After months of heat issues, Everett library branch closes for repairs

EVERETT — The Everett Public Library’s Evergreen branch has been closed for nearly a week as maintenance staff work to fix a broken HVAC system that library staff say has left them shivering or sweltering on the job for months.

According to the library’s Facebook page, the satellite branch at 9512 Evergreen Way has been closed since Nov. 5. On Wednesday, the branch had two large “Closed Today” signs posted on its front doors.

Everett Public Library Director Abigail Cooley said the branch would reopen on Saturday. Though work to restore heat to the building via temporary measures was likely to be done sooner, Cooley said both the Evergreen branch and the main library at 2702 Hoyt Ave. were closed Friday in observance of Veterans Day.

Cooley said a component needed for the repair had been delayed several times due to supply chain issues, preventing a permanent fix for the HVAC problems. It was again delayed last week, prompting the decision to close for temporary repairs, she said.

Last week, the state Department of Labor and Industries received an anonymous complaint about working conditions at the Evergreen branch. Simone Tarver, a spokesperson for the City of Everett, said library management was aware of the complaint and would be “responding to confirm there are not any current worker safety or health hazards.”

Staff at the Evergreen branch feel they have suffered long enough, said a branch employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The employee said because of the inoperable HVAC system, staff and patrons braved periods of sweltering heat last summer, with temperatures reaching to the mid-90s last July, and now are dealing with the cold as winter temperatures set in.

The employee said the branch’s heat was not working properly when it reopened after its remodel in December 2019, and he said it took “a couple months of frequent complaining” to get the problem addressed. The following winter, the heating stopped working again and was quickly repaired, but broke down again within a week. The system has been on the fritz ever since, he said.

In the absence of central heating, the employee said the branch was given six space heaters. But they were designed for small enclosed spaces and did little to warm the open-layout library, he said.

“It was very unpleasant to work in the cold,” said the employee, who reported that temperatures inside the branch dropped to 51 degrees last week. “We all wore coats, I wore a hat and gloves, and it was terrible for morale. No one wants to leave their warm home to spend eight hours in a cold environment.”

Matt Ross, a spokesperson for the Department of Labor and Industries, confirmed in an email Thursday that the agency received a referral about the cold library on Nov. 1. It then requested further information from the library, whose response is due Monday. Inspectors will determine whether further investigation is warranted based on that response.

“While I can’t speak to what impact our outreach may have had on their decision, I can say that if they closed for repairs, it was not because of a directive or order from us as we are in the very early stages of looking into the referral we received,” Ross said.

Ross said the referral to Labor and Industries, though anonymous, was confirmed to have come from a library guest.

Cooley said the decision to close the branch was not related to the referral. Management learned that the part needed for the repair would again be delayed early last week, before they were made aware that a complaint had been filed, she said.

“Of course we consider everything we’re hearing from all perspectives whenever we’re making a decision, but actions were already taking place that led to closing before (the complaint) even arrived,” Cooley said.

The branch employee said he felt it wasn’t a coincidence the closure and temporary repairs happened shortly after leadership heard about the complaint.

“I think that was the only motivation to fix things,” the employee said. “It seemed like there was zero urgency to keep us comfortable.”

Cooley said management provided temporary solutions, like the space heaters, during previous cold stretches to keep staff and patrons as comfortable as possible given continued supply chain limitations and the facility’s layout. In the summer, she said employees were given extra time for breaks and constant access to cold drinking water. And for long periods of the year, the weather was temperate enough that climate control wasn’t needed, she said.

The branch’s closure is also a concern for the surrounding area’s unhoused population, many of whom depend on free library resources like heat in winter and access to electricity and the internet. Cooley said that while the library strives to provide these resources to all regardless of economic background, staff are aware of the role their facilities play in offering comfort and safety to unsheltered patrons.

Library leadership has made sure its website and social media are regularly updated to notify patrons the main location downtown is still available to those seeking a warming center, she said. The library also works closely with the city and has hired a social work intern in efforts to improve outreach to patrons needing help with housing and other resources, Cooley said.

The Evergreen branch employee said he was frustrated that the city and library management had taken so long to address the heat problem, a sentiment he said was shared by many of his coworkers.

“I can’t understand why it took so long to take any action other than waiting for the part to come in,” he said. “And I saw remarkably little consideration for how this affected the employees.”

Cooley mentioned the Sno-Isle Mariner Library, located about 2½ miles from the Evergreen branch at 520 128th St. SW, as another nearby alternative for those seeking warmth.

Riley Haun: 425-339-3192; riley.haun@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @RHaunID.