By Tom Henderson • Staff Writer • 

Library's air conditioner (fingers crossed) working again

The McMinnville Public Library's air conditioner is working again, and library director Jenny Berg said she is confident it will stay that way.

Librarians have had an on-again/off-again relationship with their cooling system this week.

Reference librarian Courtney Terry said it almost makes her believe in jinxes. She told the News-register June 16 that the library offered a place for people to escape rising temperatures, but the paper no sooner hit the street than the building's air conditioner conked out.

What makes the coincidence particularly odd was Terry had had mentioned how the air conditioner went on the fritz last summer just as temperatures edged toward triple digits. She expressed gratitude there were no such problems this summer. Turns out ... not so much.

Repair personnel from Dr. HVAC in McMinnville wouldn't be available until next week to diagnose the problem, Terry said. However, they were unexpectedly able to get to the library Wednesday afternoon, and now, the air conditioner is humming right along.

Some problems with the library's air conditioning system is to be expected, Berg said. "We have a really old and complicated system, and it's working in a lot of different areas of the building," she said. "It's something we need to look into."

However, she added, the library operates on the same limited funds as all city services. "We just had the elevator modernization," she said. "You can't necessarily do it all."

The library's air-conditioning problems impose the biggest hardship on McMinnville's homeless population.

The library building on Northwest Adams Street is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. However, it is the only city-owned facility that operates as a cooling center.

The McMinnville Community Center on Northeast Evans Street is not a cooling center, said recreation supervisor Katie Noyd. "We're not set up for it," she said.

Nonetheless, under certain conditions, people can go to the center and take a cooling shower. Showers cost $2 and are limited to 30 minutes. People also have to provide government-issued identification before they can take a shower.

For people who don't have $2 to spare, the Give A Little Foundation has provided vouchers for free showers, provided people can provide the community center with the proper documentation.

Noyd said anyone who wants a shower should go to the center and get information, including the hours available. "We have a lot of hours, but not all the hours are our open hours," she explained.

The McMinnville First Presbyterian Church at 390 N.E. Second St. offers breakfasts where people can escape the heat from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. However, there is no breakfast this week because the church's carpets are being cleaned.

McMinnville Cooperative Ministries at 544 N.E. Second St. offers breakfast from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays.

The McMinnville First Baptist Church offers breakfasts from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Mondays and Fridays.

The Champion Team, a drop-in center and advocacy organization for people with mental health issues, allows people to cool offer at its office at 1300 N.W. Adams St. during regular hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Yamhill Community Action Partnership has offered its office at 1317 N.E. Dustin Court as a cooling center weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

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