HOME | NEWS | SPORTS | OPINION | THINGS TO DO | ARTS & CULTURE | HOME & FAMILY | SCHOOLS | BUSINESS | REAL ESTATE | TOWN INFORMATION | CONTACT
Plan hatched to button up Morris Town Hall |
| Town Hall is bleeding energy, particularly the area occupied by the library, but the Board of Selectmen is working on a plan to mitigate the air loss. The plan involves insulating the ceiling of the building and includes replacement of the library's air conditioning system and installation of a cooling system for the vault in the town clerk's office. Funding for the project, which has yet to go out to bid, will come from a $31,790 grant from the federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and a $500 grant from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. The board will likely seek a Local Capital Improvement Project grant from the state to help pay for the project, First Selectman Karen Paradis said. Selectmen learned of the extent of Town Hall's air loss from a "blower energy check" done last month by the Energy Conservation Specialists of Connecticut. The check used fans to suck the air out of the building, which showed where the leaks are. Leaks were found to be massive, the equivalent of two open garage doors. Most of the air the building is losing is escaping through the ceiling over the library, where there is a large un-insulated gap between the drop ceiling and the roof. The library's air conditioning system, which failed last month, is located below the gap. Before a new system is installed, work to place a cooling unit above the vault would be done, as the only way to access the vault area is from above the library. At the rear of the building, above the James Morris Museum and Reading Room, the rafters will be covered with foam insulation and sheetrock to cut down on air loss and create a climate-controlled storage area. Above the front of the building, where town offices are located, 18 inches of fiberglass insulation will be blown in. Once the project is completed, the town will realize substantial savings in its energy bill, according to Paradis. |
