When the E.C. Scranton Memorial Library re-opens to the public sometime in 2020, the building will be not only larger but significantly more energy efficient. The Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC) recently approved a plan put forward by the Ad-hoc Library Building Committee for a number of roof-mounted solar panels.

Committee member and former interim library director Laura Downes made the presentation to PZC. She said there were a few solar panels on the roof of the building before the renovation, but the plan now would significantly increase the number of panels on the new building addition once constructed. The library was specifically seeking a minor site plan review to install the panels on the roof.

“There is no proposal to add solar panels to the original Henry Bacon part of the building,” she said.

The original proposal put forward included a rectangular array of panels on the south roof of the building and three rows of panels on the east side. The proposal then went before the Advisory Committee on Community Appearance (ACCA).

ACCA expressed some concerns about the proposal, according to Director of Planning and Economic Development Dave Anderson.

“My understanding is there was some concern about trying to expose a little bit more of the copper roof, so they reached a compromise,” he said.

The compromise involves redistributing the third row of solar panels on the east side to other parts of the building roof.

“We will lose a few panels, but it’s not a significant change so we accept what ACCA proposed,” said Downes. “…The panels we are installing are the all-black panels. There is an existing row of panels on the library and those panels are being replaced to be all black as well.”

Beyond appearance, Downes said this proposal is really about how much money the library will save on energy costs. Throughout building design, committee members expressed many concerns about a potential spike in overall energy costs to the library with a new, bigger building. Committee member Woodie Weiss completed substantial research to make sure the new building is as efficient as possible and Downes said the estimated savings with the solar panels is a perfect example of the outcome.

“The annual savings for energy costs is significant,” she said. “Last year we spent about $42,000 and now the total savings from the panels should be about $22,000. Since we are doubling the size of the building, those savings are important.”

The commission unanimously approved the site plan review. PZC Chair Ron Clark thanked Downes and the committee for all of their hard work.

“Thanks for saving the town and the library all of that money,” he said.

Renovation Project History

The E.C. Scranton Memorial Library renovation process officially started in 2017, when voters approved bonding $9 million for the project and the library pledged to raise $6 million to cover the remaining project costs.

In 2018, the Library Building Committee went through a series of building design changes and funding scares. By far one of the largest challenges the Library Building Committee encountered came up in summer 2018 after the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) threatened to withhold a large part of the renovation project funding over preservation of the Hull Building. The issue took time to resolve, but the committee and SHPO were eventually able to come to terms, sparing the project any more funding challenges or timeline issues.

With all approvals in place, the committee put the project out to bid; the winning bid, $9,847,952 (less than the roughly $11 million construction threshold for the project), was by Enterprise Builders. The contractor was on site and starting work shortly after the new year.