Westport Library Board Approves Phased HVAC Plan, Defers Scheduling Dispute to May

WESTPORT — April 13, 2026 — Westport Library Board approves phased HVAC replacement and defers staff scheduling dispute to May. The board voted unanimously at its April 13 meeting to replace the library's oldest exterior HVAC unit first — estimated at roughly $200,000 under the town's green community grant — while directing library Director Bonnie to separately apply to a private foundation for $250,000 toward four rooftop units, as the full system replacement carries a $581,000 price tag that outstrips available grant funding of $250,000 even after a $57,000 rebate. A weatherization and insulation audit required for grant eligibility is scheduled for August 23 at no cost to the library. The board also unanimously agreed to review all staff job descriptions after discovering they had never been formally approved by the town's personnel board, and postponed to May a formal vote on whether the director — who acknowledged adjusting her own scheduling without trustee authorization roughly two and a half years ago — must return to a decades-old alternating coverage practice requiring either the director or assistant director on-site at all times. The meeting closed with recognition of a departing trustee, identified as Pauline, who completed 28 years of service to the library board.