patrick.net

Reminds me of the main branch of our public library, built in 1961. A few years ago it received a complete renovation with conversion of the downstairs area that used to be dingy and mostly stacks of old periodicals and is now a comfortable, inviting reading area. The renovation also included complete revamping of the HVAC system. Last week on a cool day I went in and temps ranged from 62-65 degrees inside. There are digital devices that look like thermostats all over the place and you can push a little button and raise the displayed numbers to 73 deg., but it has no effect. The system is operated from city hall and if this happens late on a Friday, they have to live with it through the weekend. Sometimes it's insufferably hot, but even in the worst part of the summer the system always defaults to less than 70 degrees. No one anywhere seems to understand how it works or how to fix it. What an amazing thing it would be to have a manual thermostat on each floor that could easily and quickly adjust the temp.