Belfast eyes heating audit for City Hall, library

BELFAST – The city plans to hire an engineer to determine whether the heating-cooling systems at City Hall and the Belfast Free Library are energy-efficient.

City Manager Joseph Slocum said Tuesday that the City Council had set aside $20,000 in its budget for engineering services. He said an energy audit of city buildings was needed because of the growing cost of fuel and electricity.

“I think we have a good system, and I think we have good controls, but I don’t think it’s very efficient,” Slocum said. “We’ll hire an engineer to review City Hall and the library to make sure that we are running our systems as efficiently as possible.”

Slocum said the city also planned to replace the lighting in the Public Works garage and Belfast Fire Department with more efficient fluorescent bulbs. The city has an energy committee and Slocum met recently with members Roger Lee, who also serves on the council, and Andrew Carpenter to discuss ways of reducing energy costs and usage.

“We’re trying to save money, and we’re also trying to be energy-efficient,” he said.

Slocum said the state has a reimbursement program to help municipalities recover some of the cost of replacing or retrofitting light fixtures. The city also plans to reduce energy use by purchasing more-efficient refrigerators and removing the soda vending machine from City Hall. Slocum said the soda machine accounts for 5 percent of the city’s electric bill at City Hall.

Slocum said the city was spending approximately $20,000 a year to service its heating and air-conditioning system at City Hall. He said the cost may seem excessive, but the city won’t know that for a fact without having an engineer look at it. The city needs to know that the system is working properly, he said.

“This is not an 80,000-square-foot building; to me it’s just a large house,” he said of City Hall. “If the consultant says it’s OK, I’ll sleep better at night. … I want really clear answers.”

In another matter, Slocum said the council conducted his four-month evaluation in executive session Monday night and that he believed the discussion was “very constructive.” Slocum still has to serve another 60 days on the job before his six-month probationary period is concluded. He added that evaluations were “hard” for everyone involved. “It can be awkward for the evaluators and the person being evaluated.”