuters for your patience and understanding. The first week in September has been dedicated to core drilling into the Library’s mechanical room, where the outside equipment will be attached to the new interior equipment. Next up will be demolition and removal of the interior mechanical room equipment and abandoning the geothermal wells. We anticipate the project to be completed in October. 

July 2025 Update

We have our building permit in hand, and work is set to begin on August 4th. The first step will be to perform site work and pour the concrete pad on which the equipment will sit. Please pardon our appearance on the Union street side of the property while we undergo this necessary project. We are happy to report that the Library will remain open through the duration of the project. Our new HVAC will be up and running in the Fall.  

March 3, 2025 Progress Report

As you may have read in the Sag Harbor Express the Library is sprinting towards the finish line when it comes to finally breaking ground on our much needed new HVAC system. 
The Library has satisfied the requirements needed to gain the approval of the Historic Preservation and Architectural Review Board, received a necessary variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals and the project was approved by the Planning Board at its February 25th meeting. 

The equipment has been ordered and has a ship date from the manufacturer of late April.
We are in the process of getting quotes for the work and selecting contractors. We will be submitting the project to to the building department for permits soon.

Since our system is in complete failure, our hope is we can move swiftly enough to take advantage of the spring weather and complete the work before the busy summer season. Please cross your fingers and toes and keep a good thought that we can make this happen. 

Until then when visiting the Library please dress in layers. Sometimes it is very warm and sometimes it is a little chilly. We have minimal control over the emergency heat system. Three commercial electric heaters are blowing hot air through our air handlers. We can only turn the heaters on or off and access to those heaters is on the roof. 

Thank you to all for your patience and good thoughts

***
As you may have seen in the Sag Harbor Express in April John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor Will Replace Heating System
And in May Sag Harbor Planners Set Hearing on John Jermain Memorial Library’s Heating System
And in June Letter to the Editor: The Right Spot

We need to replace our HVAC…ASAP!

Our geothermal HVAC system is rapidly deteriorating and we desperately need to replace it before it fails completely.  After almost three years of research, engineering and feasibility studies as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance, repairs and cleanings, the Board of Trustees have put forward its application to abandon its Geothermal HVAC system and install an energy-efficient modular air-source heat pump chiller.

The proposed location would be on the North side (Union St) of the building tucked in the corner where the addition meets the historic building. This location was chosen because it would have the least amount of impact on Library operations, provides more opportunity for sound attenuation through paneling and plantings and would be hidden by the Library’s current plantings and additional trees.  It would also be located behind a utility box already on the property. Most importantly, this location would have the least impact on our neighbors.

The Planning Board raised several questions at its May 28, 2024 meeting and I would like to answer them here for you. Please note: Our engineer will be at the Planning Board Hearing on June 25^th to provide more in-depth answers. Once we receive his final report, we will post it on our website but for now, I will do my best to answer those questions for you as simply as possible. 1UPDATE: Click here to read our Engineer’s Report answering the questions posed by the Planning Board

• How much space would a vertical closed loop system require?
  • More space than we have on our property. Our property is not very big and there are a lot of things under the ground already (like our septic system and leaching pools) There is no room to put in a closed loop whether it be vertical or horizontal. This is why we have an open loop to begin with.

• Is there a possibility of reusing the wells that are there? What is the current capacity? Would a closed loop system require additional wells?
  • We cannot reuse our current wells. We have two source and two diffusion wells. One source well has collapsed. The other three wells are fouled beyond repair by biofilm. After consulting with the engineers at PW Grosser they provided a written report. In their written report which was given to the Planning Board, it was explained that it would be extremely difficult to locate space on property to relocate our four wells. Digging test wells is very expensive and could take many tries to find clean water. Further, it is likely we would be unable to find water free from biofilm or that would remain free from biofilm. It was recommended we abandon geothermal.  

• Could the new system be installed below grade or partially below grade?
  • The manufacturer of the equipment and our engineer have advised us this is not an option. The equipment would not work effectively or efficiently if it were vaulted. For it to work in a vault, the vault would need to be much larger than the equipment and there is no space on the property for a vault of that size.

• The Planning Board would like to see how putting the system on the other side of the building next to the courtyard could work.
  • This was considered by the Board of Trustees as a potential location early on in the process. It was quickly determined that this would be loud and unsightly. To place it in the Library’s Community Plaza would reduce our ability to provide visual and sound attenuating screening. It would also mean removing the pollinator garden, greatly reducing the size of our busy plaza, obstructing the curtain wall of windows on the South side of the lower level Gloria Primm Brown Friends of the Library Community Program Room, and would be visible on all sides, from inside the Library, from our neighbors’ properties and even from Main Street.

    

• What are the limitations to putting the equipment on the roof of the building?
  • The footprint of the equipment along with the necessary visual barrier and sound attenuation would make it all but impossible, not to mention incredibly dangerous, to service. It is my understanding it would also be louder for our neighbors. The project’s scope would be much larger and more expensive requiring the Library to close while the equipment is piped through the building to the lower level mechanical room. Further, there are concerns about the need to reinforce the building to hold the structural load of the equipment. Basically, it would be unsafe, unsightly, loud, and force us to close the Library and Jefferson Street for construction. It would take a lot more time and money to complete the work while making our neighbors and our community miserable.

For those who want the Readers Digest Version or as the kids say TL;DR…

The John Jermain Memorial Library has done its due diligence. We have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs and research to try and save the geothermal system. Our only option is to abandon geothermal. The application put before the Planning Board was over two years in the making and thoughtfully designed for minimal impact to our Library and most importantly minimal impact on our community.  It is imperative we move forward with this project before the system completely fails. The Library is a designated Suffolk County Heating and Cooling Center. Proper climate control is essential to the care and keeping of our Library materials and the health and safety of our staff and patrons. Our Local History Archive Center contain priceless documents and ephemera related to Sag Harbor’s rich and storied history. Failure to maintain proper humidity and temperature in our archival space leads to rapid deterioration, mold growth and ultimately the loss of irreplaceable items. 

Thank you for taking the time and energy to learn more about our HVAC Replacement Project. I am available and happy to answer any questions and discuss this issue further. You can reach me by calling the Library at 631.725.0049 ext. 223 or sending me an email at kharris@johnjermain.org

The Planning Board Site Application Hearing will be held on Tuesday, June 25th at 5:00 pm at the Municipal Building located at 55 Main Street in Sag Harbor. This is a public meeting and all are invited to attend. 

Click here to view application materials