Replacing the 30 year old roof and a new air-conditioning system for the Millicent Library has been allocated $240,000 in the draft 2022/23 Wattle Range Council budget which is expected to be adopted by council next week.
Not replaced since the library was built in 1991, the roof has been leaking and causing damage to the interior of the building, and pigeons have also been finding their way into the roof space, according to council officers.
“The roof is leaking in several places and we’ve attempted to repair it numerous times,” said Director Development Services, Emma Clay.
“It’s causing mould on the ceiling so we have to get that cleaned up on a regular basis.
“Staff have had to resort to getting buckets out to try and catch the leaks and it is making the carpet wet and smelly.
“Pigeons are a problem too; they get into the smallest of places.
“They are nesting in the roof which is posing a health issue and damaging the false ceiling.”
Director of Engineering Services, Peter Halton said the building’s air-conditioning had been problematic for years.
“For the last 10 years we have had ongoing issues with it,” he said.
“It’s got four separate sections; two of them have not been working for five years and the rest are struggling.”
Mr Halton said the work would include removing the air-conditioning units from the roof of the building and installing ground level units instead.
This in itself would help reduce the number of “penetrations” through the roof which was exacerbating the leak and pigeon intrusion problem.
The job would also be made difficult by the presence of solar panels on the roof of the library which will have to be removed to enable the new roof to be put on before they are re-installed.
The work is not expected to proceed until after the local government elections in November, when the new council will be asked to select a successful tenderer.
