Elevated CO levels cause temporary library evacuation

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The township will purchase a new rooftop HVAC unit for the West Orange Public Library after exhaust from one of its existing four units began filtering into the library on Dec. 8, prompting a brief evacuation.

Township engineer Leonard Lepore said he expected to review price quotes for a new unit by press time Dec. 13, estimating that it would likely cost approximately $70,000. Lepore said the funding for the expense would come out of the $617,500 in bonds the township issued in June to pay for some of the WOPL’s capital improvements projects. He said some of those monies were always expected to be used on the HVAC system.

Lepore added that only one faulty unit will be replaced for now, though the township plans to eventually replace the other three in accordance with the library’s five-year, $1.5 million capital improvements plan. That document, which was drawn up by Arcari + Iovino Architects, states that the existing units are 18 years old and that the estimated service and economic lifespan of a rooftop unit is 20 years.

Meanwhile, library director David Cubie said the WOPL has been operating as usual ever since the evacuation ended at approximately 12:10 p.m. on Dec. 8. The malfunctioning unit is turned off, Cubie said, but the building is still warm since it is being heated by its baseboard system in addition to its three functioning rooftop units.

The problem with the fourth unit was first noticed the morning of Dec. 8 by library staff, who reported a strange odor to the West Orange Fire Department. Township public information officer Susan Anderson said the WOFD evacuated the building at approximately 11:25 a.m. to investigate and eventually found carbon monoxide, or CO, levels in the 10 to 12 parts per million range. According to Anderson, the acceptable limit for commercial buildings is 35 parts per million.

Still, Anderson said the WOFD used fans to ventilate the building and bring the CO level down to zero. All four HVAC units were also shut down while waiting for PSE&G to respond, she said. When the utility company did arrive, Cubie said it discovered that the CO was only emanating from the one unit.

Cubie said that rooftop unit was then inspected by Volpe Service Company, which found the CO issue was caused by the unit being rusted. It recommended that the unit be replaced as opposed to being repaired, he said.

While the unit’s malfunction was a setback for the library, its facade replacement — to fix the damage from its collapse in January 2015 — has been going well since starting Oct. 17. Lepore said workers from Reliable NYC LLC first repaired the library wing’s structural concrete slab and removed the protective black sheathing on it. They then made improvements to the existing fiberglass insulation before putting a half-inch of fiberglass sheathing on, which was the yellow board residents may have noticed. After that, he said they wrapped the building with Tyvek and added 2-inch rigid insulation.

By press time, Lepore said the workers should be starting with the final phase of the project — attaching the bricks to the wall. The engineer explained that they will first put up tarps with heaters underneath them so they will have the warm conditions needed to do the brick work. Next, they will attach the bricks to panels using tabs and glue, and the panels will be screwed into the wall’s interior metal studding. He said colored stone pieces will be attached in the same way at the top and bottom of the wall in addition to being intermingled with the bricks for aesthetic effect.

Of course, Lepore said grouting will also be done throughout the facade.

That work comes after a period in which only some insulation work could be accomplished while waiting for the bricks and stones to arrive. Lepore said the township ordered the materials on Oct. 6, after being told they should arrive by Thanksgiving, but they came roughly two weeks after that. The stone pieces had not yet arrived at the time Lepore spoke to the West Orange Chronicle on Dec. 9, but he expected them in before press time. Once the township receives that material more intensive work can resume, he said.

  West Orange Fire Department, West Orange Public Library