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Pines library needs repairs, Berlin library receives boost

(May 18, 2017) The water infiltration issues at the Ocean Pines Library may have gone beyond a simple leaky roof, and could have ramifications on an existing HVAC system that’s also beginning to act its age, as the county commissioners decided to invest about $71,000 in discovering the root cause during Tuesday’s meeting. 

Commissioner Chip Bertino, representing Ocean Pines on the board, admitted he was “irritated” at reading the report on the situation prepared by John Tustin, public works director, which contained phrases like “improper construction,” “undersized,” and “lack of water shield.”
Tustin said the facility was designed in the mid 1990s by an architect who has since retired, and constructed by a builder who has since retired, so there is no one for the county to go back to about the quality of the workmanship.
Which might not be their fault anyway.
“The builder is not necessarily responsible if they followed the design guidelines,” Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said. Mitrecic is a builder by trade. 
There might even be a bigger problem, Mitrecic continued, if water is discovered under the shingles, which means the roof might not be pitched at the proper angle or other concerns. The point being, Mitrecic said, new shingles might not do the job. 
The four chimneys on the structure are also a problem. Two of the chimneys, Tustin reported, are used as outdoor air intakes for the HVAC system, but are built improperly for that purpose. The intake for the outdoor air needs to be redesigned to bypass the chimneys altogether and provide each air handler with its own intake. The refrigerant used in the existing HVAC system, R-22, is also being phased out by the Environmental Protection Agency because of its contributions to ozone depletion. Tustin recommended producing design documents to use R-22’s successor, R-410A. 
Tustin also recommended performing an analysis to prepare a scope of work and bid documents to rebuild the chimneys, which could be rebuilt as a design feature or removed entirely. 
The roof shingles are also becoming delaminated, which is a fairly common problem with shingles and occurs when the layers composing the shingle separate, and is allowing wind-driven rainwater to penetrate the structure. The valley and dormer flashings may also be undersized as well as the gutters and downspouts, Tustin reported. 
Tustin recommended proceeding with design documents and architectural analysis since there may still be unknown factors contributing to the library taking on water. 
Commissioner President Jim Bunting thought the job could be handled by a masonry contractor, and Commissioner Ted Elder agreed, but they were ultimately overridden by the rest of the board, who approved the approach 5-2.
The commissioners also agreed to provide $50,000 in match funding for a state grant for the Berlin replacement library project, which is scheduled for a groundbreaking ceremony on June 6, according to Jennifer Ranck, library director.