NATCHEZ, Miss. – City aldermen have approved the purchase of new air-conditioner components costing nearly $40,000 for Armstrong Library, which has curtailed its hours of operation because it’s so hot.
Mayor Dan Gibson expressed hope Tuesday the AC can be repaired within two or three weeks when the new equipment is installed. In the meantime, he asked library patrons to be patient.
“We know it’s hot, and we know the library is having to close early,” he said, but “the (AC) equipment is on the way.”
The public library is currently open just in the morning until noon Monday-Saturday.
The Natchez Board of Aldermen on Tuesday approved replacing the compressor for the library’s AC chiller for about $30,000 and getting a new motor for the air handler costing about $10,000.
The city-owned Armstrong Library on Commerce Street, built in 1965, has previously had AC breakdowns. For example, in 2013, the Board of Aldermen approved spending $15,000 to get the AC back running after the library had to close for a week because of the unbearable heat. As a temporary measure then, window units were installed to cool first-floor rooms for library patrons and employees while the second floor remained closed.
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