Seven Free Library branches are closed indefinitely due to broken heating systems in ‘an unusual confluence of events’
But a new deal between the city and the HVAC contractor means they will reopen.
Colder temperatures usually are a good time to dive into a new book. But that won’t be possible at some branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Seven branches are now indefinitely closed because of heating issues, in what a library spokesperson called “an unusual confluence of events.” Those branches include:
“It is extremely important to us that we fix this issue as fast as possible, so we can restore community access and serve our communities,” said Mark Graham, a Free Library of Philadelphia spokesperson.
The city and its HVAC contractor struck an agreement to begin repairs on Friday afternoon. The Free Library does not yet have a timeline for when the repairs will be completed, but Graham said that “we have a lot of hope that those branches should have heat very soon.”
This summer, 20 Free Library branches closed at various points because of air-conditioning issues, but heating-related closures are less common.
“We are working with beautiful, old buildings and often old systems. We have a lot of work to maintain, repair, and renovate these properties. That is true throughout the Free Library of Philadelphia’s 54 libraries, as it is for many city properties,” Graham said.
The Richmond Library closed on Nov. 13 because of its broken boiler. When Richmond Library staffers shared the news on Facebook, dismayed community members expressed both their support for the library and disappointment at its closure.
“We’ve had a whole lot of community people become very frustrated about this,” said Amy Thatcher, who works at Richmond Library as a member of AFSCME District Council 47 Local 2186 and lives in the neighborhood. She said that with Richmond’s broken heater, the temperature indoors dropped to 60 degrees; the city told her and other staff that they could not open since the temperature had dropped below an acceptable threshold. She and her colleagues now must work at other branches until Richmond reopens.
Thatcher said that closing Richmond’s doors means that programming has stopped, too, including an after-school program where kids get help with their homework.
“It’s a tragedy for this library to be closed,” she said.
Phil Stoltzfus, a Port Richmond resident, said that the library is an important resource for the community and that “people are caught off guard” by the news of its closure.
“It’s a ritual, we go there at least once a week,” he said of his family, which includes his wife and two daughters, ages 10 and 7.
“It’s a shame that whatever’s going on with the city gets to this point,” he said.